"Has Jaemin ever been alone with Jeno?" Jisung asks.
Chenle groans. "Don't give me more things to stress about."
"I think Jaemin would've came back if he was upset", Haechan says, pretending like he's not also worried about the male.
"True. Unless he's being nice and waiting for Jeno to come back with him. Plus, he could get lost." Jisung shakes his head. "No, no, no, it's fine. He's fine. Jeno's fine. Everyone is fine."
"Good to know?
Haechan jumps, clutching his heart in fear until he realizes it's just Jeno. "Holy shit, you scared me."
"I'm sorry."
Haechan doesn't know if he's overthinking it but Jeno's apology seems to run deeper than just scaring him for five seconds.
"Yeah, whatever", he mumbles, facing the front again.
Jeno sighs when he reaches Chenle. He lets the pinkette pull him into a hug and a press a kiss to the side of his forehead.
"Just give him time. Don't you need it too?"
"I don't like the fact that he hates me."
"He doesn't hate you."
"Sure, he doesn't."
"Gather around!" Jaemin shouts. "I wanna take a picture!"
The five males get themselves in order for Jaemin to photograph. Jisung makes sure to be right next to Haechan while Mark and Chenle stand on both sides of Jeno, trying to keep the two separate without being obvious.
Jaemin takes pictures of them first and then attempts a picture all of them that he doesn't like himself in, much to Jisung, Haechan, Chenle, and Marks confusion.
He takes more pictures of different combinations of them. One of Chenle and Jisung, one of Chenle with Mark and Jeno, one of his two best friends. Due to his friends persistence, he ends up having pictures of himself.
"He's so cute!" Chenle exclaims, looking over Jisungs shoulder.
"Stop it."
"Nope."
Jaemin sighs as his friends continue to gush over him and the other pictures he took from at the lake.
When it gets darker, Jaemin and Jeno get a fire started so Jaemin can cook.
Haechan stays next to Jisung, for one, to assure him that he won't end up being set on fire, and two, 'cause he doesn't know what else to do. He can talk to Mark and Chenle but part of him feels guilty that he won't talk to Jeno so, to ease his mind, he's trying not to talk to either too much.
"Are you okay?" Jisung asks, quietly.
"Mhm."
Jisung gives him a look but doesn't say anything. Haechan appreciates it when Jisung wraps his arms around him and squeezes him before resting his chin on his head. The two do it every once in a while so it won't really notify their friends that anything's wrong.
Getting bored, Chenle gets up to help Jaemin cook. And then Jeno joins too, feeling awkward not doing anything.
Mark smiles at Haechan and Jisung as he walks over to the two and sits next to them.
"How was the hike?"
"I cussed out everything that tried to trip me. And Jisung covered his ears like a little kid then tripped and cussed at a rock."
Mark laughs. "Really?"
"Jisung is so nice normally."
"I am nice."
"Okay."
Jisung rolls his eyes over the brunets head, amusing Mark.
"How was the hike for you?" Jisung asks.
"Jeno was nice to hike with. He threatened to beat up a rock on my behalf."
"I can't tell if that's sweet or stupid", Haechan says, then decides. "Both."
"Yeah. But he was really worried about me. He wouldn't let me do anything which I why I was sitting down when you got here."
"That was nice of him."
Haechan looks down, trying to figure out what to do about his conflicting thoughts. He has proof that Jeno's not an asshole. He would even call him sweet.
But Jeno's not sweet to him.
Of course, he's not really trying to give him chances but Jeno's done enough the last time he saw him.
Haechan unintentionally pouts, failing to notice the way Marks expression changes as he looks at him.
Why is he nice to everyone but me?
"I'm going for a walk", he announces loudly, breaking out of Jisungs arms.
"Want me to come with you?" Jaemin asks.
"I wanna go buy myself. "
"Haechan, you've never been here before."
The male points to where Jaemin and Jeno disappeared and emerged from. "This leads to the lake, right?"
"It does if you don't get lost."
"I have a loud voice and I'm crazy, I'm sure I'll be fine."
"Are you sure you wanna go alone?" Jaemin asks.
Haechan wants to say yes but he definitely doesn't wanna talk about what's going on in his mind. Not when it can circle around to Jaemin himself.
"I'm sure."
Jisung shoots a helpless look at his boyfriend, not knowing what to do. He knows he can't stop Haechan but he really doesn't want him to be an unfamiliar place alone.
"How long do you think you might be gone?" Chenle asks.
"How long does it take to get to the lake?"
"Less than five minutes if you walk fast enough."
"I'm not gonna rush myself but I will back soon to eat. I'm gonna guess thirty minutes."
"If I don't have you clinging onto someone here wanting to be fed in thirty minutes, someone's coming to find you."
Haechan rolls his eyes at the males tone. "Yes, Mom."
Chenle gives him a look and aims his tongs towards the trail. "Go, you don't have much time."
"Jisung gets a boyfriend and I end up with another parent."
"You know you love me!" The pinkette calls after him.
"Maybe!"
"Bitch!"
"Love you too!"
Haechan stares at the ground, following the trail to make sure he doesn't get lost. It's actually nice, seeing the blue sky peek over the tall, green trees.
The sight gets even more beautiful when the lakes comes into view and he sees the sun shining over it.
Haechan looks around and finds a boulder that's facing the lake. He sits on it and just stares straight ahead, letting the beautiful scenery mix with his less-beautiful thoughts.
He's not sure how long he sits there, finding the tranquility calming and finds the time by himself easier for his heart to handle.
➳
"How long's it been?" Jaemin asks.
"About twenty minutes. We told Haechan thirty. I'm sure he's fine."
"Do you think he's okay?" Jaemin asks Jisung.
No, Jisung thinks but he doesn't wanna worry his friend.
"He's fine. I asked earlier."
Mark feels bad when Jaemins shoulders slump as he sighs and pouts. He debates on whether or not to approach him until he catches Chenles eye. Then Jisungs.
Mark sits down next to him and doesn't say anything at first.
It startles him when Jaemin leans on his shoulder. Mark stays still, trying not to feel affected by the action.
Jaemin tilts his head up to look at him, not moving away. Which does nothing to slow Marks quickly beating heart. "Is this okay?"
"Um, yeah. This is...nice."
That's all Jaemin needs to fully get comfortable, practically snuggling Marks arm this time. Chenle, Jeno, and Jisung have to keep themselves from laughing at how on-edge Mark looks.
"Talk!" He whisper shouts.
Mark glares and aggressively shushes him with his finger to his lips. He glances back at Jaemin and decides to try talking.
"Um, have you ever gone camping before?"
Probably, you idiot
He feels a lot better when Jaemin starts talking, not seeming to mind his awful question.
➳
"Okay, now I'm worried", Chenle says quietly, glancing at Mark and Jaemin.
"Me too. I don't want Jaemin to realize and get worried."
"Want me to look for him?" Jeno volunteers. He hates the way Chenle looks at him for his words. "I'll just see where is and say the food is ready. It can't be that hard. Plus, Jaemin is more likely to notice if you or Jisung is gone."
"He'd notice any of us being gone."
"Just let me do it so you guys can stop him from worrying too much. And I know where I'm going so I won't get lost."
"Fine."
➳
Haechan is fully zoned out, completely consumed by his thoughts when he hears sound from behind him that slowly makes him come to.
When he hears movement again, he sits up straighter, feeling scared of what could show up near him when the only people nearby are on the other side of the shore.
He carefully watches the trail, anxiously awaiting for whatever is there to appear.
He gasps when he sees it's just Jeno.
Curse him for looking good
Jeno scans around, not immediately spotting the brunet. He looks to where a family is attempting to skip stones.
Jeno checks around, closer, trying to see if he's missed the male and jumps, stumbling backwards when he realizes he's almost right next to him.
"You scared me."
"I could say the same thing about you", Haechan replies without looking at him. "I assume the food is done."
"Yeah. And everyone's starting to worry."
"I don't think everyone was worried.".
Jeno doesn't say anything. He decides to focus on the sound of Haechans footsteps behind him, letting him know that the male is following him.
Like you'd expect, neither talk as they make their way up the trail. It doesn't take long for them to get halfway to their camp site with their only focus being on getting back.
Something hurries over Haechans ankle, causing him to freeze in place.
"What was that?" He exclaims, holding his arms in fear.
Jeno looks back at him. "What?"
"There was something on my ankle."
"I don't see anything and not many animals are around here."
"Jeno, I swear to God, something just crawled over my ankle."
"Would you like me to carry you or something?"
Haechan declines but Jeno doesn't miss the way the male speeds up to walk closer to him and flinches, leaning in whenever he hears something.
"Will it make you feel better if I tell you it probably wasn't a snake?"
"Probably?" He shrieks.
"It was probably a bug."
"That's not better."
"At least it didn't stop to bite you."
"Is this how you comforted Mark when he was scared?"
Haechan knows it isn't, he's not sure why he even asked but it's too late now.
"I held his hand and kept him close to me."
"That was nice of you", Haechan mumbles, looking down so if the male looks at him, he won't annoyance, jealousy, or sadness Haechan is sure he's displaying.
With Haechan looking down, he doesn't see the way Jeno stops and stares at him.
Jeno shakes away the thought, not wanting to torment himself with the thoughts that keep him company almost all the time. He's planned to enjoy this camping trip and he's certainly gonna try.
➳
Jaemins face lights up when the two emerge from the trees. He rushes over to the brunet and throws his arm around him, locking him in a hug. Haechan hugs back, feeling a bit flattered that his friend is so happy to see him.
You don't deserve this
Of course his mind has to ruin it.
His thoughts only get worse when Jaemin kisses his cheek, making him feel all kinds of happy.
Barely thinking about what he's doing, he abruptly pulls away. He misses the look on Jaemins face but the others don't.
Chenle exchanges a glance with his boyfriend. Jisung silently points to Haechan, earning him a nod from the pinkette.
"Jaemin, come here."
"Why?" Jaemin asks, already walking over.
"Taste what you made."
"Do I have a choice?"
"I can walk over there and shove a cookie in your mouth if you really want me to. "
Jaemin playfully rolls his eyes. Chenle grins when he feels him rest his chin on his shoulder. After feeding Jaemin a bite of a cookie, he glances up and sees Jisung and Haechan off to the side and Mark and Jeno on the other side in a conversation.
➳
"What's going on in that head of yours?" Jisung asks, gently.
"Why am I the one feeling bad for everything?"
"You wanna explain?"
"I know I'm mad at Jeno but I hate the fact that it's only me that doesn't get to be on the receiving end of his kindness. I don't expect him to treat me the way he treats Mark after what happened but I hate it. And Jaemin's too nice. And then Mark, I don't even know but-"
Haechan doesn't realize he's started crying until Jisung pulls him into a hug. He cries into his shoulder, not being able to stop himself.
Jisung hugs him harder when he feels the way Haechan grips his jacket. He caresses the back of his head and mumbles sweet nothings, mainly telling him "I love you" and "You're perfect".
Having realized what's happening, Chenle works double-time to keep Jaemin from noticing their friends. Which is harder than he originally thought 'cause Jaemin likes to be silent and admire his surroundings.
Jeno glances up and sees the two hugging, confusing him. He doesn't understand why Chenle looks anxious either until he sees him glance at Jisung and Haechan.
"Should we distract him?" Mark asks.
"Yeah."
"Wanna start s'mores?"
"Sure."
"Hey Jaemin!" Jeno shouts. "Come make s'mores with us."
"Okay!"
'Thank you', Chenle mouths at his best friend, earning him a nod from Jeno.
Chenle watches as Mark and Jeno try to subtle get Jaemin to face away from his best friends. He waits for a minutes and when they start talking, he goes over to Jisung and Haechan.
He doesn't speak, just joining the hug.
"Sorry for crying on you", Haechan mumbles when he's done.
"It's okay", Jisung says, wiping his tears. "You needed to let that out and I'm glad you did."
"They're making s'mores", Chenle says. "Are you interested?"
"Not when my face is competing with a balloon."
"You look cute, be quiet." Chenle grabs Haechans hand. "Come on, let's freshen you up and then you can stuff your face with cookies."
"I've had cookies too much lately."
"Well, you're gonna eat something. Cookies was just a suggestion."
"You'll be a fun parent."
Chenle gives him a threatening smile. "Yes. Yes, I will."
➳
Haechan avoids eye contact with Jaemin as he sits down, staying close to Jisung and Chenle.
Jaemin looks down at his lap, trying not to look affected by the male ignoring him.
Jaemin focuses on making s'mores and responding to the conversation when he feels like it but after Haechan has spoken to everybody but him, even making a sassy comment to Jeno, he can't take it anymore.
He stands up and grabs his plate and drink. "I'm gonna eat in my tent."
After Jaemin goes in and zips the tent, all eyes turn to Haechan.
"I know, you don't have to say anything or look at me like that."
"I'm just confused", Mark admits.
"Be glad you don't understand."
No one says anything to his comment, none of them knowing what to say.
The silence Haechan created becomes unbearable for him. "I'll fix it later, I promise."
"You don't owe us a promise."
Haechan sighs, not knowing what to say to Mark when he feels the exact opposite. He feels like he owes them all something, the promise to be better, the promise to treat them better, the promise to be less him.
He gets so far in his head that he doesn't even realize everyone is looking at him in worry.
The zipper of Jaemins tent snaps their attention to the male coming out of it.
"What?" He asks.
No one answers him but he doesn't need an answer.
After discarding his plate, he goes back to his tent and stops right at the entrance, debating on if he wants to go through with this or not. "Haechan, I wanna talk to you."
He enters the tent and waits a few seconds for the male to appear in front of him and zip them inside the tent.
"What?"
Jaemin is scared to try again, he knows it's gonna hurt if Haechan pulls away but he feels like his friend needs a hug.
He tries not to overthink when Haechan stiffens after he wraps his arms around him. After a few seconds, Haechan allows himself to hug Jaemin back.
He wasn't gonna let the hug go on for long but one of Jaemins superpowers is hugs and the firm hold he has on him is all it takes for the brunet to melt into his friends embrace.
"I'm not gonna ask you to talk", Jaemin says, quietly. "But let me care for you and love you."
"I don't deserve it."
"I'll tell you what nonsense that is another time. I love you, Haechan. And nothing's gonna change that."
"I love you too, Jaemin", Haechan says back, really hoping Jaemin meant it when he said nothing's gonna change his love for him.
What did I do?
Like I don't even-I have no idea what just happened here tbh
BUT PUT AWAY YOUR WEAPONS, I SEE YOU, I KNOW YOU HAVE CLAWS. I GOT IT, OKAY?
It will all be fine
.
.
.
Eventually
No, no, it will be fine!
Tbh I didn't plan like half of this chapter but it actually turned out right on track for what's next.
Have a great day! I love you!💙💚
We know proofreading barely exists in my world so obviously I didn't do it ❤️