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Renjun had first agreed to go hiking based on the assumption it would be a group activity, because Kun had originally suggested it in their group chat. The problem with everyone being on different schedules means that it’s kind of impossible to pick a time when all of them are available, especially with the WayV half of them gearing up for a comeback. In the end they settle for a time when the four of them can go—him, Junhui, Minghao and Chenle. Then Minghao comes down with a cold the day before, and Chenle cancels the morning of out of pure laziness.
Which just leaves him and Junhui. Alone. Hiking together.
As much as he was looking forward to hanging out with the group, it gives him a different type of excitement to be taking the trip with Junhui alone. They rarely get the chance to hang out just the two of them, and when they do it’s usually late-night calls to eat together, or last-minute restaurant meals after long schedules. Plus, he’s never been hiking before. It should be fun.
“Why are you wearing those!” Junhui says as soon as he sees him, instead of a normal greeting like a normal person.
“What?” He looks down at his feet, where Junhui is pointing. “My shoes?”
“Yes!” Junhui laughs at him, delighted. “You’re going to wear converse to hike?”
“Yes!” Renjun says, ears feeling slightly warm. “What’s wrong with them? They’ll be fine!”
Junhui laughs at him again, and even though it’s at his expense, the warmth that sound sparks is something heady. “We can still go and change them…?”
“No!” Renjun says, adjusting his backpack strap over his shoulder. Other than the converse, the two of them have turned up in almost identical outfits, white tees and grey sweatpants. It crosses his mind that they might look like a couple to others hiking the same track as them. “Let’s just get started, please?”
“Okay!” Junhui relents, still grinning, and takes Renjun’s hand to lead him to the start of the track, skipping along like an overexcited child.
For the first hour of the hike, Renjun finds himself pointing out to Junhui multiple times that he’s having no problem with his current shoes, that he really doesn’t notice any distance walking this dirt path than any other path in Seoul. He’s rather smug about it all, especially when Junhui acquiesces.
“As long as you’re happy,” he says, which he is. Very happy. At some point his attention changes to the trees and flower bushes and the odd squirrel running along a branch, pausing every so often to take pictures, and Junhui keeps pointing out the view as they get higher up the path too. He takes pictures of Junhui from behind as he stands to look out at the view, and secretly hopes Junhui is doing the same for him, because he wants to have Junhui’s attention like that without saying it.
Then they come to a rocky part of the hike, where they have to leave the path to clamber up a rough incline of stone and walk along narrow ridges to get to the top. They’ve already come this far, so Renjun won’t even entertain the thought of turning back here.
“You ready for that?” Junhui teases, pointing up ahead like Renjun could possibly miss it. “Do you need a helping hand?”
“No! I’m perfectly capable!” Renjun says, sliding his phone securely back into his pocket. “I bet I can get up there even faster than you can!”
Junhui laughs and takes out of his phone. “I need to record this for proof. I’ll come up right after you, in case you need someone to catch you.”
Renjun hits him, and Junhui laughs again, and Renjun takes off up the rocky slope without another word. It’s flat enough he can run his way up, jumping from the lower ledges of rock to each higher one without stumbling once. When he reaches the top of the rocky section, he turns and waves at Junhui, who lowers his phone to wave back.
“Let’s see you do it!” he shouts down, and Junhui pockets his own phone to run up after him. While Renjun had felt agile and swift in the moment, watching Junhui bounce his way up like a baby mountain goat makes him want to eat his earlier words. He didn’t think it was possible to be that graceful about climbing up a bunch of rocks.
“Good?” Junhui asks when he arrives at Renjun’s ledge, grinning down at him as Renjun snaps out of it. He’d been staring at Junhui the whole way up.
“Why are you so good?” he asks, suspicious.
“It’s the shoes,” Junhui says, and bursts into laughter again when Renjun gives him an unimpressed face and turns away.
“My shoes are just fine,” he says, right before his foot slides where he stands. Junhui’s hand shoots out to hold Renjun at the waist, and somehow Renjun’s other hand finds itself gripping Junhui’s. His heartrate has jumped at the sudden slip, even if he wasn’t in danger of slipping down from anything.
“Be careful,” Junhui says from right behind him, voice in his ear, palm hot on Renjun’s side. “It looks narrow here. I’ll come right after you.”
He releases Renjun to let him go first, and Renjun is surprised he doesn’t fall right over. He’s feeling completely off-kilter for reasons he doesn’t want to investigate.
Thankfully he makes it through to the next section without an issue, coming through to be faced with a steeper slope up another section of rock. They could go around it, but judging by how wide the peak of this rock is, it seems to be the highest point on the hiking trail.
Junhui seems to be having the same thoughts. “We need to go up here. Think you can manage this too?”
Renjun moves forward, because of course he can, and uses his hands to help hoist himself up the rock. Unfortunately, this area is much flatter and smoother than the ledges they’d been climbing before, and his shoes have no grip at all. He slides right down to the bottom again, nearly losing his balance and landing on his ass at the bottom. Junhui holds a hand out to steady him even as he starts laughing loudly, cawing like he’s a bird or something. Renjun is sure it isn’t that funny, but he finds himself fighting a smile just at the sound of it.
“Stop laughing!” he says, going to try again. This time he puts more thought into where he’s gripping his hands—he reaches out, uses all the arm strength he has—
He feels a strong grip on both his heels, Junhui’s hands wrapping around Renjun’s ankles. He’s tall enough to push Renjun all the way up the slope section until he’s stood on flat ground again, then has the audacity to wave when Renjun turns to face him, indignant. “I had it!”
Junhui steps up the slope after him in two easy strides. “You didn’t have it!” he teases, sing-songing. “You’re welcome!”
He proceeds straight onto the next slope even as Renjun complains behind him. “I would’ve had it! You didn’t give me the chance to try!”
“Then you can show me on this section,” Junhui says. The next slope isn’t so much a slope as a vertical outcropping of stone. Junhui uses his hands to grip the top of it, hoists himself up with both hands, and uses his knees to push him over the edge onto the top of the peak. “Come on!”
Renjun tugs at his backpack strap securely and steps forward, reaching up the way Junhui just had. He encounters the issue immediately.
“This isn’t fair,” he huffs, trying to grip a different section of the rock, but it’s no good. He’s just not tall enough to properly grip the top like Junhui had. He finds a section further down that isn’t so deep and figures he can at least get most of the way up like that, but when he tries, he can’t lift his body more than a few centimetres off the ground. “How did you do that?”
Junhui is still sat over the top of the peak, peering down at him like a particularly mischievous cat perched in an impossibly high place. “Do you need help?”
“Tell me how you did it!” Renjun insists, but he reaches up to grip Junhui’s hand when it’s offered down to him.
He’d assumed Junhui would give up a hand up so he could grip the ledge, but is taken by surprise when Junhui is able to crane-lift him all the way up in one go. With just one arm. He scrambles for purchase when he’s lifted up over the edge, but Junhui stands up with him and helps him catch his balance on both feet.
Renjun’s arm hurts slightly from the pull on his shoulder, but Junhui doesn’t even look out of breath. Renjun stands there, gaping at him, not knowing quite what to say to that. He’s suddenly noticing how much Junhui has bulked up since the last time they’d hung out in person, the sleeves of his t-shirt fitting closer to his biceps.
“Good?” Junhui asks him, and Renjun doesn’t know how he’s supposed to be good after an experience like that.
“Thanks,” he manages, and Junhui beams at him, then gestures around to the view the peak offers.
“Look! We made it!”
“We did,” Renjun says, still feeling slightly short of breath, but he manages to tear his eyes away from Junhui’s arms for long enough to appreciate the view and feel somewhat normal again.
They roam around the peak, quiet and peaceful with just the two of them, and take some pictures of each other and the view. They end up sat at the edge, looking over Seoul as they take drinks from their water bottles and a well-earned rest before facing the descent.
“I’m glad we got to come,” Junhui says there, breaking the peaceful silence with a quiet voice. “The two of us. It would’ve been nice for everyone to come, but I liked coming with you.”
“You only liked it because you’re better at it than me,” Renjun complains, and Junhui cackles in a way that doesn’t sound like refute. “But I’m glad too. It feels like ages since we were last together, and I like hanging out with you.”
He gathers the bravery to look over at Junhui, only to find he’s already looking at him, smiling cutely, starry-eyed. “Bet you don’t like it more than me.”
“Oh, shut up,” Renjun says, just to hear Junhui giggle again.
The descent down the mountain should be easier, he thinks. And while it is less strenuous than the trip up, Renjun doesn’t expect how scary it to jump down the steep section he was pulled up earlier. Junhui is as springy as ever, and manages it without an issue, but still watches carefully to make sure Renjun makes it down safely after him.
And, okay, it’s true. It’s made scarier because of his shoes, because they don’t have real grip the way Junhui’s hiking boots do. Not that he’ll ever admit that.
When they reach the sloping section that Junhui had pushed him up before, Junhui sort of skids down it, controlled by the way he places his feet and carefully supports himself with his hands. Renjun goes to do the same, hands carefully placed, supporting his weight—but as soon as his converse come into contact with the sun-smoothed rock, his feet start to slide down it. Surprised, he lets go of the top of the slope too, and goes falling right down to the bottom.
He expects to land on his face, dirty and bruised, and gives a surprised little yelp when he comes into contact with a warm body. He falls so fast that he crashes into Junhui, and the force sends the both of them to the ground with a thump.
Only when he’s gathered his bearings, pushing himself up on his hands, does he realise Junhui’s fallen on his back with his arms around Renjun. He’d had his arms open and waiting, ready to catch Renjun, even if he looks a little surprised by their position now.
“Are you okay?” he says, and Renjun blinks, putting one hand on Junhui’s chest then taking it off again. He doesn’t know why he’d done that.
“I’m okay! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to—are you okay? Did you hit your head?”
Unbelievably, Junhui smiles wide, showing off all his teeth, then he starts to laugh. His hands travel from Renjun’s back to come to his sides, patting him gently, and Renjun becomes extremely aware that he’s sitting right on top of Junhui right now.
“I’m fine,” Junhui says eventually, as Renjun gingerly clambers off him to stand up. He puts a hand out to pull Junhui up, which he takes, dusting himself down. “I wish someone caught that on camera.”
“You—!” Renjun goes from mortified to full of rage in under a second. “No you don’t! That was so embarrassing!”
“It was legendary!” Junhui insists. “And not embarrassing for me!”
“Oh, don’t,” Renjun huffs, taking off through the narrow path ahead of them. “Let’s not ever discuss this again.”
Junhui laughs in a way that says he’s not getting off so easily.
Nothing else on the hike was quite as steep as the sections up to the peak, so they don’t have any other issues the rest of the way down from there. Junhui is like a giddy child, excited about his Prince Charming moment back there, and Renjun is being snippy about it to cover up the butterflies in his gut at the thought of it. He’s being ridiculous about it, he knows. But if he wasn’t attracted to Junhui before, this trip has undoubtedly ruined him forever.
“Wait, hold on!” Junhui calls at one point, and his tone has changed enough to make Renjun stop. “Look, look at your shoes!”
Renjun looks down at his converse, and doesn’t see what Junhui means for a moment. Then he turns his foot and sees it better—the plastic part on the back is half-hanging off the shoe. It must’ve been torn in his fall earlier.
“Oh,” Renjun moans, pouting. “These are my favourites!”
“Then why did you wear them to go hiking?” Junhui asks again, and without warning, bends down to pick Renjun up behind the thighs. He’s hitched up to Junhui’s side, one of Junhui’s arms resting around his waist, yelping from the sudden movement.
“What are you doing?”
“I don’t want you to catch your shoe on the jagged bit here,” Junhui says, carefully stepping over a section of the path that’s blocked by a few ankle-height rocks. “There you go.” He sets Renjun down carefully on the dirt path again, and Renjun looks up at him, exasperated.
“You’re taking this Prince Charming thing too seriously, now.”
“Why? I was just helping!”
“Helping?” Renjun says, going for stern, but he really can’t help but smile looking at Junhui’s face. He looks like an eager puppy, attentive to Renjun’s every nuance. “You weren’t trying to save me like a princess in distress?”
“No! Just helping!” Junhui insists, falling into step with him as they come down the last section of the path. They emerge back out to where the trees meet the suburbs of Seoul, their bus back home only a few streets away, passing the sign proudly marking the end of the trail. “Look, we did it together! You should be proud you made through your very first hike! Do you want a reward?”
“What reward do I get? New shoes?” he asks, completely expecting another tease about his gear. As much as he’s proud of himself for going on the hike, he does feel a little upset over the torn converse.
“I can get you new shoes,” Junhui says. Then he leans in, pecks Renjun on the cheek, and leans out again with a smile so wide his eyes start to squint. “Do you want to go shopping now?”
Renjun, mouth parted, brings his fingertips up to where Junhui had kissed. “What was that?”
Junhui looks away, words stumbling out his mouth. “I’ll get you the shoes too, but since I was your Prince Charming, it’s only right you get a kiss—”
“Oh, don’t even,” Renjun says, but he’s grinning and gripping onto Junuhi’s arm as they make their way towards the road.
Junhui giggles as they latch together, and Renjun’s hands slide down to grip Junhui’s. Daringly, he leans forward to peck Junhui’s cheek in return, and Junhui yells like he can’t contain his excitement about it. Renjun laughs at him, looking up into his face, noting his flushed cheeks, his flustered excitement.
Maybe his ruined shoes will be worth it, after all.