Chapter Text
Now, Yuta doesn’t know to explain how he ended up in a situation like this but he does know that he regrets every step he made just to be there.
It’s been a tradition of him to go out of town and hike after finally catching up with the Seoul life adjustments.
It’s a bi monthly thing, something he impulsively thought of when he found himself being able to adjust well in his new environment and work. He says he needs something fun, something thrill.
And so he settled with climbing mountains, as a true nature lover.
He never found hiking as a straining activity, in fact, he feels more alive as he feels the cool mountain breeze tickle his skin. He loves seeing the green leaves and strong branches of big trees he's walking by, loves the wonderful sceneries nature has to offer, and the peace-
"Hey! Are you sure we aren’t lost?"
-ful hum of the birds and crippling of leaves. Mother nature truly is the best.
"Excuse me, are you really ignoring me? I can't believe this."
Ah, yes. Yuta also can't believe that he's stuck with someone this whiny on his holy healing trip.
"Doyoung." Yuta breathes.
"What?"
"Relax." He says, finally turning to his companion and lightly reaches both arms out to pat on his shoulders. "Take a deep breath."
Yuta gives Doyoung's shoulders a tight squeeze as he looks at the other in the eye. With a stern expression, he tries to relay enthusiasm to Doyoung. He also hopes this somehow sends tiny sparks of energy to the frowning man in front of him.
Doyoung stares back at him, sighing, "I want to go home."
"Why go home? You've got three days off work, you need to maximize it. Go out, have fun, get crazy."
"Well, I am out and this is not fun anymore. I might actually be crazy crazy at this point." Doyoung huffs out.
He leans on the mountain rocks beside them, frown very evident on his face.
"Doyoung, I assure you, we aren't lost." Yuta says, taking hold of Doyoung's arm and tries to pull him.
"We've been going down this path for an hour now and we have not come across any other people."
"I told you, not many foreigners come here. It's perfect for a peaceful hike. Plus, we went down a less used trail which probably explains the lack of other people's presence."
Yuta smiles as Doyoung grumbles something but still got up and walked down the pathway. He catches up with the other and links his arm on his, "Hey, there's this rock arch thing along this way. Let me take a picture of you there."
"Okay," Yuta cheers loud. "Now do a pose like you're pushing the arc up."
True to what Yuta has said earlier, they met the stone structure. Yuta immediately pushed Doyoung towards it and took pictures.
After snapping some good shots, he runs towards Doyoung and tackled him before taking a selfie.
"We are lost, aren't we?" Doyoung groans. It's the third time he's said it in a span of what seems like an hour already - they've been walking aimlessly in pretty much isolated fields for an hour. "I'm too tired to scream at you so just tell me."
Doyoung is, as much as Yuta hates to admit it, Doyoung is right.
The pension they've booked in is supposed to be just a few minutes away from the national park. Got off a wrong turn and now they're probably around an hour away… and lost.
"I think, I think we made a wrong turn or got off at the wrong station or something." Yuta says, finally stopping in his tracks. He types on his phone and starts facing it in different directions.
"Oh my god!" Doyoung exasperatingly lets out. "I knew this is wrong. I knew I shouldn't have gone out and tried this . I am so, so tired, my feet's burning and my muscles are sore. I coul-"
Yuta halts and glares back at a still ranting Doyoung. "Hey! I just wanted the both of us to have fun. I only wanted you to enjoy the things I like too! Maybe if you aren't so whiny and pissy then this would've actually been something wonderful and memorable for both of us!"
Yuta runs up to a small, worn down truck passing by the path across them.
It's been roughly twenty minutes since Yuta raised his voice at Doyoung. The latter immediately shut up after hearing it and not a single noise was heard from both of them since.
The signal's acting up in the area and Yuta doesn't even try anymore. They spent the past twenty minutes sitting idle and aimlessly scrolling through their phones.
Doyoung watches Yuta talk to the driver of the truck. He watches as Yuta throws some big hand gestures, watches him smile and sheepishly rub his nape. Doyoung watches Yuta open the passenger seat of the truck and hop in.
Is Yuta really gonna leave him just like that? Doyoung swallows the fact that he might, after all, he hasn't been anything but annoying the whole day. Acting up and complaining on their whole trip. The trip Yuta worked hard on planning. The trip Yuta planned just for the two of them.
Doyoung feels tears well up on his eyes so he wipes his face to quickly remove any trace of being emotional. He sniffs loudly as if it'll take the pain he feels inside away.
He's too far up in his own thoughts that he didn't hear or realize that the truck and running towards where he is.
The truck stops in front of him and Yuta comes down. Doyoung stares at him, waiting for the other to say something hurtful, to say something he deserves. But he knows Yuta couldn't, Yuta wouldn't.
"Hop in, Doyoung." He calls as he threw his bag on the back of the pick up truck. "Or, would you like to be rising shotgun?" Yuta says as he offers Doyoung his hand.
Doyoung stares at Yuta with wide eyes before shaking his head. He pouts before grasping Yuta's hand, "Sorry."
"Hey, Dons." Yuta calls him from inside the passenger sit, rolling down the glass of the small window of the truck. "Is it okay with you if we stay at Mr. Oh's village tonight?"
"Would it be okay with them?" Doyoung whispers back, as if the gentle old man on the driver's seat wouldn't hear him. "I don't want to impose or anything."
The old man, Mr. Oh, lets out a hearty chuckle. "Don't worry about us. It isn't everyday do we get visitors in our small village, I bet everyone would be glad."
Doyoung sees Mr. Oh smile at him through the rear view mirror making him smile softly too. "Oh. I-I'm alright with it."
"How long have you two been together?"
Doyoung pauses in the middle of stuffing another rice cake in his mouth as he hears a gentle voice raise this question somewhere in his right. He subtly turns and sees Yuta talking to a lady who’s probably in her late 50s. He sees Yuta’s red cheeks, he sees how the other people in the room also stops what they are doing to wait for the answer. He sees how intrigued they are.
Yuta finally calms down from a coughing fit after choking on a rice cake he’s peacefully chewing before the sweet lady interrogates him. "Huh? Oh, uhm. Doyoung and I,” he pauses and looks at Doyoung who just inhales deeply and looks away. “we are not dating. We- we’re just friends."
Oh.
"Really?" The lady gasps and Doyoung hears something shatter inside him as well. The sweet, sweet old ladies were in extreme shock that they ended up throwing question after question to them. They were mostly directed to Yuta so Doyoung just shrugs and busies himself with the food prepared for them when Yuta turns to him for help.
He pulls on a wide smile and chuckles whenever the ladies in the room would gush about how perfect they would be as a couple, how they just have this vibe , and how actions speak louder than words. And it hurts. It hurts because everytime Yuta would just laugh and counter every accusation.
Oh.
But we aren't just friends, we aren't.
Yuta. Yuta, You know it.
Doyoung excuses himself out of the room, says he needs to call his brother.
The elders let them stay in at the extra room of the village's center. They're both already tucked comfortably on their own mattresses. Doyoung is staring at the tiny glow in the dark stars glued on the room’s ceiling. He is actually loving it as it serves as a distraction, he counts the stars countless times when what happened earlier keeps replaying in his head.
"Yuta?" Doyoung turns to the other, checking if the older is asleep. “Are you asleep?” he still asks the older’s back.
It was silent and Doyoung prepares himself to shift back to his original position then Yuta rolls over to face him. Yuta blinks slowly to adjust his vision in dark, "Hmm."
"You know how you said that this trip is supposed to be a healing trip for us?” the younger starts in a soft and gentle voice. “I'm sorry I ruined the healing part by acting like a bitch during our hike."
"No.” Yuta quickly contradicts Doyoung. “It's okay. I- I understand. I'm also sorry for forcing you to go hike. I know you dislike going out and exerting too much energy on non-work related things yet I still planned this horrible mess." Yuta says as he reaches out his hand to grab Doyoungs.
"Oh no, no. The whole trip was only a mess because of me. The itinerary is not horrible! I just didn’t know how to appreciate things offered to me."
Yuta squeezes Doyoung’s hand and scoots closer. "No. It's not like that.” His grip on the younger’s hand tightens once again. “We are just tired, overworked, and underpaid employees that your energy for this is nowhere to be found and I was just too excited to feel free again. We both made mistakes so it's okay. We'll do better next time."
Next time. Doyoung’s heart soars as Yuta keeps is solid hold on him, especially when he says next time.
They stay in silence for the next minute, hands still attached. Doyoung has his eyes closed, trying to sketch and tattoo this moment in the back of his mind.
"Doyoung, you have soft hands." Yuta giggles. “Nobody in this world has hands this soft.”
Eyes shot open as he retracts his hand from the older’s as if he was burnt. He moves far from Yuta and ends up sitting up against the nearest wall.
"Y-you can't just do that."
"Huh?" Yuta slowly tries to move closer but stops as he looks at the other’s quivering eyes and shaking head. Doyoung is so terrified, he looks so hurt and Yuta aches to know the reason for the younger’s pain. “Doyoung?”
Silence.
"You can't just hurt me then act like nothing happened." Doyoung mumbles as he lowers his head.
Yuta sits up as he watches Doyoung try to ease his breathing and it does nothing but makes it harder for him to breathe too. It takes a while and Doyoung still lets out a shaky sigh as he gently raises his head. "This, this wouldn't actually be a healing trip if we don't be honest with ourselves."
"Hey, I-I am honest with you." Yuta stammers as he sits right up.
"You are, but I am not."
Yuta eyes him, wait for him to elaborate.
Doyoung feels Yuta's heavy stare and hugs his legs tighter, "I- Hyung." He shivers.
"Yuta hyung. We're friends right? Friends. Nothing more, right?"
Yuta badly wants to answer the question but his mouth dries up causing him to just gape dumbly. He wants to tell Doyoung, wants him to know the truth. Badly needs to tell him that earlier, he wasn't actually that honest at all.
"But why? Why does it hurt me everytime we go out for lunches and dinners? Why does it hurt me when we go hang out? Whenever I stay at yours or you sleep at mines. Why does it hurt me so much everytime we do things that just blurs the line. Why do I like you so much?"
Yuta sucks in a breath and it stings his heart.
Doyoung shifts his gaze at Yuta for a second before smiling at the ground. "Man, I like you so much I even agreed to go on this trip. I, Kim Dongyoung, resident home buddy agreed to go out and hug nature for you . I ain't even gonna get cash out of this but look where I am now. I'm in too deep right?" Doyoung lets out a bitter chuckle as he shakes his head.
"Do you hear me? God, I sound so ridiculous."
"Y-you…" Yuta stammers as he does moves closer Doyoung this time. Words tastes foreign in his mouth but he still breaks into a smile, "You may not get cash but there is still a perk to coming with me."
Doyoung rolls his eyes, Yuta is seriously amazing. He just vomited his feelings out and filled the room with its stenched but Yuta still managed to grin at him. Yuta still managed to offer him assurance and acceptance over something the older never asked for. Yuta made him feel like him pushing his feelings towards the other is right and reasonable. Yuta made him feel secure and now it does nothing but break his heart even more.
"What? A breath of fresh air? Clean lungs? Sore muscles?"
"A boyfriend."
"A wha-"
Yuta dives in to kiss the younger mid sentence.
The kiss is perfect.
It tastes refreshing, tastes like Doyoung's 8th grade summer. It's chill and serene, but hot with passion and desire. Tastes like something he's been craving for for so long.
The kiss is perfect.
It sends a chill down Yuta's spine as he holds Doyoung's cheek and deepens the kiss. It made his hand shiver but covered his heart with warmth. Feels like something he has always sought out for.
They're now back under the covers, bodies pressed snug together. They have spent more than ten minutes kissing each other and keeping their hearts warm. Foreheads pressed together and hands clasp firm.
Yuta stares in Doyoung's eyes. He pours all his feelings in the look he's giving the younger and luckily, Doyoung doesn't look away. Finally, Doyoung accepts and doesn't look away anymore.
Doyoung's eyes are magnificent. Always full of emotion, crystallized with mirth, understanding, and contentment. Love. His dark orbs are filled with stars and galaxies. They're like blackholes and Yuta's getting pulled in. He's getting lost in Doyoung eyes for every passing second.
Yuta doesn't regret.
"I love you."
With a long weekend coming soon, Yuta pesters Doyoung to go on a trip with him. Three days of facing Doyoung armed with enough persuasion and puppy eyes, Yuta finally got him to agree.
Yuta thinks that this is the perfect time to introduce hiking to Doyoung. Hiking, his first love in Korea. Hiking that unfortunately now place second in his heart.