besides, he could always tell him later. to smeengi, the captain's wellbeing was still his top priority.

---

"hey, yeosang! look what i can do!"

wooyoung watched with tentative horror as jongho childishly did a messy handstand, almost falling into one of the dirt walls.

it was finally the next morning, and the mood of the inside of lost boys hideout reminded wooyoung of nothing but a chaotic family consisting of a single dad, an angsty teen, and two five-year-olds.

yeosang, who was watching jongho with big eyes laughed to the point of tears as he watched jongho fall over, his hands absentmindedly playing with the head of his spear. yunho was in the corner sternly replacing the bandages of a complaining peter san, a concerned look plastered on his face which contrasted the cute pout on the pink-haired boy's own.

jongho grinned from his place on the dirt, kicking his legs back and forth. "wooyoung! can you do a handstand?"

the dark-haired boy blinked, not expecting to be addressed. "um... probably not. i don't think i'm strong enough."

jongho pushed himself up into another handstand, giggling. "that's okay! it just takes practice and soon enough you'll be a master!"

san, who was finally free from yunho's concerned hands, made his way over to the others in the small room. "guys. what the hell are you all doing?"

yeosang aggressively stabbed his spear into the dirt. "jongho is trying to show off his handstand skills."

the pink-haired boy raised an eyebrow, a tentative smile on his face. "i can... see that. anyways, do you guys want to go to the shore and hunt for some fish? i'm getting kind of hungry and i really don't feel like eating more fruit."

yunho, who was putting away the bandages he was using on san earlier, huffed. "no, we have food at ho-

jongho casually did a flip from his position on his hands, landing on his feet with a loud thud. "yes! let's go. fruit sucks."

"ugh, fine."

---

san trailed behind the other boys, silently observing the swaying trees and calm weather as they made their way towards the sea. up in the front, jongho led the pack with a strong arm wrapped around wooyoung's shoulder as they walked, blabbing some excited words into the ear of an interested wooyoung. behind them, yeosang was calmly walking for once, glaring at a bright blue butterfly that landed on his outstretched finger when he pointed out some pretty flowers. yunho was behind yeosang, his posture tall as he kept a protective hand on the handle of his stone sword, ready to attack if there were any disturbances. lastly, his beloved dog spirit shiber was floating around curiously, intermingling with the birds as they passed.

yunho glanced back at san, slowing down his pace for a bit so he could walk side by side with the pink-haired boy. "so, peter. where'd you meet this boy? wooyoung, was his name, right?"

san gulped, his throat suddenly dryer than the sahara. yunho's interrogations were always slightly intimidating. "yeah, um... earth. he helped me get my shadow to stick."

yunho blinked. "oh. i guess he has good intentions then."

bewildered, the pink-haired boy gaped at his friend. "huh? you thought he was a bad guy?"

the lost boy shrugged, his body becoming a bit less stiff and guarded. "i don't know. i thought that he could have been some super-spy for captain hookjoong or something. he just has that suspicious look that-"

"wooyoung does not look suspicious! he's nice and... he really helped me through some things... last night, we talked, and i even-"

yunho put up an authoritative hand. "wait. you talked with him last night? when? don't tell me you stayed up-"

"no, i meant-"

"are you sure you-"

"yunho, i swear-"

"peter-"

"look! we're here!"

the banter between the two boys was cut short by jongho's shrill voice. they were indeed at their destination, the end of the forest opening up to the beautiful familiar sandy beaches of neverland. the bright blue waves lapped against the sand, an ocean breeze wafting through the vibrant air. san always loved coming to the beaches in the morning.

jongho grinned, darting towards the water and dragging wooyoung with him by the wrist. "let's get some fish!"

yunho, hand still on the handle of his sword, ran after them. "hey! be careful!"

yeosang, who finally got rid of the butterfly by literally flicking it, rushed over to the three other boys. "wait for me!"

san simply walked after the others, taking his sweet time to take in the sights, smells, and sounds of the pretty environment. he may live here, but the island was sometimes so breathtaking that it could never get old.

"shit."

jongho, who was looking down at the footprints he made in the sand, gaped at yunho due to his blunt curse. "what? what's wrong?"

yunho groaned, pinching his nose bridge in annoyance. "we forgot the nets. we can't catch fish without them."

jongho stood up straight, running a hand through his messy hair. "it's okay. i can go back and get them. wooyoung, come with me."

the dark-haired boy seemed a bit taken aback by the comment, letting out a confused yet cute "huh" before suddenly letting out a yelp as he was now being pulled by the wrist by an excited jongho. "oh, okay then. bye."

san chuckled, watching before he lost sight of the two boys as they disappeared into the forest.

unedited