If there was ever such a thing as pure beauty, it existed in those woods. Vines crawled up the trees, wrapping around the trunks, branches, twisting around themselves. Sounds echoed throughout the forest that couldn't be heard from the village because somehow the thick canopy had trapped the noise there. Hollering from some creature hidden in the leaves above them made Suho tremble. 

"Is that a monkey?" he asked, unable to hide his fear. 

"Monkeys actually. It's plural," Jongdae answered, having pleasure in torturing the boy. He didn't even mind that Suho had attached himself to his arm, his grip tightening at every rustle. 

Jongdae had clearly taken a more difficult path on purpose. Suho didn't mind though, becuase it meant he could cling to him and feel protected. He liked that. Knowing that he wasn't the only one watching out for himself. He was positive that Jongdae cared for him. If he didn't, he wouldn't have pulled him out of the water. If he didn't, he wouldn't be marching them through the woods with his chest puffed out, looking like he was ready to fight whatever might challenge them. 

Suho hadn't begun to like Jongdae, he was just realizing that he always had. 

And he really liked holding onto him. Jongdae's skin, which had been browned by constant exposure to the open sky, was warm and surprisingly soft. His arms were firm too, naturally strong from a lifetime of use. Not the way that people in the city used their arms to sturdy themselves if they were standing in the subway train or to hold a briefcase or bag. Jongdae used his arms to cut down the tree, chop the wood, and carry it back to throw into the fire. 

Suho had been paying more attention to Jongdae than to his surroundings, so when Jongdae stopped suddenly, he had no idea why. Jongdae stared at him in disbelief. 

"Are your eyes even open?" he asked. "You just.." Jongdae pointed to a pile of animal waste that Suho had stepped in. His sneakers, which were more for fashion than anything, were covered in brown. His stomach lurched. Even Jongdae was making a face. 

"How did you not notice that?" 

Suho was silent, out of embarrassment and because if he opened his mouth, he risked inhaling the awful stench. 

"Take off your shoe," Jongdae demanded. 

"What?"

"I said, take off your shoe."

Holding down the contaminated shoe with his other foot, he quickly stepped out of it. He hopped to the side, now holding up the foot that was only wearing a sock. He gave a look to Jongdae that asked, now what?

"There's no way I'm going to drag you around with that smell. You have to go barefoot."

Suho hopped far enough from the dump spot to escape the smell, but he was out of breath and was no longer holding onto Jongdae's arm.

Jongdae looked back at Suho, who had never seemed more pitiful. His face was flushed, and he was leaning on a tree, his exhaustion not allowing him to feel that a curious snake had descended and was coiling around his wrist. It wasn't harmful, and it wasn't very big either, but if Suho were to glance over at it, he would surely freak out and wake up the entire forest. 

"Don't move," Jongdae said. 

"Now what," Suho mumbled. 

"Just focus on me." Something that Suho would have no trouble doing. He began to approach slowly, and Suho started to get scared. If Jongdae was approaching cautiously, that meant it had to be something serious.

"Is there a giant spider on my head? There's a spider isn't there? Get it off!" It was too late to stop Suho's shouts, and he began to swing his body around to get rid of the spider that wasn't there, forgetting that he was only wearing one shoe. Jongdae saw the snake fly off in one direction, and in the midst of Suho's thrashing dance, his one shoe flew off in the other direction. 

"Please stop," Jongdae said, grabbing fast onto Suho. "Please." 

Jongdae turned around and bent over slightly.

"What-what are you doing?"

"Get on my back. If it means we don't have to make anymore stops, then I'll just carry you." 

Barefoot and disheveled, Suho obeyed. Jongdae carried him without much difficulty but by the time they reached the river, they were both tired and frustrated. Jongdae waded into the water, leaning on the bank to catch his breath. Suho dipped his legs in the river, sweat and water instantly becoming indistiniguishable. The only thing he knew for sure was that he was soaking and that the constant rumbling noise had to be the waterfall. 

"We still have to go up a bit," Jongdae said. "And don't forget that you have to scale the rocks if you want to jump off the top."

"I have to climb the side of a cliff?"

"How do you think we get up there?"

"I never thought about it."

"Do you think about anything?"

"I'm a business man."

"No. You're a child who can't do anything for himself. You just expect to be taken care of. Maybe it was how you were raised, but honestly, you should've learned something by now. At least know to watch where your walking."

His words hadn't meant to bite but they did, deep enough to break the skin and form little beads of red hot blood. Suho clenched his fists. 

"It's not my fault I'm not like you. Do you know how much I look up to you? Stop breaking me down for not being like you. I wish I could be. Then maybe you'd see me for more than a baby who always needs taking care of. Don't you think I want to be able to walk around confidently like you? Don't you think I want to swim far out into the ocean without worrying if I'd be able to make it back? Do you really think that I want to be terrified of every animal and insect that I come across? I thought that you didn't mind protecting me. I thought it would fulfill you somehow, knowing that you were superior to someone like me. Knowing that a rich city boy's life depended on the skills that come so naturally to you. That someone was finally at your mercy. I can't do this without you, Chen. Don't you know that?"

"I'm sorry," Jongdae answered quietly. He couldn't explain how he was feeling. It was stronger than guilt. It was indescribable and so all he could manage was, sorry. 

Suho moved towards him quickly. If there was a punch coming, Jongdae knew he deserved it, so he closed his eyes and waited for the pain. But instead of a fist making contact with his nose, there was something soft on his mouth. Lips, salty with sweat. Lips that had, just seconds ago, confessed what laid deep in Suho's heart. Lips that explained things better than any words alone could. Lips that seemed to say, do you understand now?

And he did. As Jongdae kissed him back, he finally understood.  

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I hope all of you reading thought waiting for the first kiss was worth it!! Thank you for the nice comments :-)