myungsoo clings as close as possible to sungyeol’s back, clutching at the thick, padded collar of his parka, while they slowly make their way through the dark and empty school grounds.

he’s not actually scared, per se, but myungsoo is never one to give up an opportunity for skinship and bodily contact, especially when those circumstances come so few and far in between lately. sungyeol’s just been so busy these days, always gone for this individual activity or that.

so myungsoo all but melts into the warmth, his chest fitting snugly into the curve of sungyeol’s back. he doesn’t remember the last time he felt so at peace with the world, which is ironic because they’re currently going through some haunted maze with booby traps and ghosts for a variety program.

a creepy soundtrack suddenly leaks out into the empty hallway, floating faintly but heavily into the darkness. myungsoo feels sungyeol jerk back infinitesimally but the taller boy soldiers on bravely.

they’re big boys, and big boys aren’t afraid of anything.

“hey, what was our mission again?” sungyeol whispers over his shoulder, pausing briefly in front of a door labeled ‘art classroom’ and peering in through the little square window.

“uh,” myungsoo blinks, rubbing his cheek against sungyeol’s parka, “i think it was ‘go to the math classroom and find a…’”

at that moment, a pasty face with unkempt hair black as night shoots around the corner, hunched over with white dress flying behind her, and chases sungyeol and myungsoo all the way back to the opposite end of the hallway.

“what the heck!”

they run pell-mell back to the starting point, myungsoo squatting on the ground and sungyeol collapsing over completely, both boys gasping and heaving for breath.

to be honest, if myungsoo was by himself, this normally wouldn’t be cause for fright. he would’ve been able to finish the task, no problem, and be out within five minutes. he was more startled, than anything else, by sungyeol’s piercing shriek ringing in his ears.

“oh my god, don’t do that,” myungsoo gently smacks sungyeol’s arm, the other boy still lying spread eagle on the cold, hard wooden floor.

sungyeol lets out a shaky laugh, and myungsoo can’t help the goofy grin spreading across his cheeks. how much he’s missed just being in sungyeol’s presence. “come on, let’s go finish this thing,” myungsoo adjusts the self-camera attached to his head, before leaning down to grab sungyeol’s hand.

even after sungyeol is set straight and standing on his feet, their fingers linger, laced together in a tight weave, as they once again set off into the darkness to accomplish their mission.