REWRITING!!!!!! PROMISE (Ateez/seongjoong fic)

Chapter 8: Treasure

Seonghwa had offered to help Hongjoong, and he hesitantly accepted. Seonghwa crawled out of the tent, and stuck his hand back in the tent to reach out for Hongjoong to help him up.

"What... are you doing?" Hongjoong asked, confused about why Seonghwa was leaving the tent.

"Helping you," Seonghwa replied, his smile shined in the light from the moon.

"Oh," Hongjoong misinterpreted what Seonghwa meant gravely.

Hongjoong took Seonghwa's hand and stood. He hadn't let go even after he was standing, and neither did Seonghwa. Instead, he adjusted his grip on the younger's hand to make holding it more comfortable, and began to walk.

"Where are we going?" Hongjoong questioned.

"You ask so many questions," Seonghwa chuckled back at him. He was practically dragging Hongjoong along through the brush.

☆

They walked for maybe 30 minutes, until they came back to the beach. The sand looked a more faded color in this lighting, but still glimmered beautifully under it.

they pulled off they're shoes, and sat at the edge of the water. Letting the cool waves dance over their toes, and soak the bottoms of their pants.

The water was cold but neither of them minded.

"I didn't really have a plan for what to do once we got out here. I just thought it would be better than staying at that stuffy camp," Seonghwa looked out in the horizon. Projecting his words clearly, now that they were out of earshot of the others as to not wake them.

"That's okay," Hongjoong said.

A few minutes passed and the silence persisted. The only sounds that could be heard were the breeze in the trees behind them, and the waves washing into the sand.

"Where do you think they are?" Hongjoong asked. He didn't mind the quiet. He basked in it, rather, but he knew that Seonghwa absolutely hated it. He hated the silent moments, and everything they implied.

"Who do you mean? Halateez?" he started, "Probably somewhere far away by now on our ship. Sleeping comfortably in actual beds. Waiting on us."

Hongjoong didn't say anything else. Just nodded his head. His grasp on Seonghwa's hand tightened.

Seonghwa drew the circles on the skin of the back of his hand, and sighed contentedly. He let his eyes flutter shut, and Hongjoong rested his head on his shoulder.

☆

They stayed there until the sun began to rise. Speaking about everything and nothing. Dozing in the sand. Laughing. Maybe even crying a little.

But they knew it was time for them to head back when the sun began to rear itself into the sky. They collected themselves, and slipped their shoes back on. Journeying all the way back to camp, and being relieved to find everyone was still asleep.

They changed into dry pants, and climbed back into their tent to sleep for longer. Before today, they had always gotten up early at the crack of dawn to search. Today they would rest. Like the first day on the island. Their first day in Wonderland. Their first day together.

☆

Hours past, and burning sun was high in the sky before the first of them woke up. It was, of course, Yeosang. He climbed out from his side of the tent after waking Jongho, and left to wake the others, too. When he had made his way to the smallest of the tents, he found Seonghwa and Hongjoong curled up in each others arms. He made the judgement to let them sleep in longer, because even through the noise of everyone else getting up they still managed to stay asleep, so he figured they really needed it.