cold | junhao

三十一

"So do we actually have any plans for today, or are we just going to wander round aimlessly until the sun sets?"

Jun chuckles, examining the ice cream in his hand. "Come on," he says. "How often do we get the chance to have a whole day to ourselves to wander round outside without worrying about anything?" Swinging their entwined hands between them, he throws a glance to Minghao walking next to him.

Minghao kicks his feet out as they walk, his eyes trained in front of them but every so often drifting to the people surrounding them. "I feel bad now," he says. "Most days we're stuck inside because of me."

The pair wander down the stretch of the pier, stopping at the far end and leaning over the railing. Jun climbs up onto it and stares out over the pure blue, shimmering water. Minghao joins him by his side, sighing. The fresh breeze coming from the ocean prickles at his bare hands, but he ignores it, attempting to brush his longer hair from his face but failing miserably. He's been growing it out for a couple of months—although he prefers how it looks, it doesn't half get annoying.

"You shouldn't," Jun reassures him, jumping down and grabbing hold of Minghao's hands. "It doesn't matter, and it's not like we don't both have reasons we can't always come out."

"I guess," Minghao sighs, turning his back on the expanse of water before them as they turn back and head towards the land. He enjoys the feeling of their hands locked together, and the warmth of Jun's hand wrapping around his own like a blanket of comfort.

His eye catches something in the distance, a group of three people walking towards them. As he looks, one of them glances up. Their eyes meet.

Although he wills it not to, Minghao's blood runs cold. He lets go of Jun's hand, trying to put a little bit of distance between them but keeps his eyes on the teenagers who now seem to have noticed him. Minghao rolls his eyes at himself, honestly.

They wear the same jeering expressions as they always did, staring at Minghao like he's some prey, and they're waiting for the right moment to pounce. But they won't do anything here, Minghao thinks. They can't—there's too many people.

And they know that too.

But still, it doesn't stop the laughing amongst themselves, the staring, and the harsh shove that sends Minghao stumbling into Jun when their paths eventually cross.

"What the fuck?" Jun frowns, staring after the trio losing themselves in bursts of laughter. He starts to go after them without a second thought, but stops when Minghao tugs on his wrist. The teenagers face them walking backwards, almost daring him to make a move and try something, and although they don't speak, Minghao can still hear the never-ending taunts in his head. Dammit.

He pulls Jun back one last time. "Don't," he says to his ear. "It'll just result in a petty kid's fight."

Still, Jun wants to follow them. "I don't want to fight them Hao, I just wanna talk!"

"Sure," Minghao scoffs. "But leave it, Jun. They're not worth it."

Finally, Jun reluctantly spins on his heel and follows Minghao. They pass the harbour and Minghao unlatches the gate that leads up to the cliff, wrinkling his nose at the putrid smell of fish.

"Who were they?" Jun asks once they're sat among the freshly cut grass looking out over the ocean, the trees in the forest surrounding them rustling in the light wind.

Minghao shrugs. "Just some people from college who used to find it funny beating up the weird kid," he shakes his head. "But it's whatever, really."

Jun shuffles closer to him. "They beat you up? Why?"

"Because of my allergy." Minghao explains, "Originally I didn't want anyone to know about it, and kept it a secret for a while. But I had a really bad reaction in class one day when the sub turned the air-con on." He laughs bitterly. "It seems so petty, for there to be bullies in college. You'd think kids grow out of it during secondary school."

Jun nods. "So they were the people who hurt you?"

Minghao nods. "I don't see them much now that I've left... I'm pretty sure they failed their exams in the end. But since then-" he shrugs, "-we've crossed paths a couple times. That's actually how I met Mingyu and... Soonyoung, I think? We were in an alleyway and they came through and helped me."

"Really?" Jun's eyebrows lift. "I didn't know that. I'd never think of Soonyoung as the type to fight people."

With a chuckle, Minghao picks at the grass around their legs, fumbling with it in his hands, "Mingyu seems more like a friendly giant, but he can actually beat people to a pulp." He nudges Jun with his shoulder. "It's kind of hot."

The way Jun gapes at him draws a laugh from Minghao, but it's eventually killed when Jun closes his mouth, sighs in defeat and nods. "I should be mad, but I'm not because I agree with you." He lies back onto the grass, grinning at the slight twinge in his arm—courtesy of Minghao— and returns it before they both settle. Jun lies back with his arm behind his head while Minghao rests his head on his chest, connecting their other hands together.

"That cloud looks like a duck," Minghao murmurs, pointing up at the sky to a snowy white cloud that in some way does indeed look like said animal. Jun cranes his neck to look at his boyfriend, unable to stop the endearing smile growing on his face.

"The one next to it looks like a flower."

"How the fuck is that a flower?"

"So tell me what you see, then."

Minghao hums, "Definitely a goblin wearing a party hat."

"Obviously."