Round 16: just the moon, the stars and you
Title: just the moon, the stars and you
Team: Canon/AR
Rating: G
Fandom: VIXX
Pairing: Gen, Team-fic
Summary: VIXX go on a camping trip. It wouldn't be so much of a problem if they'd actually done this before.
Author's Note: So many thanks to my bestest and most awesomest fellow spies Danger Eagle 6, Biscuit 007 and Agent A, who defied time zones and irregular sleeping hours to beta this fic, hold my hand and cheer me on. You have made my writing so many times better and I treasure you all very, very much. Also for E, who declared the fic suitable to be eaten by "every man and woman, and child and chicken."
Prompt Used: SPICA's Tonight (lyrics; the chorus and the setting of the MV in particular), and the first supplementary prompt
Surprisingly enough, it's Jaehwan who suggests it.
They're sprawled out on the floor of their old dusty training room, sweat pouring down the sides of their cheeks. Hongbin is prodding at Sanghyuk's side with his foot, but Sanghyuk is too tired to make a fuss about it. Hakyeon for once is silent, not the too-tightly coiled spring he is in front of the public, but neither is he the loose-limbed, overly affectionate leader he sometimes becomes when he's excited.
It's taken a toll on them, of course-three years of running, training, and promoting, promoting, always promoting. They have grown, too: older, more hopeful, more discouraged. And tired; always tired.
Taekwoon lets Wonshik loll against him until the heat gets too much, and then he pushes him off so that he topples in a graceless tumble onto the floor. Even then, Wonshik lies there with little resistance, a puddle of perspiration beginning to grow around his head. In the background, Taekwoon imagines he can hear the cicadas chirping.
They're exhausted, the weather is muggy and it feels like they're slowly turning into braised ducks in their stuffy training studio. It doesn't help that the air-conditioning unit sputtered to a forlorn stop some time early that week, and their manager still hasn't managed to get it fixed yet. (Taekwoon suspects Sanghyuk had a hand in its early demise, but their maknae refuses to admit anything.)
It's the third time they have to stop for a break (because even Hongbin is panting from the exertion, thanks to the ridiculously high temperature of the room they're practicing in) that Jaehwan speaks up.
"Let's go camping."
Sanghyuk cracks an eyelid open. Hongbin wiggles around, wanting to watch Jaehwan's face when he delivers the punchline. It does not come.
Hakyeon ventures, "Is this the kind of thing you say just to get it off your chest or are you honestly contemplating a camping trip, right now, in the middle of June?"
"And in the middle of dance practice," Wonshik adds loyally.
There is silence. The non-existent cicadas chirp all the more noisily. Taekwoon thinks about rolling hills, the great outdoors, a cool breeze, and a canopy of stars. Faintly, too, his ears remember the sound of laughter and shouting and a soccer ball being dribbled between seven of them. His legs itch to do something other than dance endlessly in a small practice room. He lifts a hand and wipes the gathering sweat off his forehead.
From the looks on the others' faces, they're imagining it too.
The electric fan they dragged in that morning whirls on, oblivious to the suspended anticipation in the air. For the next few hours it will continue to blow to an empty room, until manager-hyung comes in later that evening and irritatedly switches it off.
~*~
It doesn't take that much effort to convince Hakyeon, despite the initial worried frown in the middle of his forehead. They make short work of it; Hakyeon is weak to aegyo, and the maknaes wield it well.
"We can't practice in this room anymore, hyung," Sanghyuk argues. "We'll die of heat exhaustion, and then how will we perform?"
Jaehwan adds, "We have no schedules until Monday. If we go in now, we can just beat the weekend rush. We could treat it as a short getaway."
"Biseulsan is less than three hours' drive away," Hongbin says, and throws in their trump card. "And wouldn't it be a good team-bonding experience?"
Hakyeon almost visibly melts at the advertisement, eyes glazing over in pleasant fantasies of roughing it out together and surviving as one VIXX, only stronger for the tough times they will go through on the journey.
They exchange victorious high fives when he turns away.
One persuasive call to their manager later, a mad rush back to their dorms to shower and pack ("Has anyone seen the sleeping bags?" "Check Taekwoon-hyung's room, I think he's been cuddling them to sleep again.") and they're bundled into the car, Jaehwan at the wheel and Hakyeon bullied out of the shotgun seat by Wonshik ("I can drive too, hyung. You have eye bags so big you'll scare the coordi noonas when you go in on Monday.")
They only realise that no one has done this in a long time when, all buckled up in their seats with the navigation set for Daegu, Sanghyuk points out that they'll need food.
"Of course," Hakyeon agrees blankly, and everyone can almost see the wheels turning in his head, blaming himself for not thinking of it earlier.
"Look, it's a puppy!" Sanghyuk shouts, diverting Hakyeon's attention before he gets maudlin. Wonshik sends up a prayer of thanksgiving.
They pick up fresh potatoes, carrots and onions from the supermarket. The ahjumma that runs the barbeque restaurant insists on giving them extra meat when she hears they're going camping. "And here are some side dishes for you growing boys," she exclaims, pressing the cloth bag of neatly packed containers into Taekwoon's hands. Taekwoon blushes.
Sanghyuk stuffs the loot into their ice box. He sets it protectively in front of the air-conditioner vent in the car and complains when Hongbin almost knocks it over with his long legs.
Three hours later, they're winding up the hills and pulling in to the small campsite. It's still early; there's no one there yet. If they're lucky, there will only be one or two more families who have decided to come camping on a Friday night. If they're very lucky, there will be older families without any crying children to contend with.
They tumble out of the car, limbs sore and muscles aching from the long ride. Wonshik and Hongbin pull out the tents and Sanghyuk checks on his precious ice box.
The mountains are cool. The air is fresh and soon even Hakyeon begins to smile.
~*~
The tent insists on toppling over whenever Hongbin tests it tentatively, but forty minutes later, they've employed twice the amount of pegs than is probably necessary and seem to have finally bullied their night's accommodation into submission. It doesn't look anything like the tents Wonshik saw his father putting up when he was small-it's sort of slumping dejectedly to the side-but it's mostly upright and will have to do.
Sanghyuk is starting to show signs of getting antsy, which never ends well. They have long since lost Jaehwan, who alternates between warbling at the top of his lungs to the hills and listening expectantly as though he expects to hear an echo. Taekwoon watches him in fascination, as though examining a particularly interesting species of butterfly.
"All right!" Hakyeon dusts his hands off on his jeans and looks around. "Who's up for a quick dip?"
"Last one to the stream has to cook dinner!" Hongbin yells, and disappears with a whoop.
Distracted by a pretty yellow bird landing on a nearby log, Taekwoon reacts a moment too late. Hakyeon waits for him anyway.
~*~
Jaehwan's sneakers get soaked in the stream. Hakyeon wishes he'd brought his sunglasses. Wonshik realises he forgot to pack an extra set of underwear. Unfazed, he sits dripping in the sun until he's dry underneath and on top.
Freshly changed, Sanghyuk comes over to the bank to point and laugh at Wonshik. Taekwoon, trying to nap, extends a foot in annoyance and firmly nudges Sanghyuk into the stream. He lands with a satisfying splash.
Which is how Sanghyuk ends up sitting self-consciously on the rock next to Wonshik, waiting to dry. Hakyeon takes the rare opportunity to laugh at him instead.
Hongbin dangles his legs into the water and wishes he packed his guitar. The problem with coming out on an unscripted camping trip is that there is no production crew to settle the logistics and ensure they have everything they need.
"We should have brought manager-hyung with us." Sanghyuk's voice floats down forlornly from the rock.
"Are you going to bring manager-hyung with you on your dates too, Hyukkie?"
Hongbin narrowly misses the slipper that's flung at his head and runs away laughing.
It feels so normal. Like he's back in high school or something, cutting class to hang out with his friends at the river. It's the first time they've gone on a holiday together without the tension of a camera crew filming frantically around them. The first time it isn't work disguised as a vacation.
The air is fresh. There are birds chirping. There is the sound of running water. Hakyeon yells something at Hyuk, and Wonshik bursts out laughing. Jaehwan has taken to singing again. Taekwoon is slowly but surely beginning to snore.
Hongbin fetches his camera, slings it around his neck, and snaps memories.
~*~
There is a small set-back.
("Did anyone see the portable gas stove? I can't find it."
"I think we may have forgotten to pack it in."
An awkward pause. "Does anyone know how to start a fire?")
A kind family lends them their extra gas stove just as Jaehwan is about to throw himself into the forest to scavenge for firewood. Thankfully, Wonshik had the presence of mind to bring a cooking pot. They eat ramyeon without any eggs and boil the carrots, onions and potatoes into soup because someone forgot to buy the curry powder.
Wonshik's underwear is still a bit damp. Jaehwan has taken to wandering around barefoot since he forgot to bring a change of slippers. Sanghyuk has the beginnings of a sunburn starting on his nose.
It should be, by any standards, considered a terrible trip. But it is not.
As their chopsticks and spoons begin to clink the bottom of the pot, Hakyeon leans back on his arms, surveys the sky and takes in a deep, satisfied breath. He opens his mouth, and everyone waits in expectation for the esteemed words that will fall from their leader's lips. Hakyeon clears his throat and says, "This is nice."
They wait for more. There is none forthcoming. Sanghyuk and Hongbin exchange a look of disbelief. "That's it? Aren't you going to give some sort of speech?"
"What, can't I have a holiday?" Hakyeon narrows his eyes. "Or are you trying to say I talk a lot normally?"
Jaehwan steps in hurriedly. "How long has it been, since you all went camping?"
Wonshik seizes the change in subject. "Years, I think. The last time I went was with my family." He looks thoughtful. "I don't remember much, though. I spent most of the time trying to defend my sister from the bugs."
"I last went with my soccer buddies." The voice ascends from the grass. Taekwoon is becoming one with the ground again. "We played soccer," the voice adds redundantly.
"I was in middle school."
"I was about to graduate."
"I cut class with my friends to go fishing in the mountains."
Sanghyuk twists around so that he can tease Hongbin for his poor schooling habits, but Hongbin is staring dumbfounded at Hakyeon. "You cut class?" Hongbin exclaims. "Weren't you model student or something?"
"I did place first in school once," Hakyeon sniffs.
"How come you never do such fun stuff with us?" Sanghyuk wants to know.
Hakyeon thwaps him on his head. "We have responsibilities, Hyuk! How can we go off cavorting to the hills anytime we want?"
"We just did that, apparently."
"With permission."
"It really is nice, though," Jaehwan persists. "I feel like I'm in school again."
"What was school? I missed half of it most of the time." Hongbin holds up his hands in self-defense. "I was training."
"You missed some of that too," Wonshik sniggers. "What did you attend?"
"I was stressed!" Hongbin grabs Hakyeon, almost knocking the empty pot of ramyeon over. "Ask him!"
"Release me," Hakyeon commands.
"Hyuk missed the most, though," Taekwoon says softly. "He missed most of high school as well." Sanghyuk had debuted at seventeen.
Sanghyuk protests, "I still went back for most of my lessons, though, in between our schedules."
"Going for lessons doesn't count," Hongbin says dismissively.
"The fun part is after school," Hakyeon agrees. "Hanging out with friends, going on adventures, painting the town red." His eyes go distant and soft.
"I thought I'd never get to do it again," Jaehwan confesses. "I'm glad you decided to come with me." He checks himself, revises his statement. "I'm glad we came together."
Overcome by the moment, Hakyeon hauls them all into a group hug. Sanghyuk yells and protests and Taekwoon squirms in discomfort but they don't break out of the embrace. (They never speak of it again.)
They debate starting a campfire, then figure they wouldn't be able to get away with it. Instead, Hakyeon and Taekwoon drag out the sleeping bags and line them up so they can sit together on them like a mat. They bully Taekwoon and Jaehwan into singing a capella for them, and Hakyeon joins in. They are warm and drowsy by the time the stars come out.
The stars are bright and sparkling. They keep a running tally of who’s able to spot the most number of shooting stars. They watch them long after their eyelids grow heavy.
~*~
Their tent falls in on them as they're sleeping.
Hakyeon groans and kicks Wonshik and Hongbin outside to fix it. Ten minutes later, they conclude that the best solution is to drag everyone out to sleep au naturel under the stars.
"Au naturel means naked," Sanghyuk points out, never missing the chance to poke at Wonshik's gross misappropriations of language.
Hakyeon ignores him and snuggles up to Jaehwan to sleep. Taekwoon looks like he was magically teleported from the inside of the tent to the outside, and is out cold in his sleeping bag as though the interruption never occurred. Wonshik flops down with a grunt and soon they're all still.
~*~
It rains.
(Okay, it doesn't. But it would have been epic if it did.)
"Stop mumbling to yourself and go to sleep, Hyuk."
~*~
When the morning comes, Hakyeon is the first to stir. It's still dark, but he's used to waking up at the oddest of hours anyway.
The numbers on his watch indicate that there's some time before the sun begins to rise. He glances at the sleeping pile of his members, packs some bananas and bread into a bag, then rouses Sanghyuk to begin the morning ritual of waking the members up.
They grumble at first but once they're starting the trek out to the sunrise point, the crisp air and the exercise is invigorating enough to lift the most tired of spirits. They aren't the only ones making their way there-at least two other families are making the trip out too. They travel in companionable silence, nothing but the crunch of dew-crusted grass underfoot and each other's light breathing as the background score to the journey.
When they finally gather at the edge of the look-out point, the sky is beginning to pink in anticipation of the main event. It's cheesy, and there are no cameras to play this up for, but as the sky lightens, Hakyeon slips his arms automatically through Jaehwan's and Wonshik's. A chain reaction starts as Jaehwan grabs Taekwoon and Wonshik passes the pulse down to Hongbin and Sanghyuk.
As a result, when the red sun pushes past the horizon, they're standing in some sort of wall, pressed into one another, warm despite the unexpected chill of the morning.
They send up wishes on the sunrise.
Hakyeon prays for good health.
Jaehwan wishes for happiness.
Wonshik hopes their dreams will come true.
Taekwoon (though he'll never admit it in front of anyone) gives thanks for the team he has debuted with.
Hongbin asks for strength to conquer their mountains together.
Sanghyuk hopes they'll be able to do this for years to come.
They watch the neat, glowing circle of the sun ascend like a promise. And so, into the sunrise, further than they can see, they continue to run.
Poll
Team: Canon/AR
Rating: G
Fandom: VIXX
Pairing: Gen, Team-fic
Summary: VIXX go on a camping trip. It wouldn't be so much of a problem if they'd actually done this before.
Author's Note: So many thanks to my bestest and most awesomest fellow spies Danger Eagle 6, Biscuit 007 and Agent A, who defied time zones and irregular sleeping hours to beta this fic, hold my hand and cheer me on. You have made my writing so many times better and I treasure you all very, very much. Also for E, who declared the fic suitable to be eaten by "every man and woman, and child and chicken."
Prompt Used: SPICA's Tonight (lyrics; the chorus and the setting of the MV in particular), and the first supplementary prompt
Surprisingly enough, it's Jaehwan who suggests it.
They're sprawled out on the floor of their old dusty training room, sweat pouring down the sides of their cheeks. Hongbin is prodding at Sanghyuk's side with his foot, but Sanghyuk is too tired to make a fuss about it. Hakyeon for once is silent, not the too-tightly coiled spring he is in front of the public, but neither is he the loose-limbed, overly affectionate leader he sometimes becomes when he's excited.
It's taken a toll on them, of course-three years of running, training, and promoting, promoting, always promoting. They have grown, too: older, more hopeful, more discouraged. And tired; always tired.
Taekwoon lets Wonshik loll against him until the heat gets too much, and then he pushes him off so that he topples in a graceless tumble onto the floor. Even then, Wonshik lies there with little resistance, a puddle of perspiration beginning to grow around his head. In the background, Taekwoon imagines he can hear the cicadas chirping.
They're exhausted, the weather is muggy and it feels like they're slowly turning into braised ducks in their stuffy training studio. It doesn't help that the air-conditioning unit sputtered to a forlorn stop some time early that week, and their manager still hasn't managed to get it fixed yet. (Taekwoon suspects Sanghyuk had a hand in its early demise, but their maknae refuses to admit anything.)
It's the third time they have to stop for a break (because even Hongbin is panting from the exertion, thanks to the ridiculously high temperature of the room they're practicing in) that Jaehwan speaks up.
"Let's go camping."
Sanghyuk cracks an eyelid open. Hongbin wiggles around, wanting to watch Jaehwan's face when he delivers the punchline. It does not come.
Hakyeon ventures, "Is this the kind of thing you say just to get it off your chest or are you honestly contemplating a camping trip, right now, in the middle of June?"
"And in the middle of dance practice," Wonshik adds loyally.
There is silence. The non-existent cicadas chirp all the more noisily. Taekwoon thinks about rolling hills, the great outdoors, a cool breeze, and a canopy of stars. Faintly, too, his ears remember the sound of laughter and shouting and a soccer ball being dribbled between seven of them. His legs itch to do something other than dance endlessly in a small practice room. He lifts a hand and wipes the gathering sweat off his forehead.
From the looks on the others' faces, they're imagining it too.
The electric fan they dragged in that morning whirls on, oblivious to the suspended anticipation in the air. For the next few hours it will continue to blow to an empty room, until manager-hyung comes in later that evening and irritatedly switches it off.
~*~
It doesn't take that much effort to convince Hakyeon, despite the initial worried frown in the middle of his forehead. They make short work of it; Hakyeon is weak to aegyo, and the maknaes wield it well.
"We can't practice in this room anymore, hyung," Sanghyuk argues. "We'll die of heat exhaustion, and then how will we perform?"
Jaehwan adds, "We have no schedules until Monday. If we go in now, we can just beat the weekend rush. We could treat it as a short getaway."
"Biseulsan is less than three hours' drive away," Hongbin says, and throws in their trump card. "And wouldn't it be a good team-bonding experience?"
Hakyeon almost visibly melts at the advertisement, eyes glazing over in pleasant fantasies of roughing it out together and surviving as one VIXX, only stronger for the tough times they will go through on the journey.
They exchange victorious high fives when he turns away.
One persuasive call to their manager later, a mad rush back to their dorms to shower and pack ("Has anyone seen the sleeping bags?" "Check Taekwoon-hyung's room, I think he's been cuddling them to sleep again.") and they're bundled into the car, Jaehwan at the wheel and Hakyeon bullied out of the shotgun seat by Wonshik ("I can drive too, hyung. You have eye bags so big you'll scare the coordi noonas when you go in on Monday.")
They only realise that no one has done this in a long time when, all buckled up in their seats with the navigation set for Daegu, Sanghyuk points out that they'll need food.
"Of course," Hakyeon agrees blankly, and everyone can almost see the wheels turning in his head, blaming himself for not thinking of it earlier.
"Look, it's a puppy!" Sanghyuk shouts, diverting Hakyeon's attention before he gets maudlin. Wonshik sends up a prayer of thanksgiving.
They pick up fresh potatoes, carrots and onions from the supermarket. The ahjumma that runs the barbeque restaurant insists on giving them extra meat when she hears they're going camping. "And here are some side dishes for you growing boys," she exclaims, pressing the cloth bag of neatly packed containers into Taekwoon's hands. Taekwoon blushes.
Sanghyuk stuffs the loot into their ice box. He sets it protectively in front of the air-conditioner vent in the car and complains when Hongbin almost knocks it over with his long legs.
Three hours later, they're winding up the hills and pulling in to the small campsite. It's still early; there's no one there yet. If they're lucky, there will only be one or two more families who have decided to come camping on a Friday night. If they're very lucky, there will be older families without any crying children to contend with.
They tumble out of the car, limbs sore and muscles aching from the long ride. Wonshik and Hongbin pull out the tents and Sanghyuk checks on his precious ice box.
The mountains are cool. The air is fresh and soon even Hakyeon begins to smile.
~*~
The tent insists on toppling over whenever Hongbin tests it tentatively, but forty minutes later, they've employed twice the amount of pegs than is probably necessary and seem to have finally bullied their night's accommodation into submission. It doesn't look anything like the tents Wonshik saw his father putting up when he was small-it's sort of slumping dejectedly to the side-but it's mostly upright and will have to do.
Sanghyuk is starting to show signs of getting antsy, which never ends well. They have long since lost Jaehwan, who alternates between warbling at the top of his lungs to the hills and listening expectantly as though he expects to hear an echo. Taekwoon watches him in fascination, as though examining a particularly interesting species of butterfly.
"All right!" Hakyeon dusts his hands off on his jeans and looks around. "Who's up for a quick dip?"
"Last one to the stream has to cook dinner!" Hongbin yells, and disappears with a whoop.
Distracted by a pretty yellow bird landing on a nearby log, Taekwoon reacts a moment too late. Hakyeon waits for him anyway.
~*~
Jaehwan's sneakers get soaked in the stream. Hakyeon wishes he'd brought his sunglasses. Wonshik realises he forgot to pack an extra set of underwear. Unfazed, he sits dripping in the sun until he's dry underneath and on top.
Freshly changed, Sanghyuk comes over to the bank to point and laugh at Wonshik. Taekwoon, trying to nap, extends a foot in annoyance and firmly nudges Sanghyuk into the stream. He lands with a satisfying splash.
Which is how Sanghyuk ends up sitting self-consciously on the rock next to Wonshik, waiting to dry. Hakyeon takes the rare opportunity to laugh at him instead.
Hongbin dangles his legs into the water and wishes he packed his guitar. The problem with coming out on an unscripted camping trip is that there is no production crew to settle the logistics and ensure they have everything they need.
"We should have brought manager-hyung with us." Sanghyuk's voice floats down forlornly from the rock.
"Are you going to bring manager-hyung with you on your dates too, Hyukkie?"
Hongbin narrowly misses the slipper that's flung at his head and runs away laughing.
It feels so normal. Like he's back in high school or something, cutting class to hang out with his friends at the river. It's the first time they've gone on a holiday together without the tension of a camera crew filming frantically around them. The first time it isn't work disguised as a vacation.
The air is fresh. There are birds chirping. There is the sound of running water. Hakyeon yells something at Hyuk, and Wonshik bursts out laughing. Jaehwan has taken to singing again. Taekwoon is slowly but surely beginning to snore.
Hongbin fetches his camera, slings it around his neck, and snaps memories.
~*~
There is a small set-back.
("Did anyone see the portable gas stove? I can't find it."
"I think we may have forgotten to pack it in."
An awkward pause. "Does anyone know how to start a fire?")
A kind family lends them their extra gas stove just as Jaehwan is about to throw himself into the forest to scavenge for firewood. Thankfully, Wonshik had the presence of mind to bring a cooking pot. They eat ramyeon without any eggs and boil the carrots, onions and potatoes into soup because someone forgot to buy the curry powder.
Wonshik's underwear is still a bit damp. Jaehwan has taken to wandering around barefoot since he forgot to bring a change of slippers. Sanghyuk has the beginnings of a sunburn starting on his nose.
It should be, by any standards, considered a terrible trip. But it is not.
As their chopsticks and spoons begin to clink the bottom of the pot, Hakyeon leans back on his arms, surveys the sky and takes in a deep, satisfied breath. He opens his mouth, and everyone waits in expectation for the esteemed words that will fall from their leader's lips. Hakyeon clears his throat and says, "This is nice."
They wait for more. There is none forthcoming. Sanghyuk and Hongbin exchange a look of disbelief. "That's it? Aren't you going to give some sort of speech?"
"What, can't I have a holiday?" Hakyeon narrows his eyes. "Or are you trying to say I talk a lot normally?"
Jaehwan steps in hurriedly. "How long has it been, since you all went camping?"
Wonshik seizes the change in subject. "Years, I think. The last time I went was with my family." He looks thoughtful. "I don't remember much, though. I spent most of the time trying to defend my sister from the bugs."
"I last went with my soccer buddies." The voice ascends from the grass. Taekwoon is becoming one with the ground again. "We played soccer," the voice adds redundantly.
"I was in middle school."
"I was about to graduate."
"I cut class with my friends to go fishing in the mountains."
Sanghyuk twists around so that he can tease Hongbin for his poor schooling habits, but Hongbin is staring dumbfounded at Hakyeon. "You cut class?" Hongbin exclaims. "Weren't you model student or something?"
"I did place first in school once," Hakyeon sniffs.
"How come you never do such fun stuff with us?" Sanghyuk wants to know.
Hakyeon thwaps him on his head. "We have responsibilities, Hyuk! How can we go off cavorting to the hills anytime we want?"
"We just did that, apparently."
"With permission."
"It really is nice, though," Jaehwan persists. "I feel like I'm in school again."
"What was school? I missed half of it most of the time." Hongbin holds up his hands in self-defense. "I was training."
"You missed some of that too," Wonshik sniggers. "What did you attend?"
"I was stressed!" Hongbin grabs Hakyeon, almost knocking the empty pot of ramyeon over. "Ask him!"
"Release me," Hakyeon commands.
"Hyuk missed the most, though," Taekwoon says softly. "He missed most of high school as well." Sanghyuk had debuted at seventeen.
Sanghyuk protests, "I still went back for most of my lessons, though, in between our schedules."
"Going for lessons doesn't count," Hongbin says dismissively.
"The fun part is after school," Hakyeon agrees. "Hanging out with friends, going on adventures, painting the town red." His eyes go distant and soft.
"I thought I'd never get to do it again," Jaehwan confesses. "I'm glad you decided to come with me." He checks himself, revises his statement. "I'm glad we came together."
Overcome by the moment, Hakyeon hauls them all into a group hug. Sanghyuk yells and protests and Taekwoon squirms in discomfort but they don't break out of the embrace. (They never speak of it again.)
They debate starting a campfire, then figure they wouldn't be able to get away with it. Instead, Hakyeon and Taekwoon drag out the sleeping bags and line them up so they can sit together on them like a mat. They bully Taekwoon and Jaehwan into singing a capella for them, and Hakyeon joins in. They are warm and drowsy by the time the stars come out.
The stars are bright and sparkling. They keep a running tally of who’s able to spot the most number of shooting stars. They watch them long after their eyelids grow heavy.
~*~
Their tent falls in on them as they're sleeping.
Hakyeon groans and kicks Wonshik and Hongbin outside to fix it. Ten minutes later, they conclude that the best solution is to drag everyone out to sleep au naturel under the stars.
"Au naturel means naked," Sanghyuk points out, never missing the chance to poke at Wonshik's gross misappropriations of language.
Hakyeon ignores him and snuggles up to Jaehwan to sleep. Taekwoon looks like he was magically teleported from the inside of the tent to the outside, and is out cold in his sleeping bag as though the interruption never occurred. Wonshik flops down with a grunt and soon they're all still.
~*~
It rains.
(Okay, it doesn't. But it would have been epic if it did.)
"Stop mumbling to yourself and go to sleep, Hyuk."
~*~
When the morning comes, Hakyeon is the first to stir. It's still dark, but he's used to waking up at the oddest of hours anyway.
The numbers on his watch indicate that there's some time before the sun begins to rise. He glances at the sleeping pile of his members, packs some bananas and bread into a bag, then rouses Sanghyuk to begin the morning ritual of waking the members up.
They grumble at first but once they're starting the trek out to the sunrise point, the crisp air and the exercise is invigorating enough to lift the most tired of spirits. They aren't the only ones making their way there-at least two other families are making the trip out too. They travel in companionable silence, nothing but the crunch of dew-crusted grass underfoot and each other's light breathing as the background score to the journey.
When they finally gather at the edge of the look-out point, the sky is beginning to pink in anticipation of the main event. It's cheesy, and there are no cameras to play this up for, but as the sky lightens, Hakyeon slips his arms automatically through Jaehwan's and Wonshik's. A chain reaction starts as Jaehwan grabs Taekwoon and Wonshik passes the pulse down to Hongbin and Sanghyuk.
As a result, when the red sun pushes past the horizon, they're standing in some sort of wall, pressed into one another, warm despite the unexpected chill of the morning.
They send up wishes on the sunrise.
Hakyeon prays for good health.
Jaehwan wishes for happiness.
Wonshik hopes their dreams will come true.
Taekwoon (though he'll never admit it in front of anyone) gives thanks for the team he has debuted with.
Hongbin asks for strength to conquer their mountains together.
Sanghyuk hopes they'll be able to do this for years to come.
They watch the neat, glowing circle of the sun ascend like a promise. And so, into the sunrise, further than they can see, they continue to run.
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