It was 7 in the morning and a well-rested Taemin was up and dressed, hopping around the room. His socks were mismatched and his hair was a tangled mess, but he was ready. Minho on the other hand was still under the covers, little will telling him to be otherwise. Taemin jogged out of the bathroom, tooth brush still in hand, heading for the door. “Hyung, I’m going to get us some breakfast, please hurry and get dressed!” Minho hummed in agreement, his body saying the opposite as he snuggled into the sheets. The stairs creaked under Taemin’s feet as he went down the stairs, skipping every second step. His eye’s recorded each line on the floor, each crease in the wallpaper. He’s been to this town so many times it was like his second home. He remembered once when he was five, he went on a walk with his mother. She showed him all the different colours of flowers and plants and how some could be used as herbs for antidotes and others as poisons. Her fingers would carefully craft crowns out of the most blossomed of flowers. She wore them in her hair and she really did look beautiful. Like a princess, Taemin thought. When Taemin’s hair grew a little longer, she would put a flower or two into his. It made him think that looking girly wasn’t all that bad and sometimes he didn’t even mind having long hair. He looked up to his mother so much. Even if she is rarely with him now, he still treasures her dearly. A smile returned to his pasted lips as he scrubbed away at his teeth. As he entered the public dining room, shoving his toothbrush into his mouth, he bowed his head at the other guests. To his surprise, most of them were young couples. He walked up to the self-service counter, standing next to a girl a few years older than him as he grabbed for two trays, placing a plate on each. He reached for a pair of tongs and set down two eggs on his plate while laying 3 down on Minho’s, hoping the extra will be enough to get Minho to forgive him for waking him up early than what he liked. He placed the tongs down in their rightful spot, reaching for another pair. He picked up as many pancakes as the metal could hold, placing the large stack on his plate, another one on his friends. Reaching over for the maple syrup, he poured a generous amount, bathing the food in the viscous liquid. He his lips at the sight, his concentration broken by a giggle coming from his side. He looked to the right to see the girl laughing as she herself grabbed at a few pancakes. “You must be hungry.” She spoke. Taemin blushed at his actions, realizing his thoughts of food had blocked out everything else. He nodded as her eyes flew up and down Taemin. He fidgeted, knowing she was probably judging him. Luckily he was dressed and not down here in his pajamas. He could have held off on the toothbrush though. “Are you here alone?” She smiled, turning her body towards him. Taemin looked at the girl, her new position giving him a decent chance. She had long brown hair, slightly wavey. She was wearing a low cut tank top and shorts, the pockets peeking out from the bottom. She had brown knee high leather boots with pink laces on to match the colour of her shirt. She was definitely from the city. Taemin nodded. “Have you been here before? Maybe you could show me around?” She swept her hair over her shoulder. Her expression suddenly grew flustered, her hand freezing in the loose strands of hair. Her face was a newly found shade of pink. Is there something on my face? Taemin thought. He soon felt the weight in his left hand grow lighter, looking over to see Minho standing beside him, hair groomed and clothes ironed. Minho ruffled Taemin’s neat hair, speaking up. “Sorry, he doesn’t go for old ladies nor girls who he’s prettier than.” Her jaw dropped, her eyebrows peaking in the opposite direction. “Excuse me?” Minho retorted quickly, “You’re excused.” He hooked his forefinger around Taemin’s, leading him in the direction of an empty table. “Hyung that wasn’t very nice.” Taemin scolded his friend as he took a seat on the wooden bench. Minho’s manners were left behind in his small bachelor apartment as he dove into his food without waiting for Taemin. “Did you want some random twenty-something-year-old cougar coming onto you?”
“No, but there were nicer ways of turning her down or sending her away.”
“Pfft, yeah. With a toothbrush in your mouth. Definitely.”
The conversation ended right then and there as Taemin devoured his pancakes, only pulling away to breathe, although trying to avoid it in order to stuff his face as much as possible. “So what are the plans today, Mr. Tour-Guide?” Minho asked, a taunting tone in his voice. “It’s a small town, so there’s only so much big things we can do. I’ll try to keep you entertained though. First, I want to stop by the grocery store, then I want to go to a farm. Followed by that, I want to go on a long nature walk and then maybe we could go to the small theater and catch a movie. I don’t know what movies are playing, but I’m pretty sure it’s nothing new. But who says old movies aren’t good either? After that? Well, we’ll come back to the hotel, change, and head for the festival. It’ll be so pretty, I’m sure of it. From what I know, and that’s not much, the other four neighbouring towns also come and join in. It’ll be quite a number of people.” Taemin’s hand gestures we’re taking up all the space they were capable of as he explained their schedule for the day. “You have this all mapped out, huh?” Taemin stabbed the last of his eggs, raising the fork to his mouth as he spoke. “I have to take care of you too Hyung.” Taemin smiled, nudging Minho’s shoulder with his head.

Taemin was slipping on his sneaker. He was ready to go with his long sweater which rode over more than half of his knee-length shorts and a complimenting beret and scarf. Minho was behind him in a trench coat and jeans, an untied pair of boots finding their way onto his feet. “The market is a few blocks down from here.” Taemin pulled the door open, loosely holding it open with the tips of his fingers just enough for Minho to squeeze through. The sky was a washed out grey, and goose bumps crept their way onto both of their arms. Their glances met as the both looked to see if the other was just as cold as them. Taemin shoved his hands into his pockets. “I should’ve worn gloves.” He mumbled into his scarf. “Or longer pants.” Minho commented. Taemin playfully kicked him as they kept on walking. A few minutes into their walk, Minho started rummaging through his bag. He fished out a pair of mittens. “To be fair, it is morning.” Taemin looked over, spotting the comforting woolen article of clothing. “Oh, so now that you’re cold, you’ll be lenient? That’s not fair Hyung, you better share those!” Taemin snatched at them, his hand swinging back empty as Minho raised his hand, causing Taemin to miss. “Haha, yeah fricken right. You should’ve come prepared! You can sort the day out but you can’t sort out your own wardrobe? That’s your own damn problem.” Taemin smacked his Hyung’s shoulder quickly, his mouth forming an ‘o’ shape. “At least share them!” Minho looked at him skeptically. “How am I supposed to share them? There are two gloves and 4 hands!” Taemin quickly swiped at the hanging mitten again, this time getting a hold of it. “Ha!” He cheered, sliding it onto his right hand. “Ha what? You have one and I have one. Now both of us are going to have one hand freezing.” Taemin stared down at his hand, hoping to achieve a solution. Suddenly he looked up. “It’s fine, switch your gloved hand.” Minho took off the reversible glove, slipping it onto his left hand. He looked at Taemin, expecting an answer. Taemin stretched out his arm and reached for Minho’s hand. He held onto it, letting their linked hands fall to their side. “We each have one glove, so for out other hands, we’ll rely on each other. Now come on. We’ve wasted precious time!” Taemin started walking, tugging Minho out of his daze. “You know, when two guys hold hand while walking down the street, people usually assume they’re gay.” Minho pointed out, keeping up the pace behind Taemin. “Since when were friends not allowed to hold hands? I think it’s perfectly fine.” Minho let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine, you better have a warm hand.” Taemin laughed, shaking his sleeve down, pulling it down over his hand and an inch or so over Minho’s. After a few more seconds of walking, Taemin and Minho arrived at a farmers market. Row upon row of stalls were set up, cheerful faces handing things both ways over tables. They both laughed as they saw a larger woman chasing a chicken down one of the makeshift aisles. Taemin raised their joined hands to his nose, nuzzling them softly with his nose. “I’m going to be right back, you can go browse around. I’ll see you in a bit.” Taemin turned around and walked, his fingers still in contact with Minho’s until their arms were at their limits. Minho watched as Taemin’s small figure walked further into the crowd till he stopped at a stall, leaning across the table and pointing to some cabbage he previously picked up. A young teenage boy nudged an older figure which sprouted a conversation. Minho found an empty bench and sat on it, his hands burying into the soft cotton that made up his pockets. He slouched into a more comfortable position, his eyes following Taemin stall hopping. Minho realized that each stall Taemin approached only consisted of natural grown vegetables or something along those lines. Another sight he had gotten used to was the occasional person or persons approaching Taemin, smiles, conversation, farewells.  He figured Taemin must have been quite popular here, nearly a local. He felt the bench lift on his side, the board becoming stiffer. He looked over to see a somewhat familiar face smiling at him. “Hey there.” A wave came from the boy. “Are you here alone?” Minho shook his head. “I’m here with Taemin.” Minho raised his finger to identify the body which belonged to his dongsaeng. His eye’s instantly lit up as they followed Taemin in every direction he chose. Both of them sat there quietly, focused on the buzzing body. Minho lead his eyes away to look at another group of people as a silence fell over them. The sound of material folding reached his ear as the boy beside him now curled his knees up to use them as a resting place for his chin. “Taemin would make a great wife.” The boy spoke. As he finished his sentence, Taemin looked over from a coffee stand, his face springing into a smile. He waved as largely as he could, nearly spilling the coffee in his hands, jogging over and landing in the other boys lap. “Kai! Geez, you could’ve told me you were here! I only bought two coffees. No problem, I’ll just go get one more.” Kai grabbed his wrist as he got up and turned, pulling him back in his direction. “It’s fine, Hyung! Really! There’s no need.” Kai gave a reassuring smile and Taemin let go of a deep breath. “Alright, if you say so. Here-“ His eyes fell to Minho, “I got you one. Black with half a cream and a teaspoon of sugar. Just like you take it, right?” Minho took the cup, biting his lip as the heat of the cardboard roared against his skin. “How did you know?” He looked up. “An educated guess.” Taemin quoted as he smiled, sipping some of his coffee. Kai’s hands found their way around Taemin and pulled him back onto his lap. “Hyung, can I try some of yours?” Taemin nodded, surprised by the unexpected gesture. “Sure, here.” Taemin held the cup up to Kai only to receive a shake of the head. “Can you hold it for me?” Kai’s nostrils caved in as Taemin pinched his nose. “You’re 15! I’m not going to baby you! Here, if you want it so badly, you can have it.” He took hold of Kai’s wrist, raising his hand and placing the cup into it, Kai’s quick reflexes being the only thing stopping the cup from falling over. Kai’s pout was made evident and his head found its way to Taemin’s shoulder. Taemin interrupted, his attention belonging to Minho. “Apparently your coffee is made with some super healthy beans. Is it any good?” Taemin shimmied his way out of Kai’s hold and sat in between the two, pointing at the words. “Dark roasted beans.” He sounded each syllable with extra emphasis. Minho nodded. “It’s pretty strong but that’s not really a bad thing. It’s actually, what’s the word? Refreshing? It’s different from the cafés we go to, that’s for sure. Here.” Taemin took the cup in his head and tilted his head back, his face returning with a scrunched expression. “Hyung, I don’t know how you drink such bitter things. Sweet stuff is better, sweet!” Taemin chanted the word as he gave the coffee back. He lifted his arm and looked at his watch. “Oh geez, we better get going, I go so caught up in the shopping that I didn’t realize what time it is! I’m sorry Kai, we have somewhere we should be heading to right now. It was nice bumping into you!” Kai smiled. “No worries, I should get going too.” Taemin and Minho shared a bow with Kai before the two their heels and marched off. Kai was left standing there with Taemin’s coffee, watching as the two walked off, holding hands.

The smell of farmland was stronger, predicting the near arrival of their first location. It was a bit away from the town, fewer and fewer houses peering over the landscape. “Hey,” Taemin’s finger pointed to what looked like a silo, “that’s where we’re going to.” They walked a few meters down a path which looked like it continued on another eternity. They walked parallel to an old, peeling fence, horses slowly peeking into the scene. Taemin pushed up against a gate, loosely hanging on its hinges, Minho following behind. Another path of decaying grass lead towards two directions: a large two story double door and a smaller door that looked as if it was the entrance to a house. Following the latter, Taemin knocked on a small window decorating the door. A man responded, coming to the door and opening it. “Can I help you folks?” He smiled gently. “Yes please! We came here for horseback riding.” Minho’s head shot in Taemin’s direction. “No we’re not!” Minho pulled Taemin away, Taemin signing the man one finger as he mouthed ‘one moment, please.’ as they walked to the side. “I’m are absolutely not going on one of those things!” Taemin flicked Minho’s temple, whispering in a faster tone. “What? Are you afraid of them?” Minho’s mouth opened to say something but he stuttered. “O-of course not! Are you crazy?” Taemin’s throat began to tighten as he tried to hold in a laugh. “Come on, they’re not that bad.” Taemin tried to reason. “Not THAT bad? They’re more than THAT bad. They raise those stumpy legs of theirs, you slide of the back and fall to your doom. The end.” Taemin waved his finger back and forth, disagreeing. “That’s why you befriend them beforehand.” Minho snorted, quoting him in a whiny voice. “Befriend them beforehand.” Taemin swung around, smiling at the man who was waiting for an answer. “Is it possible for two people to ride one horse?” The man contemplated the question, scratching his chin. “I suppose so, if it were one of my larger horses. Do you have any riding experience?” Taemin nodded, “I have gone plenty of times but my friend here hasn’t and needs a bit of a warm up. Can we spend a few minutes with the horse before we ride it? Just to, you know, get acquainted?” The farmer nodded as he instructed them to wait by the farmhouse door. Less than a few minutes later, the farmer came out with a large horse. Minho was ready to run, Taemin’s tightening grip ceasing the opportunity. A dark and chocolaty coat dressed the horse while a shining mane hung from its neck down. “She’s all yours. Her name is Chili. Your equipment is on the bench over there. Get fitted and you’re ready to go.” The man the horse one last time, walking away, leaving the two alone with the creature. Minho’s head shook violently as he tugged Taemin back. “Taemin, let’s go. Come on.” His face collided with a plastic bag, his argument being knocked out of his train of thought. He stood there frozen as Taemin lowered the bag, a leaf of lettuce finding its way between Minho’s fingers. “Here, hold onto this okay?” Taemin strategically stood behind Minho, his arms lining the older boy’s. He slowly lifted Minho’s free hand as if being a puppeteer, working it towards the bridge of the horse’s nose. It was going unexpectedly well until the first contact was made, a loud noise escaping Minho’s mouth as his body jerked back, Taemin nearly toppling over with Minho on top of him. The horse raised its hoofs, stomping back in surprise. “Minho, Minho! Shhh” Taemin tried soothing the older boy, his hand covering his eyes. “Shh, there’s nothing to be scared of, see? It’s just you and my voice.” He could hear as Minho’s breathing fixed on a stable rate. His next move was to calm the horse, petting along its jaw. He hummed a slow melody as he placed Minho’s hand over his wrist. “Would you feel better if I did it first?” Minho peeked at the situation, Taemin standing as what Minho compared to a barrier between him and the horse. “Here, take my hand and help me pet the horse.” Minho gulped. “Minho, if anything happens, it’ll be me getting hurt, not you. But nothing is going to happen.” Minho nodded, slowly raising Taemin’s hand. He treated it as if it were glass on the verge of breaking. He gently planted Taemin’s hand on the front of the animals face, slowly, if not barely, pulling and pushing it in vertical streaks. “See? Everything is alright.” Taemin reassured. “We’re going to try feeding it some lettuce. Is that alright with you? Can you give me the leaf you have in your other hand?” Minho looked at the hand that was being referred to, realizing it was in a clenched fist around a leaf that, if it were living, would be subject to serious physical abuse. He put the leaf in Taemin’s hand, awaiting further instructions. “See, what you want to do is lift it so that it rubs against the horse’s mouth. The horse will do the rest by herself. Calling out her name will calm her down even more.” Minho nodded, although from his position, it had gone unseen. As the greens approached the horse’s mouth, Taemin slowly imitated the task that was soon to be Minho’s. “Chili, here you are girl. Chili~” he said in a soft singsong tune. “Minho, come on.” He urged. “Ch-Chili.. H.. h-here.” The horse became aware of the sudden loss of confidence through the change between voices, its head jerking back a bit. Taemin finished the job, bringing back security as he brought the leaf closer to the horse’s mouth. The horse accepted the gift, chewing on the snack. Taemin stepped up and slung his arms around the horse, hugging it as they nuzzled each other mutually. He turned around, gesturing towards the bag. “Do you want to give it a go yourself?” Minho looked from Taemin to the horse, to the bag, and did a double take. He nodded. He walked towards it, plucking out another loose leaf. He held it against his stomach as he walked towards the pair, skeptically eyeing the ‘beast’. His hand jolted out from the side and he shut his eyes tightly, saying a prayer of farewell to his hand which he assumed would soon be in the animal’s stomach. The seconds he waited felt like hours but the time it took for the horse to take the food was less than an instant. He opened his eyes to a satisfied horse munching and a happy Taemin smiling. “You did it!” He cheered as he threw himself into the boy’s arms. “You did great! Let’s do it again, huh? Finish the bag off?” It took a few minutes but after a few heads of lettuce, Minho could breathe comfortably. Now they were both in gear and about to get on the horse. Or so Minho thought. “Up!” Taemin shouted, nodding in the horse’s direction. “What?” Minho’s short lived confidence was drained. “I’m going on alone?” Taemin nodded. “For now. I want the horse to be comfortable with you. I’ll lead so it won’t go anywhere you don’t want it to. I promise.” Minho didn’t know what to argue but he wasn’t sure going up on the horse was the right thing for him to do. He felt a thumb massaging his cheek and looked to see it belonging to Taemin. “I believe in you. You’re manly, Hyung. You got this.” Minho’s hand fell upon Taemin’s, giving it a squeeze before stepping toward the horse. He followed the rules Taemin enforced and after a few attempts, found himself on the horse. “You know what Taemin? This- horses, it isn’t me.” He breathed slowly. “Hyung, don’t disappoint me. I look up to you, ne?” He smiled. “We’re going to move now, okay? I’ll lead it slowly around the circular trail.” He outlined the intended path with his finger, waiting for Minho’s agreement. “If I get hurt, you’re paying the hospital bill.” Taemin laughed. “Alright Hyung. I promise.” The horse’s body shifted under Minho, causing his to stiffen. “Relax, Hyung. You being stressed out will stress the horse out. Breathe.”

The first lap was shaky and every so often, stops had to be made when Minho became uncomfortable. The more laps they did, the fewer obstacles intervened. Before Minho knew it, they passed ten laps and Taemin stopped the horse. “Can you scooch over a bit? I’m going to get on now.” Minho obliged and moved back, watching as Taemin professionally mounted the horse. “Chili is a strong girl, huh?” He brushed through her hair with his fingers, failing to struggle through any knots. “Wait.” Minho interrupted as Taemin took the reins from him. “What do I hold onto?” His now empty hands struggled to find a solid answer. “Me.” Taemin said as if it was more than obvious. “What if you fall off though?”
“Then you’re coming along with me.” Taemin stated bluntly. “Gee, thanks.” Minho’s arms awkwardly tied themselves around Taemin. The horse moved swiftly and with Taemin’s proper judgment, walked at a good pace for the weight it supported. “You don’t have to sit so awkwardly.” Taemin stated. “Then how do I-“
“You can lean on me.” Taemin cut him off as if already anticipating the question. “Is your goal for today to embarrass me as much as possible? Because I’ll get you back for it, I promise.” He got no response but sensed a cheerful expression on the younger of the two. His neck leaned forward as his spine kept proper posture, his head landing perfectly on Taemin’s shoulder. Taemin guided the horse through a path it seemed to know all too well around the farm. The occasional bump in the track caused their helmets to bump, creating a noise that broke the silence. “Do you dislike horses?” Minho asked himself the same question. “Well, I guess I did.”  He mumbled. “Why?” Taemin inquired. “I don’t know. I just.. never liked them. I once watched a movie when I was younger about how a horse rider died when her horse refused to jump over a obstacle and it threw her off. I guess that being my only connection with what a horse was, I thought of them as something more worse than they were better.” Minho was wondering if what he was saying made any sense even after hearing a hum of understanding from Taemin. “If you had another opportunity, to go horse backriding I mean, would you go?” Minho looked around. He thought about the view, the horse, the way he felt on it, the way it felt carrying him. “I guess.” Minho felt a pat on his thigh. “That’s good. I’m glad. I’m sorry though. Really. I didn’t know you had a fear of horses.”
“I do not have a fear of horses.” Minho protested. “What a fib. It’s a bit too late for you to be lying, isn’t it?” Taemin chuckled and it annoyed Minho because he knew he was right. “Unless you have a fear of tree’s aswell, our next activity should get off to a smoother start.”
“Have you ridden a lot of horses before?” Taemin nodded. “Every now and then. It’s safe to say I know the ropes.” His fingers untangled from the rein as he patted Minho’s arm. “You can trust me. I’m scared sometimes too. Remember that time in the park? I was really scared then. Usually I would just accept that I was screwd, but your face kinda popped into my mind and I was hoping you would help me or save me or something. But then I heard your voice. I was still scared but I trusted you would make things better back then. I didn’t know how, but I hoped you would. That’s kind of what friendship is about right? Trusting your friend and being there for them just as much as you want them to be there for you.” Minho stared at each blade of grass and the way they swayed from side to side. “I hate to admit it, but I kind of feel like we switched roles. You just seem really mature right now. It’s weird.” Taemin smiled. “Who knows, maybe I’m secretly a super wise monk?” Minho snorted, “Yeah, I’m sure.”

They had now taken off their helmets and boots and were saying a goodbye to the horse as Taemin payed the man. Taemin laughed as he caught Minho sneakily taking a hidden piece of lettuce from his back pocket and feeding it to the horse. Minho flusterdly started walking away, looking at the ground as he did. “Oh! Wait one moment! Minho, come back here for a second.” He called Minho over, reaching for his shoulderbag. Minho helped, lifting the flap up as Taemin dug through it. Taemin pulled out Minho’s camera, handing it over to the curious man. “Can you take a picture of us with the horse?”
“Ofcourse.” Taemin skipped over to the horse, pulling Minho along. They stood on both sides of the horse, Taemin resting his hand on the side of the horse’s face, Minho immitating the motion on the top of the horse’s head. They both formed a peace sign with their opposite hands and smiled.

“Cheese!”

It was 12 o’clock and it was time to leave for their next stop.

A/N: DOUBLE CHAPTER UPDATE!