HIGH TENTSION | L.TY ✔︎

six

Your eyes linger on your tattoo, a blue heron.

It was last year after camp when Yuta concluded your constant annoyance with Taeyong is because you were secretly in love with him but didn't want to accept it. Taeyong lives and goes to the same school as you but you still don't see him much because of your differences and the parties where you catch a glimpse of him, girls all over him and his embarrassed rejection of them, it pissed you off why you thought about so much when you have nothing to do with him. You mind your business, going about your regular school life, taking classes and passing with enough and enjoying the rest of the time goofing around with Yuta, whom you knew separately because your parents work together.

Taeyong is a nobody to you.

"Are you sure you won't go all kissy monster on him again?" Yuta laughs, driving up to the curb outside the weekend party house. Rolling your eyes, you get off his car and smile, "Of course, I don't want a tattoo on my precious skin. Especially one that has to do with him," you inform him, stretching your arms and grinning, "Now let's get this party started!"

We all know what happened because obviously, you know have a blue heron that represented Lee Taeyong etched on your skin the same way he was etched into your brain. Self-reliance and self-determination, that's what google said it represents but for you, it spells Taeyong in every stroke of its creation. Sighing, you take your hand down and stare at the top of the tent you set up with Hana and Skipper, who enter the tent with their hands full of snacks and you smile at them, "Some for me?" you bubble, trying to push away your personal feelings and sit up.

"We brought salted chips!" Hana cheers, placing a bowl of potato chips in the centre and you take a bite while saying, "Thank you,"

"I am sad tomorrow is the last day of camp," Skipper frowns and you awe, pulling her into your side, "You can come back next year," you comfort her, "I won't be here but the camp is always good,"

Hana gasps hearing your words and yells, "You're leaving?"

"Yeah, this is my last year," you explain, "I might move from here or else, I'll have to get a job during summer,"

"No way, you are the best group leader ever! I don't want a new one," she whines, hugging you and you chuckle, enjoying their flattery, "Oh please, there are better leaders. It'll be so much fun," you stress.

You knew you weren't leader material for one, you picked up your past leaders behaviours and guided your group but you weren't good at it. It would look good on your resume was your first thought when you applied for it. It was fun though, so you kept being a group leader and even took up being a counsellor. While it wasn't that much different, it was still the only time you will ever be one. You think the reason your house does well is that the girls are well adjusted and rely on themselves than on you for most of their needs. "It was fun being your group leader," you smile widely.

"We had fun too, watching you fight with Taeyong from Heron is always funny," Hana said, laughing to herself. "Remember when he gave you a flower with a bug on it? It was so smart," she shakes her shoulders while Skipper cringes, probably mirroring the expression you had on when you got the flower.

"That wasn't funny when it happened," you pout, Hana giggles and said, "I saw him crying after you yelled at him,"

"It was funny when Johnny dragged him away from the front of our cabin,"

"Why did he cry," you ask out loud and Skipper replies, "Maybe it was an accident. That it had bugs in it,"

Humming at her answer, you know that was probably it but you didn't give him the chance to explain before you shrieked and yelled I hate you. That probably hurt him for more reason than one now that you know he has liked you since forever. Thinking back to all the hate you gave him, you had to apologize for being this mean to him all this time even when he was trying to get on your good side by helping. It might've been pride that kept his actions under your nose all this time but it was definitely the affection he had for you that kept him going all this time because if it were you, you would've hated you and avoided you forever unlike him, still clinging onto this childhood crush.

When you think of it, it was a crush that only had three weeks every year to grow and then you went back to being strangers minus the occasional drunk kisses. How did it last this long? There is no possible reason.

Leaving the girls, you exit the tent and look around searching for the cause of all your inner turmoil as you sit in the dark. His stand-out baggy white tee catches your attention and you trudge towards him, keeping your eyes and you watch his shadows dance on the ground because you were too conscious to meet his gaze and you hesitate, "Um Taeyong," glancing at him, you flush as his full attention is on you.

"Yeah," he said, his tone exuding joy. "You called for me?"

"Let's talk," you state, you got nothing to lose anyway. All you had to do was make a move and leave yourself defenceless for once-the way he was with you despite the thorns he stabs every time he speaks to you.

The forest that surrounds Camp Blue Creek is beautiful under the night sky. A galaxy of stars that alight the heat of your body the way it did the blue skies above. The soft sound of trickling water down the creek soothes your racing heart, the feeling of your chest jumping out of your chest that curses you in the presence of Lee Taeyong, who follows you confusedly and you sigh, curious to know what he was thinking but well, you couldn't read him, you take his hand and pull him down the usual path to his creekside. This time, you take him to your spot.

You haven't been here at all this year because you were occupied by both him and Johnny this year.

"You know, I noticed you have a tattoo," Taeyong breaks the slice as you quietly sit on the grass beside the river, it was moist but oddly warm. "Is that a heron?" he teases, raising your wrist to inspect the tattoo and rubbing circles over it.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" you bite your lips, locking your eyes with his. "It's my house, of course, I'd know," he says in a matter of fact way. His cheeks flustered and you kind of could tell why.

"I am sorry," you gulp your nerves, intertwining your fingers together and looking far into the waters. "I am not angry anymore, well, I might be but not the same way as before."

Taeyong blinks, watching your fiddle with your hands and he moves closer in front of you, asking, "What is this about?"

"About you, about me?" you choke out, clearing your throat with a heavy sigh. You are tired of yourself. Rolling your eyes at yourself, you place your hands on your hips and stare into him. "About love, this is about love and well, you know what, I know bullshit about it but I know that you have put up with me because you're in love with me. Did I get that right?" you trail off, Taeyong nodding at your words and you continue.

"I kiss you at the parties because I can't stop thinking of you even when we don't see each other outside camp. Because I see you with so many girls." you said, pressing your lips into a thin line and Taeyong smirks, "I kind of could tell because you only ever do it to me,"

"Also, I honestly hate your guts. For whatever you did as a kid but man, I still feel the same because it was annoying back then, how much I liked you but denied it. Now too but that's not the point,"

You felt like your heart was going to explode, your face heating up and your body trembling, Taeyong casually taking your hands on his and you biting your tongue, tell yourself to keep going.

"I liked when you kissed after the rafting, and also when we almost made out at the creek. I am over the moon that I am your first love even though you were stupid then. I don't know how to feel about the sexual awakening but damn, I must've been hot then. I also-"

Taeyong calls your name in a shaky voice, making your voice crack as you stop speaking. "Do you love me how I love you is what I want to know right now because you are like, tempting me to kiss you," he sneers, pressing his forehead against yours and you nod, "I am not if this love but maybe, if thinking about you while I am eating, thinking about you when something annoys me when something makes me fluttered, maybe I do like you but I can't tell,"

"Then, I can guide you to love me. Outside camp, in the real world I think," he said, "I would really like to know you more,"

"You are welcome to but now, we leave this here because..."

"Because?" Taeyong echoes, blinking at you.

"I am grossed out that I am doing this with you," you said, frowning your lips and he giggled, rolling his eyes, "I knew something wasn't right and it was this, you hate me," he said, smiling eye to eye.

"Not anymore but it doesn't make it less cringe and gross,"