࿔*:･ docks!

@❁┆ l. felix。ᵒᵗᵗᵉʳ Felix had disappeared so quickly it took him a moment to register he was actually supposed to be following him so at first he was a little ways behind, but the blue light ahead guided him easily through the currents that tried to push him back and he was silently thankful for all those years of swimming lessons and practically living in the water that gave him the strength and ability to maneuver himself through it - imagine talking like he'd make it only to have to pull out because it was too tough. Finally there was a moment to get some air, he broke the surface and inhaled a breath of air, hand lifting to rub through his hair as he looked at Felix with a cheeky grin, nodding his head eagerly, "Yeah I should be good. It's harder than I expected but I can manage it. It's gonna be worth it too," He took in as much air as he could while he could, his eyes on Felix's face that was only illuminated by the blue and green glowsticks floating between them and if they hadn't of been in a tiny pocket of space he might of given in to his urges again, but he was smarter than that and he knew now was not the time, "Alright. I'm good, lead the way."

@❀┆ k. taehyung。ˢⁱᵇᵉʳⁱᵃⁿ ᵗⁱᵍᵉʳ Awestruck by the sudden kiss, he pulled back a little eyes going over the man once before slipping under that water out of shyness, face heating up and lips tingling under the dark rock of waves as the swam to where the water hit the cave's wall. Of course, Taehyung would do the one thing to make him, lose his breath when they were supposed to be holding their breath. He gathered himself, taking a few deep breaths to calm his heart rate before taking a final breathe and dipping under water swimming into through the tunnel of the cave.

Felix knew the path almost innately, but underwater, the moon didn't react here. Everything was just darkness, pushing through the water, Felix dived deeper, checking behind him to see if Taehyung was keeping up. He was so that was good, he pushed harder arms cutting through the water, swerving around some old sunken debris, fighting the current that was swooping his legs to the side from under him. He swam up to the top of the cave knowing there would be a shallow pocket of air, big enough for them to pop their head above. So the otter signaled Taehyung to go up and led way, breaking the surface head first. Taking a breath of air. "We're almost there are, you good? The next part is a little tricky..."

@❁┆ l. felix。ᵒᵗᵗᵉʳ It was definitely obvious that Felix was made to be in the water, Taehyung was a pretty good swimmer though, just maybe not as good as Felix. He looked at the glow stick curiously but after hearing the thorough explanation he was receiving it definitely made sense why he was wearing this, and why Felix double checked if he was a good swimmer. This was not for weak swimmers, and the anticipation of the challenge vibrated through his veins as he watched the Omega continuing to explain, "Don't worry. I can handle this," He reassured Felix in a soft voice, the soft nuzzle against his nose sent a warmth through him and without even thinking he quickly pressed his lips to Felix's, "Mmh.. Nope.. I think I'm ready to go. I'll be right behind you, okay?"

@❀┆ k. taehyung。ˢⁱᵇᵉʳⁱᵃⁿ ᵗⁱᵍᵉʳ Felix swam over when Taehyung hit the water circling him with a grace and swiftness that showed he belonged in water. Cracking a glow stick between his teeth and a shaking it up, this time it was green, then putting it around taehyung’s neck on a string. “It’s so I don’t lose you. The moon doesn’t glow so much under water. Come over here. “ The otter swam to the cave entrance, water lapping leavinf almost a small gap through to the other side before swallowing it away. “It’s high tide, which I feel like shouldn’t affect lakes but just something about the moon pulls the waters up, so
we just gotta swim through this cave until the cave is high enough to the air again.” Felix grabbed on to a sharp rock jutting up from beneath the water, to keep balance, face now only being illuminated by the glow stick since they were in the cave. “I hope you’re as strong of a swimmer as you say you are, and maybe just as good at holding your breath because the current is going to try to push us out.” He swam over holding the tiger’s waist beneath the surface, raising his if you need air just wave your glow stick and I’ll blow it into your mouth, nuzzles your nose teasing but also serious. “Any questions?”

@❁┆ l. felix。ᵒᵗᵗᵉʳ His gaze turned up when Felix approached him, staring up at the other male almost dumbly while his finger ran along his throat before holding his chin, swallowing slowly before he bit back a small smile, "Hmmm might as well have some fun before you kill me, yeah. Plus, you promised me an adventure first." He blinked a few times when suddenly being asked to take his clothes but when the Omega took his own off and jumped off the edge it clicked why he was asked that, it didn't take long for him to discard everything, leaving his shorts on as well before stepping to the edge, stopping at the question he was asked before shooting a bright smile in Felix's direction, "Always." Was the only word he needed to stay before stepping off the side and dropping down into the water to resurface moments later, "I was expecting it to be colder, but this is nice.."

@❀┆ k. taehyung。ˢⁱᵇᵉʳⁱᵃⁿ ᵗⁱᵍᵉʳ Felix leaned back laughing covering his mouth with the hand that the tiger wasn’t holding. “Oh naur my plan is foiled,” He stood up walking over the the alpha, eyes lowered in a playfully seductive way as he ran a finger up his throat, stopping to hold his chin and keep the eye contact steady on this rocking boat. “You might as well see through, right?” Felix smiled devilish, eyes catching the light from the moon, stepping back to hook the boat onto a knob near the face of the cave so it wouldn’t float away, keeping the eye contact, “Take your clothes off.” The blonde waited for you, a slowly playful spreading across his features before he took off his clothes and shoes, leaving on just his shorts jumping off the boat, disappearing into the water in a swoosh of bubbles, a blue glow appearing and glow up to the top before he resurfaced treading the water. “We’ll come back for the other stuff. Do you trust me?”

@❁┆ l. felix。ᵒᵗᵗᵉʳ He nodded his head quickly, as with most lore type stories he'd expected it to be a tragic one. Once again while listening his gaze travelled this time to watch the island as it drew closer and closer until eventually his eyes were on Felix again, watching how easily he maneuvered the boat into where it needed to go before peering curiously into the dark cave beyond them, "Jesus.. so all of that because somebody got jealous and couldn't handle their own emotions. As usual," He tsked softly while shaking his head, "People need to learn how to take no for an answer, and none of us learned for tales like this neither," He let out a soft breathy chuckle before leaning across to pat Felix's hands gently, motioning toward the island with a soft nod of his head, "That cave is looking kinda ominous, you're taking me in there to kill me right?"

@❀┆ k. taehyung。ˢⁱᵇᵉʳⁱᵃⁿ ᵗⁱᵍᵉʳ "Ok ok ok, its a good one, but tragic" He chuckled, giddy with excitement, "Its said that every full moon, the Lord would sneak off to spend the night with his love, only going on the full moon to keep his movements a secret." Felix kept rowing, arms having been used to doing this from all the constant tour preparations that had been going on lately. The big chunk of rock that looked like it had been discarded into the lake by the gods, had a cave half full of water from what could be seen from the boat, and that's where Felix was rowing to as he continued his story, "But there was another in the village who wanted to claim the Lord as his lover after being denied numerous times, he followed the Lord to the island, and found that he was in love with another, the beast hybrid, and they were already with child. This pissed him the off for sure, " Felix stopped rowing and like the boat glide into the edge of the island-- right beside the entrance of the dark cave. "That night he alerted the priests in outrage and the next morning the villagers sent a mob to the island to see if his ramblings were true, finding the beast hybrid, pregnant with child and cuddled up with the Lord. They didn't listen to anything said by either of them and slaughtered the beast in a fit of rage, making the Lord watch for his deception. The Lord descended into despair and stayed on the island, howling in sadness. The following day it started raining for 29 days straight, flooding the entire village for their crimes. And now, this island, is known as Howler's Island for that reason." He folded his arms over his knees. "Sad story right?"

@❁┆ l. felix。ᵒᵗᵗᵉʳ His hand was ready to steady Felix if necessary but of course the otter had it all under control, as usual. His eyes shifted from the male in front of him to instead admire their surroundings, it was already so peaceful just being on the lake away from everything else - like his mind was cleared instantly. He didn't even bother to answer the first question, part of him already knowing that he was going to hear about the lore whether he agreed to or not, and he actually didn't know. While Felix was telling the story he allowed his gaze to continue wandering around, admiring the beauty of the star filled sky above them and the smoothness of the lake beneath them before finally letting it travel all the way back to the Omega in front of him; he had to bite his tongue to hold back a compliment that was threatening to tumble out, his lips tugging up into a smile again as he shook his head, "No I've never heard. Please continue I wanna know it all." He urged Felix on, this time holding his gaze as his eyes shone with interest.

@❀┆ k. taehyung。ˢⁱᵇᵉʳⁱᵃⁿ ᵗⁱᵍᵉʳ Felix had realized that the alpha was holding his hand for a while, but he kind of just left it there, amused and enamored by his smile-- he even heard the smile in his voice when he spoke. It wasn't as often that, Taehyung showed that he was flustered so catching it was, cute. Standing on the wobbly floor he kicked away from the dock aggressively dropping back in the boat, letting it slowly float away from the dock before grabbing the oars, and rowing backward, the water splashing making the few stars that made an appearance flicker on its surface, "You wanna know the lore about this island?" Felix's eyes crinkled into a smile, he was going to tell this story whether you liked it or not. "The island at the center of the lake used to be a home of this beast hybrid--they never really said what kind of beast--but he was actually cursed into that form and kept away from his beloved for fear he would reproduce more. And his beloved, was like this Lord of the village that lived in those woods. So very prestigious position he held. His family and the priests kept him away, and his love stayed there on the island and suffered alone.... or so they thought." He paused for suspense but also to check and make sure he was rowing the right direction. "Have you heard this story before?"

@❁┆ l. felix。ᵒᵗᵗᵉʳ He easily took the bags from you when you held them out, "of course it's okay - i love camping," He followed you along the docks until you found what you were looking for. The rowboat looked older and a little worn out, but at the same utterly adorable. He followed you instruction to slip his phone into the plastic pouch, making sure it was fully sealed shut before patting it and then refocusing on what you were doing and saying. Your energy was infectious and it just made him smile more and more, he hadn't even realised he'd just been staring at you until there was a moment of silence where he was supposed to of said something, "Oh." It took a moment but he'd definitely hurt you and he let out a soft noise of agreeance before taking your hand and carefully stepping over into the boat with you, "I usually love being surprised. Not bad surprises obviously, but.. Well I had a feeling this wasn't going to be a bad one. I also really love boats, and water. So I don't mind the journey at all. You can keep surprising me.. I liked this surprise a lot~" His hand was still holding onto yours and when he noticed it he let it go quickly, smiling sheepishly, motioning for you to go ahead and do what you needed to.

@❀┆ k. taehyung。ˢⁱᵇᵉʳⁱᵃⁿ ᵗⁱᵍᵉʳ "Yeah!" He was excited, easily letting you take the bags from him, looking up in question as they neared the pier, "Is that? Okay?" The old wooden boards creaked and groaned under their feet, the water glittering through the cracks of it. Felix's eyes roamed for the boat he was looking for; a red and blue rowboat with a 19 faded on the hull of it. He had seen it before on some night swims and had been drawn to it. "Aha~" He exclaimed, tossing his pack into the boat and instructing you to do the same. "Its a little bit of a journey to get there, but its worth it. I promise." From his jacket pocket he pulled out a lanyard with a zippable plastic pouch on it, putting it over Taehyung's neck. "This is for your phone, so you can swim with it and it won't get wet. Zip it up properly. I have lost my phone before doing it wrong haha." Carefully squatting, the otter climbed off the dock and into the boat, holding it steady and reaching his hand out for the other to climb in. "Do you like surprises or should I tell you a little more things? Me personally, I'm not fond of surprises, unless I feel... safe. What about you?" He said on the bench, tugging the boat free by the rope and coiling it up onto the floor, looking back up to catch the other's gaze.

@❁┆ l. felix。ᵒᵗᵗᵉʳ He genuinely had no idea what to expect when Felix had so suddenly asked him if he wanted to go on an adventure together - this kind of spontaneity was the kind he really loved so the excitement was definitely bubbling, excitement and curiosity. It didn't take him too long to change into something that he'd be able to swim in, as well as packing a small bag with a change of clothes in case he needed it, as well as his meds as requested and some water. He'd reached the docks first and was standing down the edge watching the skyline where the sun had just dropped down out of view and in the distance he heard the sound of singing, it brought a small smile to his lips as he turned to face the direction he'd heard Felix coming from. His brows raised when he saw all the supplies, quickly moving to walk over and help with the bags, a soft breathy chuckle leaving his laps, "Okay so we're camping?"

@❀┆ k. taehyung。ˢⁱᵇᵉʳⁱᵃⁿ ᵗⁱᵍᵉʳ Of course, the middle of the night was a perfect time to go on an adventure. Though, it hadn't been this dark when he first thought of the idea. It just had gotten dark when he asked. I was getting darker earlier and it just, slipped his mind. Oops. Felix looked around, carrying a flashlight as he went to the supply closet and picked up a couple of backpacks of survival things, and a tent, tossing one backpack over his shoulders and carrying the other like a duffle bag along with the tent. Then he stopped at the cafeteria for a little bit of foods to shove into the pack, making sure to include some apples as well, since that had been Taehyung's fixation as of lately, and marched down to the docks where Taehyung was supposed to be waiting. He started singing [ Butterflies by Michael Jackson] on the way down so that he wouldn't pop up and scare him as he neared the docks with their string of bauble lights lining the dock. Though, maybe an alpha was less worried than an omega like himself would be...

@❀┆ b. wooseok。 ᵇʳᵒʷⁿ ᵇᵉᵃʳ - inhales the fresh air, lifting my legs up and wrapping my arms around them, my head resting against my knees as I close my eyes -
I’m not sure about sleeping but I do know that this environment can be very healing to be inside of. That’s why I asked to come to the camp. For this..
- gestures with an arm at the water and sky above -

@❁┆ a. seongmin。 ᵈᵒʳᵐᵒᵘˢᵉ Really? Then I’m glad that you don’t mind meeting me here.
-glances over to you as you make yourself comfortable a short distance away from me-
-I return my gaze to the moonlit water whilst taking a moment to think-
Yeah, I’m alright. Deep thoughts were definitely had, but nothing you need to worry about. It’s also nice and quiet. I enjoy peaceful sceneries like this. I can turn off my mind for a while and just relax. Fresh air is supposed to help with sleeping as well.

@❀┆ b. wooseok。 ᵇʳᵒʷⁿ ᵇᵉᵃʳ It's okay hyung. I don't mind being out here, I was actually here earlier too.
- crossing over to the dock, I take a seat a couple inches away and look out at the clear sky, admiring how bright the stars made it seem without all the city lights ruining the view -
Are you feeling okay? Usually when I end up by bodies of water, I am having deep thoughts.

@❁┆ a. seongmin。 ᵈᵒʳᵐᵒᵘˢᵉ -I can hear your footsteps and smell your familiar scent on the wind before you turn on your flashlight-
-However, I don’t bother to turn around until your flashlight illuminates my figure, a soft smile on my face-
Hey! I’m glad you made it safely and dressed warmly. Sorry to have brought you outside, it’s just really nice with the how clear the sky is.
Wanna sit with me?

@❀┆ b. wooseok。 ᵇʳᵒʷⁿ ᵇᵉᵃʳ - carefully makes his way out to the docks with his phone clutched tightly between his fingertips, which were hidden behind the sleeves of the hoodie he had thrown on. it was colder than he usually would venture out into, and way, way darker -
- spots your outline on the dock and immediately feels a bit safer, picking his way over and stopping a few feet back, using the phone flashlight to signal his presence -
- stands there in his jeans and bedazzled crocs, one arm raising to give a polite little wave as he felt a little bit bad for crashing your privacy -
Hyung? I made it-- you were right about it being chilly.

-Meanders down to the docks with a battery operated lantern. The dim glow lighting up my path. The night sky is clear, only twinkling stars and the full moon are my company-
-I dressed comfortably, somewhat warm: slides, shorts, t-shirt and wind breaker. The swishing sounds of the fabric apparent when my left arm would swing back and forth, rubbing on itself. Or when the breeze would tug on it in various conflicting directions-
-I’m tired, but not ready to sleep just yet. There’s a feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’m unsure of what it means or if I’m supposed to pay attention to it. So I carry on walking down the dirt path to the docks just ahead-
-I can hear the water gently crashing into the shoreline, eventually, I can see it. Only with the light of the moon. Steps off the path and into grass for a moment before reaching the wood planks that make up the dock-
-I debate on whether or not to walk further, to sink my feet in the water and exist silently on my own. I liked the peace. I liked the water on my skin. I liked being alone-

@❁┆ a. seongmin。 ᵈᵒʳᵐᵒᵘˢᵉ *gently hugs your head to my chest, giving it a soft rub*
Any time, little mouse.
*Lets my scent flow out a little stronger in hopes it'll help calm it down some more*
Anything else I can do to help?

@❀┆ c. seungcheol。ᶜˡᵒᵘᵈᵉᵈ ˡᵉᵒᵖᵃʳᵈ Okay.. I’ll do my best.
Thank you for the help, seriously. It’s really hard to get my mind off of it alone.
- relaxed further and smoothly wipes a tear away as it escapes, taking deep breathes to fully calm myself down.

@❁┆ a. seongmin。 ᵈᵒʳᵐᵒᵘˢᵉ Good.
Then come to me when you start feeling like this again, okay?
I'll always be here to listen and give you a big hug.
*rocks you gently in my arms, giving the top of your head a little kiss*

@❀┆ c. seungcheol。ᶜˡᵒᵘᵈᵉᵈ ˡᵉᵒᵖᵃʳᵈ - leans into the hug with a grateful sniffle, chewing on the inside of my bottom lip to keep from bursting into tears and hugging you back snugly. nods, a bit less tense than before-
It helped a little.. thank you hyung.

@❁┆ a. seongmin。 ᵈᵒʳᵐᵒᵘˢᵉ Oh little mouse...
*Scoots close enough so I can wrap my arms around you, gently pulling you over so I can cradle you on my lap and against my chest, in a protective embrace. Looks down at you, giving you a warm smile*
Did talking about it help a little?

@❀┆ c. seungcheol。ᶜˡᵒᵘᵈᵉᵈ ˡᵉᵒᵖᵃʳᵈ It feels like it isn’t.
- shifts my gaze to you as you edge into my line of sight, nodding with a wet sniffle.
Yes please.

@❁┆ a. seongmin。 ᵈᵒʳᵐᵒᵘˢᵉ *presses my lips together as I listen to you*
Seongmin...everything you are feeling...is valid.
*Leans forward a little to get a better look at your face*
Would you like a hug?

@❀┆ c. seungcheol。ᶜˡᵒᵘᵈᵉᵈ ˡᵉᵒᵖᵃʳᵈ And I know.. like I know I have at least some people that care about me but I just spiral anyway..
- frowns at the sky, rubbing my arms with another sigh
It’s stupid. I know it is and I know there is no truth to it that I can’t fix and yet.. I don’t. It makes me feel useless.
- blinks back tears with a little giggle.
Sorry. This probably wasn’t on your bingo card for today.

@❁┆ a. seongmin。 ᵈᵒʳᵐᵒᵘˢᵉ *takes a seat beside you, rolling up my pants legs and joins you in dipping my feet into the water*
Whenever you get that feeling, the fear of missing out...you can always come find me.
Didn't I say before I'd protect you? I can't necessarily protect you from a feeling but I can help chase it away when it pops it's ugly head up.
*Looks over at you*

@❀┆ c. seungcheol。ᶜˡᵒᵘᵈᵉᵈ ˡᵉᵒᵖᵃʳᵈ kicks my feet in the water and moves my shoes out of the way beside me after a few moments
I just… I don’t even know what to talk about.
It’s like I’m convinced I’m going to die alone anytime I see people getting closer? Like I get jealous of them, but not like someone does when they like someone and see them with another person? It’s like fear of missing out.