Archive of Our Own

Minho wasn’t sure what was worse: the subzero temperatures from outside slowly seeping into his car, or Felix’s unrelenting excitement. He never would have thought he would ever be volunteering for a children’s camp, especially during one of his few class breaks, but there he was.

“Thank you so much for coming with me, you have no idea how excited I am! I’ve always wanted to do something like this.” Felix sighed and looked out the window, his breath slightly fogging the cool glass. It was early in the morning, and the two were making their way to the little community center where all of the kids, as well as the counselors, would board the buses and make their way to the campground.

“You’re lucky that I’m so nice and that I like you. If anyone else would’ve asked, they’d be screwed.” Minho laughed. Felix had already asked everyone he could before going to Minho since he knew the other most likely wouldn’t want to. Unfortunately, everyone else shut him down immediately or already had plans. It was winter break, so most people on his list were on vacation or spending time with their families.

“Yeah, whatever. Are we almost at the stop?” Felix asked, still looking out the window. Minho switched from the radio on the screen to the GPS function and checked the estimated time of arrival.

“We’re only about three minutes out,” Minho said. The two continued to make light conversation until they finally made it to the community center. It was a little bit dated, looking like it was built in the 70’s or 80’s, but it still had a welcoming charm. Minho parked the car in the nearest space and the two grabbed their belongings out of the back and began walking towards the building’s doors. They both had brought a large travel suitcase and a hiking backpack since they would be there for two weeks.

A strong gust of cold air suddenly hit them both at full force, so they hurried into the building. They were met by an older man, presumably the camp coordinator, who had a welcoming smile.

“Hey, you two must be the other counselors! Lee Minho and Lee Felix, right? Could you two just sign a few papers for me? Afterward, you can get settled on the bus.” The man handed Minho a clipboard and a pen, and the two young men took turns signing the papers, mostly just for the legality of the trip. They thanked the man and headed towards the bus outside, a large charter bus decked out in festive Christmas colors and the name of the campground, “Winter Falls Park,” plastered across the bus on both sides.

The two took out what they thought they might need from their backpacks and suitcases and stowed them away. When they were sure that they had gotten everything out, they boarded the bus and began to search for seats. Most of the seats were available since it was mostly just staff. They began walking to the back of the bus until a loud voice caught both of their attention.

“Felix?! Is that you?!” The two looked up to see a fit, black-haired man around their age getting out of his seat and rushing towards the two. Another slightly shorter man with longer brown hair and a guitar slung behind his back followed him closely. Felix’s eyes lit up with recognition after seeing the black-haired man, quickly running over and being captured in a bear hug.

“No fucking way! Chris? I haven’t seen you in ages!” Felix exclaimed, still in the other man’s embrace. Minho had never seen the other man in his life, and it seemed that the guy with the guitar was in a similar situation.

Felix and the other man stepped away from each other, noticing the confusion on the other’s faces.

“Minho, this is Chris. We went to middle school together in Australia, but I haven’t seen him since he moved to Korea. He moved a few years before I did.” The blonde explained.

“You can call me Chan. That’s what I’ve been going by ever since I moved to Korea. I’m fine with either, though. Nice to meet you Minho!” Chan shook the other’s hand and Minho mumbled a quick agreement. Chan moved to the side to introduce the guy behind him, who hadn’t spoken a word yet.

“This is Jisung, we produce music together. He’s like, crazy good at the guitar, and he can sing, so look forward to that!” The shorter man’s face heated up and he playfully punched Chan’s arm.

“You say that like you can’t also do both of those things. But it’s nice to meet you two!” Jisung flashed them a bright smile and shook both of their hands.

“Is it okay if I steal Chris from you for a while? I’m dying to catch up.” Felix said excitedly, still cupping Jisung’s hand. Minho’s eyes widened, giving a subtle glare at his friend. He usually wouldn’t mind sitting with a stranger, he would just sleep or go on his phone. The problem was that said stranger was exactly his type.

“Sure, I get it. Don’t listen to anything he says about me though, he’s full of lies.” Jisung whispered, looking dead serious.

“I won’t let you down. I’ll report back to you with whatever falsehoods he tells me.” Felix whispered back and sat next to Chan, who most likely heard the entire conversation. Jisung sat down in the seat in front of the two, and Minho felt like a 7-year-old on the first day of school, not knowing what to say or who he was supposed to sit with. He figured that the best option was to ask the man beside him since it would seem like he was actively avoiding him if he sat somewhere else.

“Is it fine if I sit here, or do you want to sit alone? It’s fine either way; I don’t care.” The other cut Minho off, patting the spot next to his seat and smiling up at him.

“I was gonna go to sleep anyway, so I don’t mind at all. I packed all my stuff early this morning, so now I’m super tired.” Minho nodded, relieved that he wouldn’t suffer through awkward small talk. Jisung closed his eyes, leaning against the window, while Minho played some games on his phone.

Everything was going smoothly for around 15 minutes, but Minho froze when the man beside him shifted his head from the window to Minho’s shoulder. He didn’t seem to notice that he had changed positions, still slowly breathing, fast asleep.

Minho tried to relax his shoulders so they could both be comfortable, but he didn’t want to move too much and jostle the other awake. It didn’t seem like he would be waking up soon, though. Now that there were kids on the bus, there was a loud, cheerful atmosphere. As nostalgic as it was, Minho had started to wish that he brought a pair of headphones himself.

He continued to fiddle around on his phone, now a bit more conscious of what he was doing in case the other woke up, and everything was going smoothly. Minho didn’t engage in skinship often, mostly because he didn’t want to seem clingy or rely on anyone else too much, but he found that the added weight on his shoulder was a nice addition.

Later in the bus ride, Minho began drifting off himself since his phone was getting low on battery and there were no outlets. However, a huge bump jostled both of them awake.

Jisung’s head bumped Minho’s chin and the younger looked over apologetically, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I was totally in your space, wasn’t I? I didn’t even realize that I had moved, I’m seriously so sorry!” Jisung blabbered, eyes widened, and face red.

“Don’t worry about it, I was asleep too. I didn’t mind at all. Honestly, it was kind of nice, since it’s cold…and you’re warm…and…yeah.” Minho was completely bullshitting every word that was coming out of his mouth, but Jisung didn’t seem to care much.

“Really? Well, if that’s the case, I’ll be taking my headrest back. Thanks, Minho!” The younger plopped his head right back where it previously was, shutting his eyes once again. Minho was glad that the other seemed to warm up to him quickly and they could easily feel comfortable around each other.

He felt a little bit tired himself, and there was still a long way to go until the bus would arrive, so Minho rested his head atop Jisung’s fluffy head of hair. He subtly moved the other man closer into the crook of his neck, slung an arm around his shoulder to get more comfortable, and fell asleep.

🎄

“Wake up, sleepyheads! We’re here!” Minho and Jisung both awoke to Felix’s deep voice, slowly awakening from their slumber. Jisung yawned and rubbed his eyes, and Minho grumbled about how he was still tired. The older stood up and began to walk down the aisle of the bus, Jisung grabbing his guitar and following close behind. Minho was just about to walk down the stairs of the bus when the old man from the community center stopped him in his tracks.

“Not so fast, Mr. Lee! I’m going to have to ask you to put your phone in this little bin here. I had the others do it as well, so don’t take it personally. I just want to make sure that all of your focus is on running the camp and that there won’t be any unnecessary distractions. We have an emergency phone in every room just in case, but we shouldn’t need that for any reason. I’ll have you do the same, Mr. Han.” The bearded man said matter-of-factly.

They both discarded their phones into the bin, surprised that they had not been told earlier. Maybe it was somewhere in the fine print. They retrieved their bags and caught up with Chan and Felix, who were walking towards a little cabin-style building to check in and get instructions. Minho took a moment to look at the campsite surrounding them, and it was seriously impressive.

There was a lodge-style hotel, a large auditorium, a spacious dining hall, and many more little buildings for activities. There was most likely more beyond what he could see, and he was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the trip so far.

Most of the camps he had attended with Felix had been dingy, overcrowded, and dirty. Jisung seemed also pretty entranced with the site, looking around at all of the buildings in awe. When the four walked into the building, they were met by a woman a little bit older than them at the reception desk, a smile on her face.

“You four must be the counselors this year! You can just call me Jihyo. I’ll get you guys your schedules, uniforms, and room keys and you’ll be all set. We’ll just go down the line, alright?” She looked at Felix, who was the first to come in. He told her his name and shirt size, and she handed him two shirts, a hat with the camp logo, and a keycard.

“Since we’re a bit understaffed, we had to assign 2 counselors to each room. Usually, you would each get your own, but there was more interest with the kids than usual this year, so we don’t have enough room. It says here that you’re assigned to Room Five with Chan. If any changes need to be made, please let us know.” She smiled apologetically.

“Let’s go! I’m so excited, it’ll be just like old times. Are you two alright with this?” Felix gave Chan a high five before turning to Minho and Jisung.

“I mean, I don’t have any problem with it…Is it fine with you?” Jisung spoke up, looking at Minho. How could Minho say no to anything the man said when he was looking up at him with those big brown eyes and pouty lips?

“Yeah, that’s okay with me. It’s not a big deal at all.” Minho pretended like Jisung’s grateful smile didn’t affect him as much as it did.

“Great! You can just drop off all of your belongings in your rooms whenever you’re ready. You’ll be going to the auditorium in about an hour to introduce yourself to the campers, so get ready!” After Jihyo gave the rest of them their uniforms and keys, the four headed to the hotel. The coordinator of the camp wanted one pair on each floor of the hotel, so Felix and Chan were assigned to the bottom floor while Minho and Jisung were assigned to the top.

Unfortunately, the hotel had no elevator, so the two had to lug their suitcases up the wooden flight of stairs, which took considerable time. When they finally made it up, they found the door labeled as Room 22, and they headed inside.

The first thing that Minho noticed was that there was only one bed in the room.

Huh.

It was a pretty good size so they wouldn’t be too squished, but it still caught him off guard. It seemed to catch the younger’s attention as well, as his eyes widened when after seeing the bed. There were two cinch sacks with the camp’s name on them lying on opposite sides of the bed as well.

“Are you good with this? I mean, I don’t really care, but…I move around a lot in my sleep, so I don’t want to bother you or anything.” Jisung looked at Minho for a second and then looked back at the bed.

“It’s fine, don’t sweat it. It’s a big bed, so it shouldn’t be a problem. And I’m a heavy sleeper, so I probably won’t even notice.” Minho said, lying through his teeth once again. He was actually a pretty light sleeper, being woken up by his cats on multiple occasions, but Jisung didn’t have to know that.

“Really? That’s a relief…I was kind of worried that I’d keep Chan awake like I usually do. Hopefully, Felix is a still sleeper.” Jisung said a light smile on his face. Minho nodded and smiled back, trying to ignore the way his stomach turned at the insinuation that Jisung and Chan slept together. For all he knew, they could be a couple and just didn’t say anything. Minho shook his head and stopped thinking about it. They had just met, why should he care so much?

“Are you okay? You look kind of out of it, are you still tired?” Jisung’s voice snapped Minho out of his thoughts and his ears turned red.

“Yeah, no, I’m fine. I’m just still a little drowsy, but I should get over it.” Strike three! Minho had never lied to anyone's face as much as he had lied to the man in front of him, and he had only known of his existence for about three hours.

“Ah, okay. I’m gonna get changed and freshen up, but I’ll try not to take too long.” Jisung took some things out of his bag picked up the T-shirt that was given to him and walked into the small bathroom. Minho decided that he should probably get ready too, since they would have to be at the auditorium in around 30 minutes.

He scanned the options that he was given to change into. They were given a T-shirt, a sweatshirt, and a hat, all having the logo embroidered on them. He opted for the sweatshirt since he was unsure of how cold it may be in the building. It was sure as hell cold outside, and he didn’t want to take any chances. He took off the coat and T-shirt he previously had on and pulled the sweatshirt over his head, tried to fix his hair, but soon gave up and just put the hat on.

A few minutes later, Jisung came out of the bathroom with the T-shirt on, tucked into his baggy jeans, and hair freshly curled. Nobody had to know that when Jisung turned around and bent down to put the dirty clothes by his suitcase Minho let his eyes trail down to the younger’s waist, which was accentuated by the T-shirt.

He quickly looked away once the other turned around, pretending to be still looking around at the room. They took a couple more minutes to pack some things into their cinch sacs and headed out. They left about 10 minutes earlier than they had to, but it was better to be early than late. As they walked down the stairs, they were met with Felix and Chan, who were sitting in front of the fireplace in the lobby on some rocking chairs.

“Hey, we were just about to get going! We weren’t sure if you two would leave early or not.” Chan got up out of the chair and smiled, Felix, following behind.

“Yeah, we figured it’d be a good idea. They’ll probably want us there a little bit earlier anyways, so they can tell us what to say in our introductions.” Minho said, Jisung nodding from behind him.

“I really hope they don’t make us do any icebreakers. I’ve always hated icebreakers….” Jisung whined while Chan put a comforting hand on his shoulder. The four walked to the auditorium, the cold wind hitting their faces when the hotel doors slid open. Jisung immediately started complaining, having worn the T-shirt instead of the sweatshirt. Minho didn’t miss the way that Chan pulled the younger closer by the waist or the way that Jisung melted into the other’s touch almost immediately.

Minho didn’t care. They had clearly known each other for a long time and were incredibly close, so there was no reason to justify getting upset. Felix seemed to notice Minho’s mood sour and looked over at him curiously before striking up a conversation. They could debrief when they were alone.

When they made it to the auditorium, they were asked to sit in the front row with all of the other staff members, who were mostly camp directors and managers. They took the seats that had their names assigned to them and waited patiently for the campers to come in.

Soon enough, tons of children, mostly middle school age, came rushing into the room. They were all bundled up in their hats, scarves, and sweaters, yelling and running around. Once everybody got settled down into their seats, the lights dimmed and the older man from earlier appeared on the stage.

“Hello, Campers! Welcome to Winter Falls! I am so ecstatic to see you this winter, and I hope that you’re just as excited as me to be here! You all can call me Mr. Baek. I’m the director and owner of the lovely campsite that you see today! Before we get ahead of ourselves, let me introduce our counselors. Come on up you four, don’t be shy!” As the man beckoned them up, Chan was the first to stand up and head over, followed by Felix. Minho and Jisung followed closely behind, walking up the small set of stairs that led to the stage.

Felix and Chan were naturally outgoing and extroverted, smiling brightly and waving at the audience in front of them. Jisung waved and smiled as well, but Minho could still see the nervousness on his face. Minho was just trying to look as approachable as possible, bordering on unnatural.

“So, how about you guys introduce yourselves? All you have to say is your name, your favorite color, and a fun fact about yourself. How about you go first?” Mr. Baek handed his microphone to Felix, who gladly took it from his hands.

“You all can call me Mr. Felix! My favorite color is black, and I love to bake. I’m so excited to be your counselor this year!” Felix and Minho had already decided that Minho could be the one who goes by Mr. Lee since they share a last name. They figured that “Mr. Felix” sounded more normal than “Mr. Minho.” The blonde beamed at the crowd as they all clapped, and he handed the microphone to Chan.

“Hello, everyone! I’m Mr. Bang, my favorite color is blue, and I’m from Australia!” The crowed ooh’ed and ahh’d, since most of them had most likely never left the country before. Chan gave Jisung a reassuring smile and handed him the microphone.

“Hey, guys. My name is Mr. Han, my favorite color is red, and, uh, I can play the guitar! It’s really nice to meet you all!” Jisung let out a breath of relief when his fun fact had been deemed fun enough to hear a few wows from the crowd. He smiled a little and handed the microphone to Minho, who smiled back.

“I’m Mr. Lee, my favorite color is green, and I have three cats. I’m looking forward to meeting you all.” Minho said quickly, satisfied by the claps of the audience. He handed the microphone back to Mr. Baek who thanked him and continued to talk.

“Aren’t they great? Now for the fun part! Each one of you got an envelope before you came in that you were told not to peek at, right? In that envelope, your counselor will be revealed! Each one of you will be assigned to a team correlating to a counselor. After you are dismissed, you will go to the location on the letter to get to know who you’ll be with for the next two weeks! Now, everybody, open your envelopes!”

Sounds of envelopes opened filled the room, and cheers and conversations burst out quickly. Minho saw that Jisung was carefully scanning the room for reactions and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Oh, sorry. I just don’t want them to be disappointed,” Jisung whispered to the older, whose eyes softened.

“They have no reason to be disappointed. And even if they are, you shouldn’t take it personally. Kids are going to be judgmental no matter what, so don’t let it get to your head.” Jisung smiled softly at the other’s affirmations and gave him a small nod before turning back to the audience.

After a few more words from Mr. Baek, the campers were dismissed. They had all filed out fairly quickly, eager to get to their spots and see who was in their group.

“Sorry, it slipped my mind to tell you all your locations! I was so focused on handing out the envelopes that I completely forgot to give you instructions. I apologize. Mr. Chan, your group will meet on the field. Mr. Felix, your group will meet at the dining hall. Mr. Lee, your group will meet in the hotel lobby. And Mr. Han, your group will meet on the hotel roof. There is a ladder on the second floor to get up there, we have meetings and activities up there. Let me know if you guys need any help finding anything! Best of luck!” Mr. Baek waved before disappearing backstage.

The four walked outside to find a map posted on one of the walls of the auditorium to figure out where they were going. Minho and Jisung already knew where the hotel was, so they split up from the other two and headed that way. They could already hear yells of excitement coming from the roof, kids running around and talking animatedly with their friends.

Minho noticed Jisung shivering, even though he was obviously trying to hide it, and took off his sweatshirt. Minho had put the T-shirt on under his sweatshirt and he was getting a little bit hot anyway.

“Here. I’ll be inside by the fireplace, so I shouldn’t need it.” He handed the sweatshirt to the younger who stared at him blankly before panicking.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to get cold…It was my fault for not wearing my own, I don’t want you to get cold because of me.” Jisung stammered. Minho just shook his head and sighed.

“It’s seriously fine. You look like you’re about to freeze, and I’m the one offering. I promise I’ll be fine.” Minho smiled when Jisung finally took the shirt out of his hands.

“Thank you so much. I owe you one.” Jisung said, pulling the sweatshirt over his head. The two didn’t have much of a height difference, but their difference in stature made the shirt look a lot larger on the younger than it did Minho.

The two finally made it to the hotel, bidding their goodbyes and splitting up.

🎄

Jisung didn’t consider himself to be bad with kids, but he didn’t consider himself babysitter material either. Chan had always been the one to handle kids when they were met with younger fans of their music or their friend's little siblings, so Jisung wasn’t entirely sure what kids liked. He walked up the ladder and hoped for the best.

He really wished that they hadn’t put him on the roof, since he wasn’t a fan of heights or making sure kids didn’t fall off. He figured that these kids would be old enough to handle themselves, so he tried not to worry about it too much.

“Hey, guys. As you heard, my name is Mr. Han, and I’ll be your counselor. How are you guys doing?” He asked, hoping that he didn’t sound like somebody's awkward uncle who was trying to fit in with the kids at a family reunion. He heard lots of “goods” and even some “greats,” so he decided to continue.

“So, how about you all get into a circle and introduce yourselves? Um, you can just say your name and favorite animal. I’ll go first. I’m Mr. Han, obviously, and my favorite animal is a squirrel.” He decided to go with an easy question, one that wouldn’t require any overthinking from kids who may be a little bit shyer.

Everything went smoothly, and after the introductions, Jisung let them go back to doing whatever they wanted. It seemed like most of them were having a good time, but there was one little girl who was sitting alone in a chair, looking upset. Usually, Jisung would leave them alone, but she looked like she needed someone to talk to, so he came over to the seat and kneeled at her level.

“Hey, Seohyun, right? Are you okay? It’s okay if you just want some alone time, but you looked pretty upset. Is there anything I can help you with?” Jisung looked up at her and she nodded.

“Well, I came here with my friend Chanmi, but we got split up. I don’t know anyone else here, and I’m not good at talking to new people…” She mumbled, looking down. Jisung had been in the same situation when he was little, getting separated from his older brother often and being left alone.

“Ah, I’m sorry. What group is she in?” He asked, trying to get her to cheer up.

“Mr. Lee’s group. I’m scared that she’ll find people cooler than me and not want to be my friend anymore.” Her eyes began to well up with tears, and Jisung smiled at her sympathetically.

“If she’s in Mr. Lee’s group, then she’s just right below us! How would you like it if we took a little field trip down there to say hi?” He offered. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to, but what was the worst that could happen? The girl's eyes lit up and she quickly got up from her chair.

“Really?! Would you let us? Thank you so so so much!” She beamed, hugging Jisung as he stood up as well. He gave her a few little pats on the head until she let go, making her way to the ladder.

“Hey, everyone! We’re going to go down and visit Mr. Lee’s group downstairs. Follow closely behind me and don’t wander off anywhere!” He announced. He heard some kids saying that they were getting cold anyway, so his decision seemed to be for the best.

He made sure that everybody had come down before leading the way to the lobby, the kids chattering behind him about who knows what.

“Chanmi!” Seohyun ran over to the other little girl right when she saw her and gave her a tight hug. Jisung watching the two reunite, didn’t even notice when Minho walked up behind him.

“So, I see we have some visitors. Is everything alright?” The older asked, slightly startling Jisung.

“Oh my God, give me a warning! But, yeah, everything is fine. One of the girls in my group was on the verge of tears because she got split up from her friend, who just so happens to be in your group. And some of the other campers were getting cold, so I figured that I could just bring them all down here. Was I interrupting anything?” Jisung explained and Minho nodded.

“Yes, you actually did. We were in the middle of a very intense game of charades before you decided to come in and rain on our parade. Thanks a lot.” Minho teased and Jisung lightly hit him on the arm.

“Well, that’s just too bad. I sincerely apologize for ruining your serious game. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.” Jisung rolled his eyes, causing Minho to snicker.

“We’ll see about that. Anyways, how long do you think we’re going to do this? They have to have more stuff planned, it’s still pretty early.” Minho asked and Jisung shrugged.

“I’m not sure. They had a daily schedule put in the bag already, let me find it.” Jisung took the cinch sack off his back and rummaged around until he found the little pamphlet with the schedule.

“I’m guessing we’re supposed to have lunch next, since it’s 10:30 and lunch starts at 11. There isn’t anything written in between, so I think we just do this for thirty more minutes.” Jisung said, showing Minho the schedule. Minho took a look at it, scanning all of the activities for the day, and gave it back to Jisung.

“If we’re going back out, I should probably get my sweatshirt so you can have yours back. Thanks again, by the way, I probably would’ve died out there without it.” Jisung laughed, pulling the sweatshirt off and handing it to Minho.

“Oh, alright. I’ll watch the kids while you get your shirt. Don’t take too long, though. Forty kids is a lot for one person to handle!” Minho called after Jisung who gave him a smile and thumbs up, already halfway up the stairs.

🎄

Minho turned back to the kids, who seemed to be behaving pretty well. Nobody was running around and breaking anything, which was a good sign. He sat down on one of the rocking chairs by the fireplace and took a deep breath. Even though nobody was causing a scene yet, Minho knew that soon the kids would start getting antsy and impatient without their phones.

Having no contact with friends for two weeks was a difficult task, especially for young children who were always glued to their electronics. Thankfully, Minho was born in a time when people just hung out with each other in person, so he wouldn’t have much of a problem. Sure, he would miss his friends, but he knew that there were opportunities to get closer to others at the camp as well, one in particular catching his interest the most.

“I’m back! Did I miss anything important?” Minho’s thoughts were interrupted when Jisung sat down in the rocking chair next to his.

“Nah. They’re surprisingly well-behaved. I was expecting a lot worse.” Minho said, looking around the room. Though he wouldn’t want to admit it, the holiday atmosphere amplified his mood more than he thought it would. Something about the children's laughter, the warmth of the fireplace, and the soft movements of the rocking chair got him into a jolly mood.

“Yeah. They’re at the age where they can roam free without much supervision. I’m just glad that they’re out of the tantrum phase. I would quit on the spot.” Jisung sighed, leaning back into the chair. Minho huffed in amusement and the two of them sat in a comfortable silence for a while, just taking in the ambiance.

The silence was soon interrupted by the screeching of a loud intercom, causing Jisung to jolt up and Minho to cover his ears.

“Attention, everybody! This is Mr. Baek speaking. We will now start heading to the dining hall to get some lunch. It will be first come first serve, so come in quickly!” The intercom squeaked again as it was turned off, earning a groan from Jisung.

“If he wakes us up with that every morning I’m going home.” The younger deadpanned, standing up from his chair. Minho laughed and followed closely behind as they approached the doors.

“Hey, everyone! Let’s head to the dining hall. Let’s try to make it before Mr. Chan’s team so we don’t have to wait as long!” All of the children started running to the door once Jisung said this, already getting competitive. Jisung opened the door for all of them and they bolted out, all heading for the dining hall. Minho made sure that they were all staying together and that nobody was running in the wrong direction or getting lost.

The kids were running like a herd of wild reindeer once outside, and the two counselors watched them in shock.

“We should probably try to keep up, right? I don’t want all the good food to be gone by the time we’re there.” Minho nudged Jisung’s shoulder and ran out with a challenging smile.

“Hey, that’s not fair! You got a head start!” Jisung yelled and ran after him. Minho was glad that he had decided to wear snow boots just in case, but Jisung was not that lucky. Minho looked behind him and noticed the other focusing more on not slipping on icy spots than winning the race. Converse aren’t exactly the most helpful shoes for the ice.

Minho slowed down a little, not wanting to leave Jisung behind. A particularly slippery spot caused the younger to almost lose his balance, having to pause for a second before slowly walking forward again.

“Are you okay? If it’s that bad I could just carry you,” Minho smirked as Jisung’s face heated up.

“You don’t have to do that! I could just meet you there. Leaving all those kids unsupervised with only two adults doesn’t seem like a good idea, so you should go ahead.” Jisung countered, eyebrows furrowing.

“Nah, they’ll be fine. What if a bear came out and ate you while I was gone? I’d rather have Felix and Chan deal with a bunch of kids than have to deal with the guilt of your death, you know?” Minho snickered and Jisung rolled his eyes.

“You know damn well they don’t have bears here. The worst thing I can possibly see is a squirrel, I’m sure I’ll live.” The younger deadpanned, creating a challenge for Minho.

“Yeah, a rabid squirrel. And we could have gotten there in the time we’ve been standing here if you’d have just agreed and gotten on. It’s either that, or we’ll both be walking incredibly slowly. Your choice.” Minho grinned, knowing that he’d already won. If they were stuck in the woods and sharing a room for two weeks, they would have to get close eventually. Why not speed up the process?

“You’re not gonna let this go, are you? Fine, as long as there’s still food by the time we get there.” Jisung muttered. Minho bent down so the other could get on his back and hoisted him up in a piggyback style.

“Are you sure this is okay? I don’t want you to pass out of exhaustion and for us both to end up on the ground.” Jisung mumbled, softly resting his chin on the older’s shoulder. Minho would blame the red on the tips of his ears on the cold.

“I wouldn’t have offered if it wasn’t okay. I’ve carried much heavier, I’ll be fine.” Minho insisted. He could sense that Jisung still felt guilty, but he stayed quiet. Minho was surprised by how comfortably Jisung was sitting, as he was barely moved. Minho could feel the warm breath on his neck, trying hard to remain unbothered. It seemed like everything that Jisung did made him feel gooey inside, and he barely even knew the guy.

He would probably get over it in a day or two.

They finally made it to the dining hall after a few minutes of chatting and Minho let Jisung back down to the ground before they went in.

“Thanks. Honestly, it would’ve probably taken forever for me to get here alone, so I owe you.” Jisung softly smiled, causing Minho’s heart to beat a little bit faster.

“It’s fine, I’m not tired at all. Just a free workout.” Minho said, opening the door after the other playfully nudged him with his elbow. They looked around for a place to sit before finding Chan and Felix sitting at one with a few open spaces between some kids.

“Wow, what took you two so long? We saw the kids in your group get here about five minutes ago and we were wondering where you were.” Chan said as the two sat down.

“Someone thought it would be a good idea to wear Converse on the ice and needed some assistance making it here.” Minho grinned at the man next to him who began to blush furiously.

“I could have made it! It might have just taken a little bit longer…” Jisung whined, laying his head down on the wooden table. Chan laughed and shook his head, looking like he was going to add something before he was interrupted by a small voice.

“Mr. Han! Mr. Lee! Can you sit with us?” Minho and Jisung turned around to see Seohyun looking up at them, Chanmi and her new friend, Deiji, following closely behind. Minho’s eyes softened and Jisung was already getting out of his seat, face lighting up. How could someone possibly say no to three nine-year-old girls who looked like they would burst into tears if they said no?

“Of course we can! Sorry, Chan. Duty calls! Lead the way, girls!” Jisung chirped and followed after the girls who were running to their table, Minho following closely behind.

Once they finally arrived at the table, Minho and Jisung squeezed into an open space on the bench. The three girls took their seats across from them and immediately started talking.

“How old are you?”

“Are you in high school?”

“Do you have girlfriends?

“Do you have pets?”

“Is middle school scary?”

The two men looked at each other nervously as they were bombarded with questions.

“Uh, I’m 23, I’m in college, no girlfriend, and I have a dog. And middle school is definitely….an experience.” Jisung answered first, looking at Minho. Minho was somewhat relieved about the girlfriend question, though he would never admit it.

“I’m 25, I’m also in college, also no girlfriend, and I have three cats named Soonie, Doongie, and Dori. And yeah, middle school is very…different.” The girls nodded as Minho spoke, listening intently.

“You have cats? You have to show me pictures. I love cats, but I’m kind of allergic so I could never have one.” Jisung’s eyes sparkled and Minho frowned.

“That’s terrible! I don’t know what I would do about my babies. I have a picture of them in my wallet, hold on.” Minho took off his bag and fished around until he found his wallet. He took out the picture and held it up for all of them to see. It was a picture of all three of the cats looking up at the camera.

“Oh my God, they’re such little sweethearts! Which one is which?” Jisung asked, unknowingly lighting a flame in Minho that he didn’t know he had.

That’s how they spent the rest of their lunchtime talking about Minho’s cats. Occasionally some others would chime into the conversation, talking about their own pets, but Minho led the discussion.

The loudspeaker came on again and announced that everybody would have some free time before their first campfire meeting.

“What are you gonna do? We’re gonna be bored.” Chanmi asked while the others looked at the counselors expectantly. Minho was about to say that he had no plans, but Jisung beat him to it.

“How about we have a little storytime session? We can pick a big book and read a chapter or two every day! I’ll let you guys pick the book, there are a ton in the lobby. I haven’t looked at what they have, but I’m sure we can find something if you guys want to do that.” Jisung offered, sparking interest in the girls.

“Seohyun, you like to read, right? I think that’s a really cool idea, Mr. Han! Can Mr. Lee come too?” Chanmi turned to her friend who shyly nodded and then turned to the other counselor who shrugged.

“Sure, I’ll listen. I haven’t got anything better to do. I can help you pick out a book too since I’d done a lot of reading during the olden age of high school.” The girls cheered and ran to put away their trays. Jisung turned to Minho, smiling guiltily.

“Sorry, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I feel like I kind of pushed you into a corner there. I’m sure the kids won’t mind if you want some alone time or would rather hang out with Felix.” The younger said softly, almost hurting Minho’s heart.

“I wouldn’t have agreed to come if I had something else to do. Besides, I’m sure Felix is still catching up with Chan and his own group, so he can go without me for a day.” Jisung looked like he was about to say something, but he was cut off when the girls came running back to them.

“Let’s go, we need to pick a book!” Chanmi shouted, taking both counselors’ hands and trying to pull them toward the door.

“We’re coming, we just need to be careful outside. It’s very slippery and can be dangerous if you don’t have the right shoes.” Jisung advised her, but still let her pull him along. Minho found it humorous that Jisung was telling them to be careful when he was debatably the most unprepared out of all of them.

“Fine, but I still want to secure our spots so nobody else can sit next to the fireplace. That’s the best spot, obviously.” Chanmi was still trying to rush out of the building and Jisung just sighed, giving up on trying to make her listen.

“Alright, just be very careful. If you get hurt it’ll be my fault, so try very hard not to get hurt, please.” Chanmi nodded and ran off in the direction of the lodge. She wore clunky snow boots, so Jisung wasn’t too worried about her falling.

The other four walked at a steady pace after Chanmi, focusing on stepping on grassy spots and areas with the least ice. Halfway through, Jisung had to use Minho’s arm to steady himself, which Minho didn’t try to refuse.

Once they got into the building, they were greeted with warm air and a lively atmosphere. A few kids were waiting patiently in the chairs, but most of them were looking at the selection of books.

After getting a bit closer, both counselors heard a bit of commotion coming from one of the shelves.

“I want to read this book!”

“No, this one is better! I’ve read it and it’s amazing!”

“If you’ve already read it then you don’t need to do it again, dummy!”

“Don’t call me a dummy, your book is dumb!”

Jisung sighed and walked over to the two boys who were fighting and Minho stood back and watched.

“Hey, what’s going on over here? Are you two being mean to each other?” Jisung tried to be stern, but the boys just blinked at him and looked back at each other.

“He was being mean first! He called me dumb because I wanted to read this book.” The little brown-haired boy handed Jisung his book, Charlotte’s Web.

“Well, that’s not very nice. This is a great book, I read it when I was in elementary school. Why do you not want to read it?” Jisung turned to the little blonde boy.

“Because he’s already read it and doesn’t have to reread it! And I want to read this one. His book looks boring.” He also handed Jisung his book, James and the Giant Peach.

“Oh, this is also a good choice. How would you feel about reading both? We’ll be here for two weeks, so if we read a few chapters every day, we should be able to get through both of them before we leave. How does that sound?”

Both boys thought for a moment and nodded.

“Yeah, but can we read mine first?”

“What, no! Read mine first!”

“No-“

“How about we play rock paper scissors? Whoever has best two out of three gets their book read first.” Jisung said, getting a little fed up with their antics.

The two agreed and the Charlotte’s Web kid won, much to the other’s dismay.

“That’s so not fair! He saw what my hand was going to do!” The blonde boy whined as the brunette scowled at him.

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

“Uh…would a piece of candy make you feel better?” Jisung wasn’t sure what to do, but he knew kids liked candy. And just as he thought, the blonde perked up.

“What kind of candy…?” The kid mumbled.

“Any kind of candy you want, I guess.”

“Could I have a Hershey’s bar?” Jisung nodded and went back over to Minho.

“Do you know if there are Hershey’s bars here? I accidentally promised that little boy one and I’d feel terrible if he didn’t get it.” He explained.

“I know just as little as you do. I could ask Jihyo or Mr. Baek if they know and you could start reading, if that would be easiest.” Minho offered.

“Really? That would be great because I think they’re getting a little impatient now. Thank you so much!” Jisung beamed at the older and scurried back over to where everybody else was.

🎄

Minho wandered around the camp until he found the dining hall, he figured that that would be the best place to try and find food. Luckily, there were still a few people working in the back cleaning things up.

“Uh, hey. Sorry to interrupt your cleaning, but are there any Hershey’s chocolate bars here? It’s for a kid.” He walked up to a tall man with long blonde hair who was mopping the floor.

“Yeah, totally. We always have chocolate in the back for s’mores, just for future reference. You’re one of the counselors, right?” The blonde asked, leading Minho to the kitchen.

“Yeah, I’m Minho, but the kids call me Mr. Lee. I’ve never done counseling before or planned to, but my stepbrother kind of forced me to come. What do you do?” Minho inquired. The man didn’t look much older or younger than Minho, so he was curious.

“I’m Hyunjin. I’m still in college as a dance major, but I didn’t have anywhere to go for vacation, so I thought I’d come here to make a quick buck.” The man, Hyunjin, shrugged. Minho’s eyes lit up when dancing was mentioned.

“You dance? I do too! My stepbrother and I have both been dancing since we were little.”

“No way! I rarely ever meet other dancers, I’ll have to meet him. Here’s your chocolate, by the way.” Hyunjin smiled, handing Minho the chocolate bar.

“Thanks. You’ll probably see him around. He’s blonde, has freckles, and he’s a little bit shorter than I am. I should probably get going, though. I kind of left the other counselor in charge of forty kids by himself. It was nice meeting you though.” Minho waved and left as the other man continued mopping.

Minho made it back to the hotel, expecting more ruckus, but it was surprisingly calm. All of the kids were gathered around the fireplace in a circle, either in the rocking chairs or on the floor, listening intently to the story being read to them.

Minho closed the door quietly and Jisung gave him a small smile before looking back at the book. The kids didn’t seem to be distracted by Minho’s presence, as they all seemed entranced by Jisung’s reading. Minho could see why though. Jisung had different voices for each character and spoke at the perfect speed for storytelling. He was a performer, after all; he knew how to keep an audience’s attention.

Minho found himself listening in on the story and becoming genuinely interested until the loudspeaker came on again.

“Hello, campers! Everybody, head outside and meet at the field. We are going to have a candy cane scavenger hunt! The rules will be explained once everybody arrives. See you soon!” Mr. Baek’s voice rang throughout the campground.

“Wow, that went by quickly! I guess we’ll have to wait until we get more free time to continue reading.” Jisung put a dog ear on the page and closed it, drawing out groans and sounds of disappointment from the kids.

“I know, I’m sorry. How about we head out? We don’t want to keep Mr. Baek waiting, now do we?” Jisung put the book on the fireplace so he could find it later and headed towards the door. Most of the kids ran out, but the blonde and brunette kids from earlier stayed behind. Minho and Jisung hovered by the door to make sure they wouldn’t start fighting again.

“I’m sorry I called you dumb. Your book is really good so far.” The blonde kid mumbled.

“It’s okay. I’m sorry I called your book dumb. I bet it’s really good too.” The brunette replied. Minho and Jisung looked at each other and smiled.

“Did you get the chocolate?” Jisung whispered and Minho nodded, handing it to him. Once the two boys were done apologizing, Jisung came over to them while Minho observed.

“Hey, we got your chocolate! I’m so glad that you two made up. Good job!” Jisung smiled, putting on his best babysitter voice.

“Thanks. Do you want half?” The blonde snatched it from Jisung’s hand and quickly turned back to the other boy.

“Yeah, thanks!” The brunette replied and the two walked off without looking at either counselor again. Jisung blinked and looked back at Minho who was shaking his head.

“Wow, no manners at all. I expected better from kids that age.” Minho said, holding the door for Jisung.

“Whatever, kids will be kids. I wanted to thank you for going out of your way to get that chocolate though. I hope it wasn’t too much of a hassle.” Jisung smiled apologetically, walking out the door, Minho following suit.

“It was fine, don’t worry about it. I just went to the dining hall and asked one of the workers for it.” Minho replied and the two walked to the field in a comfortable silence. Jisung was still slightly cautious about walking on the slick ground, but he didn’t have to hold onto Minho again.

They made it to the field and Jisung immediately found Chan, and Minho wandered, looking for Felix. He finally found the head of blonde hair in the crowd of kids and poked him on the shoulder.

“Minho! I feel like I haven’t seen you all day. What did you and your group do during your free time? Didn’t you go with Jisung?” Felix inquired.

“Yeah, he’s doing a little storytime thing. He’s actually really good at reading to them…and with kids in general….” Minho trailed off, deep in thought.

“You think he’s cute, don’t you?” Felix deadpanned. Minho’s ears turned beet red.

“What? Where did you get that from? I don’t even know him.” The older refuted in a hushed tone.

“Come on, I’ve known you for almost your whole life. I’ve seen how you get around guys you like. You start acting all wistful and mysterious when you talk about them, it’s so obvious.” Felix rolled his eyes as Minho scoffed.

“But- Ugh. So what if I think he’s cute? That doesn’t mean anything. Just because I can appreciate a pretty face doesn’t affect anything.” Felix laughed and shook his head.

“As if! I saw how annoyed you got when Chris got close to him. They aren’t a thing by the way. Chris sees him like a younger brother if anything. You have nothing to worry about. I support you and your little crush. I promise I won’t tell anyone. Not even Chris.” Felix put up his pinky and Minho begrudgingly interlinked it with his own.

“Fine. You know that I trust you. If you tell anyone I will find you.” Minho grumbled and Felix chuckled.

“Yeah, sure.”

Everybody went quiet as Mr. Baek walked into the middle of the field and blew a whistle.

“I’m so glad to see you all again! As I said earlier, we’ll be doing a candy cane hunt to kick off our first day at camp! You will all go to the cafeteria for ten minutes while the counselors hide candy canes around the campgrounds. Each counselor will get a different candy cane color, and whichever group finds the most of their counselor's candy canes will win a point. Points will accumulate throughout your two weeks here, and whichever group has the most points at the end will get a special prize! Mr. Bang’s group will get the blue candy canes, Mr. Felix’s will get black, Mr. Han’s will get red, and Mr. Lee’s will get green. Any questions before we head to the dining hall?” Mr. Baek asked, met with silence.

“Wonderful! Everybody, head to the dining hall. I’ll meet you there in a jiff!” The man chirped. The kids ran towards the building, excited at the prospect of a competition.

“Your only rule is to not go too far out. We can’t have any kids getting lost. Also, no bathrooms. That would be creepy. Other than that, feel free to hide your candies anywhere you’d like. Don’t make it too obvious so your team will win, though. Challenges are more fun. And don’t tell them where you hid anything, no matter how nicely they ask. That’s how they get you. Good luck, and have fun!” Mr. Baek handed all four of their candy canes and ran off toward the dining hall.

“Well, I’ll see you guys in ten minutes, I guess. I’ve got candy canes to hide.” Chan said and walked off, the other three nodding and doing the same. Minho wandered around, placing his candy canes all over the place. He spotted some of the other’s candy canes as well, some well hidden, and some not so much.

Minho noticed Jisung carefully calculating where to put his next candy next to a tree and smiled to himself. Jisung looked up and noticed Minho staring at him, smiling and waving. Minho waved back, a bit embarrassed about being caught, and continued hiding his candy canes before time was up.

“Alright, that’s a wrap, counselors! I hope you’re ready because the campers are going to be sent out……now! Best of luck to everyone!” The intercom sounded again and a barrage of kids came running out of the dining hall, yelling and cheering in excitement.

Minho watched as everyone hurriedly scampered around the camp lighting up when they found a candy cane from their group. Each camper had a T-shirt that corresponded with their group, so Minho easily distinguished the kids in his group and cheered them on.

Everybody was seemingly having a good time until Minho noticed Jisung crouched down next to a crying girl. He went to investigate and saw that the girl had a pretty nasty scrape on her knee.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. Can you walk? Do you want me to carry you to the nurse? Do you need ice?” Jisung was panicking, even though he was trying not to show it.

“Are you two alright? Do you need any help?” Minho offered and Jisung looked at him like he was the best thing since sliced bread.

“Uh, maybe? I was going to carry her to the nurse, but I don’t know where it is. Do you still have the map in your bag?” Minho quickly found the map in his bag and handed it to Jisung, who scanned it and nodded.

“Thank you so much. You’ve saved my butt so many times today, I seriously can’t thank you enough. I’ll be right back!” Jisung hoisted the girl up on his back, making sure not to annoy her hurt leg.

“Are you sure you don’t need any help? The ground is still kind of slippery, and an extra pair of hands could be helpful.” Minho proposed and Jisung shook his head.

“You don’t have to-”

“I want to.”

Jisung paused and sighed.

“Alright, let’s get going then.” Jisung finally submitted, softly smiling. “You’re way too nice, you know that?”

“I just help when I’m needed. Nothing groundbreaking.” Minho shrugged. He looked at the map again and led the way to the little building. Minho held the door, and Jisung quietly thanked him before spotting the nurse at the desk.

“Welcome in! Oh no, did you hurt your leg? Come lie down right here.” The nurse walked over to a little bed, and Jisung gently laid her down.

“Do you know what happened?” The nurse turned to the younger and he nodded.

“They were doing the candy cane hunt and she tripped over a big rock and fell on her knee. It looked pretty bad.” Jisung explained as the nurse nodded.

“I see. You two are free to go, I can take care of it from here. Thank you for bringing her!” The nurse smiled. Jisung and Minho waved and left, walking back to the center of the campsite.

“I feel like I’ve been asking so much of you today. I promise I’m not usually this codependent, today has just been so hectic.” Jisung moped.

“You worry so much. I’ve already told you, I don’t mind at all. If I didn’t want to help, I wouldn’t. I’m not usually this generous, so you should be embracing it while you still can.” Minho said. Truthfully, he knew that he would do anything the other asked in a heartbeat no matter how he was feeling, but that wasn’t important.

“Well, if that’s the case…Fine. I still feel like I need to do something in return for you helping me all day, though. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I brushed it off.” Jisung said, grabbing onto the other’s arm like before.

“Hm…How about tonight at the campfire? You can play a song on your guitar for me. I’m curious about what kind of music you and Chan make. If you do that, then we’ll be even.” Minho replied. Jisung thought for a moment and nodded.

“Deal. We make all kinds of music though, so maybe I’ll play a few for good measure.”

“Even better.”

🎄

The winner of the candy cane scavenger hunt turned out to be Chan’s team, and he was very proud of himself for it. His whole team got first dibs for s’mores that night, and Chan was relishing in his victory all evening.

While Chan was smiling from ear to ear, Jisung was in the middle of an existential crisis.

“Chan, I don’t know what songs to sing at the campfire tonight. Minho asked me to play some of my songs but I can’t! They’re all too embarrassing to sing in front of all of those people.” The younger cried as they returned to the lodge to get whatever they needed before going to the campfire.

“That’s not true and you know it. Why did you bring your guitar if you didn’t want to show off your music? Just sing whatever feels right for you. I’m sure everybody will love it.” Chan put a supportive arm on Jisung’s shoulder.

“Thanks. I just hope nobody got their hopes up too high.” Jisung sighed as he walked into the lodge.

“You’re too hard on yourself, Jisungie. Kids are easily impressed, so somebody genuinely talented like you should blow them out of the water. If it makes you feel any better, I could sing one or two with you too.” Chan offered.

“You’d do that? For real? I would appreciate that a lot.” Chan had been with Jisung since the beginning and always seemed to know how to make him feel better, and vice versa. When Chan first moved to Korea, Jisung was the first person who he truly clicked with, and they have been inseparable ever since.

“Of course. Now go get your guitar so we can head over to the fire. I’ll be waiting for you down here.” Jisung nodded and walked up the stairs to his room. He dug out the room key and entered the room, letting out a deep sigh. He retrieved the guitar case propped up on the wall and slung it around his shoulder.

He racked his mind for songs that he could play on the spot, and he was able to think of a few that weren’t too personal. He left the room and went to find Chan, who was animatedly talking to Minho and Felix.

“You’re back! Let’s go now, we don’t want to be late.” Chan cheered and ushered them all out the door. He must’ve been really excited about those s’mores.

The way to the campfire was a pretty long trek up a hill, and the four counselors were out of breath once they made it to the top. Not all of the kids were present yet, so all four men were able to find spots close to the fire. Minho and Felix sat on one of the logs, while Chan and Jisung sat on the log across from them.

Jisung brought his guitar out of its case and made sure that it was correctly tuned, strumming a few chords for good measure.

“Have you decided what song you’re going to play first?” Chan inquired as Jisung nodded.

“I was thinking of doing Wish You Back. Would that be too much of a downer? I don’t want to ruin the mood. Would something like Sunshine be better? Oh, God, I don’t know what to play!” The younger grumbled, lowering his head.

“Play what you want. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. All that matters is that you’re doing what you're passionate about. I’m sure elementary and middle schoolers aren’t going to think too much about your lyrics. Remember, this isn’t our ordinary audience. They’re just kids who want to hear you sing. You’ve got this.” Chan grabbed Jisung’s face and looked him in the eyes, making Jisung laugh.

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, man. It’s crazy how you always seem to know what to say to make me feel better. I hope you know how much I love you.” Jisung made a kissy face at Chan, who playfully pushed his face away.

“Yeah, I love you too. I think we may be about to start. I see Mr. Baek coming up the hill.” Chan said, looking behind him to see the older man making his way up the trail.

“Hello again, campers! Is everybody excited to start our first campfire meeting? Ah, Mr. Han, I see you have your guitar! Did you want to play some songs for us?” Mr. Baek came over to Chan and Jisung’s log, making all of the kids focus on Jisung.

“Yes, sir. Is that alright? It’s alright if you have something else planned, I can play another time.” Jisung backtracked, but the older man shook his head.

“That won’t be a problem at all! Honestly, I think it would be a great way to begin this meeting, so go ahead!” Mr. Baek backed away from the log and stood back with some of the other kids. Jisung looked around as all of the kids stared at him expectantly, as well as Minho and Felix giving him supportive smiles.

“Alright, this is a song I wrote called Wish You Back. I hope you like it.”

🎄

Minho honestly felt bad for telling Jisung to sing in front of everyone. He seemed to be stressing out about it a lot before the meeting started, and Minho began to feel guilty as he watched the younger man go through all five stages of grief.

However, these thoughts dissipated from Minho’s head once Jisung began playing his song. Minho expected him to be good, but his expectations for the man were far too low.

Jisung was unfairly good.

The way that words smoothly slipped off of his tongue, the way his hands gently strummed the guitar, the way that he bashfully smiled when he noticed Minho staring-

Wait what?

He noticed Minho staring.

How embarrassing.

It wasn’t like everybody else was reacting differently, though. Some of the campers were slightly swaying to the beat, and some were completely entranced, watching Jisung’s every move.

Once the song was over Jisung looked up nervously, only to be showered with applause and compliments from the campers and counselors. Mr. Baek came back over and gave him a hearty pat on the back.

“What a way to start the night! I have to ask though, what inspired you to write this song? It’s a little bit sad. Not that that’s a bad thing though, it was wonderful! I’m just a tad bit curious. Don’t feel pressured to answer if it’s something personal though!” Mr. Baek exclaimed.

“Uh, well, it’s not really about any personal experiences. I watched a show and it inspired me to make a song about it. A lot of my songs are about shows and movies, so don’t think too hard about sad lyrics.” Jisung shrugged, and most of the campers nodded or made little noises of acknowledgment.

Minho couldn’t help but appreciate how the natural lighting alleviated Jisung’s features. The soft, warm, light from the fire and the slight gusts of wind caused his hair to frame his face just right, and Minho was enraptured.

He could barely focus on what the other campers and counselors were saying; Felix would say that he was down tremendously.

Jisung played a few more songs, Chan sang harmonies in a few, and the meeting came to a close. Campers were happily eating their s’mores and drinking warm apple cider, and everybody was happily chatting about anything they felt like. Minho noticed that Jisung had a line of kids in front of him giving song recommendations for the next meeting.

Mr. Baek announced that it was time for everybody to go back to the lodge, much to everyone’s dismay.

“I know, the campfire is a lot of fun, right? We’ll have even more fun tomorrow, so you all better get all rested up. Good night, everyone!” The old man waved and made his way down the hill while others followed after him.

“Well, I guess it’s time for us to go. Sorry guys, I’ll get to you later, okay?” Jisung said goodbye to the rest of the kids in his little line and let out a deep sigh. Minho walked up to him and Jisung gave him a tired smile.

“Hey! I hope the performance was as good as you expected.” Jisung laughed and Minho rolled his eyes.

“Don’t be stupid. You’re crazy good. I expected you to be good, but you’re seriously incredible.” Minho said, making Jisung blush. He didn’t seem to be used to such direct compliments.

“Wow, you liked it that much? I’m glad, I was worried that the sad songs were a bad idea, but I think it was okay.” Jisung let out a sigh of relief and stepped a bit closer to Minho.

“You think? Everybody loved it. I know that for sure. I think that was a more than sufficient payback. Now we’re even.” Minho quipped.

“I hope that you’re not just saying that to make me feel better, but I’ll take your word for it. I’m glad you enjoyed it so much. If I had my phone, I’d show you the fully finished versions, but I guess you’ll have to wait.” Jisung held onto Minho’s arm again. Minho wasn’t used to having such affectionate friends, but he wasn’t complaining. Having someone close made the cold weather slightly more bearable.

They made it to the lodge, said goodnight to Felix and Chan, and made their way to their room. Once they got in, they both dug around in their suitcases to find clothes to sleep in. Minho found some shorts and a T-shirt, and Jisung found fuzzy pajama pants and a hoodie. Jisung brushed his teeth and climbed onto the right side of the bed, with Minho joining him shortly after.

“Sorry if I steal the blanket or move around a lot. I’m the worst person to share a bed with. I apologize in advance.” Jisung turned his face towards Minho, who was trying his very hardest not to stare into those big brown eyes.

“It’s fine. Like I said, not much can wake me up. Just try to sleep well, we’ve probably got a lot planned for us tomorrow.” Minho replied, turning off the little bedside lamp.

“Yeah, you’re right. Good night.” Jisung shifted under the covers until he was facing away from Minho, much to the latter’s relief. He didn’t know how he would’ve fallen asleep with the other’s face only inches away from his own.

“Night,” Minho replied, facing the other way and closing his eyes. He was never one to fall asleep super fast, but he wanted to get as much sleep as possible so he would be ready for the following day.

🎄

Unfortunately, Jisung was not lying about the moving around thing. Minho had woken up in the ass-crack of dawn, 2:13 AM to be exact, to the younger clinging onto him like a koala. Somehow both of them had turned around during their sleep, and now Jisung’s face was pressed up against Minho’s chest.

He wasn’t snoring or anything, he was just there. Minho knew he didn’t have it in his heart to try and move him, so he weighed his options.

He could either:

A. Push Jisung away and possibly wake him up, causing both of them to deal with the embarrassment of the situation.

Or

B. Let Jisung stay and fall back asleep, hoping the other would move himself.

After some consideration, Minho decided that option B was the way to go. And if he was going to let Jisung stay there, why not try to enjoy it?

Minho slung his arms around the younger and pulled him closer, causing Jisung to sigh contently. If they woke up like that, Minho could blame his actions on his tired 2:13 AM brain.

Admittedly, it was nice having someone to cuddle up to. Jisung’s soft breaths and the softness of his hair grazing Minho’s chin relaxed the older to an extent. He usually wouldn’t be caught dead being so physically affectionate, but he oddly didn’t mind with Jisung. He knew the other wouldn’t judge him for anything like that, so he let out a deep breath and was lulled back to sleep.

He hadn’t woken up until the loud screeching of the loudspeaker sounded around the camp, earning groans from both men. Mr. Baek announced that breakfast would be served in thirty minutes and to get ready quickly.

“Mmmm…Not yet…It’s too early…” Jisung grumbled, nestling further into Minho’s space.

“It’s 8:00, I think you’ll be fine. Up we go.” Minho pulled Jisung upright by his arms and walked over to his suitcase, getting out his clothes for the day.

“Hold on, did I fall asleep on you again? I’m sorry.” Jisung hugged the pillow that he was sleeping on and looked at Minho with a guilty expression.

"Jisung, I need you to know that I care much less than you think I do. If you hadn't given me a single apology for anything you've apologized for so far, I would not care less," Minho said as he pulled his sweatshirt over his head. It was the truth - he didn't give a rat's ass about what the other man did.

“Okay…I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable. If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m super physical, so feel free to punch me if you don’t like it. I won’t take it personally.” Jisung stood up and stretched his arms and legs before getting his clothes out.

“I have no issue with it. I’m just not used to it since most of my friends from home aren’t very affectionate. Felix is really the only touchy person I hang out with. I think it’s nice though, so I’m giving you full permission to do whatever the hell you want.” Minho went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and fix his hair.

“Really? I’m not letting you go then, just a warning. I was scared that I would start having affection withdrawals from not rooming with Chan, but I guess it’ll be fine after all.” Jisung sang and Minho rolled his eyes. He found the other’s need for attention endearing, and he didn’t mind if Jisung wanted to stay close to him. No complaints.

“That’s fine by me. Are you almost ready?” Minho asked, walking out of the bathroom.

“Yeah, almost. Just one minute.” Jisung quickly finished doing what he needed to do, put on his bag, and the two walked down to the lobby. It seemed Chan and Felix had already left, so Jisung and Minho decided to go straight to the dining hall.

When they opened the door, a gust of cold wet air immediately hit both of their faces. Jisung moved closer to Minho, interlinking their arms and resting his head on the older’s shoulder.

“This might sound like a weird question, but where are you from? I’m just curious.” Jisung asked after walking in silence for a few seconds.

“I’ve lived in Gimpo all my life. It’s pretty nice. What about you?”

“I was born in Incheon, but I lived in Malaysia for a while. Cool place. I almost got eaten by a crocodile, though. That was a little scary, I guess.” Minho looked at the younger with a mix of confusion and surprise on his face.

“What? A little scary? How did that even happen?” Minho asked. The two spent the rest of the time talking about their lives at home and weird near-death experiences before finally arriving at the dining hall. They instantly found the buffet-style food station, got trays, and chose what they wanted.

The smell of the food gave Minho flashbacks to when he went to these kinds of camps, and he looked back on the memories fondly. He was taken out of his thoughts when Jisung found Chan and Felix’s table and pulled him by the hand in their direction.

“Morning, Jisungie! Morning, Minho! How are you doing this morning?” Chan said as Jisung
and Minho sat across from them, putting their trays down.

“So great. I had the best sleep ever.” Jisung sighed, stuffing a biscuit in his mouth. The way his cheeks puffed up when he ate reminded Minho of a squirrel.

“Jisung, please tell me that you weren’t climbing on poor Minho all night.” Jisung’s face dropped at Chan’s words, making Minho laugh. Chan took Jisung’s silence as a no.

“I apologize on his behalf. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but our Jisungie has no concept of personal space. Feel free to pop him on the head if he gets too clingy.” Chan lightly kicked Jisung’s leg under the table, causing the younger to let out a surprised yelp.

“Did you two memorize that whole spiel before coming here, or something? He told me that exact thing earlier this morning. I told him it was fine. He’s already apologized many times for it.” Minho explained and Jisung quickly nodded.

“I know Minho looks a little cold, but he’s like a squishy marshmallow once you get to know him. He doesn’t mind a little bit of affection sometimes.” Felix turned to Chan and Minho rolled his eyes.

“I wouldn’t say all that.”

🎄

After around thirty more minutes, the loudspeaker announced that they would be decorating gingerbread houses. Chan and Felix’s groups were called to one side of the cafeteria, and Jisung and Minho’s groups were called to the other, much to their delight.

Mr. Baek explained that each group would decorate eight gingerbread houses, and campers would vote on which ones looked the best. Whoever won would get a point. What they were going to do with thirty-two sloppily made gingerbread houses was beyond Minho, but he figured that it would be fun anyway.

All of the counselors got their own gingerbread house, while the other seven were done in pairs or groups of three. Every table had an unassembled gingerbread house with a bag of all of the decorations that they would need beside it, and they were permitted to begin. Just as Minho was about to start, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

“Minho, you are so going down. My group is gonna knock your socks off.” Jisung yelled to him from the other table, taking things out of the bag at light speed. Just after he said that he began having trouble simply assembling the house.

“Are you sure about that?” Minho yelled back, causing Jisung to glare at him.

“You’re not funny!” Jisung shouted before focusing on his house. Minho laughed and quickly put the base of the house together, eager to begin decorating. He brought out all of his ingredients and thought about what he would start with.

After some simple piping and candy additions, he wanted some more detail. There were a few extra pieces of gingerbread in the bag, so he used them to create a chimney and some cats. He made smoke for the chimney out of some clear wrappers from the candy and added a few more small details before his house was finally finished.

While his house was drying, he decided to see how Jisung’s house was coming along. He went over to the table and snuck up behind the younger, who was focused on decorating a gingerbread man. His house was very colorful and covered with decorations, and it reminded Minho of the houses fully decked out with Christmas lights that sync up with music.

Minho decided to mess with him a little and freak him out a little. He waited until the perfect moment and got right next to Jisung’s ear.

“What’s that?” He said, making Jisung jump and drop the piping bag he was using. He quickly realized who it was and leaned back, head colliding with the older’s chest.

“Oh my God, why? I almost had a heart attack!” Jisung pouted, raising his head to pout at the other.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to know how you were doing.” Minho held Jisung’s shoulders and shook him around, making the younger groan.

“I was doing fine until you came and almost killed me! And I thought we were friends. Look, I was even working on your gingerbread man!” Jisung held up a gingerbread man, and Minho noticed that it had his hair and the camp sweatshirt frosted onto it.

“Oh, is that me? Where is yours?” Minho asked, looking at Jisung’s workspace. He didn’t know how Jisung could function with so much frosting and candy everywhere.

“Right here. And this one is Channie, and this one is Felix. I saved yours for last.” Jisung explained, pointing to the three other gingerbread men sitting to the side of the house. Minho felt like he was going to cry. That was…unfairly adorable. The younger even included Felix’s freckles and Chan’s dimples in their gingerbread men. Minho was surprised by the attention to detail of the little guys compared to the house, but he guessed that it showed where Jisung’s priorities lay.

“I know the house looks a little rushed, but I wanted to have time to make everybody look good. I think they turned out pretty nicely. If you say that they’re ugly, I’ll punch you.” Jisung threatened, putting the finishing touches on Minho’s gingerbread man.

“I think they’re great. They’re actually really accurate.” Minho said, looking at all of them again.

“Thanks! Hold on, let me see your face. I don’t want to forget anything.” Minho bent down and Jisung looked around his face, making the tips of his ears turn red. After a few more seconds, Jisung turned back around and placed a small dot where the mole on Minho’s nose was. He put some frosting on the feet of the gingerbread men and attached them to the base in front of the house, putting Minho and himself on the left side and Chan and Felix on the right.

“Done! I want to see yours now. You finished early, so I’m curious.” Jisung carefully stood up, not wanting to disturb his little house, and let Minho lead the way to his seat.

Once Jisung laid eyes upon the house, he was awestruck.

“Oh my God! This is amazing! How did you do this so quickly? It’s so detailed!” Jisung exclaimed, looking at every angle of the house.

“Thanks. I got in the zone, I guess.” Minho shrugged and Jisung lightly punched his arm.

“You’re acting like you didn’t just make an absolute masterpiece. Don’t even.” The younger scoffed as the other laughed.

“I can assure you that Felix’s is going to be better than anything you can even imagine. This is right up his alley.” Minho said, looking across the room.

“Oh yeah, didn’t he mention that he liked baking? I guess that would come in handy in a situation like this. What does he usually like to bake?” Jisung asked.

“Everything, really. He especially likes baking brownies, though. They’re insanely good. Maybe if they have the ingredients here they’ll let him bake some.” Minho responded and Jisung nodded. The two looked around at some of the other gingerbread houses made by kids in their groups to pass the time. Most of them were sloppily put together, but some of them were surprisingly impressive.

They were interrupted when a loud buzzer sounded through the speaker, meaning that their time was up. Every cake had a number assigned to it, and everyone could anonymously cast their votes on a little sheet of paper that was included in the bag of decorations.

They all got a few minutes to browse all of the houses and write down their favorites. Minho and Jisung walked around together, sometimes commenting on the more impressive houses. When they got to Felix’s, Jisung’s jaw dropped.

“Are you serious? How did he do this so fast? This isn’t even a gingerbread house, it's a mansion!” Jisung exclaimed, dumbfounded. Felix somehow managed to add an extra floor, a shed, a whole picket fence, and realistic miniature animals.

“I don’t know how he did it, but I’m not surprised. What I don’t understand is how he can do all of this with frosting, but he can’t draw a stick figure if you give him a pencil.” Minho shook his head and wrote Felix’s house number on his sheet as Jisung did the same. It was pretty clear to both of them who the winner of this competition would be.

As expected, after tallying up the votes, Felix’s group won by a landslide. After giving everybody high fives and celebrating their win, he came over to Jisung and Minho.

“Hey, guys! Your gingerbread houses were so good! Jisungie, was yours the one with all of us on it? I guessed that Min’s was the one with the cats on the porch. But you made all of us so cute.” Felix beamed, making Jisung smile back too.

“Yeah, that was mine! I tried to make them look as much like you guys as I could. I’m glad you liked it! Yours was incredible! How did you do it?” Jisung asked, taking Felix’s hands in his own. They quickly became engrossed in their conversation, leaving Minho awkwardly until Chan also came over.

“Hey, how are you guys doing? All of your houses looked great, but I think that Felix’s win was definitely deserved. I don’t even understand how you did some of that…” Chan mumbled the last part and Felix laughed.

“Thanks. I was just telling Hannie all how I made it.” Felix said and continued explaining. Chan and Minho listened to his tactics until they were interrupted by Mr. Baek and his megaphone.

“Hello, campers! After seeing your incredible gingerbread houses, I’ve decided that you all should be rewarded! There will be a hot chocolate station here in the dining hall for you all to use, so get some while you still can. Chef Hwang will be operating the station during your free time, so there will be no rush. You’re dismissed until the next activity, have fun!” Mr. Baek announced, motioning over to the little table that Hyunjin was standing at. It was filled to the brim with different variations and add-ons for the hot chocolate.

“Wait, Hwang…? There’s no way…” Jisung mumbled as his eyes widened.

“Huh? Are you okay?” Felix asked, but Jisung quickly began walking towards the hot chocolate station.

“Hyunjin?”

Jisung whispered faintly, but just loud enough for the other man to hear. Minho, Felix, and Chan were still incredibly confused, but they just stood back and let them do their thing.

“Jisung? Dude, no way! What are you doing here?” Hyunjin asked, getting up and hugging Jisung.

“Counseling, duh,” Jisung responded, rolling his eyes. “I didn’t know that you were a good cook. What are you doing here?”

“I’m not. I don’t really do much, I’m more of a janitor if anything. I just wanted some extra cash. I’ve already met your friend over there. How was you guys’ first day?” Hyunjin asked, looking from Jisung to Minho.

“It was pretty alright. How exactly do you two know each other?” Minho asked, curious about their closeness.

“Frenemies in high school. I used to hate this guy, but he’s actually pretty cool, I guess.” Hyunjin pulled Jisung closer and Jisung elbowed him. Minho was unsure of how somebody could hate the man standing before him, but he figured that it was probably something personal.

“Oh, so you’re the Hyunjin he’s told me all about. My name is Chan, this is Felix, and this is Minho. Nice to meet you!” Chan offered his hand towards the other and Hyunjin happily shook it.

“Aw, you still talk about me? I hope it’s nothing too bad.” Hyunjin teased and squished Jisung’s cheeks, much to the younger’s chagrin.

“Of course, it’s nothing bad. You would be able to tell if I still didn’t like you. I made it pretty crystal clear during freshman year.” Jisung batted the other’s hands away and rolled his eyes, still smiling.

“You sure did. I should probably, like, do my job now. I’ll talk to you later, though!” Hyunjin said, turning to the long line of kids waiting for hot chocolate. They all kind of forgot that Hyunjin was there for a reason.

“Oh, yeah. Have fun!” Jisung said, turning back to the three behind him.

“Should we go back to the lodge and wait for the kids? Some of them are already heading over for your storytime session.” Minho said as he gestured to some girls walking to the building while sipping on their hot chocolate.

“Oh, yeah! Bye, Chan. Bye, Felix.” Jisung gave them both quick side hugs and walked towards the door. Minho discretely grabbed two cups of hot chocolate from Hyunjin’s table and followed after Jisung. They both flinched when they were met with the chilly air after opening the door, quickly missing the heated dining hall.

“Here,” Minho handed Jisung one of the cups in his hands, and the younger smiled.

“Wow, thanks! When did you pick these up?” Jisung said before taking a sip and subsequently burning his tongue.

“Hey, careful. Don’t burn yourself. I got them right as we were leaving.” Minho tried to be stern, but a fondness managed to seep through his voice.

“Sorry, it’s just so cold. I missed winter, though. It’s always been my favorite time of the year.” Jisung blew through the little hole in the cup before taking another sip, seemingly satisfied with the temperature this time.

“I like it too. I feel like the energy around it is so warm, even if the temperature is so cold,” Minho said thoughtfully, making Jisung laugh.

“You should be a poet, man. That was deep.” The brunette shoved him, making Minho shove him back.

“Shut up.” The older rolled his eyes, a smile still evident on his face. They walked the rest of the way very closely in a comfortable silence.

“Yay, Mr. Han, you’re here! And Mr. Lee! Are we gonna get another chapter?” Chamni ran up to both men as they walked in and gave them both a hug, Seohyun standing behind her.

“Yes, that’s what we’re here for! We’ll wait a couple more minutes until we get started so more people have time to come in. Is that okay?” Jisung bent down to the girl’s level and held her hands.

“Yeah! Seohyun, let’s make sure our seats don’t get taken!” Chanmi nodded aggressively and ran off with her friend.

“You’re so good with the kids, are you sure you’re not an undercover babysitter or something?” Jisung laughed, but Minho was only half joking. He was really impressed by how well Jisung handled the campers.

“Yep, I guess it’s just natural. You just need to convince them that they’re getting what they want even if they aren’t. I was kind of a little menace when I was a kid, so I have first-hand experience with how they think.” Jisung shrugged and walked over to his rocking chair by the fireplace.

“I can bring another chair over for you to sit in if you’d like. Do you want to read too? I feel bad that you have to just sit here and listen to me read.” Minho didn’t know how many times he needed to tell Jisung to stop feeling bad about stupid things before he listened.

“I’ve told you already, if I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be. I like hearing you read, you have a nice voice. For storytelling.” Minho felt like he had to clarify so as not to sound weird. Jisung just smiled at him and took another sip of his hot chocolate.

“Thanks, I try. I appreciate you being here though, I wouldn’t know how to handle everybody alone.” Jisung opened the book to where the bookmark was and searched for the spot they were at the day before.

“I bet you could if you had to. Should we start now? I think everyone who is going to come is here.” Minho scanned the room, and Jisung nodded.

“Alright everyone, let’s pick up where we left off. Is everyone excited?” Jisung asked the little crowd of kids and was met with much enthusiasm, making him smile. Minho could tell that the younger was born to perform, on stage or not.

🎄

The next couple of days were similar to the first two. Activities, storytimes, and campfires were becoming a part of everybody’s daily routine. Minho’s personal favorite parts of the day were waking up and falling asleep with the squirrel-like man in his arms.

But nobody had to know that.

It was the fifth day of camp when they were greeted with a surprise when they opened the window curtains of the hotel room.

“Ah, Jisungie look. It’s snowing!” Minho exclaimed, causing Jisung to run out of the bathroom.

“Really? Wow, it’s coming down fast…” Jisung mumbled, entranced by the sight before him.

“Yeah, it is. I’m guessing we’ll probably be making snowmen today.” Minho said. Jisung was quiet for a moment before he snapped out of it and gave Minho a little smile.

“Yeah, probably.” Minho thought that Jisung’s smile looked a little bit different, forced even. Maybe he was still a bit tired.

Jisung’s behavior only got weirder as the day went on. Every time Minho would go anywhere, Jisung would hold onto him as his life depended on it. It wasn’t necessarily bad for Minho, just a little odd. Usually, Jisung would be eager to talk to anyone he could, but he was strangely quiet.

“Hey, are you alright? My arm is going to lose circulation if you keep holding it that tight.” Minho joked, but Jisung didn’t laugh.

“Sorry, uh, it’s just freezing.” Jisung slightly loosened his grip and looked down at the ground. Something was definitely wrong. Over the past few days, Minho had realized that Jisung would laugh at everything. Even if it wasn’t funny. It was uncanny seeing him so unenthusiastic.

“I was just kidding, do whatever you need to. But are you sure you’re alright? You seem…quiet today,” Minho asked and Jisung tightened the hold on Minho’s arm again.

“I’m fine, don’t worry about it.” Minho didn’t think that he could get anything else out of the younger, so he decided to leave it. A few minutes later, they found Chan and Felix, who were having a snowball fight with a few of the kids.

“Hey, guys! Woah, Sung, you okay? You look rough.” Chan asked, surveying the other’s face. Felix also looked pretty concerned.

“I’m fine, just cold. Don’t worry about it.” Jisung smiled at them, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Chan looked like he wanted to say something else, but decided against it.

“Whatever you say. I hope you start feeling better soon, man.” Chan ruffled Jisung’s hair and went back to the snowball fight. If even Chan found the behavior weird, Minho was definitely concerned. Minho tried to get Jisung to talk to some campers to cheer him up, but nothing seemed to work. The snow continued to fall harder and harder, and the younger’s grip on Minho’s arm never loosened.

Everybody was starting to get a bit concerned by the weather. It was getting hard to see and losing a kid was definitely a plausible concern. A lot of the children were already going back to the lodge for warmth, and Chan and Felix made sure that nobody got lost. Minho was thinking about doing the same until the speaker rang loudly, followed by an alarm.

“Everybody, take cover! This snowstorm was not on the radar this morning, so I apologize for the inconvenience. I will update you when it is safe to come out, but in the meantime, stay in shelt-” Before Mr. Baek could finish, the power went out.

“Inconvenience seems like an understatement. C’mon, let’s find somewhere to go. Jisungie?” Minho tried walking towards the lodge, but Jisung was frozen. His breath was quickening rapidly and his eyes were wide, filled with terror.

“Oh, honey. C’mere. I’ve got you.” Minho didn’t realize that the pet name slipped out until he had already said it, but the younger was too out of it to notice. Minho tried to keep walking, and Jisung finally began walking with him. Minho could feel him shaking like a leaf next to him.

“You’re doing great, Jisungie. We’re almost there.” Minho felt the man next to him’s breath slow down a little bit when they were finally in the home stretch, making him feel relieved. They opened the door to the lodge and shut it immediately, not wanting to let any cold air in. Luckily, even though the power was out, it was still daytime so they were able to see.

“C-Can we go to the room?” Jisung whispered the first thing he had said in the past twenty minutes. He was still clutching onto Minho, who nodded and led the way upstairs. Lots of the kids were gathered around the fireplace or chatting loudly with their friends, so they didn’t stop the two.

Once Minho dug the room key out of his pocket and opened the door, Jisung finally let go and sat on the edge of the bed. He let out a shaky sigh and looked down at the ground, and Minho sat next to him. They sat in silence before Jisung spoke.

“I’m sorry. I probably look like a total coward now.” Jisung hid his face in his hands, his voice still slightly trembling.

“Don’t say that. It was a scary situation, you had the right to be frazzled.” Minho put an arm around Jisung’s shoulders, and the latter melted into his touch and rested his head on Minho’s shoulder.

“I guess. It’s just….I’ve had bad experiences with snowstorms like this before. When I was little, there was a day when we got a lot of snow. We didn’t usually get much, so school was canceled. It was fairly tame at first, and my brother and I were playing outside and having a snowball fight. Then, something similar to today happened, and my brother and I got separated. I couldn’t see anything, so I was wandering aimlessly for about forty-five minutes before I found my parents. Afterward, I got really sick and was bedridden for a couple of weeks. All of my friends and my brother were busy with school, and my parents had work, so I got really lonely. Ever since then, I’ve been pretty weary of snow. That’s why I was being so difficult this morning.” Jisung explained.

“You weren’t being difficult. I get why you felt that way. You’re alright now.” Minho reassuringly rubbed the younger’s shoulder.

“Thanks. I appreciate you trying to help, you’re way too nice. We can probably go back down in a few minutes, I just need a second.” Jisung detached himself from Minho’s shoulder in favor of laying belly up on the bed, closing his eyes, and sighing again.

“I’m ready when you are. Don’t fall asleep on me, though.” After Minho said this, Jisung started loudly snoring, and the older man put his hand over the other’s mouth. He would regret this decision a few seconds later.

“Did you just lick my hand? You’re insane!” Minho quickly removed his hand and got up to wash it as Jisung laughed boisterously. Minho was just glad that he was feeling happy again, even if it was at his own expense.

🎄

When the snow had finally slowed down, Mr. Baek came over the intercom again and declared that the power was working again and it was safe to go to the dining hall for lunch. There were still some flurries coming down, but nothing like earlier. Thankfully, Jisung seemed better and more comfortable, so he and Minho headed to the dining hall.

When they walked out, Jisung still held onto Minho’s arm, but that was their new normal. They met up with Chan and Felix, who were sitting on the little porch outside of the lodge.

“Hey, Jisungie! Hey Minho! Still haven’t gotten rid of that parasite yet?” Chan must have noticed that Jisung was feeling better and flicked him on the head.

“Nope. We’re a package deal now. Sorry!” Jisung stuck his tongue out at Chan, who rolled his eyes. Minho secretly liked how that sounded. They all walked to the dining hall together, their boots making satisfying crunches in the snow. Thankfully the dining hall wasn’t too far, because it had gotten a lot colder than before.

All four counselors were able to sit and eat their lunch together with no problems. A few kids wanted to sit next to them, which they were fine with, but they weren’t pulled away from each other like the previous days.

“Guess who!” Minho turned and looked behind him as Hyunjin came up behind him and Jisung, covering Jisung’s eyes.

“Oh, I have no idea! Who could it be!” Jisung said sarcastically, pretending to be deep in thought.

“Your best friend in the world! How are you guys doing? The power in here went out too, so I just sat in here all alone. So boring.” Hyunjin took his hands off the other’s face and rested them on his shoulders. He seemed to notice Minho eyeing him as he did so and gave him a mischievous smirk.

“We’ve been alright. It was a little scary at first, but Minho was there to help.” Jisung looked up at Hyunjin and took one of Minho’s hands, which the other happily complied with.

“How cute. Anyway, I should probably get back in the kitchen. The work of a chef is never done!” Hyunjin exclaimed proudly.

“I wouldn’t say being able to make sandwiches and pancakes makes you a chef, but whatever strokes your ego more,” Jisung replied, earning him a light hit on the head from the taller man. The rest of lunch went smoothly, and Mr. Baek announced that they would have a snowman-making contest before the snow melted.

“Are you gonna be alright?” Minho whispered to Jisung after the announcement and the younger nodded.

“I should be fine. I think it’s just small flakes now, so I’ll live.” He shrugged. They all waited outside and found Mr. Baek standing in front of the dining hall with his clipboard.

“Hello, boys! First, I would like to sincerely apologize for the mishap earlier today. I checked the weather and it looked fine, but I suppose meteorologists are only right about half of the time. I can almost one hundred percent confirm that there will be no big storms for the rest of your stay here, so don’t worry,” Mr. Baek apologized. He then explained how the snowman-building contest would work. It was similar to the gingerbread house-building contest, but every group only had one snowman. They all got specific locations on the field to build them and were instructed to gather up the kids and bring them to the field.

They were all able to round everybody up and begin planning in their designated spots on the snow-covered grass.

“Alright, what are we thinking? Do we want to make a traditional snowman, or something more fun?” Minho asked his group, which was crowded in front of him.

“Let’s do Santa!”

“Let’s make me!”

“Let’s make a cat!”

Minho listened to all of the options and considered each one carefully.

“Those are all some nice ideas. We could make a big Santa snowman with a few cat henchmen. If we have time, we can make a few of you guys.” Minho decided. The kids seemed to like the idea and began calling dibs on who would get to be made and who would make what.

As they got farther along and the kids began taking over more, Minho wanted to take a look around at what everybody else was doing. He found Felix first, who had his group building a whole army of smaller snowmen lined up behind one big snowman with long hair made out of grass and freckles made out of rocks.

“What is this? Is this you…?” Minho asked pointing at the freckled statue. It was actually pretty well-made and accurate, which made him all the more confused.

“Yep! And those little ones are my campers. They’re all making mini-snowmen of themselves. Pretty great, right?” Felix had a proud look on his face as he looked at all of the kids working hard on their snowmen.

“Uh…Yeah. It’s very unique.” Minho nodded. He wasn’t lying, it was unlike any snowman he had ever seen before.

“Thanks! How is yours going?”

“It’s going alright. The campers took over, so I wanted to see what the rest of the groups were doing. This makes mine look a little boring, though.” Minho sighed.

“I bet it’s fine. Chris’ is pretty cool, you should check it out next.” Felix said, continuing to work on his snowman. Minho nodded and continued wandering until he found Chan, who was working hard on the antlers of a snow….deer.

“Hey, Minho! What do you think?” Chan showed off the rest of the deer that the kids had made. Did he not understand the prompt? Minho silently thought to himself.

“Wow. This is pretty neat. How did you make a whole herd this quickly?” Minho was taken aback by the number of deer made; there had to have been at least ten.

“I’m a pretty good leader when it comes to this kind of stuff. If people get the right directions, they can do anything.” Minho thought that he sounded like a motivational speaker.

“I see. Well, good luck with the rest of your deer. I should probably get back to my group soon.” Chan waved when Minho bid his goodbye and the latter began searching for Jisung. He had no idea what the younger was going to make, it could be literally anything.
He found the familiar head of brown hair and put a hand on his shoulder, making the other jolt up.

“Oh, Minho! What are you doing here? Don’t you have your own snowman to work on?” Jisung asked, shuffling closer to Minho for warmth.

“The campers seemed to know what they were doing, so I wanted to look around. Wow, are those your snowmen?” Minho looked at Jisung’s snowmen, all four looking like the counselors, similar to his gingerbread house.

“Yeah. They’re supposed to be us if you couldn’t tell. My group really liked how I made the gingerbread men, so they wanted to try it out with the snowmen. I mostly did the bases for them and let them decorate.” Jisung explained.

“They’re cute. All of you guys’ snowmen make mine look a bit boring. Can’t win them all, I guess.” Minho shrugged. Jisung gasped and vigorously shook his head.

“Hey, don’t say that! You’re too hard on yourself, I bet your snowman is fantastic. I’m looking forward to seeing it. Wait, stand in front of the snowman that looks like you for a second,” Jisung requested abruptly, fishing a Polaroid camera out of his bag. Minho obliged and stood in front of the snowman and gave a thumbs-up. The camera shuttered and the little black strip slid out of the bottom of the camera a few seconds later.

“Thanks! Channie convinced me to start scrapbooking, so I thought I’d start with pictures from this trip. I kind of forgot to take any pictures until now, but oh well.” Jisung gently put the photo in his bag and set it down on the ground.

“Oh, that sounds fun. You’ll have to show me the pictures once they develop.” Minho said before Mr. Baek came over the intercom once again.

“Campers and counselors, you have five more minutes to finish up on your snowmen! We will be coming around to judge shortly after. Good luck!” He announced.

“I should probably go back to my group and make sure that nobody destroyed anything. I’ll see you later.” Minho waved to the younger, who bid his goodbyes and waved back. He made it back to his snowman, who was still standing proudly with his cats. The campers were adding their finishing touches to their snow sculptures, focused on perfecting everything.

“Alright, everybody! The time is officially up! Everybody, step back from your creations and I will give them all a look. I’ll start with Mr. Lee’s and go around from there.” Mr. Baek came running from who-knows-where with his megaphone, making his way to Minho’s snowman.

“Very nice, green team! The cats are a cute touch. And you can never go wrong with Santa! Well done.” Mr. Baek said as he scribbled down some notes on a clipboard. He walked away and headed toward Felix’s snow army, and Minho let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure why, but he was a bit nervous about their snowman’s inspection. He knew that Mr. Baek wasn’t going to thoroughly critique a snowman made by a bunch of kids, but he was still glad that there was no negative feedback.

Once Mr. Baek finished looking over everybody’s snowmen, all of the counselors and campers were called to the middle of the field to announce the winner. Everybody was buzzing with excitement and confidence in their creations.

“Ahem, attention everyone! I’d like to announce our winning group. While everybody did fantastic, there was one group that won by default. Congratulations to Mr. Lee’s team, Team Green! I enjoyed seeing how creative everybody was, but I specifically said that each group could make one snowman. Mr. Lee’s group was the only one to do so. Mr. Han and Mr. Felix had multiple snowmen, and Mr. Bang had no snowmen. Good job to everyone, though!” Mr. Baek declared, going over to Minho and giving him a pat on the back.

Minho was pleasantly surprised, thanking Mr. Baek. The director then announced that the campers were free to wander about and do whatever they wanted. Minho was just about to go to the lodge before an arm was slung around his shoulder.

“Congrats, man! I guess we should’ve paid more attention. Yours was great anyway though, I don’t know what you were talking about earlier. Should we go to the lodge for storytime?” Minho got into the habit of always tagging along during storytime, even though he didn’t really do anything.

“Yep, I was just about to head that way. I feel like disqualifying everybody else was a bit unfair, though. You all put so much thought into your snowmen.” Minho said.

“You did too! And we had it coming, we weren’t listening. All that matters is that we had fun.” Jisung replied with a big smile on his face. They continued walking until they heard a rustling sound from one of the trees near the lodge.

“What was that? A squirrel?” Jisung looked up at the tree and inspected the branches, before something fluffy and tan caught his eye.

“Wait, Minho, look! I think there’s a cat up there! Should we get it down?” This caught Minho’s attention. He looked to where Jisung was pointing and, lo and behold, a little cat was fearfully clinging onto a branch.

“Yeah, that’s definitely a cat. Poor thing probably got lost in the snowstorm earlier. She must be so cold.” Minho pondered. Before thinking about it a second longer, he grabbed a sturdy branch and began climbing the tree. Luckily, the cat wasn’t too high up in the tree, so most of the branches he needed to climb up were fairly thick.

“Careful! If you fall, I can’t guarantee that I can catch you!” Jisung shouted as the older reached for the cat. It was times like these when Minho was thankful for his experience with dancing since it made his balance very strong. He was able to finally snag the little cat with one hand and begin climbing down with the other, hyper-focused on where he was putting his feet. Once his feet touched the ground, he could breathe easily again.

“Wow, that was impressive. I’m glad you were here, I would’ve fallen flat on my ass if I tried to do that. Is the kitty okay?” Jisung reached out a hand to scratch the cat’s cheek, and the cat leaned its face into the warmth of his hand. Jisung cooed at it and scratched its chin, causing it to start purring.

“What a sweet baby. I’m sure we can take it inside to warm it up. The kids will think it’s cute too.” Minho said, fondly looking at the cat in his arms. It was a pretty small cat, but the sheer amount of fur that it had made up for it. He was just glad that they spotted it before anything bad happened.

They made it inside and were instantly surrounded by curious faces. Minho tried to keep some of the grabby hands away from the cat so it wouldn’t get scared, but to no avail. Jisung seemed to notice and stepped in front of Minho.

“Guys, I know you’re excited, but let’s take turns, okay? Go ahead and get in a single file line and everybody can have a turn to pet her. Afterward, we can figure out a name. How does that sound?” Jisung offered, and the kids quickly nodded and got in a line.

“Thanks. I think she was getting scared. Whoever’s first can come on up.” Minho gave the younger a grateful smile, and Jisung gave him a little smile back. The first kid, a little girl, came over and reached to pet the cat. She gently scratched behind its ears and under its chin and beamed when it started purring. Minho felt a little bad about telling her to go, but there was a whole line of kids waiting.

“Sorry, time’s up. You can go to the back if you want to pet her again.” The girl nodded and frowned, walking to the back of the line. Minho felt like he was showing off a circus animal, making him feel bad for the little fur ball in his arms. It must be scary to go through a whole snowstorm alone, and then get stolen and shown to a bunch of little hyperactive children who can’t keep their hands to themselves.

“Are you feeling alright? You seem a little down,” Minho was caught off guard when Jisung covered his mouth from the kids and whispered in his ear, inches away from his face. He could feel his face heating up and his ears turning red, and he was praying that Jisung wouldn’t notice. He couldn’t blame it on the cold this time.

“I’m fine, I just feel bad for the cat. I hope we didn’t freak her out too much.” Minho whispered back, turning his head toward the other. This proved to be a mistake, as now their faces were inches away and their noses were almost touching. Minho didn’t mean to glance at Jisung’s lips, but it just happened. The older could’ve sworn that he saw a blush begin forming on Jisung’s face as well.

“O-Oh, okay. I was just worried.” Jisung quickly whispered back and turned away, looking flustered. The kids were too caught up in petting the cat or talking to their friends to notice the exchange, for which they were both thankful.

As the kids continued taking turns and petting the cat, Minho noticed that Jisung had begun to quietly sniffle every now and then. Minho looked over and saw that he didn’t look sad or anything, so he gave the younger a questioning look.

“Sorry, is the sniffling annoying? I’m just a little bit allergic to cats, but it’s nothing serious.” Jisung shrugged, sniffling again right after he said it.

“What? Why didn’t you say anything? We could’ve found someone else to take it, or I could have put it in a different room. I can go find somewhere to put it right now, ho-” Minho was silenced when a finger was placed on his lips.

“Hush. I’ll be fine, it's really not that big of a deal. It’s just sniffles and sneezing. It’s the same with dog hair and I have a dog of my own at my house, so I’ve gotten used to it. If it was something life threatening I would’ve told you.” Jisung said, which made Minho feel a little bit better, but didn’t make his frown leave entirely.

“Are you sure? I could at least go get you some tissues. Or I could ask the nurse for some allergy medicine-”

“I’m fine, I promise. Some tissues could be nice, though.” Minho was relieved when he was given something to do. He still felt bad for being the one who brought the cat inside in the first place, but he would give Jisung the benefit of the doubt and believe that it was nothing too bad.

“Great, I’ll go get some. Should I get someone else to hold the cat, or will you break out in hives or something?” Minho said it like a joke, but he was actually concerned that there were more side effects than Jisung told him.

“Just go! I can hold the cat, it really is just a stuffy nose.” Jisung took the cat out of his hands and playfully pushed him toward the lobby bathroom. Minho put his hands up in surrender and started walking away. The bathroom was pretty nice, similar to an actual hotel bathroom, and he spotted a box of tissues sitting on the sink. He grabbed the box and headed out quickly, not wanting to leave Jisung with the cat for too long. He tried not to worry, but he didn’t like being an inconvenience, no matter how big or small.

“I’m back with your tissues, now hand her over.” Minho showed the box to Jisung, who was still happily holding the cat.

“Oh, thanks! You actually really didn’t have to, I just wanted you to stop worrying so much. But I appreciate how much you care.” Jisung leaned into Minho’s side, trying to give a makeshift hug with his hands full. They switched what they were holding, and Minho continued to let the kids pet the cat.

Once the announcement rang letting them know that it was time for another activity, they realized that everybody had been so caught up with the cat that they forgot about reading another chapter of the story. Nobody seemed to mind much though, since they still had time.

They were all called to go to the dining hall again for ornament making, which excited the kids to no end. Minho was also pretty excited, curious to see what kind of ornaments they’d be tasked with making. As usual, they waited for all of the kids to file out of the lodge before heading out toward the dining hall. They weren’t sure what to do with the cat, so they just bundled it up like a baby in one of the extra sweatshirts that they grabbed from their room and took it with them.

When they arrived with the cat in hand, a ruckus ensued once again. Everybody was crowding around until Mr. Baek made his way through the mass of people to see what was going on.

“Wha- Oh! Who is this?” The old man’s eyes widened and he reached out to scratch the cat’s head.

“Uh, we don’t really know, sir. She was stuck in a tree after the storm and we got her down. What should we do with her?” Jisung spoke up, nervously looking at the man, who looked like he was thinking.

“Well, I’m not exactly sure. This has never happened before. I suppose the only option is to send somebody out to buy her some food and she can become the camp pet. How would you two like to go out later tonight during the campfire ceremony and get her some food, toys, a bed, and whatever else you may think she’ll need? I’m sure I can trust you two to not go crazy with my card, yes?” Mr. Baek offered. The two looked at each other and quickly nodded.

“Yes, sir. We won’t buy anything that isn’t necessary. Thank you!” Jisung said.

“I’ll hold you to that then. I’m assuming that you won’t want to drive a bus to the pet store, so I’ll let you use my car. Be careful with it! And you’ll probably need directions as well, so I’ll give you your phones back for the drive. Just know that you’ll have to give them right back when you come back. I’ll meet you two right before the campfire ceremony to give you your phones and my keys. I’m sure that Mr. Bang, Mr. Felix, and I will be able to hold the place down while you’re gone.” The older man said.

“That’s alright with us, sir. Should we take her with us, or leave her here? Minho asked, looking down at the cat in his arms. Mr. Baek thought for a moment before responding.

“She seems to have taken a liking to you two, so you can take her if you’d like. Having her there might help pick out her things. You can also get her a carrier so you don’t have to carry her like that all of the time. I can take care of her while you two work on your ornaments. Any more questions?” Mr. Baek asked, taking the cat, and the two shook their heads in unison.

“No sir, thank you!” Jisung said and the older man nodded, walking away. Minho turned to Jisung and smiled.

“Well, I guess we’re going on a trip.”

🎄

Before they could go on their little expedition, they’d have to make their ornaments. This time, the activity wasn’t a competition, and all of the campers could make whatever they wanted. There was a big bag of clay at each table for them to use and some little bottles of acrylic paint. Minho and Jisung had split up, due to them having to sit with their groups to make sure that everybody was being responsible. There were a couple of X-ACTO knives as well, but they were given to only the counselors so they could monitor who was using them.

A lot of the kids made things like Santa, gingerbread men, and snowmen. Minho wasn’t sure what to make. He had already made his cats in all of the activities so far, so he didn’t want to overdo it. What he hadn’t made, however, was the still unnamed camp cat. He figured that an ornament would make a cute memory of the camp, and fairly easy to make. So just like that, he began constructing the cat’s body.

Minho had underestimated how detail-oriented he was going to be about this cat, but he was putting his all into it. He was using the little knife to carve out the individual furs and tiny, fragile whiskers. He was glad that the clay was air-dry, or else things would have probably broken.

As he was painting the finishing touches, Mr. Baek announced with his obnoxious megaphone that their time was up. Minho lost track of time while he was working, so he had no idea how long they had been at it. He was pretty happy with the cat, though. It looked very similar to the cat in the old man’s hands, but the sculpture looked slightly less annoyed than the real cat did at the moment.

“Wow, Mr. Lee, this looks just like her!” The little girl who was sitting next to him exclaimed.

“Thanks! Your’s looks great too.” Minho looked down at her hands to see a sloppily put-together Rudolph. It was the thought that counted. Everybody began to put the little hooks for the ornaments on their creations, and Minho did the same. They were instructed to clean up the area and put all of their ornaments on a long sheet of parchment paper on one of the tables so that they could have dinner.

“Hey, Minho! What did you make?” Minho turned around at the mention of his name and was met with the other three counselors.

“I made the cat. What did you guys make?” Minho held up his cat, answering Chan’s question.

“Dude, that’s crazy good. I made a kangaroo with the Australian flag. It was Felix’s idea. I know it’s not very festive, but I think it’s fun!” Chan said, showing off his little kangaroo.

“Isn’t it great? I made a snowman. I know it’s basic, but I didn’t know what else to make.” Felix showed his snowman who was adorned with a little red scarf and a top hat.

“I made a little mouse with some cheese. Kind of random, but I think it’s cute.” Jisung held up his mouse. The base was a little cutting board and the mouse had a little red ribbon tied around its neck.

“That’s adorable! I think all of ours turned out great.” Felix said, taking a closer look at Jisung’s mouse.

“I agree! Minho, how did you make the cat look just like the real thing? It’s so cute!” Jisung beamed at Minho, who slightly blushed at the compliment.

“I mean, she’s a pretty basic cat, I guess. Also, we never chose a name for her. We need to come up with something.” Minho changed the subject and Jisung gasped.

“You’re right, we didn’t! I really don’t know what it should be….Maybe something festive? How about…Ginger? Like gingerbread? She’s kind of a lighter color than gingerbread, but it’s kind of close.” Jisung suggested.

“I think that’s cute. Ginger it is.” Minho nodded and smiled. He felt bad for forgetting to name her, so he was glad they had finally concluded.

They continued to chat for a little while before dinner began to be served, and they all sat down and ate together. Nothing too eventful happened, just casual conversation. After dinner, Mr. Baek found Minho and Jisung getting up from their table and stopped them.

“Mr. Han, Mr. Lee, you two can follow me. Are you ready to go?” The man asked, still holding the cat, and the two nodded.

“Great. I’ve got your phones right here and my card and keys in my pocket, so I’ll show you to my car. It’ll only be around a thirty-minute drive to the pet store, so nothing too crazy.” Mr. Baek said as he handed them their phones and led them out the door. His car was parked where the bus was parked near the building with the receptionist.

“Here it is! I hope you don’t mind driving in the dark. Some of the roads can be a bit twisty too, so be careful. I trust you two though, so I’m sure you’ll be fine. Here’s my card, and here are my keys. And the cat, of course. Don’t lose anything. Be safe!” Mr. Baek handed Minho his things and Jisung the cat after they arrived at his little red Subaru.

“Thank you, sir! We’ll be careful and come back as soon as possible. And we’ll only buy what we need, don’t worry.” Jisung promised.

“I believe you. I’ll see you boys later.” Mr. Baek bid his goodbye before walking off towards the campground, leaving Minho and Jisung to run their errands.

“I can drive if you’re alright with that. It’s fine with me if you want to, though. I don’t really care.” Minho offered and Jisung shook his head.

“Nah, go ahead. Driving in the dark freaks me out anyway.” Jisung shrugged and hopped into the passenger seat, placing the cat on his lap. Minho sat down on the driver’s side and started the car. The windows were a bit fogged up from the cold, so he used the wipers and turned on the GPS to go to the pet store.

Once Minho had been driving for about five minutes, Minho realized how far from civilization they were. It would be around twenty minutes before they would arrive on any kind of main road, and those twenty minutes were made up of the confusing roads that either of them had ever seen. At times, they wondered if the GPS was making things up due to the absurd amount of dirt roads and lack of readable road signs.

“Hey, Minho, do you think that there are bears in these woods?” Jisung asked out of nowhere, mindlessly petting the cat on his lap. He hadn’t thought about it, but there could very well be dangerous wildlife hanging around.

“Maybe? Now that I think of it, I believe there was a stop sign with suspiciously bear-like claw marks. I’m not one hundred percent sure that that’s what they were, just throwing it out there.” Minho shrugged.

“What the hell, are you serious? I wish I didn’t even ask.” Jisung shouted, petting the cat faster and more nervously. He kept his eyes glued on the windows, even though they could barely see anything that wasn’t right in front of them due to the darkness.

“It’ll be fine. We haven’t seen anything yet, and there was nothing on the bus ride. I don’t think that they would have the camp so close to animals like that. And maybe those marks were from a long time ago, or I might’ve seen it wrong. We’ll be okay.” Minho took one of his hands off the wheel and placed it on Jisung’s leg. Just a friendly gesture. Minho saw the way that Jisung jolted as well as how cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. He was beginning to think that his little crush might be reciprocated after all.

The younger nodded and it was comfortably silent for a couple more minutes before Jisung jolted up.

“Um, did you see that? I know that you’re focused on driving and that I’m probably just paranoid, but I swear I just saw something big moving.”

“You’re probably just seeing things. I don- Holy shit!” The car screeched a halt when Minho quickly stepped on the brakes as a coyote jumped in front of the car. It stopped for a minute, staring into the headlights, before running back into the woods. Minho and Jisung were both completely silent, turning their heads to look at each other. Their mouths were wide open, and you could hear a pin drop.

“Uh, I guess I spoke too soon. That was…unexpected?” Minho said, still having his foot pressed down on the brake pedal.

“Yeah. Uh, should we keep going? We’re only about five minutes away from the city.” Jisung caught his breath and looked down at the cat, whose tail got all fluffed up from the abrupt stop. ‘

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll drive a bit slower, just in case.” The car finally began moving again, and they both calmed down. They sat in silence once again, and they made it to the town in about seven minutes instead of five, due to the decreased speed.

“Wow, I kind of missed being around so many other people. It’s only been five days, but I feel like I’ve been locked up forever.” Jisung breathed in the air and hopped out of the car with Ginger in his arms once Minho parked at the pet store.

“Yeah, me too. Also, whatever I’m smelling right now smells insanely good.” Minho took a deep breath as well, and his nostrils were met with a cozy bakery scent coming from somewhere in the strip mall where the pet store was located.

“Oh yeah, that smells great! Would Mr. Baek be mad if we went in?” Jisung asked.

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Let’s get her a carrier and then we can walk around a bit. We can just say that we had trouble finding a few things if we take long.” Minho smiled, heading into the pet store. He located the carrier section and looked around. After a bit of research, (Googling the best carriers for cats) they settled on a little pink and black one.

After finding the perfect carrier, they began searching for the best type of cat food to give her. They didn’t want to spend too much of Mr. Baek’s money, but cat food is expensive. They got some healthy dry food for her, as well as a couple of cans of wet food and some treats for when she's being extra good.

They also found her pink food and water bowls with white paw prints, as well as a little pink collar and a few toys. They were tempted to buy more gifts for the little kitty, but they had to remember that it wasn’t their money. They looked around at some of the other pets just for fun, and they stopped in front of the cats.

“Aw, this one kind of looks like your cat Soonie!” Jisung pointed to a little orange cat with a similar white strip on its nose to Soonie’s. One way to earn a place in Minho’s heart was to remember facts about his cats, and he was pleasantly surprised by how much attention Jisung gave him when he spoke about them. Even Felix often forgot things about his cats, so he was shocked by how much Jisung cared.

“You’re right! I miss him, Doongie, and Dori so much, don’t even remind me. I bet they’d love Ginger. And you, I guess.” Minho teased and Jisung punched his arm softly.

“You ass, you know they’d love me! I’m a cat magnet. I’d have seven if I wasn’t allergic.” Minho forgot that Jisung was allergic since he hadn’t been sneezing or sniffling in the car.
“I took some allergy medicine if that’s what you’re wondering. I always carry some in my bag just in case. I just didn’t have time to take any earlier.”

Minho nodded, unsure how Jisung knew exactly what he was thinking. He decided to ignore it, and they headed to the rodent section. They looked at all of the hamsters, guinea pigs, and mice and cooed.

“Jisungie, this one looks like you!” Minho pointed to a hamster who was eating a sunflower seed, stuffing his cheeks.

“What are you talking about? That does not look like me.” Jisung’s face twisted in confusion.

“It definitely does. You eat just like he does.” Jisung rolled his eyes at Minho’s explanation.

“You’re just making fun of me now. I’ve heard the same thing from Chan, I don’t need him rubbing off on you. Let’s go pay.” Jisung glared, but there was no anger behind his eyes.

“Yeah, whatever.”

After paying with Mr. Baek’s card and cringing at the cost, they put Ginger in her carrier and put the food, bowls, and toys in the car. Thankfully, the cafe was still open late, so they walked across the street to the cute little building that smelled so great. When they opened the door, a little bell jingled and they were welcomed by the girl at the front counter. The interior was tastefully decorated for the holidays, and there was no line since it was so late.

They looked at the menu, and everything sounded incredibly good. Jisung decided on a classic cheesecake, Minho got some pudding, and they both got some melon soda. They found a cute little table for two by the window and waited for their food to come. It was pretty inexpensive so Minho paid, much to Jisung’s chagrin.

The food came out pretty quickly since there was only one other person in the cafe studying. They both took a bite of the food and were immediately satisfied. Minho felt the pudding melt in his mouth, the flavor of the caramel and custard taking over his senses.

“This is some of the best pudding I’ve ever had. Here, try some.” Minho scooped a little on his spoon and offered it to Jisung, who paused for a moment before taking the spoon in front of him in his mouth.

“Oh wow, you’re right! This is amazing! Mine is really good too, here.” Jisung took a bit of the cheesecake on his fork and held it in front of Minho, who took a bite and nodded.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Minho realized that a date with Jisung would feel awfully similar to the situation they were in. He could easily imagine a couple sitting at a cafe, walking around the city, and feeding each other food. His breath hitched, causing him to choke on the cheesecake.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” Jisung stood up and firmly patted him on the back. Minho finally caught his breath and let out a relieved sigh.

“Sorry, uh, I choked. The cheesecake was really good, though. It has a good flavor.” Jisung sat back down and sighed as well.

“I’m just glad that you’re okay. Be careful, if you end up going to the hospital Mr. Baek will surely know that we weren’t at the pet store.” Jisung laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

“Right.”

They continued eating in a comfortable silence, thankfully free from any more choking. The soda was also pretty good, and both of their plates were clean by the time they were finished.

“Should we head back? Mr. Baek may be getting suspicious by now.” Jisung asked and Minho nodded.

“I guess we probably should. Everybody’s probably gone to sleep by now. Honestly, I don’t know what they did at the campfire without you there. Probably pretty boring. Your singing is really the highlight of the whole thing.” Minho said while unlocking his car.

“Well, Chan is there, so he’ll find something for them to do. Does Felix sing or play any instruments?” Jisung asked, stepping into the car with the cat crate on his lap.

“He dances like I do. He has a pretty good voice, but he doesn’t sing often.” Jisung frowned at Minho’s statement.

“He has such a cool voice, it’s a shame that he doesn’t do anything with it. So much potential…” Minho could see Jisung’s mind racing, probably thinking of how to utilize a voice like Felix’s in a song. He was suddenly reminded that Jisung is a producer and they just so happened to have their phones on them.

“I bet you could make it work. Also, if you feel comfortable, could you play one of your songs, since we have our phones? You don’t have to, but I can’t help but be curious.” Minho thought it was funny how Jisung’s eyes blew up wide and a faint blush brushed his cheeks.

“Yeah, sure! It’s a little embarrassing because I haven’t professionally recorded a lot of my newer songs and they’re just demos so far. I’ll play the best ones first. I’m surprised you remembered that I produced.” Jisung connected his phone to the aux cord and tapped around, probably queuing up songs.

“How could I forget? With talent like that, you better be doing something with it.” The older laughed.

“Yeah, sure. Also, a lot of these are totally different genres and there isn’t any specific order other than sound quality, so you might get musical whiplash.” Jisung laughed as he started the first song. A familiar guitar tune rang through the speakers and Minho’s face lit up in recognition. He looked down at the screen in the car, and surely enough, it was exactly what song he thought it was; Maybe.

“What the hell? Did you make this song? Holy shit, this is you! This song is on the radio all of the time!” Minho had heard the song countless times; on the radio, in cafes, even on his own playlist.

“Yeah, this one kind of blew up. You’re listening to the unreleased version with a scrapped Chan feature by the way. I really wanted him to be on the song, but he said that it didn’t suit his voice, which is total bullshit. His part is coming up soon.” Jisung explained, all too normal about the situation.

Eventually, Chan’s voice dispersed throughout the car as well, and while it did sound amazing, Minho couldn’t help but prefer the way that Jisung sang it. He had to admit that he was a bit biased, though. The song slowly faded out, and Jisung looked at the other expectantly.

“So, what do you think? I know you said that you’ve heard it before, but do you like it?” The younger asked. He looked like he was going to explode if Minho said anything negative. Luckily, the latter had nothing negative to say.

“I like it a lot! I already had it added to my playlist, so that tells you that I’m not lying to make you happy. It sounds like a breath of fresh air, soothing to the ears.” Jisung blushed and beamed.

“Really? I’m so happy to hear that, you have no idea. I was worried that it was too mainstream of a sound while I was making it, and that’s why I thought it did well. The next one is a little more experimental and rap-heavy than the last. I haven’t released it yet, but it’s getting close to done.” Jisung pressed the play button on the phone and a harsh beat began, a stark contrast to the last song. The screen read I Got It - Demo.

As the rapping on the track began, Jisung began softly rapping along to the song, most likely out of habit. Minho was taken aback by the ruthless lyrics and speed of the rapping, and he couldn’t help but bob his head along to the beat. Soon the song faded out and Jisung’s knee bounced nervously.

“Uh, so, yeah. It’s really different from the last one, so I don’t think it’ll do as well, but that’s not what I’m writing for. If only one person likes the song, that’ll be enough for me. What did you think? Be honest.” Jisung asked, his eyes staring into Minho’s soul.

“I thought it was great. I’m not just saying that, I thought the beat was powerful and the lyrics were super clever. Who is that about?” The song seemed like it was directly talking to someone or a group of people, and Minho wanted to know.

“Just people who don’t like my music. The problem with a song blowing up is that people are so much more critical and people only see you for that song. And with more people listening, there are bound to be more people that won’t like it. I really don’t care if people don’t like my music, but there’s no reason to be an ass about it.” Minho hadn’t seen Jisung this heated about something before, and he would be lying if he said that he didn’t enjoy seeing this side of him.

They continued to listen to more of Jisung’s music until they pulled into the campsite in front of the reception building. Jisung disconnected his phone and grabbed all of the things that he could, and Minho got the rest.

They carried everything to the lodge and set everything down in the lobby. It seemed that lights-out time had already been put into effect, as the lobby lights were dim and nobody was there. They unpackaged the food, put out the food and water bowls, and set out the little cat bed next to the fireplace. They let Ginger out of the carrier and she made a beeline to the bed. Minho put the toys in the bed with her and gave her a few head scratches before standing back up.

“We can find Mr. Baek in the morning and give him his keys. We should probably go to sleep.” Minho put the keys in his pocket, Jisung nodded, and they headed up the stairs.

They quickly got ready to sleep, changing and brushing their teeth. Jisung put his phone on the nightstand and flopped onto the bed.

“We can give our phones back later. I don’t feel like giving it up yet.” He sighed. Minho put his phone next to Jisung’s, as well as the keys so he wouldn’t forget about them. He made his way into the bed as well and Jisung turned off the lamp. He shuffled around until his head was nuzzled into the crevice in between Minho’s neck and shoulder and his arms were slung around the older. Minho pulled him closer by the waist and he could feel the younger smiling against the fabric of his shirt.

“Good night, Jisung.”

“Night.”

🎄

A few more days passed, and the two were becoming more and more inseparable. There were only a few more days left of the camp, and everyone was beginning to become a little sad. While they all missed their families and friends, they had also made so many close bonds at the camp that they wouldn’t have made otherwise.

All of the counselors were eating together in the dining hall and Jisung’s music came up in discussion.

“No way, you made Maybe? My dance group made a choreo to it a few months ago, I have to show you when we get our phones!” Felix said, dumbfounded.

“Seriously? I have to see! That sounds awesome!” Jisung replied before the loudspeaker rang through the building.

“Good morning, everyone! Take your time, but when you finish up with your breakfast, head over to the ice skating rink by the field!” Mr. Baek announced.

“Oh, Minho, this is great!” Felix piped up, confusing Chan and Jisung.

“What do you mean? Are you guys big skaters?” Chan asked and Felix nodded vigorously.

“Totally! We took lessons when we were small, and it’s pretty similar to dancing. Lots of rhythm and balance involved. I wish we knew, we could’ve brought our own skates.” The blonde said excitedly.

Jisung and Chan looked at each other nervously. Chan leaned over and Jisung lent him his ear.

“Have you ever skated?”

“No.”

“Me neither.”

“Shit.”

The two had to mentally prepare themselves before leaving the cafeteria while Felix was bouncing off the walls. Minho also seemed pretty excited to skate. The rink was pretty big and circular, which was good since there were a lot of impatient kids who wouldn’t want to wait their turn if the rink was too small. Everybody was instructed to wait in front of the rink until Mr. Baek came.

Everybody was chatting amongst themselves until Mr. Baek finally arrived, getting out his megaphone.

“Attention, everyone! I know that you’re excited, but I’m going to need you to listen for a minute. I’m guessing that a lot of you have never ice skated before, so I think that if you want to skate, you should learn the basics. My old bones are a bit too stiff for skating anymore, unfortunately. Would any of the counselors like to show a tutorial?” Mr. Baek asked, turning his head to the four. Minho’s hand raised before he realized that he was moving.

“Mr. Lee, fantastic! Come on up. Do any of you not know how to skate? What about you, Mr. Han?” Jisung’s shoulders tensed and he quickly shook his head, averting eye contact from the older man.

“Well, how about you go up as well? If they see someone who has never skated before up there, they might be more confident and excited to learn!” Mr. Baek offered his hand and Jisung begrudgingly took it, lifting himself off of the ground and standing next to Minho.

“Here are some skates for you two. If they don’t fit, feel free to tell me and I’ll get you a different size.” Mr. Baek handed the two their shoes and Minho sat on the little bench in front of the rink and quickly began to put them on. Jisung tried to follow along and successfully got the shoes on, but standing up would probably be a problem. Minho stood up with ease and started to head to the little opening to get into the rink.

“Wait, Minho! I can’t get up…” Jisung mumbled the last part, and Minho smiled and rolled his eyes.

“Alright, first you have to take the skate-guards off. You won’t get very far on the ice with those still on.” Minho kneeled down and took off the little plastic covers.

“Okay, now just hold on. We’re about to go on the ice.” Minho hoisted the younger up by his hands and slowly walked him over to the entrance. He stepped onto the ice and pulled Jisung with him as well, who instantly began panicking.

“Oh my God, Minho. I’m actually going to fall. How are you standing so still?” Jisung’s legs were wobbling and he was struggling to stay upright.

“Calm down, at least you’re not on the ground. I’m not letting go of you. Let’s just take baby steps. You don’t even have to pick up your feet, just stay balanced.” Minho continued to hold one of Jisung’s hands, but he placed the other hand on the small of his back for extra support.

Minho continued effortlessly gliding across the ice, and Jisung was becoming less afraid. He figured out what Minho was doing with his feet and tried it out, and it seemed to be working.

“Look at you, such a quick learner. Should I let go now?” Minho smirked and Jisung’s face dropped.

“Absolutely not. If you let go, I’m falling flat on my ass.” Jisung whispered so the kids wouldn’t hear. He hadn’t even noticed that Mr. Baek had let a few kids in the rink and a few of them had really gotten the hang of it.

“This is embarrassing. Why are these ten-year-olds already so much better than me?” Jisung laughed.

“Felix and I were like that too. I mean, it’s good to start at a young age. I still remember some of the things our dad told us when we were learning.” Minho fondly looked back on his memories of learning how to skate. He remembered how quickly Felix picked it up and how often they would go to the skating rink.

They continued to glide around for a while, and eventually, Minho let go of the younger’s waist, and only their fingers remained intertwined.

“You’re actually pretty good for a beginner. I thought you’d be much worse.” Minho teased. Jisung scoffed and gave him a little push. Apparently said push wasn’t little enough, (or Minho was messing with him on purpose,) because the older fell, still holding Jisung’s hand, sending them both toppling.

Minho was afraid that falling would make Jisung never want to skate again and ruin his perception of life as he knew it, but that wasn’t the case. Jisung lifted his head from Minho’s chest where he fell and smiled. The two made eye contact for about a second and burst out into uncontrollable laughter. Jisung’s hands were on Minho’s shoulders, and Minho looped his arms around the younger’s waist.

They just lay on the ice for a while, legs intertwined and letting out little giggles now and then. Minho’s eyes were closed from laughing, and when he opened them, he looked to his side to see Jisung staring at him, smiling. Minho couldn’t tell if he was hallucinating it or not, but he could’ve sworn that he saw Jisung look at his lips and look away. Maybe there was a chance that he felt the same.

🎄

“Felix, what the hell do I do?”

“What, about your little crush on Jisungie? You better figure it out soon, watching you pine is sickening.” Minho asked Felix if they could talk, so they sat on Minho and Jisung’s bed. Jisung and Chan were off doing something, so Minho took this as an opportunity to talk about his feelings. Another day had passed, and Minho was getting more and more antsy.

“I’m trying! I just want to be completely sure that he feels the same way before saying anything. It would be so awkward if he didn’t see me that way and we still had to share a room. Hell, he’d probably ask for a room switch and never talk to me again!” Minho groaned and laid back on the bed.

“Min, I’m like, one hundred and ten percent sure that he likes you too. And even if in some insane universe where I’m wrong, I’m sure that he’d still be your friend. We’re all adults here. Nobody is getting a room change.” Felix said assertively. Minho didn’t know how Felix was so sure, but he usually had a way of being right about those kinds of things.

“Ugh, you’re right. Maybe I’ll do it on the last day. That way, if it goes to shit, we’ll never have to see each other again. But if it goes well, we can exchange numbers!” Minho sat up, looking a lot less hopeless. Felix sighed and shook his head fondly.

“I like the positivity…I think. I’m pretty sure I overheard Mr. Baek talking to some of the campers about a goodbye party the day before the last day, which is…tomorrow. So, if you were to ask me, I’d say do it then. That way, you can have one more night here officially together. So if you want to do it, you better get your shit together.”

As the night passed, Minho did not in fact have his shit together. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but he could not fall asleep no matter how hard he tried. The younger man softly breathing next to him didn’t help at all and was only a reminder of what he was going to do later.

Minho couldn’t help but stare at the peaceful man in his arms. He wasn’t trying to be creepy, but he felt such an attraction that he just let it happen. Never in his life had Minho met someone who grew on him as quickly as Jisung. It had only been two months and he was ready to jump in front of a train if the younger asked him.

Being in love is embarrassing.

Minho just hoped that Felix could only tell because he knew him so well and that he wasn’t making a total fool out of himself in front of everyone, Jisung included. Minho’s thoughts were temporarily paused when Jisung’s eyes slowly fluttered open and looked right into Minho’s.

“Oh, you’re still awake? Why? You’re gonna be so tired tomorrow.” Jisung slurred, his voice muffled by Minho’s shirt. He had a habit of nuzzling his face into anywhere on the older, really, but most often either in his chest or his neck. Minho would miss having that warmth soon.

“I can’t fall asleep. I think I’m just sad that we’re almost done.” Minho said it like he meant the camp, but they both knew that their relationship was the real topic of discussion.

“Don’t say that, you’ll make me sad too. We still have a whole day left. Let’s make it count.” Jisung closed his eyes back and shuffled his body closer.

“Yeah, I guess. Good night, Jisungie.”

Minho took the lack of a reply as a sign that the other was too tired to respond, or already fell back asleep. Unluckily for Minho, he was still unable to fall asleep until around four in the morning.

When the familiar loudspeaker rang about three hours after Minho really fell asleep, he wanted the Grim Reaper just to take him on the spot. Oddly enough, Jisung was nowhere to be seen. Minho figured that he was probably busy doing something, so he went ahead and began getting ready.

A few minutes later, as Minho was washing his face with cold water to try to wake himself up, he heard the door creak open.

“Minho? Are you still in here?” As Jisung walked in, a faint scent of coffee wafted through the room, making Minho’s mouth water.

“Yeah, one second.” Minho used a spare towel to dry his face off and walked out of the little bathroom to see Jisung holding two cups of coffee.

“I got us some coffee. I knew that you’d probably be tired since you were up for so long. I didn’t know how much sugar you liked, so I only added a couple. I probably should’ve asked, but I didn’t want to wake you up.” Jisung handed Minho the cup, and the older took a sip and sighed. Truthfully, Minho would’ve added a little less sugar, but he was still grateful.

“Wow, thanks. What time did you get up? Did you have to go to the dining hall for these?” Minho asked. He felt bad, as the mornings were always very cold, and Jisung didn’t have Minho’s arm to hang onto for warmth. Obviously he could handle himself, he was a grown man after all, but Minho knew how he was prone to getting chilly.

“I got up around an hour ago. And yeah, I convinced Hyunjin to open the dining hall early today so I could make the coffee. He was already prepping for breakfast, so I don’t think it bothered him that much. Does it taste okay? If you don’t like it, I could always get you another one. Sorry that I didn’t ask before.” Jisung replied with a faint blush on his face and averting eye contact. Odd. Maybe the cold got to him.

“Jisung, you don’t need to apologize for getting me coffee. You didn’t even need to get me this one, but I really appreciate it. I felt like death when I woke up.” Minho said before taking another swig of the hot coffee.

“Yeah, totally! Should we go now?” Jisung grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Minho nodded and walked over to the door. Just as he twisted the handle, Felix was standing right in front of them with a big smile on his face. He was definitely up to something.

“Uh, hey? Did you need something?” Minho asked, a bit nervous.

“Yeah! So you see, forgetful old Chris lost his sweatshirt. And you know how cold it is, it’d be such a shame for him to not have one, right? And I would give him mine, but it’s too small. So, I was wondering if you could lend one of yours if you’d be so kind?”

Yeah, definitely some kind of trap.

“Well, we’re both wearing ours, and I doubt he’d be able to wear anything of Jisung’s. You could try to find a coat or something in my bag though,” Minho offered. Felix nodded and walked into the room to rifle through Minho’s bag.

“Thanks! You two can go, I won’t take long. I’m guessing that you were about to leave, and I don’t want you to wait because of me. I promise I won’t go snooping around where I’m not supposed to.” Felix winked at Jisung, who quickly flushed. What was that supposed to mean?

“Yeah, alright. We trust you. Bye, Felix.” Jisung smiled and rolled his eyes at Felix’s antics before walking out the door, Minho following quickly after. Minho still felt like Felix was up to something, but he didn’t want to say anything.

As the two walked to the dining hall, there was an unmistakable sadness in the air. Jisung was gripping Minho’s arm tighter than usual, and the silence between them wasn’t comfortable like usual.

“We’ll still talk when we go home, right?” Jisung said out of the blue. This question took Minho aback. Why wouldn’t they?

“Of course, Jisungie. I like you way too much to just leave you in the dust like that. We can call every day if that’s what you want.” Minho didn’t realize how couple-ish that sounded until he actually said it, but he meant every word.

“Really? I just don’t want you to forget about me since we’ll be so far from each other.” Jisung’s eyes were downcast and Minho’s heart hurt.

“I could never forget about you, trust me. I promise I’ll text you every day unless you suddenly decide that you hate me and want to block me. I’m not just saying that to make you feel better and not carry it out, either. I don’t want this to end either.” Minho really wanted to say us instead of this, but he didn’t want to be too forward. Not yet.

Jisung didn’t say anything, but the soft smile on his face said enough.

🎄

The rest of the day passed in a blur. It was just like any other day with an added twinge of somberness. When Mr. Baek announced that it was time for the Christmas party, Minho’s heart began racing. It was time.

As they walked to the lodge, where they would be having the party, Minho felt like a bag of sand. The man beside him was none the wiser, staring off and smiling at the kids’ shenanigans in front of them. Minho didn’t realize that he was staring until Jisung looked back at him and raised his eyebrow. Minho had to say something

“Uh, sorry, you just look really pretty today.”

Why would he say that?! That was not in the script. He wasn’t lying, but he sure as hell didn’t mean to tell him. Jisung’s eyes widened and Minho was afraid that he had messed up until the younger began to laugh and took Minho’s hand.

“You look great too, Min.” He said, intertwining their fingers. There was no way Minho was reading the room wrong. Before he could say anything in response, they opened the door to the lodge and the room that was formerly occupied with noisy chatter was completely silent and empty. They saw the kids walking in, but where did they go?

“Uh, Minho?”

“Hm?” Jisung was pointing to the ceiling, and surely enough, a little mistletoe was hanging above their heads.

“Ah, so that's what this is about. I guess we have no choice.” Minho couldn’t explain the wave of confidence that washed over him, but he leaned in and gave the younger a quick peck on the lips, about a second passed before Jisung leaned in as well and kissed him back, this one lasting longer.

“Um, I don’t know if you noticed this yet, but I like you Minho. Like, a lot. And I know it’s been only two weeks, but you mean so much to me. And it’s okay if you say no, but I wanted to ask if-” Jisung was cut off by Minho grabbing his face and giving him another kiss.

“Be my boyfriend, Jisung,” Minho said immediately as they pulled away, stunning the younger.

“Uh, yeah, that’s what I was gonna ask.” Jisung was stumbling over his words. Just as Jisung had agreed, the room erupted in cheers. Kids were popping out from behind the chairs, above the stairs, and any other possible hiding spots.

“What the f-“

“Holy sh-“

“Congratulations, guys! We didn’t think you’d ever actually confess!” Felix ran over from one of the corners to wrap them both in a group hug.

“‘We?’ How many people were in on this?” Jisung said as his face lit up from all the attention.

“Jisungie, everybody but you saw this coming. We're just glad that you finally got to it.” Chan came up to the three and patted Jisung on the head. Jisung stared at him with a dumbfounded look.

“Oh my God, that’s so embarrassing,” Jisung whispered, probably to himself.

“It’s okay, Jisungie. Minho was way worse off than you were. He wouldn’t stop talking about you.” Felix added, earning him a jab on the side from Minho. Suddenly, Mr. Baek came in and scanned the situation. It must’ve been a mix of Jisung and Minho still being tangled together, the redness of both of their faces, the kids, excitedly chattering, and the placement of the mistletoe that told him all that he needed to know.

“Ah, so I see the two of you finally made it official.” Minho and Jisung’s faces both dropped.

“You too?!”

The party was fun; they had finger food, karaoke, and paper snowflake making, and the energy was very high. Everybody was having a good time, talking with friends, and reminiscing about their camp stories. Jisung and Minho were dared to sing All I Want for Christmas is You, (thanks to Chan and Felix,) and Chan and Felix sang Baby It’s Cold Outside thanks to their own free will.

Minho was listening to their singing until Jisung tapped him on the shoulder.

“It might just be the romantic holiday air getting to me, but don’t you think those two are a little…You know…” Jisung didn’t say it outright, but Minho knew exactly what he meant. Even though he had been caught up in his own cliche rom-com story, that didn’t mean he didn’t notice Chan and Felix flirting.

“I’ve noticed it too. I was more focused on getting to know you more, though.” Minho pulled him in closer by the waist and Jisung rolled his eyes. Now that Minho was one hundred percent sure that Jisung was into him just as much as he was into Jisung, he wasn’t as afraid to tease him.

“Shut up. Now we have to give them the same treatment.” Jisung pretended like he didn’t enjoy Minho’s flirty banter, but he did.

After Chan and Felix finished their song, Minho pulled his stepbrother to the side.

“Hey, so you’re into Chan, right?” He figured that there was no reason to even bother with an opening and to just ask outright. He was feeling confident today.

“Well yeah, we started dating a few days ago, I would hope I was into him?” Felix said. Judging by the confusion on Minho’s face, he realized that he made a miscalculation.

“Oh my God. I forgot to tell you and Jisung. We didn’t want you two to focus on us instead of yourselves or not confess because we did it first, I don’t know, it made sense when Chris and I were talking about it. But yeah, you’re a little late to the party. Sorry.” Felix explained to Minho, who looked like he just watched the world explode before his eyes.

“What?! You should’ve told us anyway! It could’ve made us talk about it quicker because we were inspired by you two! I’m happy for you, though, you’ll have to tell me the full story later.” Minho said after collecting his thoughts. He understood why Felix didn’t say anything, but he was still a little sad that he probably wasn’t the first person that Felix told.

“Thanks! I’m happy for you guys too, Chris and I have been rooting for you for a lifetime. We were starting to wonder if it was ever gonna happen.” Felix shrugged.

“I was going to even if you didn’t put the mistletoe there. I’d been thinking about it all day. Every time I would look at him I would get nervous and forget wh-”

“Minho, I love you, but I don’t think I can listen to your pining stories without getting violently ill. I would love to hear them when you’re a little less…fluttery.” Felix cut him off. Minho understood completely. They’d known each other long enough not to get offended by little things like that and just accept it.

Jisung had also heard the news from Chan and was just as surprised as Minho was. He had a feeling, but he had no idea that they were official, but he was happy for them no matter what.

Soon enough, the party was over and everybody was told to go to sleep. They all had to be up early in the morning to make sure everything was packed and get on the bus. Minho and Jisung bid their goodbyes to the others and headed to their room, ready to spend the night in the cozy lodge for the last time.

As they walked in, a scent of wax flooded their noses, as well as…roses?

“What the hell?” Jisung whispered. They both stopped in their tracks and looked around the room. Rose petals were scattered around the bed, and candles were lit on the nightstand. There was also a mistletoe hung from the fan above the bed.

“Uh, did the romance fairy visit our room? What’s going on?” Jisung nervously laughed, his face a pretty shade of red.

“Yeah, if the romance fairy’s name is Lee Felix. I bet that’s why he was here earlier. Chan didn’t need a jacket.” Minho sighed and rolled his eyes, taking his shoes off.

“Was he trying to get us to…” Jisung trailed off, but Minho knew exactly what he was thinking.

“Jisung, as much as I’d like to take you right this second, we just started dating two hours ago. I also think doing that kind of thing at a children’s winter camp is a little…dirty. It wouldn’t sit right with me.” Jisung let out a sigh of relief at Minho’s words.

“Oh, thank God. I was worried for a second. I don’t want to move too fast, you know? But the setup is thoughtful…I think?” Jisung said, taking his shoes off as well and going over to his suitcase to change.

They both changed and brushed their teeth before going back over to the petal-covered bed.

“So, the mistletoe…” Jisung started before trailing off again, looking at the aforementioned plant hanging above them.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to. Nobody will know.” Minho said, making Jisung whip his head around.

“What? Of course, I want to, don’t be silly. You’re my boyfriend now, and boyfriends are supposed to kiss. Come on.” Jisung sat down on the bed and patted it, motioning for Minho to sit with him.

“Yeah, totally.” Minho tried to act cool but was most likely failing miserably. The warmth in his ears told him all that he had to know. The two looked at each other for a second before slowly inching closer. Eventually, their lips finally touched and they closed their eyes. It was another short kiss at first, but right after they deepened it. Now with nobody else around, they didn’t have to hold back.

Minho relished the way that Jisung gasped when he slipped his tongue in between his lips, and the other soft sounds he made when Minho would move his hands. At first, Jisung was sitting in front of Minho with his arms around his neck, but the younger one soon pushed him on his back and pinned him down. Minho gripped his waist with one hand and his neck w and pulled him down with him, continuing their kiss.

After a little bit of back and forth and a few breaks to breathe, they decided that they should call it a night. It was beginning to get a little too heated for their second time kissing. They blew the candles out and gave each other one last kiss before falling asleep, their limbs tangled together and faces inches apart.

🎄

The bus ride back was just like the ride there. Jisung was sleeping on Minho’s shoulder, and Minho was looking out the window. Before leaving, Minho had a stern talk with Felix, who didn’t seem to regret what he did one bit. Minho and Jisung had to clean up the petals and candles at the ass-crack of dawn, which was the only thing Felix seemed a little guilty about.

Chan and Felix were sitting behind Minho and Jisung, talking up a storm and reminiscing about their time together at the camp. Minho heard a couple of things, some funny, and some that he’d rather throw in the back of his mind and never think about again.

Mr. Baek had agreed to keep Ginger as the camp cat and take care of her himself when there wasn’t a camp happening. He told the counselors that he would keep them updated on the Winter Falls Park social media account and post a lot of pictures.

When they finally arrived at the community center where their cars were, a sense of sadness washed over everyone. The fact that their time was over was starting to hit them. They all filed out of the bus and retrieved their bags. There were a few kids tearing up, and many of them looked upset.

“Mr. Han, Mr. Lee, I’m gonna miss you so much! Please come back in the summer!” Seohyun ran up to the two and tightly hugged them. Jisung noticed that she seemed to come out of her shell during their time at the camp and made a lot of new friends, and he was proud of her for it. She reminded him of himself when he was her age, afraid of what others may think and wanting to fit in.

“We’ll miss you too. I’m glad you had fun! And we’ll be back, don’t worry.” Jisung said, holding one of her hands. That morning, Minho and Jisung had agreed that they would try to do the summer camp they were offering for the next year as well as the winter camp again. Seohyun’s face lit up in a smile and she gave them one more hug before running off to find her parents.

After several more goodbyes from kids and conversations with parents, it was just the counselors and Mr. Baek left. The old man gathered them all together for a few words.

“I’d like to thank you boys so much for coming. You were all so great with the kids, and you all had a fantastic attitude this whole time. I really hope you consider coming again soon, we need more people like you to be role models for the kids.” He said.

“We’ll definitely be back sir. It was our pleasure.” Minho said, surprising Felix and Chan.

“Really? You want to come back too? We should all do it together again!” Felix beamed and Mr. Baek laughed.

“That’s fantastic to hear! I’m glad you enjoyed your time with us. More people do the summer camp than the winter and it’s at a different campsite, so the slots fill up fast. Be sure to stay on top of it. I hope to see you all then! Goodbye!” Mr. Baek waved and walked into the building. It was now silent. Chan was the first to break the silence.

“So, I guess this is it? We’re all gonna meet up again, right? We could go on double dates, or just hang out.” He smiled.

“Yeah! And we’ll call all the time. I’m so excited about the next camp, you have no idea. It was really nice to meet you Jisungie. And especially nice seeing you again, Chris.” Felix gave Chan a peck on the cheek, making Minho fake gag.

“It was nice meeting you too, Felix. Minho, we have to talk every day. Don’t be surprised if I call you while you’re driving home today. I’m gonna miss seeing you all day every day. And we only live about thirty minutes away, so we can totally still get together. If you want to.” Jisung said.

“I always want to hang out with you, Jisung. We can go anywhere you want. And I’ll probably miss you more than you’ll miss me. You have no idea.” Minho wrapped him in a tight hug that the younger all but melted into.

“I guess we should go now. We are kind of in the middle of nowhere, so it’ll take a while to get home. This isn’t the end, though. Not even close.” Jisung gave Minho one last kiss on the lips before pulling away.

“Definitely not. See you soon, Jisungie.” Minho didn’t want to say goodbye, but he knew that he would have to eventually. Thankfully they didn’t have to be long distance, but thirty minutes was still thirty minutes too far.

Jisung and Chan packed their things into their van, and Felix and Minho did the same. Minho started the car, buckled up, and turned his heated seat on.

“So, I take it you ended up liking the camp a lot more than you thought you would?” Felix asked, still smiling. Minho knew that he was also probably sad about Chan, but he was hiding it well.

“Yeah, I think I did.”