Don't Drink the Water (Part 2)
The summer was halfway over in the blink of an eye. Donghae loved and hated that about camp; he loved his time up among his friends, but too quickly it was taken from him.
This session was a particularly long one since it involved a switch day. Camp sessions were regularly five days long with a break between to give the staff a chance to relax and be themselves for a while. But switch days were extra-long. The first group camp came in and stayed for five days, but on the morning of their departure another bus containing the second set of campers rolled in. The counselors of each unit split up, half sending off the old group, half welcoming the new…
…and as usual, the specialists were on luggage duty.
Not that he was complaining. Donghae loved luggage duty. He and Hyukjae, Yoseob, Doojoon, and Kikwang crowded into the truck and drove along the bumpy paths, delivering the campers’ luggage to their proper units. They got to have the radio on and right now some current pop song was blasting through the speakers as the large truck trundled up the hill to an upper unit. Kikwang was driving, giddy at the chance to get behind the wheel. They performed their luggage drop offs like a hit and run, Kikwang stopping the car suddenly while they all piled out and practically chucked the luggage out of the bunk and onto the waiting tarps before scrambling back into the car and driving off again.
Donghae was squished next to Hyukjae, the two sweaty and smiling as Yoseob rambled off about a recent encounter he had with a snake in the bathroom. Doojoon sat in the front next to Kikwang, arm slung out the window. Hyukjae laughed and nudged Donghae in the shoulder to look at the lifeguard. His hair wasn’t moving in the wind.
“Yah, Doojoon!” Hyukjae yelled at the front, “We have swimming tests today!! What’s the gel for!?”
“It has to look nice, okay?” Doojoon defended, hand automatically reaching up and checking that his due was still flawless. Yoseob laughed and kicked the back of the lifeguard’s chair. As the two got into a bickering fest, Hyukjae and Donghae shook their heads fondly. Hyukjae returned his attention to the brunette next to him.
“Hae,” He said, reaching out and brushing at Donghae’s face, “you totally have dirt all over your face.” Donghae felt his cheeks warming under Hyukjae’s dry palm and quickly poked the other in the stomach.
“So do you,” he shot back. Hyukjae grinned.
“Yes but I get to go swimming later.” Donghae opened his mouth to retort but Kikwang slammed on the breaks as they reached the loading station. The leapt out of the car and quickly grabbed all the bags waiting to be loaded and taken to the next unit. Hyukjae heaved the last bag into the back and they climbed back in.
“When’s your twenty four?” Hyukjae asked as they bumped along the path. The twenty four he was referring to was the day-long break that each counselor had during a switch-day session. Hyukjae had already had his during the first part, and Donghae was itching to finally rest and harass the other counselors.
“Tomorrow,” he said, already planning out his schedule of sleeping, eating, and lounging in the break room.
“Come hang out with me at the canoe lake,” Hyukjae demanded. “I could use the company.”
“Alright,” Donghae said, matching Hyukjae’s grin. That sounded like the perfect way to spend the day.
The truck jerked to a stop and Donghae forgot about anything else as he flung himself out of the back.
*
Donghae was exhausted. A full day of nature with small kids and an unsatisfying break in the morning left him bone-tired and ready to collapse after dinner. He pulled his weary body from the table and over to the giant silver sink. Luckily, his staff caper was dish washing, a job that required little energy and fake enthusiasm. He hunched over and began washing giant communal dishes with extreme lackluster. Luckily Shindong was much more energetic than himself, so work was done relatively quickly. Donghae, back bent and scrubbing a stubborn lasagna tray, snuck a quick glance over at Hyukjae. The lifeguard was on sanitation duty. He straddled a red table bench and took the buckets of washed dishes from the campers, dunking them into the large green bucket of sanitation water in front of him before handing them back carefully so the campers could set them onto the giant metal racks in the back of the dining hall. He was grinning at something a CIT was telling him, gums proudly displayed to the world and laugh lines digging into the corners of his eyes.
Donghae watched as a smaller camper practically dropped the bucket on Hyukjae’s sweat-clad legs. Hyukjae’s hands shot out, stabilizing the basket before divesting it from the little one’s hands like nothing happened. When he handed it back, he showed the camper the best way to clutch on to the awkward shape and teasingly flexed his muscles to display his strength. The kid laughed and went on his way as the CIT said something that had Hyukjae guffawing and digging his elbow into the boy’s ribs.
“Donghae,” Shindong said.
“Huh?” Donghae asked, tearing his eyes away and glancing at the counselor standing next to him at the sink.
“I’ve been calling you,” Shindong said, rolling his eyes. “Can you bring that tray into the kitchen?”
“Oops, sure!” he replied, hefting the blue tray filled with plates and pitchers into his arms and shuffling the short distance to the kitchen door. His arms strained under the weight and he wobbled as he entered through the open door and plopped the wet try onto the counter.
“Thanks, hyung!” Dongwoon called out. He was busily scrubbing a pot and hardly looked up.
“No worries,” Donghae said happily, footsteps infinitely lighter on his way out. He walked towards the sink again and noticed Hyukjae looking in his direction. “Hyukjaeeee~” he sang, “I saw your flimsy muscles! Go work out with Doojoon next time, huh?”
Hyukjae stuck his tongue out at the brunette. “I saw your real display of muscle work, Hae Hae!” He called, taking another basket from a camper and dunking it. “You’ve been working out! You can lift a tray now!”
“Har Har.” Donghae sneered before grinning brightly. “Don’t be jealous of my guns, Hyuk. They’re here to stay.”
“Sure dear,” Hyukjae acquiesced.
Donghae clicked his tongue and went back to helping Shindong at the sinks. After most of the dishes were washed and placed in rinsing racks to be sanitized by the kitchen staff he slunk away to the staff room. He joined Junhyung who was already slumped in one corner of the couch.
“I’m going to die,” Junhyung grumbled, arm thrown askew over his eyes.
“You can do it,” Donghae encouraged half-heartedly. “This batch leaves tomorrow and we have a whole day to relax before the next group comes.”
Junhyung moaned and fell silent. Donghae wasn’t offended and instead copied the other counselor, slouching into the cushions and closing his eyes. He felt a little guilty for leaving Yesung and Kibum to put the campers to bed when he was resting, but his exhaustion soon washed the feelings away.
He barely moved when he felt his head being moved, sliding down to rest on an unknown lap. The lap was warm and soft, and he snuggled his face into the material. “Sleep Hae,” he vaguely heard Hyukjae’s from above him and the whispers of a few more counselors in the back. He smelled Hyukjae, dusty and indefinable, and it sent him quickly into sleep.
Donghae awoke in the middle of the night, safely ensconced in the sleeping bag of his tent. He blinked confusedly into the darkness, wondering what woke him up. The footsteps of people walking away were close by and he heard Hyukjae and Ryeowook chatting softly. Donghae smiled and snuggled into pillow.
Hyukjae was as strong as he thought he was.
*
“First go down the steps,” Doojoon instructed from the wall in the swimming hole. Aptly named, the swimming hole was really a giant hole dug in the earth and filled with pokey cement at the bottom. The area, as small as a large pond, was divided in half by a low wall in the middle. The right of the wall was the shallow end and it marked the visible barrier of where campers ranked ‘duck’ were allowed to frolic. Doojoon straddled the wall and faced the wooden structure of steps where campers nervously awaited to take their swimming assessment. Hyukjae was lingering at the edge of the swimming hole, ready to demonstrate the test. Donghae leaned against the step behind him, Junsik’s hand fiddling with his own absently. Donghae had a break, so he decided to accompany his little campers to their rotation. Junsik was his clinger this session. Not that he minded, he thought fondly, glancing down at the mop of messy brown hair next to him. The kid reminded him of himself a little.
It was an added bonus that he’d get to watch Hyukjae in action.
Hyukjae walked down the two small cement steps into the swimming hole. He jumped a bit, and Donghae bit back a laugh as the lifeguard pressed his lips together tightly. “It might be a little…refreshing,” Doojoon chuckled. “Be ready for it.” Hyukjae dropped underwater suddenly and rose back up in a flurry of water droplets, hair now sopping on his forehead.
“You freestyle to me,” Doojoon instructed and Hyukjae completed the short five stroke journey to Doojoon at the wall. “Then tread water for thirty seconds.” Hyukjae was breathing calmly as his arms cut through the water. He bobbed in the cold water, face a mask of concentration. Donghae watched his arms moving in practiced rhythm, rippling under the water. “Having fun, Hyukjae?” Doojoon asked, making conversation while they waited.
“I could do this all day,” Hyukjae bragged a little breathlessly. Doojoon laughed and splashed at his face with his foot. Hyukjae yelped in indignation and the campers laughed at their playfulness.
‘Okay, now you just swim back to the beginning however you want,” Doojoon said and Hyukjae began a slow breaststroke back to the beginning. He waded the last few steps and climbed up the stairs, black board shorts clinging onto his skinny legs.
“Hyukjae lifeguard is so hairy!” Junsik exclaimed, and Jaewon, the boy next to him, giggled.
Hyukjae scrunched his face at the comment and Donghae laughed. It was then Hyukjae noticed him, smiling brightly at the brunette on the steps. “Hae!” He greeted, “taking your swimming test?”
“Not today,” Donghae said, faking sadness, “I don’t have my swimsuit!”
“Aaaawww,” some campers whined and Junsik tugged on his hand.
“But Hae, aren’t you a fishy?”
“I am,” Donghae said proudly, puffing out his chest. “So I can swim all the time! Forever!”
“Forever swimming?!” another camper yelled.
“Yes,” Donghae said gravely. “Forever. But then I’d be wrinkly. And I’d be old-fishy Hae.”
“Eeeew,” Min-geon said. “That’s gross.”
“And that’s why I’m not swimming right now,” Donghae said. It didn’t make sense, but Donghae was thankful small kids really didn’t need airtight alibis. "But don't worry; I'm sure Mir will swim with you guys, right Mir?" Donghae called down to the counselor lounging on the dock.
"Sure, squirts!" Mir smiled up at the bunch. "I'll make sure to have y'all doing laps!"
Hyukjae grinned up at Donghae and he untangled his hand from Junsik's, making his way to the small dock to the left of the wooden structure. Doojoon had moved during Hyukjae's journey, and Donghae met him and a dripping Hyukjae there. Hyukjae's smile turned mischievous as he leapt suddenly into Donghae's arms, twining his legs around the others waist. Donghae flinched, the cold water seeping off Hyukjae's cool skin and sopping shorts and onto his own, dry clothes.
'Hyuk!" Donghae wailed, still unwilling to drop the other unceremoniously to the floor. Hyukjae laughed loudly in his ear and despite the frigid water on his skin Donghae laughed. His arms tightened around the lifeguard’s slippery waist as he wobbled under the weight. "Hyuk, down! I'm going to drop you!"
Hyukjae nuzzled their heads together and dropped his feet, detaching from Donghae. He eyed the splotches of water spread across the brunette’s front and giggled. Donghae plucked pathetically at his shirt. "It's cold," he whined.
“Don't let the campers hear you saying that," Hyukjae said brightly, suddenly much more hyper than when he'd been doing the swimming test.
"Aah, where'd the cool Hyukjae go?" Doojoon pleaded the sky. "I can't work with him when he goes all giddy like this."
"Please," Mir scoffed, "Donghae's always like this. Try switching with me for a day." He ignored Donghae’s indignant shout.
"Shuttup Dooj," Hyukjae said brightly. "Let's go get those kids in the water." Doojoon walked by, kicking out at Hyukjae's ankles and rounded the kids to line up by the stairs of the swimming hole.
'Hae, can you write down what level I give them?" Hyukjae asked, looking brightly at Donghae's still disgruntled face.
'Yeah, yeah,' Donghae agreed, too happy to be with his best friend to mind doing extra work.
"What about me?" Mir asked.
"Go be useless over there," Hyukjae gestured back to the dock. Mir pouted but didn't fight it. Hey, free mini-break.
"The one working gets to rest," Donghae grumbled. Hyukjae ruffled his hair, knowing Donghae was just blowing hot air. He started walking towards the stairs, getting the campers all lined up and ready to go.
"Grab the binder," he called out over his shoulder at Donghae.
"Yeah yeah!" Donghae said, snagging the binder off the dock by Mir's feet.
'You know," Mir said lowly. "He got positively giddy when he saw you."
'Hyuk's my best friend," Donghae said absently as he flipped through the binder to the right unit.
"And your his," Mir agreed. "But please, I'll kiss Shindong smack on the lips if there's really nothing going on between you two." He grimaced to illustrate just how unappealing that sounded.
Donghae pursed his lips and looked around for a pen. He spied Hyukjae's pants lying discarded on the dock and bent down, rifling through the pockets.
"Like right now," Mir said conversationally, staring over by the stairs. "He's checking out your ass."
Donghae, who had been smiling in satisfaction as his hands grasped a sharpie, gasped and whirled around at Mir's casual declaration. "What?!" He exclaimed, turning to face the stairs. Hyukjae was looking at him, but upon making eye contact quickly looked at the camper in front of him and struck up conversation.
"So pathetic," Mir scoffed. "It's obvious he wants you." Donghae fiddled with the pen.
"I um...need to go mark levels," he said, eyes alternating between staring at the binder in his hands and over at Hyukjae bouncing on his feet.
"Just kiss him," Mir advised as a parting shot. "Just, you know, not in front of the campers."
"Hush," Donghae said as he walked away. But he couldn't stop the blush from forming on his face.
*
“Free, free!” Mir exclaimed, practically prancing around the staff room. Donghae grinned from his crammed seat in the corner of one dusty orange couch. Hyukjae came in shortly behind Mir, eyes finding Donghae quickly and making his way over through the crowd of scattered counselors.
“Only a short break,” he said as a greeting and Donghae grinned, throwing his arms open in invitation. Hyukjae’s eyes squinted happily and he turned around, collapsing bonelessly against Donghae. The brunette huffed as Hyukjae forced the wind from his lungs.
“God Hyuk,” he wheezed into his back, “you could have tried to murder me a litter nicer.” Hyukjae’s body moved as he laughed against Donghae’s chest.
“Baby,” he chided, tilting his head back to rest snugly in the crook of Donghae’s neck. Curls of hair tickled at his cheek and he puffed in Donhae’s ear playfully. Donghae shook his head, feeling slightly like a mangy dog, but was quick to twine his arms around the lifeguard’s thin waist. He reflexively curled his fingertips into the thin tee covering the other’s stomach.
“Jungsu’s going into town to buy us ice cream,” Seungho announced happily to the lingering counselors, emerging from the kitchen for a rare occasion. “We’ve been promised a movie night in the dining hall.”
“Sweet,” Yesung said, body splayed out in a large chair. “We sleeping in there, then?”
“Why not?” Ryeowook said, perching on the edge of Yesung’s chair. “We can push all the tables together to make a giant sleeping platform.”
“I’ll start stealing mattresses from the Bruin unit,” Donghae volunteered from underneath Hyukjae.
“Guess that means I have to go, too,” Hyukjae grinned.
“Obviously,” Doojoon said from the wall, smirking while digging through his large tub. He tugged out his sweatshirt and pulled it on, eyes catching Hyukjae’s as his head popped out the top. They had a wordless exchange for a brief moment before Hyukjae rose to his feet, whirling around and offering a hand to help Donghae up immediately. Donghae grabbed it without hesitation, letting Hyukjae tug him from his relaxed seat.
“Let’s go,” Donghae said happily, hand still grasping Hyukjae’s steadily and tugging him out of the break room.
Hyukjae let himself be pulled out the staff room and through the dining hall, only matching Donghae’s pace once they breached the gravel path leading towards the bruin unit. They walked hand-in-hand, swinging casually along the path in an unusual silence. Donghae, too lost in his thoughts, failed to notice Hyukjae’s silence. He ran his thumb lightly against Hyukjae’s palm, considering. Hyukjae took in an audible breath, almost to speak, before he fell silent again, eyes fixed on their clasped hands.
It was a short walk to the unit, and immediately Donghae walked up the small ramp into the first cabin. Hyukjae filed in behind him and the screen door latched closed. The cabin was small, five beds along both walls with an identical door on the other end. A deep green tarp covered the door, offering a semblance of privacy for when the campers changed clothes. Now it cast the cabin into darkness from the fading light outside. Hyukjae watched Donghae walk across the room, shoes tromping loudly against the floor as he came to the end of the far mattress. He bent over to pick up the corners, calling “Hyuk you get that side of mattresses and between the two of us we can pile them up and lug them back in one go.” Hyukjae remained silent, and Donghae clicked his teeth and twisted his head up to look at his friend. Hyukjae stood there awkwardly, gazing steadily at Donghae’s ears.
“Hae,” he said abruptly, and fell silent. Donghae looked at him, hands still grasping the edges of the mattress all ready to pull it up.
“What?” Donghae asked innocently, head cocked curiously at Hyukjae’s still posture, hands clenched at his sides. His brow furrowed. He let go of the corners of the mattress and stood up, catching the mood lingering in the room. “Hyuk, are you okay?”
Hyukjae licked his lips nervously, still on the far end of the cabin. His hands spasmed before tightening again. “I-" he started, tongue darting out to moisten his upper lip again.
“Hyukjae, what’s wrong?” Donghae asked, taking two steps towards his best friend. Hyukjae looked ready to bolt, oddly vulnerable in the baggy sweatshirt Donghae had given him.
“Hae, I,” Hyukjae’s breath was wavering. His eyes welled up and Donghae practically flew to Hyukjae’s side, enfolding him in his arms.
“Hyukjae what the heck’s going on? Are you okay?” Donghae asked urgently, pushing his best friend’s thin body tightly against his own. To keep him so close that osmosis would simply transfer the reason for Hyukjae’s sudden freak-out into his own brain.
Hyukjae’s own arms came up around Donghae, fingers curling at the nap of his neck. They stood still for a while; Hyukjae’s breathing settling into an even cadence with Donghae’s. The frogs began croaking with sunset, a quiet din growing with the dimming sky. In the distance Donghae could hear Shindong yelling playfully with Mir in the meadow. Hyukjae’s board-stiff body began to sag in his arms, and Donghae broached the subject again.
“What’s wrong, Hyukkie?” he asked, eyes crossed and fixed on his best friend’s back. Hyukjae took a deep breath, released. He pushed back a little, not breaking the protective hold Donghae had around his waist. It was enough to be able to meet Donghae’s concerned expression. Donghae’s pupils moved to take in Hyukjae’s dry eyes, his red face. Hyukjae let himself be examined and moved his arms from their purchase around Donghae’s neck to the curves of his arms.
“Donghae…” He began, fingers absently curling into the thick material of Donghae’s sweater. He stopped, swallowed reflexively, and suddenly threw himself forwards, pushing his lips quickly against Donghae’s own.
Donghae blinked and it was over. Hyukjae pushed back almost violently from his body and slammed the screen door open, running down the ramp and back towards the dining hall. Donghae’s lips tingled but was nothing compared to the pounding of his heart breaking his ribs from inside.
*
Donghae didn’t want to give Hyukjae even a second to doubt anything, but by the time he gathered his wits and rushed back to the staff room, Hyukjae was long gone into town with Jungsu to buy ice cream and only Doojoon’s pitying look greeted him from the couch.
“Crap,” Donghae exhaled and collapsed into the couch across from the other lifeguard. He put his head in his hands, tugging furiously at his hair from the pathetic situation he found himself in.
“Ran away?” Doojoon guessed. Donghae moaned. “Well,” Doojoon said easily, “that wasn’t more than I expected I guess. Kinda thought you’d move fast enough to catch him, though.”
“He was like a race house fresh out the gate,” Donghae whined into his hands. The couch felt hard and irritating against his body. He needed Hyukjae to make him feel better. He needed Hyukjae to calm him down from the fit he was working himself into. It was his fault, anyway.
“Look,” Doojoon said, obviously eager to impart wisdom, “Since it’s obvious you like him back, why are you freaking out? He’s got to come back, and when he does you just grab him and kiss him into submission. Problem solved.”
“It’s the waiting,” Donghae exclaimed, looking at Doojoon’s face. “What if he didn’t like kissing me?”
“What, for the one-point-two seconds he actually touched your mouth?” Doojoon raised an eyebrow.
“Kissed? Mouth? What?” Ryeowook pushed the creaking staff-door open and eyed Doojoon and Donghae interestedly. His mouth twitched as he caught Donghae’s upset expression and slumped posture. “Ah, Hyukjae kissed you and ran away, did he?”
“How can everyone tell?” Donghae asked exasperatedly, flinging his arms up and tucking his legs up against his chest. He curled into himself protectively.
“It’s obvious,” Ryeowook said lightly, walking towards his Tupperware and pulling out a box of Oreos. He offered one to Doojoon in the chair nearby and he took it with a wordless smile. He walked across the room to stand in front of Donghae and held the box temptingly in front of him, waving it slightly to catch the other’s eye. Donghae pouted, looking at the box for a moment.
“I’m too upset to eat,” he said after a quick deliberation.
“No you aren’t,” Ryeowook coaxed, pulling out a cookie and holding it up to Donghae’s nose. Donghae looked at the cookie, uncurled his body and took the cookie gently from Ryeowook’s hand.
“Thanks,” he mumbled into the treat. He took a bite and chewed slowly, eyes fixed on the floor.
“Oh, Hae,” Ryeowook said fondly, ruffling the other’s hair, “when Hyukjae comes back you can fix it all up quickly and be just as inseparable as before.”
Donghae took a bite of his cookie and felt a little better. After all, both Doojoon and Wookie said it’d be alright. Why wouldn’t it, after all?
An hour later and Donghae hadn’t moved from his spot on the couch. He was waiting, getting well wishes from all the other counselors. News spread like lightening in camp, so Donghae wasn’t surprised that his business was out for the world to hear. Junhyung told him to write a song while he was waiting, Kangin stopped by and told him to be a man about it, Hyunseung told him to not mess it up…everyone imparted some kind of advice for him. But what it came down to was Donghae just really wanted Hyukjae to come back so he could kiss him properly.
An engine came down the hill and Donghae’s heart picked up anxiously as the sound cut and doors slammed, soft voices coming closer to the staff room. Donghae sprang from his seat, standing uncertainly in the room. Mir came in first, saw Donghae and grinned. His hands were full of ice cream and he said nothing as he walked through the staff room and into the dining hall beyond. Hyukjae came in after, eyes downcast and biting his lip nervously. He stumbled to a stop at the threshold, seeing Donghae’s feet in the corner of his vision.
Donghae cleared his throat. “Hyuk,” he began. Hyukjae started walking again, eyes still glued to the ground and he made to walk into the dining hall. Donghae practically flew to his side, blocking Hyukjae’s way.
“Hyuk, look at me,” Donghae practically ordered. Hyukjae hesitantly lifted his gaze, red-eyes looking nervously though his fringe. “Hyukkie,” Donghae said affectionately at the evidence of Hyukjae’s tears. “Don’t ever run away from me again, okay?”
Hyukjae blinked. “But I-" he began. Donghae dipped his head, pressing his lips softly against his best friend like he’d wanted to for ages. Hyukjae gasped against his mouth, feet shuffling forwards until their toes bumped. Donghae pressed closer, arms twining around Hyukjae’s back and shoving their chests together, head angling to the side to avoid crashing noses. Hyukjae whimpered into his mouth and parted his lips, tongue brushing lightly against Donghae’s bottom lip before pulling back. His arms had somehow found their way to cling onto Donghae’s arms and he looked at them curiously before looking back into Donghae’s soft gaze.
“You idiot,” Donghae said fondly, bumping their noses together affectionately. “How can I tell you I like you when you just leave like that? You can’t be the only one to dictate this relationship.”
Hyukjae’s face broke into a grin. “I’m sorry,” he said, sniffing as he fought from crying again. “You know how I get when I’m uncomfortable.”
“You turn into a crybaby?” Donghae teased.
“Shuttup,” Hyukjae said. Where he’d normally swat Donghae on the arm he chose instead to lean forward and peck him on the lips. Donghae grinned against his mouth.
“Can I please kiss you forever?” He said fondly, moving against Hyukjae’s mouth.
“Then how’d we get anything done?” Hyukjae asked, tongue flicking against Donghae’s lips.
“I’d say this is getting something done,” Donghae argued, tilting his chin up to press a kiss to Hyukjae’s forehead.
Hyukjae scrunched his nose and tucked his head into Donghae’s neck. “We’re going to be unbearable now, aren’t we?” Hyukjae asked rhetorically.
“Undoubtedly,” Donghae agreed lightly. “I’m excited.”
*
A.N: So I'm really excited about this story. The camp is real, and I've set up a whole universe to include the other characters I've mentioned. I've started my dooseung fic already and I hope to make it it's own mini-world series...but we'll see ^
This session was a particularly long one since it involved a switch day. Camp sessions were regularly five days long with a break between to give the staff a chance to relax and be themselves for a while. But switch days were extra-long. The first group camp came in and stayed for five days, but on the morning of their departure another bus containing the second set of campers rolled in. The counselors of each unit split up, half sending off the old group, half welcoming the new…
…and as usual, the specialists were on luggage duty.
Not that he was complaining. Donghae loved luggage duty. He and Hyukjae, Yoseob, Doojoon, and Kikwang crowded into the truck and drove along the bumpy paths, delivering the campers’ luggage to their proper units. They got to have the radio on and right now some current pop song was blasting through the speakers as the large truck trundled up the hill to an upper unit. Kikwang was driving, giddy at the chance to get behind the wheel. They performed their luggage drop offs like a hit and run, Kikwang stopping the car suddenly while they all piled out and practically chucked the luggage out of the bunk and onto the waiting tarps before scrambling back into the car and driving off again.
Donghae was squished next to Hyukjae, the two sweaty and smiling as Yoseob rambled off about a recent encounter he had with a snake in the bathroom. Doojoon sat in the front next to Kikwang, arm slung out the window. Hyukjae laughed and nudged Donghae in the shoulder to look at the lifeguard. His hair wasn’t moving in the wind.
“Yah, Doojoon!” Hyukjae yelled at the front, “We have swimming tests today!! What’s the gel for!?”
“It has to look nice, okay?” Doojoon defended, hand automatically reaching up and checking that his due was still flawless. Yoseob laughed and kicked the back of the lifeguard’s chair. As the two got into a bickering fest, Hyukjae and Donghae shook their heads fondly. Hyukjae returned his attention to the brunette next to him.
“Hae,” He said, reaching out and brushing at Donghae’s face, “you totally have dirt all over your face.” Donghae felt his cheeks warming under Hyukjae’s dry palm and quickly poked the other in the stomach.
“So do you,” he shot back. Hyukjae grinned.
“Yes but I get to go swimming later.” Donghae opened his mouth to retort but Kikwang slammed on the breaks as they reached the loading station. The leapt out of the car and quickly grabbed all the bags waiting to be loaded and taken to the next unit. Hyukjae heaved the last bag into the back and they climbed back in.
“When’s your twenty four?” Hyukjae asked as they bumped along the path. The twenty four he was referring to was the day-long break that each counselor had during a switch-day session. Hyukjae had already had his during the first part, and Donghae was itching to finally rest and harass the other counselors.
“Tomorrow,” he said, already planning out his schedule of sleeping, eating, and lounging in the break room.
“Come hang out with me at the canoe lake,” Hyukjae demanded. “I could use the company.”
“Alright,” Donghae said, matching Hyukjae’s grin. That sounded like the perfect way to spend the day.
The truck jerked to a stop and Donghae forgot about anything else as he flung himself out of the back.
*
Donghae was exhausted. A full day of nature with small kids and an unsatisfying break in the morning left him bone-tired and ready to collapse after dinner. He pulled his weary body from the table and over to the giant silver sink. Luckily, his staff caper was dish washing, a job that required little energy and fake enthusiasm. He hunched over and began washing giant communal dishes with extreme lackluster. Luckily Shindong was much more energetic than himself, so work was done relatively quickly. Donghae, back bent and scrubbing a stubborn lasagna tray, snuck a quick glance over at Hyukjae. The lifeguard was on sanitation duty. He straddled a red table bench and took the buckets of washed dishes from the campers, dunking them into the large green bucket of sanitation water in front of him before handing them back carefully so the campers could set them onto the giant metal racks in the back of the dining hall. He was grinning at something a CIT was telling him, gums proudly displayed to the world and laugh lines digging into the corners of his eyes.
Donghae watched as a smaller camper practically dropped the bucket on Hyukjae’s sweat-clad legs. Hyukjae’s hands shot out, stabilizing the basket before divesting it from the little one’s hands like nothing happened. When he handed it back, he showed the camper the best way to clutch on to the awkward shape and teasingly flexed his muscles to display his strength. The kid laughed and went on his way as the CIT said something that had Hyukjae guffawing and digging his elbow into the boy’s ribs.
“Donghae,” Shindong said.
“Huh?” Donghae asked, tearing his eyes away and glancing at the counselor standing next to him at the sink.
“I’ve been calling you,” Shindong said, rolling his eyes. “Can you bring that tray into the kitchen?”
“Oops, sure!” he replied, hefting the blue tray filled with plates and pitchers into his arms and shuffling the short distance to the kitchen door. His arms strained under the weight and he wobbled as he entered through the open door and plopped the wet try onto the counter.
“Thanks, hyung!” Dongwoon called out. He was busily scrubbing a pot and hardly looked up.
“No worries,” Donghae said happily, footsteps infinitely lighter on his way out. He walked towards the sink again and noticed Hyukjae looking in his direction. “Hyukjaeeee~” he sang, “I saw your flimsy muscles! Go work out with Doojoon next time, huh?”
Hyukjae stuck his tongue out at the brunette. “I saw your real display of muscle work, Hae Hae!” He called, taking another basket from a camper and dunking it. “You’ve been working out! You can lift a tray now!”
“Har Har.” Donghae sneered before grinning brightly. “Don’t be jealous of my guns, Hyuk. They’re here to stay.”
“Sure dear,” Hyukjae acquiesced.
Donghae clicked his tongue and went back to helping Shindong at the sinks. After most of the dishes were washed and placed in rinsing racks to be sanitized by the kitchen staff he slunk away to the staff room. He joined Junhyung who was already slumped in one corner of the couch.
“I’m going to die,” Junhyung grumbled, arm thrown askew over his eyes.
“You can do it,” Donghae encouraged half-heartedly. “This batch leaves tomorrow and we have a whole day to relax before the next group comes.”
Junhyung moaned and fell silent. Donghae wasn’t offended and instead copied the other counselor, slouching into the cushions and closing his eyes. He felt a little guilty for leaving Yesung and Kibum to put the campers to bed when he was resting, but his exhaustion soon washed the feelings away.
He barely moved when he felt his head being moved, sliding down to rest on an unknown lap. The lap was warm and soft, and he snuggled his face into the material. “Sleep Hae,” he vaguely heard Hyukjae’s from above him and the whispers of a few more counselors in the back. He smelled Hyukjae, dusty and indefinable, and it sent him quickly into sleep.
Donghae awoke in the middle of the night, safely ensconced in the sleeping bag of his tent. He blinked confusedly into the darkness, wondering what woke him up. The footsteps of people walking away were close by and he heard Hyukjae and Ryeowook chatting softly. Donghae smiled and snuggled into pillow.
Hyukjae was as strong as he thought he was.
*
“First go down the steps,” Doojoon instructed from the wall in the swimming hole. Aptly named, the swimming hole was really a giant hole dug in the earth and filled with pokey cement at the bottom. The area, as small as a large pond, was divided in half by a low wall in the middle. The right of the wall was the shallow end and it marked the visible barrier of where campers ranked ‘duck’ were allowed to frolic. Doojoon straddled the wall and faced the wooden structure of steps where campers nervously awaited to take their swimming assessment. Hyukjae was lingering at the edge of the swimming hole, ready to demonstrate the test. Donghae leaned against the step behind him, Junsik’s hand fiddling with his own absently. Donghae had a break, so he decided to accompany his little campers to their rotation. Junsik was his clinger this session. Not that he minded, he thought fondly, glancing down at the mop of messy brown hair next to him. The kid reminded him of himself a little.
It was an added bonus that he’d get to watch Hyukjae in action.
Hyukjae walked down the two small cement steps into the swimming hole. He jumped a bit, and Donghae bit back a laugh as the lifeguard pressed his lips together tightly. “It might be a little…refreshing,” Doojoon chuckled. “Be ready for it.” Hyukjae dropped underwater suddenly and rose back up in a flurry of water droplets, hair now sopping on his forehead.
“You freestyle to me,” Doojoon instructed and Hyukjae completed the short five stroke journey to Doojoon at the wall. “Then tread water for thirty seconds.” Hyukjae was breathing calmly as his arms cut through the water. He bobbed in the cold water, face a mask of concentration. Donghae watched his arms moving in practiced rhythm, rippling under the water. “Having fun, Hyukjae?” Doojoon asked, making conversation while they waited.
“I could do this all day,” Hyukjae bragged a little breathlessly. Doojoon laughed and splashed at his face with his foot. Hyukjae yelped in indignation and the campers laughed at their playfulness.
‘Okay, now you just swim back to the beginning however you want,” Doojoon said and Hyukjae began a slow breaststroke back to the beginning. He waded the last few steps and climbed up the stairs, black board shorts clinging onto his skinny legs.
“Hyukjae lifeguard is so hairy!” Junsik exclaimed, and Jaewon, the boy next to him, giggled.
Hyukjae scrunched his face at the comment and Donghae laughed. It was then Hyukjae noticed him, smiling brightly at the brunette on the steps. “Hae!” He greeted, “taking your swimming test?”
“Not today,” Donghae said, faking sadness, “I don’t have my swimsuit!”
“Aaaawww,” some campers whined and Junsik tugged on his hand.
“But Hae, aren’t you a fishy?”
“I am,” Donghae said proudly, puffing out his chest. “So I can swim all the time! Forever!”
“Forever swimming?!” another camper yelled.
“Yes,” Donghae said gravely. “Forever. But then I’d be wrinkly. And I’d be old-fishy Hae.”
“Eeeew,” Min-geon said. “That’s gross.”
“And that’s why I’m not swimming right now,” Donghae said. It didn’t make sense, but Donghae was thankful small kids really didn’t need airtight alibis. "But don't worry; I'm sure Mir will swim with you guys, right Mir?" Donghae called down to the counselor lounging on the dock.
"Sure, squirts!" Mir smiled up at the bunch. "I'll make sure to have y'all doing laps!"
Hyukjae grinned up at Donghae and he untangled his hand from Junsik's, making his way to the small dock to the left of the wooden structure. Doojoon had moved during Hyukjae's journey, and Donghae met him and a dripping Hyukjae there. Hyukjae's smile turned mischievous as he leapt suddenly into Donghae's arms, twining his legs around the others waist. Donghae flinched, the cold water seeping off Hyukjae's cool skin and sopping shorts and onto his own, dry clothes.
'Hyuk!" Donghae wailed, still unwilling to drop the other unceremoniously to the floor. Hyukjae laughed loudly in his ear and despite the frigid water on his skin Donghae laughed. His arms tightened around the lifeguard’s slippery waist as he wobbled under the weight. "Hyuk, down! I'm going to drop you!"
Hyukjae nuzzled their heads together and dropped his feet, detaching from Donghae. He eyed the splotches of water spread across the brunette’s front and giggled. Donghae plucked pathetically at his shirt. "It's cold," he whined.
“Don't let the campers hear you saying that," Hyukjae said brightly, suddenly much more hyper than when he'd been doing the swimming test.
"Aah, where'd the cool Hyukjae go?" Doojoon pleaded the sky. "I can't work with him when he goes all giddy like this."
"Please," Mir scoffed, "Donghae's always like this. Try switching with me for a day." He ignored Donghae’s indignant shout.
"Shuttup Dooj," Hyukjae said brightly. "Let's go get those kids in the water." Doojoon walked by, kicking out at Hyukjae's ankles and rounded the kids to line up by the stairs of the swimming hole.
'Hae, can you write down what level I give them?" Hyukjae asked, looking brightly at Donghae's still disgruntled face.
'Yeah, yeah,' Donghae agreed, too happy to be with his best friend to mind doing extra work.
"What about me?" Mir asked.
"Go be useless over there," Hyukjae gestured back to the dock. Mir pouted but didn't fight it. Hey, free mini-break.
"The one working gets to rest," Donghae grumbled. Hyukjae ruffled his hair, knowing Donghae was just blowing hot air. He started walking towards the stairs, getting the campers all lined up and ready to go.
"Grab the binder," he called out over his shoulder at Donghae.
"Yeah yeah!" Donghae said, snagging the binder off the dock by Mir's feet.
'You know," Mir said lowly. "He got positively giddy when he saw you."
'Hyuk's my best friend," Donghae said absently as he flipped through the binder to the right unit.
"And your his," Mir agreed. "But please, I'll kiss Shindong smack on the lips if there's really nothing going on between you two." He grimaced to illustrate just how unappealing that sounded.
Donghae pursed his lips and looked around for a pen. He spied Hyukjae's pants lying discarded on the dock and bent down, rifling through the pockets.
"Like right now," Mir said conversationally, staring over by the stairs. "He's checking out your ass."
Donghae, who had been smiling in satisfaction as his hands grasped a sharpie, gasped and whirled around at Mir's casual declaration. "What?!" He exclaimed, turning to face the stairs. Hyukjae was looking at him, but upon making eye contact quickly looked at the camper in front of him and struck up conversation.
"So pathetic," Mir scoffed. "It's obvious he wants you." Donghae fiddled with the pen.
"I um...need to go mark levels," he said, eyes alternating between staring at the binder in his hands and over at Hyukjae bouncing on his feet.
"Just kiss him," Mir advised as a parting shot. "Just, you know, not in front of the campers."
"Hush," Donghae said as he walked away. But he couldn't stop the blush from forming on his face.
*
“Free, free!” Mir exclaimed, practically prancing around the staff room. Donghae grinned from his crammed seat in the corner of one dusty orange couch. Hyukjae came in shortly behind Mir, eyes finding Donghae quickly and making his way over through the crowd of scattered counselors.
“Only a short break,” he said as a greeting and Donghae grinned, throwing his arms open in invitation. Hyukjae’s eyes squinted happily and he turned around, collapsing bonelessly against Donghae. The brunette huffed as Hyukjae forced the wind from his lungs.
“God Hyuk,” he wheezed into his back, “you could have tried to murder me a litter nicer.” Hyukjae’s body moved as he laughed against Donghae’s chest.
“Baby,” he chided, tilting his head back to rest snugly in the crook of Donghae’s neck. Curls of hair tickled at his cheek and he puffed in Donhae’s ear playfully. Donghae shook his head, feeling slightly like a mangy dog, but was quick to twine his arms around the lifeguard’s thin waist. He reflexively curled his fingertips into the thin tee covering the other’s stomach.
“Jungsu’s going into town to buy us ice cream,” Seungho announced happily to the lingering counselors, emerging from the kitchen for a rare occasion. “We’ve been promised a movie night in the dining hall.”
“Sweet,” Yesung said, body splayed out in a large chair. “We sleeping in there, then?”
“Why not?” Ryeowook said, perching on the edge of Yesung’s chair. “We can push all the tables together to make a giant sleeping platform.”
“I’ll start stealing mattresses from the Bruin unit,” Donghae volunteered from underneath Hyukjae.
“Guess that means I have to go, too,” Hyukjae grinned.
“Obviously,” Doojoon said from the wall, smirking while digging through his large tub. He tugged out his sweatshirt and pulled it on, eyes catching Hyukjae’s as his head popped out the top. They had a wordless exchange for a brief moment before Hyukjae rose to his feet, whirling around and offering a hand to help Donghae up immediately. Donghae grabbed it without hesitation, letting Hyukjae tug him from his relaxed seat.
“Let’s go,” Donghae said happily, hand still grasping Hyukjae’s steadily and tugging him out of the break room.
Hyukjae let himself be pulled out the staff room and through the dining hall, only matching Donghae’s pace once they breached the gravel path leading towards the bruin unit. They walked hand-in-hand, swinging casually along the path in an unusual silence. Donghae, too lost in his thoughts, failed to notice Hyukjae’s silence. He ran his thumb lightly against Hyukjae’s palm, considering. Hyukjae took in an audible breath, almost to speak, before he fell silent again, eyes fixed on their clasped hands.
It was a short walk to the unit, and immediately Donghae walked up the small ramp into the first cabin. Hyukjae filed in behind him and the screen door latched closed. The cabin was small, five beds along both walls with an identical door on the other end. A deep green tarp covered the door, offering a semblance of privacy for when the campers changed clothes. Now it cast the cabin into darkness from the fading light outside. Hyukjae watched Donghae walk across the room, shoes tromping loudly against the floor as he came to the end of the far mattress. He bent over to pick up the corners, calling “Hyuk you get that side of mattresses and between the two of us we can pile them up and lug them back in one go.” Hyukjae remained silent, and Donghae clicked his teeth and twisted his head up to look at his friend. Hyukjae stood there awkwardly, gazing steadily at Donghae’s ears.
“Hae,” he said abruptly, and fell silent. Donghae looked at him, hands still grasping the edges of the mattress all ready to pull it up.
“What?” Donghae asked innocently, head cocked curiously at Hyukjae’s still posture, hands clenched at his sides. His brow furrowed. He let go of the corners of the mattress and stood up, catching the mood lingering in the room. “Hyuk, are you okay?”
Hyukjae licked his lips nervously, still on the far end of the cabin. His hands spasmed before tightening again. “I-" he started, tongue darting out to moisten his upper lip again.
“Hyukjae, what’s wrong?” Donghae asked, taking two steps towards his best friend. Hyukjae looked ready to bolt, oddly vulnerable in the baggy sweatshirt Donghae had given him.
“Hae, I,” Hyukjae’s breath was wavering. His eyes welled up and Donghae practically flew to Hyukjae’s side, enfolding him in his arms.
“Hyukjae what the heck’s going on? Are you okay?” Donghae asked urgently, pushing his best friend’s thin body tightly against his own. To keep him so close that osmosis would simply transfer the reason for Hyukjae’s sudden freak-out into his own brain.
Hyukjae’s own arms came up around Donghae, fingers curling at the nap of his neck. They stood still for a while; Hyukjae’s breathing settling into an even cadence with Donghae’s. The frogs began croaking with sunset, a quiet din growing with the dimming sky. In the distance Donghae could hear Shindong yelling playfully with Mir in the meadow. Hyukjae’s board-stiff body began to sag in his arms, and Donghae broached the subject again.
“What’s wrong, Hyukkie?” he asked, eyes crossed and fixed on his best friend’s back. Hyukjae took a deep breath, released. He pushed back a little, not breaking the protective hold Donghae had around his waist. It was enough to be able to meet Donghae’s concerned expression. Donghae’s pupils moved to take in Hyukjae’s dry eyes, his red face. Hyukjae let himself be examined and moved his arms from their purchase around Donghae’s neck to the curves of his arms.
“Donghae…” He began, fingers absently curling into the thick material of Donghae’s sweater. He stopped, swallowed reflexively, and suddenly threw himself forwards, pushing his lips quickly against Donghae’s own.
Donghae blinked and it was over. Hyukjae pushed back almost violently from his body and slammed the screen door open, running down the ramp and back towards the dining hall. Donghae’s lips tingled but was nothing compared to the pounding of his heart breaking his ribs from inside.
*
Donghae didn’t want to give Hyukjae even a second to doubt anything, but by the time he gathered his wits and rushed back to the staff room, Hyukjae was long gone into town with Jungsu to buy ice cream and only Doojoon’s pitying look greeted him from the couch.
“Crap,” Donghae exhaled and collapsed into the couch across from the other lifeguard. He put his head in his hands, tugging furiously at his hair from the pathetic situation he found himself in.
“Ran away?” Doojoon guessed. Donghae moaned. “Well,” Doojoon said easily, “that wasn’t more than I expected I guess. Kinda thought you’d move fast enough to catch him, though.”
“He was like a race house fresh out the gate,” Donghae whined into his hands. The couch felt hard and irritating against his body. He needed Hyukjae to make him feel better. He needed Hyukjae to calm him down from the fit he was working himself into. It was his fault, anyway.
“Look,” Doojoon said, obviously eager to impart wisdom, “Since it’s obvious you like him back, why are you freaking out? He’s got to come back, and when he does you just grab him and kiss him into submission. Problem solved.”
“It’s the waiting,” Donghae exclaimed, looking at Doojoon’s face. “What if he didn’t like kissing me?”
“What, for the one-point-two seconds he actually touched your mouth?” Doojoon raised an eyebrow.
“Kissed? Mouth? What?” Ryeowook pushed the creaking staff-door open and eyed Doojoon and Donghae interestedly. His mouth twitched as he caught Donghae’s upset expression and slumped posture. “Ah, Hyukjae kissed you and ran away, did he?”
“How can everyone tell?” Donghae asked exasperatedly, flinging his arms up and tucking his legs up against his chest. He curled into himself protectively.
“It’s obvious,” Ryeowook said lightly, walking towards his Tupperware and pulling out a box of Oreos. He offered one to Doojoon in the chair nearby and he took it with a wordless smile. He walked across the room to stand in front of Donghae and held the box temptingly in front of him, waving it slightly to catch the other’s eye. Donghae pouted, looking at the box for a moment.
“I’m too upset to eat,” he said after a quick deliberation.
“No you aren’t,” Ryeowook coaxed, pulling out a cookie and holding it up to Donghae’s nose. Donghae looked at the cookie, uncurled his body and took the cookie gently from Ryeowook’s hand.
“Thanks,” he mumbled into the treat. He took a bite and chewed slowly, eyes fixed on the floor.
“Oh, Hae,” Ryeowook said fondly, ruffling the other’s hair, “when Hyukjae comes back you can fix it all up quickly and be just as inseparable as before.”
Donghae took a bite of his cookie and felt a little better. After all, both Doojoon and Wookie said it’d be alright. Why wouldn’t it, after all?
An hour later and Donghae hadn’t moved from his spot on the couch. He was waiting, getting well wishes from all the other counselors. News spread like lightening in camp, so Donghae wasn’t surprised that his business was out for the world to hear. Junhyung told him to write a song while he was waiting, Kangin stopped by and told him to be a man about it, Hyunseung told him to not mess it up…everyone imparted some kind of advice for him. But what it came down to was Donghae just really wanted Hyukjae to come back so he could kiss him properly.
An engine came down the hill and Donghae’s heart picked up anxiously as the sound cut and doors slammed, soft voices coming closer to the staff room. Donghae sprang from his seat, standing uncertainly in the room. Mir came in first, saw Donghae and grinned. His hands were full of ice cream and he said nothing as he walked through the staff room and into the dining hall beyond. Hyukjae came in after, eyes downcast and biting his lip nervously. He stumbled to a stop at the threshold, seeing Donghae’s feet in the corner of his vision.
Donghae cleared his throat. “Hyuk,” he began. Hyukjae started walking again, eyes still glued to the ground and he made to walk into the dining hall. Donghae practically flew to his side, blocking Hyukjae’s way.
“Hyuk, look at me,” Donghae practically ordered. Hyukjae hesitantly lifted his gaze, red-eyes looking nervously though his fringe. “Hyukkie,” Donghae said affectionately at the evidence of Hyukjae’s tears. “Don’t ever run away from me again, okay?”
Hyukjae blinked. “But I-" he began. Donghae dipped his head, pressing his lips softly against his best friend like he’d wanted to for ages. Hyukjae gasped against his mouth, feet shuffling forwards until their toes bumped. Donghae pressed closer, arms twining around Hyukjae’s back and shoving their chests together, head angling to the side to avoid crashing noses. Hyukjae whimpered into his mouth and parted his lips, tongue brushing lightly against Donghae’s bottom lip before pulling back. His arms had somehow found their way to cling onto Donghae’s arms and he looked at them curiously before looking back into Donghae’s soft gaze.
“You idiot,” Donghae said fondly, bumping their noses together affectionately. “How can I tell you I like you when you just leave like that? You can’t be the only one to dictate this relationship.”
Hyukjae’s face broke into a grin. “I’m sorry,” he said, sniffing as he fought from crying again. “You know how I get when I’m uncomfortable.”
“You turn into a crybaby?” Donghae teased.
“Shuttup,” Hyukjae said. Where he’d normally swat Donghae on the arm he chose instead to lean forward and peck him on the lips. Donghae grinned against his mouth.
“Can I please kiss you forever?” He said fondly, moving against Hyukjae’s mouth.
“Then how’d we get anything done?” Hyukjae asked, tongue flicking against Donghae’s lips.
“I’d say this is getting something done,” Donghae argued, tilting his chin up to press a kiss to Hyukjae’s forehead.
Hyukjae scrunched his nose and tucked his head into Donghae’s neck. “We’re going to be unbearable now, aren’t we?” Hyukjae asked rhetorically.
“Undoubtedly,” Donghae agreed lightly. “I’m excited.”
*
A.N: So I'm really excited about this story. The camp is real, and I've set up a whole universe to include the other characters I've mentioned. I've started my dooseung fic already and I hope to make it it's own mini-world series...but we'll see ^