Like Night and Day

Human Mechanics

Games in order to build cooperation and team relations were suffocating, and the labor of attempting to keep up was a task Baekhyun had no enjoyment in doing. Everyone Baekhyun had spent his entire life trying to ignore and passively live with were crowded around him for the most part despite how many of the evening activities involved being separated into smaller groups. Luhan's presence was not enough to save him from the damnation of the camp, and while they were at the rock climbing station taking turns attempting to conquer the structure, Baekhyun saw Jongin rejoin the group and immediately knew that Kyungsoo was gone.

There was a benefit in playing the games that they played and that was physical exertion. Acting out his frustration and anxiety, Baekhyun managed to hike up the steep hills faster than the rest of his companions when they went hiking. He took no notice of the others as he kept to himself with every stomp. At times, he was even ahead of the guide himself and to be told to fall back.

Hiking wore out his energy, and it released some anger with the amount of work that the brunet had to put into it. The bugs and scrapes from the forest, however, pissed him off, but it was at the top that he finally collapsed. While the others pulled out their cameras and cellular devices, Baekhyun strayed from the group, moving to a less congested area and sitting down. He pulled his knees up against his chest and lowered his head, taking large intakes of breath as he closed his eyes.

He hated the feeling churning inside of him; a feeling of bitter isolation. Kyungsoo had left, clear in the way Baekhyun could no longer feel his presence anywhere. Just a few feet where he sat, a ledge existed and a grand view of the camp could be seen. There was some hope that lived that perhaps he'd be able to spot Kyungsoo in the distance somehow despite knowing how impossible that event would be.

Luhan was nowhere near him as the boy was placed into a second group with a different hiking route, so there was no companion that he could confide in beside his own self. Picking up his head, Baekhyun looked off with hooded eyes and rubbed his forehead, aching from a growing headache. All he wanted in that moment was to go home where he knew he should have been in the first place rather than up on that elevated hill. In his room were books to be read and music to be indulged in. It was a haven, but realistically just a fantasy to him then.

When he licked his lips, he finally realized how needy his body was of water and almost cursed himself for not carrying a water bottle as it had been advised prior to the beginning of the hike. Just when he was about to force himself to quell his desire for a drink, he felt someone take a seat right next to him and heard the snapping of a plastic water bottle follow after.

Looking over, he saw Chanyeol watching him as he drank from the water bottle. Unconsciously, his eyes moved to the bottle itself which prompted the giant to stop for a moment and offer it in the brunet's direction. "Want some?"

Snapping his eyes at the athlete, Baekhyun continued to frown in discontent. "No," he rebelliously denied, looking away.

Sighing, Chanyeol took the latter's hands and forced him to take it. "If it was still raining, I wouldn't be too worried. You could always just open your mouth and catch rain drops from the sky, but since it stopped pouring hours ago, it's a little more complicated now, so you can drink the rest of that. I don't mind."

"I mind," Baekhyun replied, looking at object in his hand. "Ever heard of germs?"

"Ever heard of waterfalling?"

Rolling his eyes at the giant's soft laughter, Baekhyun tilted his head back and closed his eyes before slowly pouring the water into his mouth. It was successful for the first few seconds until the water started to miss and begin to hit his nose. Coughing, he covered himself with his arm and held the water bottle back to its original owner who took it upon himself to pat the smaller one on his back.