Minho hung his phone up, sighing for what seemed like the hundredth time.

                “Honey, just let them calm down for a bit.” Taemin came over, cup of coffee and a kiss on the forehead for the elder.

                “They keep calling, it’s really annoying!” Minho whined, pouting on the outside but happily embracing the kiss on the inside.

                Ever since his last encounter with Yujin, his parents had been calling him nonstop, yelling at him, saying he was a horrible and inconsiderate son, that ever since he decided to ruin their lives and become homoual, he was lost to the devil. A good son would always listen to his parents and never do something as horrible as cost them their careers.

                “Well it was their career, Minho…”

                “But they’re lying! I can guarantee you they didn’t lose their jobs, they’re just trying to me back into their toxic lifestyle.” He groaned, grabbing the blonde’s arm immediately after the coffee cup transaction and peppering it with kisses. Spotting the tattoo, he rubbed it with the tip of his nose, smiling. “Let’s go on another vacation. Where do you want to go?”

                “We can’t go right now.” Taemin laughed, “We have so much stuff going on in school right now. What? Do you want another tattoo?”

                “Yes, Kitten.” Minho nodded, pointing to his forehead, “Right here.”

                “You’re ridiculous.”

                “No, but really Taemin, let’s go. Right now.”

                “Where could we possible go at three in the afternoon?”

                “Anywhere away from here, come on, come on, let’s go!” He smiled, going from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye, on his feet and dragging his husband towards the door.

                “W-wait, hold on! You’re not serious, are you?”

                “I’m definitely serious.” The elder nodded, dressing Taemin up warmly, only a few feet away from the door.

                “Honey…” The blonde whined, letting Minho dress him regardless, “You’re joking.”

                “Nope, am not.”

                Receiving a kiss, he watched the elder get dressed himself, keys looping around his finger. “Are you ready, babe?”

                “I guess.”

                Flicking the blonde’s chin upwards, Minho stole a kiss. “Let’s go.”

                Jumping into the car, Taemin was still convinced that Minho was joking. Who gets the idea of just driving randomly? Getting comfortable in his seat, reclining it a bit, he turned the radio on, Minho driving towards the exit.

                “So where are we going?”

                “I decided on Yeosu.”

                “Yeosu?! That’s like six hours away! You have got to be kidding me! We’re going to get there at ten!”

                “Look up hotels in Yeosu.”

                “I’m not going to fall for your trick. Haha, very funny.”

                “I guess we’ll sleep in the car then.” Minho snorted.

                “We don’t even have a change of clothes.”

                “It’ll just be one night, we’ll survive.”

                Sighing, Taemin’s head fell forward, fingers massaging his temples. “You’re absolutely insane.”

                Minho didn’t mind being called insane today, after all, they needed a break from the city life every once in a while too. Pulling onto the highway, he the radio.  Music blasted throughout their speakers as Taemin reclined in his seat, getting comfortable.

                “Are you serious?” He mumbled.

                “Dead serious.”

                The blonde turned over onto his side, using his arm as a pillow. “I think the older we get, the crazier you get.”

                “What’s that supposed to mean?” Minho laughed, glancing over at the boy.

                “When we started dating all those years ago, I was the weirdo, doing all the weird stuff. You were always Mr. Serious  Photography Student. But now that we’re older, you’re the one like ‘oh, let’s go to Switzerland’, ‘let’s go on a road trip, drop everything you’re doing’, ‘let’s have in the parking lot’.” Taemin teased, getting a precious reaction in response.

                Minho, cheeks reddening, rolled his eyes. “You wanted to go to Switzerland and out honeymoon was approaching so that makes total sense! A-and the road trip, well… it’s good to relax… And you totally seduced me in the parking lot! It was all your fault, you know. If anything, you were the one behind that.”

                “I asked you to hold the cheese.” Taemin smiled, watching as the elder pulled his hand off of the steering wheel, scratching his head. Before he could put it back, the blonde hijacked it, interlacing their fingers.

                “Yeah, okay, but the way you said it was really y and I could tell by the way you said cheese that you wanted me.” He explained, adjusting his driving hand before lifting Taemin’s to his hand with his other one, kissing each of the younger boy’s knuckles. Amused, the blonde played along. “Yes, now that I think back on it, I was definitely trying to use that mozzarella to seduce you.”

                “I knew it. You can’t lie to me, Kitten.”

                “I love you.”

                “I love you too. Get some rest, okay? If you sleep now, then maybe we can do some night tourism, who knows.”

                Nodding, Taemin closed his eyes, hand still holding Minho’s as he allowed himself to drift off.

                When he woke up, they were no longer on the highway. In fact, there weren’t many cars around them at all.

                It was significantly darker and if Taemin simply judged on the colour of the sky, then he’d have to say they sun was about to set if it hadn’t already a few minutes ago, the remnants of day fading into black.

                over his dry lips, he rolled over onto his opposite side, giving his muscles some relief.

                “Good evening, baby. Sleep well?”

                “I slept well…” Taemin stretched, watching the trees go by in a blur. “Where are we?”

                “About an hour away. Maybe a bit less. Look, can you see the water?” Minho asked, nodding in the direction of a blue horizon their road approached. “We haven’t been to the beach in a while, huh?”

                “The beach makes me think of losing my ity.” Taemin confessed, sitting up.

                “Not swimming or relaxing?”

                “Nope. Just a romantic night of awkwardness and shyness and just… Ah, it was embarrassing.”

                Minho rolled down the window a few centimeters, letting the fresh air in. “Personally, I think I did pretty well for my first time.” He claimed, the sound of the birds and rustling of leaves flooding the vehicle.

                “I’m not saying you were bad. I was just embarrassed. You get it, right? Being and touched by the person you love for the very first time… Honestly, I didn’t even care what you were doing, I was freaking out trying not to mess up.”

                “I was in the same spot.” The elder laughed, reassuringly patting the blonde’s thigh. “You know how hard it was to read your expressions while you hid your face?”

                “I don’t hide them anymore, do I?” Taemin asked, fixing his seat back to a 90 degree angle.

                “No you don’t, darling. You show all of your lovely expressions to me now.”

                They were lazy, the moment was lazy, it was all lazy. He wondered if Minho was sleepy because he was sleepy even though he just woke up. Minho had been driving the whole was so surely he yawned at least once or twice.

                “Before we start out… ‘night tourism’, why don’t we cuddle up a bit in the back? We can set an alarm for about an hour, just rest up a little. It can’t do you any wrong.”

                “It’s fine, let’s not waste time.”

                “Just ninety minutes, honey. Just ninety, I promise.”

                “Just ninety?” Minho mimicked, earning a smack on the arm.

                “Drive to the nearest beach and pull over into the parking lot. We can recline the seats in the back and get the pillows and blanket from the trunk. I’ll set a timer on my phone and we can take a power nap.” Taemin pitched the idea, but Minho knew more than anyone that it was a command. There was no use trying to fight it anyways.

                “Well we should be coming up to one in about twenty minutes.”

                They drove those whole twenty minutes in near silence, Minho turning the radio on, having it play soft tunes in the background. They didn’t mind the silence though. Silence was only awkward when you weren’t comfortable with the person you were sharing it with. That was definitely not the case between them.

                Taemin was quite frankly mesmerized by their surroundings anyways. He was so used to seeing everything in light, every single square inch around him illuminated by sunlight. Seeing everything drenched in darkness was new and a bit foreign. Not to mention that besides some shops that were open 24/7, everything was quite, everyone was sleeping. This contrasted the city extremely, a place where everything was always busy and bustling with life.

                Different was nice sometimes. Sometimes it was possible to find comfort in the unknown. Especially with Minho by his side. Maybe it wasn’t that unknown after all.

                Pulling off of the road, they drove straight towards the ocean, a sandy parking lot completely empty in the late evening. Twenty minutes past ten and they finally arrived.

                Leaning over, Taemin kissed his husband, whispering an, ‘I’ll get the seats ready, fetch the blankets.’

                Minho listened. While Taemin stepped out, reclining the seats in the back completely to accommodate them, the elder went to the back, grabbing the blanket and travel pillows they kept on them. Closing the trunk, he looped back around, hopping onto the back seats, joining the blonde. He was already setting the alarm, making sure Minho would see as if the boy needed proof. Minho smiled.

                “Just a little nap.” Taemin reassured him.

                “I know, I know. Come here.”

                Laying down, turning onto their sides, Taemin’s back curled against Minho’s chest, snuggling up against each other.

                It was cold outside, so naturally the car would cool on its own, but their body heat would make up for that.

                But Taemin decided he didn’t want to look away, he wanted to bury his face in Minho’s hair, feel the elder’s breath on his neck.

                Rolling over and shimmying up, he laced his arms around Minho’s head. Minho loved Taemin’s thin arms. They were so tiny, and soft, and perfect for hugging. His were a lot bigger, but that was okay, because he used them to hold the blonde close. The boy would arch his back, tangle their legs, smile. If he was ever made to cuddle with anyone, it would definitely be Taemin. Getting comfortable against the boy, hands sneaking into his back pockets and stealing a , he drifted off.

                The alarm woke them up exactly ninety minutes later.

                “Just a little more, baby…” Minho groans, turning the alarm off.

                “What happened to night tourism?” The younger boy teased.

                “Sleepiness.”

                Snorting, Taemin sat up, straddling the elder. “What if I go find a convenience and buy a few energy drinks?”

                “If you give me a kiss and five minutes, I can go with you.” Minho muttered, stretching each limb out.

                The boy nodded, interlocking fingers with the elder, helping him stretch. “I’ll get the keys.”

                As Minho rolled around the back seat, fighting sleep, Taemin crawled into the front, plucking the keys out softly, barely making a single sound.

                After waking up a bit, Minho slid his way out of the car, they pair walking hand in hand a few blocks until they stopped in front of a convenience store. Finally getting a proper feel for his feet, the ones which were usually in a warm bad by this time, he grabbed onto Taemin and held him close, passing through the automatic doors.

                Greeted by the cashier, they moved through the aisles with leisure. “Maybe we should get some snacks? Oh, let’s get something spicy. Like those spicy chips we bought the other day, you know?”

                “Grab them if they have any.”

                So Taemin did. He also grabbed some energy drinks, both cold and warm, some premade sandwiches, sour gummies, and anything else that seemed interesting. When their basket was half full, they headed to the checkout and paid, heading out into the night once more.

                The winds were strong near the water, understandably so. Taemin’s usual neat mess became an honest, knotted mess. Minho began wondering if the boy was cold. He was a little cold and Taemin was so tiny, so he had to be pretty cold too.

                “Hey, after we’re done eating, let’s go to Dolsan Park. I heard it has a beautiful view. After that, we can go eat again. Then I was thinking, well, maybe we could grab some extra food to go and drive over Hyangiram Hermitage and sleep in the car until about an hour before sunrise. The sunrise there is unbelievably gorgeous, I promise you. If we watch it, we will definitely be content enough to drive another five hours home.”

                “You know…” Taemin began, trying to comprehend each detail of a multipart plan in the middle of the night, “You seem to know this area a lot. I kind of… I don’t know, I guess I just expected that you wanted to come here on a whim or because you’ve never been here before. Well, either you’ve been here before or you planned this out excessively way in advance.”

                “I’ve been here before.” Minho confirmed, smiling that charming smile of his. “I came here a handful of times with my parents when I was younger. Probably… at least ten years ago. I had a dream about the view from the Hermitage and I guess I just really wanted to share it with you.”

                By now, their toes passed the border between concrete and sand. Their car was in full view and their stomachs were growling at the idea of a meal. Hoping to wake up a bit more, Taemin smacked the elder’s arm seconds before breaking out into a sprint. “You’re ‘it’, Minho!”

                Now it was the elder’s turn to try to register a random idea, allowing Taemin to get a twenty meter head start easily. “Hey, wait! Not fair!” Minho yelled after him, following the boy’s lead and shifting from a jog to a run. “I’m holding plastic bags, you know?!”

                “So am I!”

                “You only have one, I have two!” Although the blonde was a bit away, Minho could see him teasingly wink. This motivated him to catch up even more.

                Taemin reached the car at this point, running around to the other side in order to protect himself from the older boy.

                “There’s no use.” Minho threatened him regardless, “I’ll get you!”

                “You can try!”

                “The trophy is in the bag!”

                And so they laughed, and ran, and gasped for air, but laughed again, and ran again, and found themselves breathless on repeat until Taemin knew he could no longer run away even if he wanted to.

                “Alright, I give up, I give up!” He managed, holding Minho’s stare.

                “I don’t.”

                Before he knew it, he was grabbed by the waist and tossed over muscular shoulders. The trunk popped open revealing the still-reclined seats with a blanket and pillows strewn about. He was tossed in next, sides tickled mercilessly. Luckily for him, it only lasted a few seconds before Minho hopped in with him, dropping the bags.

                “Okay, let’s eat.”

                The two ate their midnight snacks in piece, enjoying each other’s company. Because of the drama between him, his parents, and Yujin that had taken up his time recently, Minho knew he neglected his husband a bit. He promised to cherish this time. Not out loud and mostly to himself, but he still did.

                With trash filling their plastic bags, they finished their last snack, a sweet custard filled bun.

                “It’s really good…” Taemin managed with a stuffed face, appreciating the food.

                “Then you finish up, I’ll start driving to our next destination.”     

                “Okay.” He smiled, watching Minho hop into the front seat, engine roaring and the sound of sand against wheels arising from all around them. Although he was probably breaking a law laying around in the back while they were driving, he decided he could look past it today.

                Peeking at the passing landscape, he smiled. Who would have thought he’d be here right now?

                They made it to the Dolsan Park an hour later. Taemin perked up when he saw them approaching a lit up bridge, two huge triangles beaming with every colour of the rainbow.

“It’s beautiful!” He gasped, disappointed when they drove off, leaving their car in an empty parking lot. They were the only ones there, but it was understandable and expected for the middle of the night. Walking around, hands tightly held and fingers interlocked, Taemin admired all the sights Minho reminisced in.

                Everything was new to the blonde, so Minho played his guide. He began with a ‘let’s start on this trail’, ‘there’s a stature over here you should see’, ‘take a picture of me in front of this’. He finished a long while later with a ‘let’s keep going’.

                Getting back into the car, they stopped by a small restaurant with a neon ‘24/7’ sign glued to its window. Greeted by an older woman, they took a seat, ordering something warm.

                “Hyangiram Hermitage is about another hour away from here.” Minho explained as they ate.

                “Another hour? You said it would be a five hour drive back but from here, it’s about six, and from there, it’ll probably be seven.”

                “You’re not okay with the long drive?”

                “I am. But won’t you be tired?”

                “No.” Minho smiled, “I’d drive a year if it would make you happy.”

                “Stop.” The blonde snorted, “You’re ridiculous.”

                Finishing up the meal, they paid and tipped the woman well, heading back onto the road. This time, Taemin joined Minho in the front for the entire drive.

                The further they drove, the more beautiful the views around them got.

                From city, to suburbs, to the edge of the ocean, it just seemed to get better.

                Despite the beauty, Taemin couldn’t fight his heavy eyelids much longer.

                The next time he woke up, he was in the back of the car again, unbelievably warm underneath a thick blanket. Sitting up, realizing how exactly pitch black it was, he was pulled back down, held in two strong arms.

                “Sleep a little…” A groggy voice told him, “I’ll wake you up in time for sunrise, I promise…”

                So he believed him, submitting to the unconscious once more.

                This time, he really was woken up but someone other than himself.

                “Kitten, let’s go okay?”

                Taemin whined, feeling himself lifted and carried for a bit.

                “We’re going to watch the sunrise, Kitten! I overslept so we have to hurry a little. Hold on, alright?”

                Too tired to do anything else, he left the responsibility of his body’s transportation to Minho. He definitely appreciated the warmth of the blanket that was draped around his shoulders.

                He’d steal a glance occasionally though. He could see temples, and stairs. He could feel them rising on the stairs as Minho carried him. The he began hearing people. He saw some too. Snapping out of the phase, he tried dropping to his feet, embarrassed.

                “Why are you carrying me when there are people around?” He whined.

                “I didn’t know my baby got embarrassed so easily.” Minho teased, “Don’t worry, we’re almost here. There’s a crowd. There’s always a crowd so stay close.”

                Taking the elder’s hand, a pout on his lips, Taemin followed along, eyes glued to the ground as the made their way through dozens of people.

                “It’s popular to make a wish here at sunrise.” Minho explained, “So I want to make a wish too.”

                With two hands on his waist, his waist was suddenly shoved against a rail, separating him from an endless ocean.

                Wow.

                The sun peeked out from behind the horizon, illuminating the sky with shades of pink, yellow, and orange. The softly rolling, blue waves had a golden shine to their outline. They looked magical. It all looked magical. It wasn’t warm and his hair wasn’t brushed so the wind didn’t do it any justice but was what was before him worth all of that and the seven hours it took to get here and will take to get home?

                Yeah.

                “Minho, this is beautiful…” He managed, speechless.

                “I know, so make a wish. My wish is that we can spend forever together. I wish that we won’t keep getting these kind of senseless interruptions from people who won’t support us. I wish we can have more moments like this where we just appreciate each other and can have a moment of peace. What’s your wish?”

                Trying to cover up his beating heart, he rested his folded arms onto the pole, placing his chin in them. He felt Minho’s arms around his waist and a cheek rub against his neck. “Well… I wish we can be happy forever… and that you’ll always love me as much as I love you, even though I love you a little bit more no matter what. And I wish I can always be good enough so that when someone tries to steal you, I’ll come out on top. Because, you know, I’m like, the top dog and stuff.” Taemin explained, hearing a snort seconds before receiving a kiss on the neck.

                “You’ll always be my top dog. Well, bottom dog. Bottom kitten actually. And I think I’ll always be the one loving you more. We can debate that on another day though. What do you think? Do you think this was worth the journey?”

                “It definitely was. Before we head home… show me around some more, okay?”

                “Okay.”

                Interlocking fingers, the couple watched the first droplets of sun rain over their side of the planet, realizing how easy it was to overlook this while trapped between concrete and skyscrapers. They decided they’d come here again, maybe for a birthday or a honeymoon. Maybe they’d go swimming. Maybe they’d take the ferry nearby. Maybe they could bring friends.

                There were a lot of maybes that could be thought about later, so tuning their minds out, they focused on each other, bodies close and hearts even closer. With the sound of waves washing over them, they realized they wouldn’t be able to spend this moment with anyone else.