4

Against Minho's back, Taemin let out a miserable whine. "Are we stopping sometime soon? We've been riding for hours. I feel like the skin is gonna chafe off of my ," he complained.

"Probably," answered Minho, eyeing the reddish haze of the setting sun warily. “Should be any time now.” Eunbi had begun her descent down the mountain, following a trail with hoof prints that looked fresh enough heading in the opposite direction. She’d lead them to where Pete and Russell set up camp with them the night before while waiting for Minho, Minseok, and Frank to come through on the train. 

Taemin patted at his side, trying to claim the attention he already had. “Excuse me, why does it sound like you don’t know? You do know where we are going, right?

Minho shrugged and told the truth, “Approximately. Eunbi will get us there. Trust her. And speaking of: You gotta move with the horse. Feel her muscles. Rock with her. That's why you hurt: You're too stiff. Is it your first time riding a horse?"

"Maybe it is. What about it? We don't really have these things where I'm from. I never had the chance."

Minho furrowed his brow in disbelief. "Which is where, exactly? You never told me."

"None of your damn business."

"A place with no horses, though? Can't think of one."

"Oh, so you're a ing global horse expert now, huh? Wow, aren't I lucky to have your companionship! Care to regale me with the history of horse migration throughout the world? Maybe we can get to the bottom of the mystery of my horse-less home together."

"Calm down," Minho scoffed. "Is everyone from where you're from such an , or is that a unique talent of yours? Don't forget I can kick you off this saddle in an instant. I'm sure Eunbi will be glad to be rid of you, won't you, girl?"

He leaned forward to pat her neck, smirking at the small oof that came out of Taemin when he momentarily lost his balance, unable to stay so firmly against Minho's back.

"Don't forget that I managed to knock you off your damn horse first! You were eating dirt—

"Shut up!" Minho shouted. "Can you please just shut the up? Every single word out of your goddamn mouth is an insult or a threat or a complaint. I'm tired of it. You know, for a moment, back on that train, I thought you might have been a guardian angel or something. You saved my life, and in that instant I'd never been more grateful to anyone. Now, all I am is sorry! You're not an angel: You're just a devil with a pretty face. I'll get you out of these woods and point you in the direction of the nearest settlement, but then my debt to you is done. I've had enough."

"I…" Taemin began, then finished the syllable with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I'll be quiet."

"Thank you," muttered Minho. 

He tightened his grip on the reins, trying to focus on only Eunbi's movements. The treeline was beginning to thin around them, and the wildflowers that began to dot the sides of the road hinted at the lush valley below. Minho wasn't entirely sure where he was, as the gang had only been running in these parts for about a month after being chased west across the state by the law. He did know their main camp was on a lake northwards, and he knew that if he followed the thin creeks that cut through these mountains they'd lead him back to their newest temporary home. He only had to find one first, but Eunbi would lead him there. Pete brought her to water, and she'd remember where it was.

Minho held back a groan when Taemin piped up again from behind him, but at least his tone wasn't as biting as before.

"Um, Minho? I know I said I'd shut up, and sorry about that, but, uh, could you teach me that horse thing? How to ride properly? I'm not sure how much longer I can last like this."

Minho let out a sigh, wondering if it was worth answering, if this good deed would be punished just like the rest. 

He wasn't in the mood to play teacher, especially not to this brat, but riding tandem took a harsher toll on the body. This saddle was a tight fit for one, and with the way he and Taemin were crammed on it like sardines in a tin, neither of them were getting the support they needed. Pitying Taemin's inexperience and the honest ache of pain in his voice, Minho said wearily, “Just watch and mimic what I do. Rock with the horse.”

He could hear his unwilling passenger swallow down a snarky reply. Instead, Taemin answered, “I can’t see much with this blanket and your big coat in the way, and honestly, it doesn’t seem like you’re doing anything special. Don’t get me wrong—I’m sure you’re an expert and everything, I just can’t tell—”

Minho let out an even bigger sigh. “Just put your hands on my damn hips, alright? Scoot in closer if you can. You’ll feel it."

There was a rustle of canvas as Taemin shifted forward, pressing his torso against Minho’s back fully. His hands dropped from where they rested loosely around his waist for security to grab his hips purposefully. He attempted to emulate Minho’s movements from the start, rocking as Minho’s body rocked, albeit a bit clumsily. Taemin was positioned a bit higher on the saddle on a sloping bit, and his entire body weight was pushing on Minho’s back. Even through his heavier jacket, he could feel Taemin’s muscles working underneath his skin. He could feel even more pressing into his backside, but he was doing his best to ignore that.

Minho swallowed, a bit flustered by the closeness. “At the speed she's going right now, her legs work diagonally. Her front left leg goes forward as her back right one does, and vice versa. Your seat is constantly shifting under you, and that can cause friction and sores if you don’t move with her. The faster she goes, the more important it is to ride properly, and the pattern of her footfalls changes. You ever see riders at a full gallop totally off the saddle, half-standing?”

“No,” Taemin answered simply. If it was possible, he moved even closer and pressed his forehead into the dip of Minho’s neck, as if that would help him further.

“They… they do that because it’s easier to be, um, off the saddle entirely when the horse is going that fast. Eunbi rarely does more than a trot unless we’re running from something, and I need to stay on the saddle to hold on with my knees. I’m usually shooting at whatever’s chasing us—can't use the reins."

Minho let out an awkward chuckle, then dropped it once it was clear Taemin wasn’t going to join in. At least Taemin was being relatively quiet as he focused on the way Eunbi moved underneath him and Minho moved in front of him. Minho concentrated instead on the path instead, and after a handful of minutes of silence, he wondered if Taemin had fallen asleep.

“Minho?” Taemin said in a breathy whisper that took Minho by surprise. He spoke directly in his ear, and he could feel the heat of his words on his skin. “Minho?” he repeated.

“What?”

“So…” Taemin’s hands shifted a bit, his ring and pinky fingers resting on the top of Minho’s thighs. “You think I’m pretty?”

Minho choked on his surprise. “I.. uh… what?”

“You said I’m pretty. You said you thought I was an angel.”

“You—” Minho cleared his throat. “Like you don’t know. You called yourself pretty. Don’t… don’t take it as anything. It’s just a fact, alright? You’ve… you’ve got a pretty face. What about it?”

Taemin didn’t answer in words, but instead rested his face back in the crook of Minho’s neck and gave a happy hum that reverberated all the way to his bones.  

“You’re so…” Minho began, but dismissed it with another sigh. When Taemin’s hands began creeping further and further down his thighs, Minho dropped the reins for a moment to grab them and return them to their original position at his waist. “Cut that out,” he said gruffly. “I told you already—I’m not interested.”

“Sure,” Taemin mumbled, and Minho could hear the eyeroll in his voice. He gritted his teeth and focused again on the path ahead. When Taemin’s fingers began to stealthily pull at the fabric of Minho’s shirt to untuck it from his pants, he said nothing. When Taemin’s palms settled underneath his shirt against his bare skin, his pinkies shallowly dipped into the waistband of his trousers, he said nothing once more. He ignored the tingling sensation between his thighs. He ignored his heart beating just a bit faster, though Taemin