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"Are you sure you don't want me to help?" Eunwoo's voice is soft above Bin's head, almost lost among the rustling leaves and whistling wind. It's a calming tone that isn't much help to Bin, at least not helpful in fighting off the urge to just rest his head against a particularly soft rock and call it a day. Unfortunately, or fortunately in the bigger picture, he's got a date to get on with.
He takes a deep breath, grabs the highest rock he can possibly reach and pushes himself off the boulder sloped beneath his feet. A sound, something like a growl, is trapped in his throat as his arms work to fight gravity and push his weight over the grainy cliff. His right arm reaches up to grab the lip of the rock and, with one last pull, he finds himself lying face-up, about four feet higher than he was before.
Bin's breath comes fast. He can feel sweat starting to form under his fringe.
"That wasn't..." A deep breath. "...too bad."
His words pull a laugh from Eunwoo, sitting on a rock beside their picnic basket. His smile is all teeth and he's got an amused sparkle in his eye. Apparently watching his boyfriend attempt to climb the side of a rock face for ten minutes is enjoyable to him.
How rude.
Once he's gotten his breath back, Bin pushes himself up. He dusts loose dirt off his clothes and sticks his tongue out at Eunwoo. The nerd still has a teasing smile on his face, but a couple pokes to the side have him shouting out a startled scream and holding his hands up in surrender. Bin slings the strap of the basket over one shoulder before grabbing Eunwoo's hand to lead him forward.
Maybe Bin should've looked up more detail on the path before deciding to take Eunwoo on a hike, but he'd like to think the surprise was all part of the adventure. He had to admit though, he wasn't expecting Eunwoo to do quite so well.
This was their first date since Eunwoo got back home. After the other members had finished barraging him with questions about the jungle, Bin was quick to take him back to their room and lock the door. No more questions, no more talking in general. They took an early night, just relishing in the feel of lying in each other's arms again.
Neither of them had really thought about how hard it would be to sleep in an empty bed.
But by the next day, Bin was aching to take Eunwoo on a date, just the two of them. And what better way to say 'congrats on not dying in the jungle' than a little hike in the forest?
It was funny to Bin at the time, but now he's seeing just how much Eunwoo had actually changed.
This Eunwoo could clear branches from the path in a flash. He could spot a tripping hazard in the loose dirt from a meter away. He could climb a pile of rocks in a minute flat. All of which was proven over the course of their trek.
Just the night before he left, Eunwoo was jumping out of Bin's arms in a panic. Apparently, Bin had breathed too lightly on his neck as the big spoon; a feeling which Eunwoo mistook as a spider. It took Bin five minutes to convince him otherwise, and they still had to switch sleeping positions for the night.
The difference, it just felt...off.
In all honesty, He'd kind of gotten used to, maybe, protecting Eunwoo, just a bit. His boyfriend was prone to screaming and jumping at the smallest things, but now that he'd gone to the jungle alone...
"Binnie?"
Eunwoo has one hand waving in front of Bin's face, a concerned look in his eyes. Bin must've spaced out for a second there. Either he's thinking too much or the half hour hike without a water bottle is really starting to get to him.
He's quick to put a smile on his face and keep walking. No need to ruin their date over something small.
They walk for another ten minutes or so, hands laced together, in a comfortable silence. Bin is just starting to wonder what the direction's definition of a 'short' hike is when he sees the path fan out into an open field. Eunwoo must see it too because he's pulling ahead of Bin now, tugging on his arm to go faster. Bin wants to laugh at Eunwoo's sudden energy, but he's really just as excited. He speeds up, passing Eunwoo completely, with just enough time to glance back and give a small wink.
They race out to the other side of the grassy plain, first place going back and forth between the two. When they finally stop, it's because Bin purposefully accidentally runs into Eunwoo. They tumble once, twice, thrice before they stop—Bin hovering over Eunwoo. They're laughing like children, not quite sure why, but something just feels right in the moment. Bin can't help himself from stealing a kiss.
Bin gets up first, offering a hand and tugging Eunwoo up when he takes it. His arm wraps loosely around Eunwoo's waist, comfortable. They have to take a minute to find their lunch; Bin had dropped it at some point during their race. But when they do, they find a nice patch of grass, lay out their blanket, and start a much needed date.
It's great, as always. Eunwoo tries to be romantic, tries to feed Bin, but he does it at the exact time Bin is stealing food from his plate. Bin gives him a sheepish, half-sorry grin, but Eunwoo gets revenge by stealing half his water anyways. Bin almost chokes on his drink when Eunwoo makes him laugh. And when Eunwoo laughs at his choking, Bin tickles him until he's screaming apologies through his laughter.
It's perfect; the only hiccup comes when they're heading out.
Clean up is quick, efficient as it always is with Eunwoo around. They fold up the blanket, stick all the trash in a bag, and pack away the containers. Bin is slipping the pack back over his shoulder when he notices Eunwoo's stillness.
"Eunwoo?"
No response.
"Eunwoo?" A little louder.
No response.
Bin takes a step towards his boyfriend, finding a look of pure concentration on his face.
A breath.
"DONGMIN-AH!"
That gets Eunwoo's attention, so much so that he jolts, backpedaling from the source of noise. The sudden movement throws off his balance, and he's a second from tumbling backwards when Bin's hand shoots out to grab his wrist.
Quiet.
"Eunwoo?" Bin asks again, voice subdued.
"Hm?" Eunwoo's eyes are wide, like he's suddenly aware of the other's existence.
"Are you o-"
"Yes, of course, don't worry. I-I'm fine..." A hurried jumble of words, trailing off, unsure.
"Like I'd believe that." Bin's voice is flat. It's almost an insult if Eunwoo thinks Bin can't hear the shake in his voice. Eunwoo is a horrible liar.
Bin stares him down until the other cracks, not like that takes more than a few seconds.
"I-It's just..." Eunwoo's staring at the grass under their feet. "It's gotten pretty dark."
Bin looks around. The sun is somewhat low in the sky. Maybe they'd been here longer than he'd previously thought. From the looks of it, there should still be an hour or two before it's dark enough to be called night. He turns back to look at Eunwoo. His boyfriend has a pout on his lips and a familiar look in his eye.
"Eunwoo..." His voice comes out slow, teasing instinctively. "Are you scared?"
His response is a more exaggerated pout, with a high pitched, lilting whine; that more than answers his question. A chuckle falls from Bin's lips as he raises his arms. Before they're fully up, Eunwoo has run towards him to hold on tight.
He's speaking at a mile a minute. Talking about the trees that made awful noises at night—where no one could see them, the shuffling of people in their sleep that was enough to wake him at the weirdest times, and the bugs-
Bin holds him through it all. Eunwoo isn't close to being actually upset, but it seems like all the little fears and annoyances that he tended to overthink were now spilling out. To Bin, like they always did. Bin is pretty sure he shouldn't be smiling while his boyfriend vents all his problems, but he can't help it.
It feels nice to know he's still needed.
Eunwoo uses five minutes of precious daylight speaking about the jungle. Bin spends the time holding him, rubbing a hand up and down his back, humming every once in a while to remind Eunwoo that's he's listening. The conversation is cut off quickly when Eunwoo grabs Bin's hand and leads them back towards the path.
"We need to get going now. We only have-"
"We've got more than enough time."
"Okay, so we take a right-"
"Left."
"Thank you, Bin-ah."
"No problem."
"Oh no, did we forget the-"
"Got it right here, Eunwoo."
"Oh good."
They walk for a few minutes, silent. Bin's thumb rubs up and down the back of Eunwoo's hand, movement slow and soothing. The chirping of crickets has just started to fill the air.
"Thank you, Binnie." Eunwoo's voice is low, doing nothing to disrupt the quiet of the darkening forest.
"It's fine, Eunwoo. I didn't even give you a copy of the directions. I-"
"No."
A pause.
"Thank you." His voice is almost inaudible. Barely a sentence, but there's something so heartfelt in his words. When Bin glances over, Eunwoo has his eyes planted firmly on the path ahead.
"You're, uh, welcome." Bin wonders how he can feel so warm with the sun disappearing so quickly.
Their walk feels much shorter going back than arriving. Going down all the obstacles is much easier than going up. And immediately after they separate, to shimmy down a narrow pass or inch down a steep plain, their hands come together once again. Bin can see the site's parking lot come into view, connecting to a busy road. He recognizes a van; their manager is already waiting to take them back.
Their pace slows to a stop, at the entrance of the trail, looking down over cars—the separation between city and nature more prominent here than anywhere.
"I love you, Eunwoo." It's quick, unexpected—to both Eunwoo and Bin.
The shocked silence is filled with the sound of cars, heading up and down the long highway in front of them.
Eunwoo's hand squeezes his tight. When Bin forces himself to look over, his breath gets caught in his throat. Eunwoo has a giant smile—bright and beautiful—on his lips. His eyes are locked onto Bin's, and Bin can bet that the color on his face isn't just a reflection of the pink in the sunset.
"I love you too, Bin."
This time, it's Eunwoo's turn to steal a kiss.
That's fair; Bin still pays him back—tenfold—at home.