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The flames and embers look so pretty as they lick around the edges of the firewood, the tips of the bonfire reaching up to the sky. Jaebum has lived in a city all his life so he’s still trying to get used to how the sky out here is a midnight blue blanket of glittering white stars.
They’ve just been sitting around the fire toasting marshmallows and talking crap. Not exactly riveting but it’s not been all bad either. At any rate, the stars are pretty enough to distract him, and his best friend Jinyoung’s shoulder is pressing against his in that comforting way it always does.
He'd protested noisily when Jinyoung had convinced him to go on Konkuk University Photography Club's camping trip meant for students who would be staying on campus for spring break. It’ll be fun, hyung! Just chilling and taking photos of nature and wildlife. It'll be awesome! But camping. In the mountains, for fuck’s sake—of all the things Jaebum had no desire to do, camping ranked pretty damn high on the list.
"It's gonna be cold. And miserable. And there won't be any wifi and did I mention cold and miserable?"
Jinyoung had made appropriate sounds of agreement, but in the end Jaebum had still ended up scrawling his signature over the dotted line of the registration form. Jinyoung has always had this uncanny ability to talk him into all kinds of things Jaebum would never have agreed to on his own.
It isn't because Jaebum is a pushover, because he's not. It's just that Park Jinyoung has this way of making unappealing things sound appealing. It frustrates him no end that he has no problem saying no to the whole fucking world but he can't say no to his best friend—not even after more than fifteen years of effort.
The group eventually runs out of marshmallows and conversation, but it's not like Jaebum's been contributing much to it, anyway. The silence doesn't bother him though, it never has. He just leans his head back against Jinyoung's shoulder and stares up at the starry night sky.
"You're staring so hard at the stars, hyung. They must be talking to you," Jinyoung says softly so only he can hear. And there’s a distinct hint of amusement in his voice as he asks, “What’re they saying?”
"They're saying you're a smartass."
"I was hoping for something a little more inspiring like they were giving you the answers to life's questions," Jinyoung chuckles.
“I'm not exactly an ask-questions-about-life kinda guy,” Jaebum grumps.
“Maybe they're telling you what questions are going to come out in the Fluid Mechanics final exam?” Jaebum can't see Jinyoung's face but he can hear the grin in his voice. Jaebum hates to admit it but Jinyoung has the best grins—the kind that always make shitty days seem just a little less shitty.
It's been five minutes since the group conversation petered out and no one is surprised when Jackson (the charismatic and somewhat hyperactive club President) decides that the silence has gone on long enough. He clears his throat to get everyone's attention.
“It’s not even midnight right now so no one is allowed to sleep yet, okay? Thing is, what do we do next?” Jackson says loudly. “We're not going to sit around singing campfire songs because we are not ten but. . .something! Let's do something fun. Ideas?”
“We could drink more beer,” Youngjae suggests helpfully and there's a loud snort of laughter from the other side of the bonfire.
“We've been doing that all night, Einstein,” Yugyeom points out.
“You can never have too much beer!”
“Can we do something IN ADDITION to drinking more beer,” Jackson says with a long suffering sigh.
“Charades!” Someone (probably Bambam) yells.
“Too much work," Jinyoung complains. "My brain is too beerlogged."
Jaebum closes his eyes at having to play Charades. Sure, he's had enough beer to get a slight buzz but more than anything, he's just too fucking lazy to figure shit out.
"I vote for Bend a Friend," Bambam suggests next, voice brimming over with all the energy and amusement one would expect from someone with superior balance and flexibility. In other words, someone who would totally slay at Bend A Friend, someone who would totally laugh their ass off watching their slightly intoxicated friends fall over as they try to pick things off the ground with their mouths.
"That would be great. . .except for the part where we end up eating grass or soil if we fall over. Just NO THANK YOU." This time it's Jaebum who protests.
"But it would be so much fun?" Bambam is giving his most persuasive smile but everyone shoots down the idea.
“I don't plan on face planting tonight,” Jackson gives the final veto.
“Y'all are no fun,” Bambam pouts.
Mark ignores the complaint and asks, “Next idea?”
For the next ten seconds, there's nothing but the sound of the fire crackling and the distant hooting of owls. So almost everyone flinches in shock when Bambam jumps into standing position—his features lighting up with excitement. "Okay but this is the best idea so far! Seven Fucking Minutes in Heaven!"
“Jesus. I haven't played that since I was in high school—” Jinyoung says doubtfully.
“Seven Minutes is just a lame high school game,” Yugyeom groans and shows the biggest WTF face ever.
“What's wrong with Seven Minutes?!”
"Actually. . .Seven Minutes sounds kinda fun,” Mark argues. “I mean our two-men tents are perfect. Dark. Zipped up. Two-men tents. Like there are so many possibilities, man.” Now Mark is waggling his eyebrows and Jaebum thinks he looks ridiculous.
“Also, I have a whole bag of jellybeans,” Bambam announces, for reasons no one can fathom.
“Dude, I'm sure you have a logical reason for bringing up your goddamn jellybeans?” Jackson looks completely perplexed.
“Sorting purposes. Whoever picks jellybeans of the same flavor and color will have to share a tent for seven minutes. We just have to pick out three pairs of jellybeans and—”
“But there's only seven of us,” Mark says contemplatively.
“I was going to volunteer to sit out the first round,” Bambam explains with a grin.
“Oh no, you won't. I’ll skip this round,” Jaebum hastily interrupts because there's nothing he hates more than playing dumb party games. Especially when said party games are being played in the middle of fucking nowhere, and they’re not even being played at a party. Like what the actual hell?
“But—”
And that's when Jackson decides to abuse his presidential privilege, “No need to resort to fist fights, boys, because I am the one who's going to sit out this round.”
“But—”
“No buts. I can't believe we're about to use jellybeans to sort out who gets who but okay, let's just do this.”
Seven Minutes In Heaven, for fuck’s sake. Jaebum has never even played the game and he already knows it’s gonna be dumb.
///
“I just want it put on record that I'm agreeing to this under duress,” Jaebum grumbles. His words sound like they’re sprinkled with large doses of salt, but he reckons he deserves to be disgruntled since he hates the whole idea of being locked up with someone—even if said person has been his best friend since they were both in diapers.
“We just have to stay in that tent for seven minutes. It's not a big deal, hyung. It's not like we haven't spent time alone in a darkened room? We had hundreds of sleepovers growing up and we’re roommates for fuck’s sake. What is so bad about spending seven minutes alone with me?”
For some reason, Jinyoung sounds impatient and that's odd because he's usually the even tempered one in their unit. They're both on the quiet side but Jaebum is definitely the one most likely to lose his patience in any given situation.
“It's just the principle of the thing! I just don't like being forced to do things. You know this about me.”
“I know, but this is something everyone has to do tonight, sooner or later. So let's just get this over and done with. It's just me, hyung.” Jinyoung is probably trying to sound nonchalant but there's a slight tightness to his words, and a funny kind of tension seems to have settled into his shoulders.
“Okay. Seven minutes. We can do this,” Jaebum’s sigh is long and deep as they climb into the tent, one after another.
As Jinyoung is zipping up the flap, Jackson starts shouting “encouragement” at them, “Remember you can do anything, guys! Play twenty questions with each other! Make out! Play twister! Make out! Play musical chairs! Make out! Grope each—”
“SHUT UP, JACKSON WANG!” Jaebum shouts back in annoyance. There's laughter outside the tent and it's definitely coming from more than one person. Assholes, Jaebum thinks bitterly as he lies down beside Jinyoung. It's cramped and dark inside the tent so lying beside each other seems like the most practical thing to do.
It's Day 1 of their three-day camp so this is the first time Jaebum and Jinyoung have actually been inside the tent at the same time. Their shoulders are touching and so are their hips and suddenly the tent feels too small.
Jinyoung's whispering very, very softly and his breath rolls over the shell of Jaebum’s right ear—forming hot clouds of air that are very distracting. Maybe it's all the beer he's been drinking all night but Jinyoung's proximity is making Jaebum super aware of him—his skin buzzing and tingling in the most unexpected way.
“We need to say or do something, hyung. I’ll bet you those asshats have their ears up against the tent walls. If they don't hear anything they're gonna think we’re making out and we won't hear the end of it for the next six months. If we're lucky. Think of something, hyung. Quick!”
“I can't. My brain is not fully functional right now. Beer-itis,” Jaebum explains, keeping his voice low enough so their nosy friends can't make out what he's saying. But things are even worse than he's letting on. Jaebum's brain isn't just “not fully functioning”, it seems to be malfunctioning completely as it keeps projecting images of Jinyoung's face really close to his, and images of Jinyoung's arms draped around him.
He curses Jinyoung for putting the ideas in his head in the first place with his careless words about the two of them making out. Jackson giving them shit about kissing was one thing and it really hadn't done much than annoy him. But everything is different when it's Jinyoung talking about them making out. Everything is different when Jinyoung's body is right next to his. Everything is different when it's Jinyoung’s breath teasing his skin and Jinyoung's mouth so close to his cheek.
“SIX MINUTES!” Someone yells.
“MAKE IT COUNT!”
“We could play Charades,” Jinyoung says just before he dissolves into laughter because he'd been the one to reject the idea of Charades earlier on.
“This is your fault, man. If you hadn't rejected charades in the first place, we'd be outside playing Charades instead of stuck in here with five ears glued to the walls of the tent.”
“Is it so bad, hyung? Being stuck in here with me?” Jinyoung asks quietly, his voice barely even a whisper.
“I never said that,” Jaebum protests and something in his chest cracks a little at how quiet Jinyoung has gone. He can't see his face with how crazy dark it is inside the tent but he doesn't even need to. He's known Jinyoung all his life and he can tell when Jinyoung isn't okay.
“Well, that's the impression I'm getting.”
“Jinyoung, it's not! I'm not—”
“FIVE MINUTES!”
“IS JAEBUM HYUNG A GOOD KISSER?” It’s Yugyeom. That's definitely Yugyeom and Jaebum swears he's going to kill him just as soon as he gets out of this tent—if he ever gets out of this fucking tent.
“WE’RE NOT KISSING, YOU DICK!” Jaebum yells back, his voice dripping with disapproval.
“But we could be.”
Jinyoung's words are so soft Jaebum almost misses them. But he doesn't. He doesn't miss them at all.
“What did you say, Jinyoung?” Jaebum asks and he turns his body to face Jinyoung so it's easier to talk without the guys overhearing.
“We could be kissing,” Jinyoung whispers and there are traces of regret and maybe even dread in his voice. Like he should just have kept his mouth shut. Like he should never have confessed.
“Do you. . ." Jaebum's never felt anxious about saying anything to Jinyoung but he's suddenly struggling to find the words. Finally, he swallows his nervousness and asks, "Jinyoung, do you want to kiss me?”
“Maybe?”
“Do you mean that?” Jaebum's heartbeat is suddenly so loud in his ears and he doesn't even get why it's doing that because this is Jinyoung and they've known each other all their lives.
“What if I told you that I've been wanting to kiss you for the past two years?”
“FOUR MINUTES Y’ALL!”
“IS JINYOUNG HYUNG A GOOD KISSER?”
Jaebum doesn't even have the energy to get upset at Yugyeom because all he can think of right now is how he collects mental snapshots of Jinyoung's grins, and how leaning his head on Jinyoung's shoulder is one of his favorite things, and how he can never ever say no to Jinyoung no matter how ridiculous or unappealing the request. All he can think of is how he looks forward to seeing Jinyoung at the end of the day or any time of the day, and how they always lie in their own beds and talk about things after they've turned the lights off. And last but not least, all Jaebum can think of is how much he wants to know what Jinyoung's kisses taste like.
“Two years?” How had he not known?
“Yeahhh.”
“Were you ever going to tell me?!” Jaebum’s hand finds Jinyoung’s in the darkness, and holds on.
“I dunno. Maybe? Maybe not? I know you don't like me back. It's cool,” Jinyoung’s words tumble out in a nervous rush.
“I didn't say I don't like you back, Jinyoung! I like you. I've always liked you. I just haven't thought about liking you that way because. . .well, I just haven't. You've never given me any sign that you might like me as anything more than the cranky dude you grew up with.”
“Well you sure are cranky as fuck,” Jinyoung gives a self-conscious laugh. “I'm sorry I weirded you out, hyung. It's just. . .I’ve had a little too much beer and my brain is beerlogged and you're everywhere and you're too close and I just can't think.”
“Don't think," Jaebum says. "Just kiss me,”
“Are you serious?!” Jinyoung sounds incredulous.
Jaebum doesn't want to waste any more time overthinking things so he just pulls Jinyoung closer. “Just kiss me, Park Jinyoung.”
It's really dark and cramped inside the tent but somehow their mouths find each other and Jinyoung's lips are so much softer than they look. Slowly, shyly, Jinyoung's tongue slips into his mouth and their tongues tangle--sweetly, tenderly and just a little seductively.
When did he learn to kiss so well? Who had taught him to kiss so well? Damnit. Jaebum’s pulse is racing as Jinyoung's palms cups his cheek and he presses closer. He doesn't care if everyone is listening in, all he knows is that he doesn't want to stop kissing Jinyoung.
“TWO MINUTES!”
How did two minutes go by so fast, what the fuck?
Jinyoung's straight black hair is soft between Jaebum’s fingers. Then he's cupping the nape of Jinyoung's neck and drawing him in so their lips are on the brink of touching. Jaebum inhales shakily and their breaths mingle for just a moment before their mouths meet in a kiss that melts Jaebum's insides.
“ARE YOU BOTH GOOD KISSERS?”
Oh for fuck’s sake, it's Yugyeom again.
Jaebum doesn't want to stop kissing Jinyoung. He really really doesn't want to stop kissing Jinyoung, but he also really really wants to teach Kim Yugyeom a lesson. So he drags his mouth away from Jinyoung’s long enough to shout, “YES WE ARE! WE ARE BOTH GOOD KISSERS, KIM YUGYEOM! NOW FUCK OFF!”
“OH MY FUCKING GOD! THEY’RE TOTALLY MAKING OUT! YOU GUYS OWE ME TEN BUCKS A PIECE!” This time it's Choi Youngjae who's killing the mood but Jaebum doesn't even care.
“Just kiss me, Jinyoung,” Jaebum says against the skin of Jinyoung's neck and he smiles when his best friend chuckles.
“Just try and stop me.”