𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮 ♡

12

Mingyu was hunched over the table, his head buried in his hands as he tried to ignore the pounding headache. The night before had been wild, far wilder than he had anticipated, and he wasn't sure if he was ready to face the camera just yet. His swollen eyes didn't leave him with any other option other than to hide it with glasses.

He heard someone approaching him, the sound of footsteps drew closer and he slowly lifted his head to see Joshua, looking just as hungover as he was. It'd have made sense only if he hadn't had chugged down 12 more glasses than his hyung. He was good at taking in the alcohol but he knows that it's not the case for his petite hyung. Just a few sip was enough to turn the boy's face bright red. A small smile tugged at his lips as Joshua stumbled over to him, collapsing onto the nearest stool with a groan.

"Can you save me, dude?" Joshua asked, his voice rough and scratchy as he looked up at Mingyu with pleading eyes. "I feel like death." Mingyu couldn't help but chuckle as he got to his feet, shuffling over to the pantry to grab a few packets of instant ramen. "Can't say no to a hyung in need," he replied as he filled a pot with water, setting it on the stove to boil. 

As he waited for the ramen to cook, he heard another set of footsteps approaching and turned to see Wonwoo walking into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes groggily. "Morning, guys," he muttered, a small smile on his lips as he eyed the pot of ramen."Why are you wearing glasses?" Wonwoo squinted his eyes, pointing to the shades he was wearing. "Did you get in a fight?"

Mingyu scowled, shaking his head as he ladled the cooked ramen into three bowls. "No, I just got hit by a rogue volleyball at the beach yesterday," he replied, still feeling slightly embarrassed. Joshua snickered, poking at his bowl of ramen as he took a sip of the broth. "You look pretty badass with your battle wounds, Mingyu," he teased, grinning widely. "Now spill the truth"

"It's embarrassing hyung" Mingyu leaned closer to the two and whispered softly. "Carats will love you no matter what, Mingyu" Joshua gave him a sweet smile. He was always too into teasing Mingyu and making him do random stuffs. Wonwoo also joined shua and said that carats would want to know the exact reason.

"My eyes are badly swollen" Mingyu sighed. "Really?" Joshua titled his head to face Mingyu. Mingyu removed his shades and Joshua gasped. "No, put it back on. It's really swollen" he teasingly said to the younger male. "I can't see any difference" Wonwoo pointed out. "It's because you never take any interest in him" Joshua replied. "Hyung is right" Mingyu confirmed and both of them bursted out in laughter.

As they were busy laughing off at the silly jokes they threw at each other, Joshua noticed Jeonghan pass by the kitchen, his eyes fixed firmly on the ground as he walked past them without a single glance. Joshua frowned, watching him closely before turning to Mingyu with a puzzled expression. "What's up with Jeonghan lately? He seems really distant." Mingyu asked Joshua as he too found his behaviour weird.

Wonwoo shrugged, finishing off his ramen before getting up to rinse his bowl in the sink. "I don't know, maybe he's just stressed," he replied, trying to hide the slight unease in his gut as he remembered Jeonghan's intense gaze earlier. "Let's just try to make the most of our last day here, okay?"

And so they did, spending the day hiking through the lush forests surrounding them and just enjoying each other's company. Even Jeonghan seemed to be in higher spirits, laughing and joking with the others as they cooked dinner over an open fire. Being with the members was healing, almost therapeutic.

But that doesn't mean that Jeonghan was not panicking at the way Joshua's eyes always found his. Joshua would always linger around him and he couldn't even act differently around the camera so the only option he had was Seungcheol. He followed Seungcheol everywhere he went, sticking to him and clinging on him everytime Joshua came a little closer to him.

He just didn't have the courage to face the younger male. He must've  been overthinking it but he felt as if him being with Seungcheol hurt shua. He brushed it off as nothing but the uneasy feeling is there, just not at the surface.

As they sat around the fire, their stomachs full and their spirits high, dino let out a satisfied sigh. "I can't believe it is already the last day" He said followed by the member's reluctant nod. "I had so much fun here. We got to learn more about our members and spend some time with each other"

"We are so busy these days that we rarely get to do these things. I'm honestly so thankful to "In the soop" for giving us this opportunity" Woozi said, his eyes wandering around the members. "Dino, This will go down in history right?" A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he watched the youngest one's reaction.

"Let's go down in history hyung" The maknae is ready to indulge whatever joke his brothers make– just for today. Everyone's happy laughters was the only thing heard besides the sound of the river.

"Make the ending comment maknae-ya" Seungcheol exclaimed excitedly followed by other members agreement. "Should I?" Dino tugged his sleeves, mirth visible in his eyes. "Let me show you how it's done." Everyone cheered for him, almost as if he just won a world cup.

"Thank you so much for inviting us. We are always free if you want us to join again. We can make it even better the next time. We honestly had such a good time here, I really want to come here again" His hyungs were looking at the maknae with so much admiration in their eyes. Anyone would be proud to see their baby brother grow up so well.

As the cameras were off and the staffs their stuffs and left, Seventeen decided to stay there a little longer. It was their last night there anyways and it's better when spent together.

Joshua leaned in closer to Jeonghan, his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to work up the courage to speak. "Hey, Jeonghan...can I talk to you for a second?"

The other members watched in stunned silence as Jeonghan's eyes widened and his gaze wandered everywhere but not on the doe-eyed boy. He felt his heart stiffen, tears springing to his eyes. "Joshua, I..." he trailed off, at a loss for words as he looked down at their intertwined fingers. "Guys I have a headache, I'll return first" He muttered out and ran away, just like how he always does.

Afterall, running away is his most preferred solution to any problems.

"What was that?" Seokmin locked his eyes with Joshua, thrown off by whatever that just happened. "Don't worry, I'll go check on him" was the last thing Seungcheol said before following after Jeonghan.

Joshua felt like an outsider once again.

Does he really not deserve to be with him? Maybe he never liked Joshua and it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Jeonghan always had Seungcheol. Obviously, he would not need Joshua. He is nothing when it comes to the bond Jeonghan had with Seungcheol.