prologue: kiss; part one: jealous; part two: best friend; part three: egghead; word count: 1,713

Kyungsoo stood outside his tent, running a towel through his hair. His mind was racing, and his face turned bright red every time he thought of Chanyeol. Did he really do that? Or was that all just my imagination? Did that really happen?

"Yah, Kyung?" His thoughts were interrupted by Chanyeol peeking his head out of the tent. "Are you done with that towel?"

"Uh, yeah. Why? Do you need it?"

"If you wouldn't mind sharing of course" Chanyeol laughed.

"Of course not. Here." Kyungsoo ran his hands through his hair. Dry enough, he thought, handing the towel to Chanyeol. "Here."

"Thanks!" Chanyeol grinned cheerfully, running the towel through his own hair.

Why is he acting so casual? He's acting like he didn't just kiss me out on that dock. He's acting like absolutely nothing happened. Maybe I really did just imagine it all. Kyungsoo's mind continued to race with several questions and other wonderings. That was of course, until his train of thought was once again interrupted by Chanyeol's voice finding its way onto the track.

"Yah, Kyung?"

"Hmm?"

"About what happened on the dock earlier…"

"What about it?"

"Well, I'm sure you're looking for an explanation."

"I guess." Yes. Yes I am.

"Well you see, the thing is..."

"Hmm?" The thing is what? What is the thing?

"I honestly don't know how to put it into words."

"Oh?" Chanyeol, stop beating around the bush. Tell me.

"Kyungsoo, I'm in love with you. I have been for quite some time now. I've been trying to figure out how to tell you, but I always get so tongue tied. Remember back in university, when I always used to wait outside your classroom for you after lectures? Or when I used to save a seat for you in the cafeteria?"

Kyungsoo nodded.

"I guess… those were my subtle ways of showing affection. I didn't feel like I was very good at articulating my feelings then, and I guess I'm not that much better at it now. But, Kyungsoo I've been desperately in love with you for years. I guess part of me didn't want to say anything because you were pretty reserved when it came to love. Until you told me about that whole weird thing between you and your sister, I thought you honestly had no desire to fall in love. And I mean, that would've been okay and I would've gotten over it eventually but I mean, I think that kiss on the dock was just my way of—"

"Trying to save me."

"Huh?"

"All these years, I've been fighting with my own feelings. Every year, I would discover them more and more. The fact that I had feelings for my sister used to keep me up on countless nights. Every year, I would slowly begin to feel like I was just getting crazier and crazier. But there was always something, or maybe someone, that pulled me back towards some sense of sanity. That night, after the chicken fight, when I was sitting there in the tent with you I felt… safe."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know exactly. I think what I'm trying to say is… I love you too, Chanyeol."

"Y-you do?"

"Yes. You're a safe place. If I was crazy, you'd be my asylum."

"Retreat, Kyung. It's called a retreat." Chanyeol corrected.

"I know, I just wanted you to correct me."

"Why?" Chanyeol laughed.

"Because, you always laugh when you correct me. And I like it when you laugh, I think it's cute. I also like it when you call me shorty. But only you and no one else."

"Why only me?"

"Because, only my boyfriend can call me dorky nicknames like shorty. Or egghead." Kyungsoo laughed.

"What?"

"Remember? When we were roommates back in university? Whenever I walked in the room you'd always ask, 'hey egghead, what's crackin'?' You said it was because my haircut made me look like an egg." Kyungsoo laughed.

"Of course I remember that, egghead." Chanyeol softly flicked Kyungsoo's forehead. "But… the part before that…"

"Oh what? Shorty? Well I mean, that one's pretty obvious isn't it?" Kyungsoo laughed. "I'm short, duh."

"No no, not that either."

"Then which part do you mean?" I know perfectly well which part you mean, I just want you to say it.

"You called me your…"

"Boyfriend?"

Chanyeol nodded. "Yeah, boyfriend…"

"Mhmm. What about it?"

"Kyung, I'm not…"

"Well, you could be."

"What do you mean?"

"What do you think I mean, Yeol?"

"Kyung, are you asking me..?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Are you saying yes?"

"I…" Chanyeol's face was bright red, and he stared wide-eyed at Kyungsoo. Clearly, he was trying very hard to formulate something to say, but the words just wouldn't come out the way he wanted.

Haesoo and Jongin peeked out at the scene from the small mesh window of their tent.

"Told you so!" Jongin exclaimed, sticking his tongue out childishly.

"Hush!" Haesoo whispered, putting her hand over Jongin's mouth before peeking back out the mesh window to make sure that her brother and Chanyeol hadn't heard Jongin's exclamation. Jongin smirked mischievously and licked Haesoo's hand, causing her to shriek and quickly remove it from his mouth.

"Yuck! Jongin!"

"Hush!" Jongin stuck out his tongue as he mimicked Haesoo. Haesoo furrowed her brow as she lightly smacked the back of her boyfriend's head.

"Oh just shut up will you?" she sighed, rolling her eyes. "This was all your idea and you're not even paying attention!"

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol sat outside their own tent, both waiting for the other to speak. Their attention was diverted from each other's faces for only a moment when they heard Haesoo shriek.

"Jongin probably licked her hand again" Kyungsoo laughed.

"Again? You mean that's something he does often?" Chanyeol raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, she usually tries to make him shut up by putting her hand over his mouth, and he usually licks it. They're weird like that."

"We're pretty weird too, you know."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"Well for starters, I call you egghead."

"And I think about calling you elf ears sometimes. What's your point?"

"Elf ears?" Chanyeol whined. Kyungsoo nodded and softly tugged on Chanyeol's ears.

"I mean, they are pretty big." He laughed, letting go of Chanyeol's ears and taking his hand instead. "But what else have you got? What makes you think we're so weird?"

Chanyeol pondered the question for a moment, looking down at his and Kyungsoo's intertwined hands.

"You know, I thought I had a reason. But I guess not."

"Hmm, well" Kyungsoo tapped his chin in thought, and his tongue poked out of the side of his mouth as he tried to concentrate on finding something that made the two of them weird.

"Cute," Chanyeol grinned. "Your thinking face is so freaking cute."

"It is not!"

"Yeah it is egghead!"

Kyungsoo whined and playfully tackled Chanyeol to the ground. He felt his face heat up when his actions put them in a rather compromising position.

"Well hey there egghead" Chanyeol laughed, looking up into the eyes of the shorter male on top of him. Kyungsoo hid his bright red face in Chanyeol's chest.

"Shut up elf ears."

"Hey, you're the one who tackled me. Just saying." Chanyeol laughed as he ruffled Kyungsoo's hair. "So soft" he mumbled, burying his nose in the messy black mop on Kyungsoo's head. Kyungsoo wrapped his arms around Chanyeol's torso, comforted by the other's nose buried in his hair.

"You're so cozy" he smiled, cuddling up into the warmth of Chanyeol's body. Chanyeol's nose stayed buried in Kyungsoo's hair, which was still wet from the lake. They cuddled for only another moment, then suddenly Kyungsoo was lifted off the ground and being carried away in Chanyeol's arms.

"Yah! Where are we going elf ears?"

Chanyeol said nothing, but laughed as he carried Kyungsoo down to the edge of the lake.

"No no no! I just got dry!" Kyungsoo whined. "Chanyeol no!" But his whining proved futile, because soon they were both waist deep in water.

"Wanna race to the dock again?" Chanyeol beamed. His smile, in Kyungsoo's mind at least, flashed brighter than the sun.

"Fine, but only because I was gonna ask for a rematch later anyway! I'm definitely gonna win this time!"

"In your dreams shorty!" Chanyeol didn't even give a ready, set, go. He quickly began swimming ahead of Kyungsoo. "You'd better catch up if you intend to win, egghead!" he called over his shoulder. Kyungsoo scowled and began to swim as fast as his arms and legs could possibly carry him.

"No fair!" he shouted. "Your limbs are way longer than mine!"

"All's fair in love and war!" Chanyeol smirked, though he knew he shouldn't be getting too cocky; the gap between them was slowly closing. Soon, the two of them were neck and neck.

"I'm gonna win!" Kyungsoo grinned. He started gaining a slow lead, only a few inches ahead of Chanyeol. But that distance soon grew wider; and before he knew it, Kyungsoo had made it to the dock. "Ha ha ha!" He grinned in triumph when Chanyeol finally caught up. "I told you I'd win!"

"How do you know I didn't just let you win?"

"Because, you're too competitive to let yourself lose."

"Alright, you've got me there. You won fair and square. You're still an egghead though."

"And I embrace it" Kyungsoo grinned proudly.

"Come on egghead, get up here." Chanyeol climbed up on the dock and helped Kyungsoo up with him.

"Hey, Yeol?" Kyungsoo rested his head on Chanyeol's chest and Chanyeol's nose found its way back into the messy black mop of hair.

"Yes?"

"Remember when I said you could be my boyfriend? And you asked if that was me asking?"

"Mhmm."

"Well I was wondering…"

"Yes?"

"Park Chanyeol, or elf ears. Whichever you prefer. This is me asking. Will you be my boyfriend?"

Chanyeol picked his head up out of Kyungsoo's hair and flashed his soft, sunny smile. He cupped Kyungsoo's chin in his hand and kissed his lips softly and lovingly. As their lips parted, their foreheads stayed glued to each other. Chanyeol gave Kyungsoo a soft eskimo kiss as he looked him straight in the eye and said,

"Of course I will, egghead."