บท 29: Camping Trip 2

'Finally! I'm so sweaty!' Wonho takes off his shirt and pants before jumping in the water, a spot far enough from the others. Behind him, Junjie is laughing and does the same thing, jumping in with a splash. His friend rushes towards him and carries him on his shoulder before throwing him back in, making Wonho scream in frustration. 'YAAH MONKEY-FACE!'

They both decide to bath separately from the group because Wonho doesn't want the others to see the disgusting scar on his neck despite it now being barely visible; and being naked in front of all the alphas is not an idea he appreciates. He is really thankful that Junjie agreed to accompany him because it is almost dark, and the wood is starting to look scary.

Lying on the rocks and enjoying the flow of water against his skin, he feels Junjie tracing his hand over his scar. 'Stop. Don't…'

Junjie sighs as a response and leans back onto the rocks, both of them staring at the sky. There is a silence that Wonho dreads because he knows where this is heading. 'I should've claimed you the moment you presented.'

'Shut up. As if I would let you.' There is another sigh and Wonho continues before the other would have the chance to, 'Besides, a beta claim wouldn't change anything.'

'I wish I am an alpha…'

'Then I would hate you for life.' Wonho punches Junjie lightly and the man smiles sadly back. He knows that his best friend still holds some feelings for him, but it is already over for them. They both want their own family with their own children and being betas, that can only be realized by marrying a woman or an omega. And Wonho had accepted that fact when he started seeing other people while Junjie sleeps around. His sudden present as an omega is unfortunate but it will not change his feelings about their current relationship.

He is comfortable being Wonho, Junjie's best friend.

'Wono-yah, just don't forget your promise.' Wonho nods weakly and splashes some water to lighten the mood. To which Junjie responds by lifting him for the umpteenth time.

Once his bond is weak enough to the point of breaking, he will start to wear his neck protector. That, in exchange for Junjie allowing him to use suppressant during the trip, and for his best friend to start trying to move on for good.

#####

Minwoo sighs for the tenth time this morning. He is in charge of the middle of the line but the other two decided they want to be one of the first few to reach the top and raced towards the front. And now Minwoo is stuck helping other people climb in between the steep rocks. So much for him wanting to spend the day with Wonho.

'Yay, we made it!!' One of the girls screams and he looks over, smiling at the beautiful view of the top. He had to slow down his pace to accompany one of the members who hurt her leg, so he has yet to reach the summit, but the view from where he is, is mesmerizing enough.

'We'll spend an hour here for pictures and lunch, then we'll head back down.' The leader announces and Minwoo walks around to find a good spot to lay down. The air is so refreshing he just wants to inhale everything, as weird as that sounds.

'Minwoo-sshi, food.' He hears that sweet deep voice and glances up at the man staring down at him. With the sky right above, he looks like a real angel. A handsome angel.

'You want food?' Minwoo asks and Wonho chuckles gleefully before shoving a packet to him. His smiling face is really adorable. 'For me?'

'It's yours. You bought them.'

'Owh.' Minwoo thanks him before taking a bite.

'I brought some more if you want. There's also the tea you bought.' Wonho was about to turn back to Junjie before Minwoo grabs his hand lightly.

'You wanna eat here? Over there's too crowded. You can see the ocean from here.' He points in front of him and Wonho looks over.

'Wow you're right.' The man leans back and takes a deep breath, smiling widely at the scene before him, just like Minwoo is enjoying staring at him. Right before the alpha could say anything though, Wonho gets up again. 'Lemme get my bag and Jun.'

Minwoo nods and sighs for the eleventh time. At least he will be having lunch with Wonho.

#####

Minwoo cannot take it anymore and decides to be bolder in his attacks. Since they are already back at their camp, and Junjie is finally gone, leaving Wonho alone, this is basically his last chance to be with the man before their return to campus tomorrow morning. And fortunately for him, Wonho is heading inside the woods alone, probably to find few more woods for tonight.

'How far are you going?' He finally speaks after stealthily following Wonho for a few minutes. He can no longer hear the voices of the other members, indicating just how far they are. He notices Wonho staring back at him, shocked at the fact that someone is actually following him, and Minwoo apologizes in return.

'Aren't you here to collect more woods? Why are we this far?'

'... I just wanna be alone…' Wonho backs a few steps back and stares at Minwoo, face suspicious.

'Owh shit. Sorry. I thought you… never mind. This is weird.' Minwoo looks down, embarrassed for his bad timing, and looks back towards the direction of the camp, thinking hard of what to say to escape this awkward situation. 'It's not good to walk this far alone though. What if you get lost?'

'I'll be fine. Just follow the river back…'

'Owh… yeah. Right. You sure know a lot about these stuffs.'

'It's basic knowledge…'

Minwoo nods weakly, his eyes wandering around. He messed up so he might as well just leave. 'I should leave you alone then.'

Wonho gives him a smile and nods but he keeps standing still. Minwoo takes that as a sign that he should leave and never return, and was about to do just that, 'But you might get mauled by a bear.' He turns and faces Wonho again.

'There's no bears here, Minwoo-sshi.'

'Or other wild animals.'

'I don't think so…'

'Rabbits attack people too.'

'Minwoo-sshi…'

'Minwoo. Just Minwoo.' He dares to look at the other whose face seems tired. 'I don't wanna leave you alone.'

He holds his breath as Wonho inhales deeply and sighs. 'Look, I'm not a very social person and I'm not good with strangers so…'

'Are we strangers?'

'No…'

'Can't I just be with you right now? You said you are bad with directions. What if you get lost and couldn't find the river? I don't like the idea of leaving you alone in this place. I'll be quiet.' He persists without taking any breath and keeps his eyes locked with Wonho, daring him to reject his offer again.

Wonho shakes his head and groans, smiling at the ridiculousness of the situation. All he wanted was to take a quick dip in the water, but he should have waited for Junjie after all. Giving up, he replies, 'You said you are bad at directions too…' He chuckles, 'and I doubt you'll be quiet but okay…'

Minwoo grins and runs beside Wonho, 'So where were you going?'

Wonho thinks for a bit. He won't be taking a bath, that is a given. He might as well explore the ground, since Minwoo is there with him. 'I am thinking of going to the other side of the river. There's a shallow part right around here so we can cross.'

'Nice.'

It was only nice for a few minutes. That was, until Wonho slipped and sprained his ankle while crossing the river. Minwoo went into full panic mode and jumped inside, drenching his pants while carrying Wonho out. He checked on the leg, tore a bit of his shirt, shocking the patient in the process, and proceeded with wrapping the injured ankle.

Wonho can only laugh at the absurd situation. 'All that hiking, and I sprained myself trying to cross a shallow river.'

'It's cause you didn't have any energy.'

'Are you gonna feed me again?'

'Aren't you glad I'm here?' Minwoo smirks and Wonho snorts at that confidence. If it wasn't for him, Wonho wouldn't be crossing the river in the first place. But since it had come to this, yes, he is glad the man is here to give him a first aid care. Even though he can just walk back to the camp while limping anyway.

'Welp, we should head back now.' Minwoo crouches in front of him, offering his back but Wonho walks past him albeit with difficulty. They are still not close enough for him to be doing that and he doesn't want to bother the other. 'Aren't you getting on? You're walking strange.'

'I can walk just fine.'

'Look, I have cooking duty so we don't really have much time. So…'

'You go ahead. I'll meet you later.' Wonho replies, still trying his best to walk with the wrapped leg. Junjie is going to be so pissed when he sees it and Wonho does not want to reveal that he tried to go swimming by himself. Telling the truth may send Junjie all berserk towards Minwoo too. Wonho needs time to think about a good excuse to avoid any possible conflict.

'Whoops. Not leaving you.' Minwoo grabs the injured man and carries him bridal style, clenching his teeth at the pain he feels when Wonho punches him. The guy may look weak, but his punches are hard. It feels as if he is hit by bricks.

But, no pain, no gain.

And gain he did, seeing that shocked look on Junjie's stupid face when they returned to camp.