“Are you worried?” Taemin asked.

                “I think it’s a little late for being worried, Kitten…” Minho managed, staring down at the hundreds of meters between him and the ground. He read Taemin’s lips as well as he could because all he could focus on was the humming of the chopper they were in.

                “Y- I’m sorry I forced you into this… you don’t have to jump… I can jump by myself and meet you back down on the ground…”

                “You didn’t force me, Kitten. I paid for this, I booked it. Don’t feel bad. I’ll jump, okay? I’ll jump to prove that I’m a man worthy of your love, even if I’ll cry while doing it.”

                Looking into the boy’s already glassy eyes, he leaned in and kissed him.

                “I love you.”

                “I love you too.”

               Although their clothing was bulky and in the way, he decided to crawl over and wrap his arms around Minho’s head, bringing the elder’s head against his chest in attempt to calm him. Minho appreciated it. It felt strange being the one who’s being led rather than leading though. Taemin really was a lot manlier than Minho gave him credit for. Doing something like this took guts.

                “We’re almost near our maximum height.” One of the instructors announced, walking up to them. Noticing Minho in his state of despair, he chuckled, hand firmly landing on the boy’s shoulder and shaking him back into existence. “Are you two ready?”

                Understanding at least that much, Taemin nodded, showing a thumbs up, accompanying the gesture with one of his bright smiles.

               Another instructor walked in as well. He walked up to Taemin and stood him up. “Can you step into this?” He asked, signalling for the boy to get into the harness that would connect them until landing.

                Obeying completely, he did, watching as Minho did the same with the other man. Now the adrenaline was really pumping. They’d be standing on nothing but air soon, gravity flinging their bodies at the earth.

                “Ready?”

                “Ready!” Taemin shouted. Minho repeated the word with much less enthusiasm. In fact, there might have been a hint of nausea.

                The doors opened and wind engulfed them. Within a few seconds, they were standing on the edge. The final moments with something solid beneath their feet.

                Looking towards each other, Taemin winked. His confidence must have won Minho over because when the blonde suddenly jumped, he felt compelled to follow.

                Three.

                Two.

                One.

                Jump.

                Before he knew it, wind was flying through his hair, separating each strand. His stomach felt like it had vanished along with the rest of his organs and now he was just an empty shell.

                “Good?” His instructor asked.

                “Good!” He managed.

                They were going so fast.

                All he could see were the impending mountains, the sun shining bright in the clear sky, his lover already far ahead.

                “How much longer?” He asked.

                “Until we deploy the parachute?”

                “… Yes…?”

                “A little bit more. Don’t worry. If anything goes wrong, it takes less than a second for a body to splatter against the ground at this speed.” The man laughed.

                What?

                Where was the reassurance in that?

                His stomach suddenly brought the attention back to itself, churning at the thought of the parachute not working.

                “Relax, it’ll be fine.” He was reassured.

                As if that would help now.

                He just wanted Taemin to hold him like before.

                “Fun?” His instructor asked.

                “Very fun!” Taemin nodded happily.

                “Are you scared?”

                “I… was a little… before… but not now…” Taemin managed, tongue cramping up as he attempted proper pronunciation. English definitely wasn’t for him.

                “That’s good. Do you want to open the parachute?”

                “Yes!”

                Being handed something he couldn’t really make out with everything zooming past, the instructor told him, “Just yank it like this,” demonstrating the general motion, “I’ll count down from three, okay?”

                “Okay!”

                “Three, two, one, now!”

                Hearing the command, he tugged down on the rope and within seconds, they went from violently dropping towards the ground to floating down like a feather.

                “Wow!”

                How unbelievable. It was amazing. Wanting to share his happiness, the first person he looked for was his husband. Jerking his head up, he spotted Minho, parachute deployed.

                “Honey, look at me! Look!” He screamed, catching Minho’s attention. “Look! We’re flying! Isn’t it amazing?!”

                Faking a smile, although he was terrified, Minho waved at the ecstatic blonde.

                He watched as Taemin’s instructor placed his hands on the boy’s, helping him steer. Of course it was his job, but that didn’t mean Minho wouldn’t rather be in his place.

                Was this really something he had to worry about why being hundreds of meters above ground?

                “Kitten!”

                “Yes?!”

                “I love you!”

                “I love you too! Kiss me as soon as you land, okay?! It’ll be really romantic!”

                “In front of these two men?!”

                “Yeah! I don’t mind!”

                “Then pucker your lips!”

                He didn’t get a response but he could hear the blonde laugh and that was enough.

                So down they went.

                Now that he’d calmed down, he could appreciate the beauty. He could understand why Taemin wanted to do this now. They were already so close to the ground. Did he worry at the cost of the amazing view?

                “We’ll be landing soon. Get ready.” His instructor told him.

                Minho nodded.

                He didn’t mind the high altitudes anymore, but having solid ground beneath his feet was a relief.

                As promised, the moment he touched down, only seconds after Taemin, he already had the boy running towards him, arms open and lips in a pout.

                “Wait, wait, wait, Kitten!” He laughed, still attached to his instructor. Escaping from all the ropes, hooks, and restraints, he stepped forwards, claiming his kiss. It was great having Taemin in close again. Taemin definitely relieved stress.

                One of the instructors looked on, surprised. “Are you two a couple?” he asked.

                Pulling away, Minho began to nod. “Yes…” He wondered if he should’ve said that, but in the end, they’d probably never see these men again. “This is our… wedding vacation…”

                “Honeymoon?”

                “Yes.”

                He expected a scoff or frown, but instead, he got a lit up face accompanied with a smile. “Congratulations! Why did you pick Switzerland?”

                “He… likes these kinds of sports. He always wanted to come here.”

                “Well I’m happy to hear that. Did you have fun?” He asked, turning to Taemin.

                Taemin nodded with as much strength as he could, smile brighter than ever.

                “I’m glad. Please enjoy the rest of your stay here then.”

                “Thank you, we will.”

                “You know what I hate?”

                “What?” Minho asked.

                “The words ‘I love you’.”

                Confused, he looked over at the lovely blonde taking up the seat next to him as their bus drove through the city. “Why’s that, Kitten?”

                “Because you’ve done so much for me and I want to tell you how much it means to me, but… ‘I love you’ is the strongest way to tell someone how you feel, but it’s not strong enough for what I’m trying to get across…”

                Minho understood, nodding along. “Well then let’s try another way.”

                “Like what?”

                “On a scale of one to ten, how much do you love me?”

                “There’s no number big enough.” Taemin sighed.

                “Then we’ll try one more way.”

                The boy had his doubts. Nothing could even scratch the surface of how much he loved him. Still, he’d give Minho a shot. “Like how?”

                “Like… How long do you plan on being in university? Do you plan on staying past your bachelor?”

                “Well I haven’t even started yet, but after the four years, I was planning on getting a job. What does this have to do with love?”

                “Four years… What does this have to do with love? Well, if you graduate four years from now, then maybe seven years from now, even though I guess that’s still really soon, but maybe we can start a family.”

                Taemin’s face went from pale to bright red as his eyes fell to his lap, mind blank.

                “S-start a family? I- I can’t give birth to your kid though and I’m definitely not a-a motherly figure…”

                “Well it’s obvious we’d adopt, Kitten. Didn’t we talk about this once before?”

                “Y-yeah, but you seem like the type who would rather have your own, blood related kid, right?”

                “I don’t care who the kid is biologically related to as long as I can raise them with you. And Taemin, you don’t need to be a ‘motherly figure’. You just have to be there for the child. Our child. That’s… how much I love you, Taemin. Is this a better way to say ‘I love you’?”

                Fumbling with his fingers, he nodded. “Y-yeah.”

                “Then why don’t you give it a shot now? How much do you love me?”

                “When… we’re all grown up, I want to dress you up in the morning, and hand you your lunch… I want to kiss you when you drop me off at work… right after we drop our child off at school, and kiss you when you come pick me up, our kid in the backseat. Then we can go out to dinner as a family or I can make you two something at home. I’ll help them with their homework, or maybe you will, and then we’ll watch a movie together or something. When it gets late, we’ll put our child to bed and kiss them goodnight. When they’re finally asleep, we can go back to our room and… well, we won’t be sleeping for a few hours… but after that bit, we’ll be really tired, so we’ll sleep well. I hope that’s our average day.”

                That was a lovely thought.

                “You know, once you start going to school, I’ll be driving you there and picking you up. That means there’ll be a lot of kisses for you.” He loved the way Taemin smiled. There was still something that was on his mind though. “Taemin, so you know how we’re married now?”

                “Really? I wasn’t aware of that. Thanks for telling me.” The younger boy teased.

                “No, but really, hear me out. Now that we’re married, what would you think about… living together by ourselves?”

                “What would I think? Do you mean what do I think about it?”

                “Well no, what would you think about it.”

                “We live by ourselves though.”

                “No… we don’t. I mean just you and me, Taemin.”

                “But aren’t we living like that already?”

                “You and me doesn’t involve Jongin.”

                Taemin fell silent. He couldn’t imagine living away from Jongin. Jongin was his best friend. They spent more time with each other than he did with Minho, at least up until the point he graduated.

                “I don’t think that’s necessary. I mean, we just moved recently and I’d never kick him out just like that… A-and I like living with him…”

                “Taemin…”

                “Yes?”

                “Do you understand how jealous knowing how important another guy is to you makes me? Especially when he’s interested in you in a way that’s reserved for ‘more than friends’? Do you know how jealous I get some nights?”

                Eyes meeting Minho’s he shook his head. “I don’t love him like I love you, Minho!” His hand landed on the elder’s arm, gripping it tightly. “He’s just my friend! He’s like a brother to me!”

                “A brother you were willing to sleep with?”

                “While struggling with depression because I couldn’t have you.” Taemin quickly replied, tone hushed, leaving the older boy just as quiet. “He’s important to me, but you’re also important to me. You’re so important to me, so please don’t make me choose between both of you.”

                “I know it’s horrible of me, but I’m possessive, so I want you to choose.” Minho sighed, leaning back into his seat.

                This was frustrating to him. It was like having to pick which drowning parent to save, knowing you can only save one but love them both equally. Minho knew that and it was natural for the older boy to feel that way, but it still made it difficult on Taemin.

                “Minho, if you’re really adamant on me choosing, then looking down at your ring finger… isn’t that enough?”

                Looking at the digit, he was greeted with a growingly familiar diamond ring. Smiling, lips drawn to the blonde’s, he nodded. “I guess you’re right. I’m sorry. You know, I’m only twenty one. I’m still young and stupid, and crazy in love.”

                “I’m only nineteen and stupid, so sometimes I can act without thinking. I’m sorry too.” Giving Minho a kiss, they silently decided to end the topic. “Are you ready for the sauna and pool later tonight?”

                “Only after freezing my off doing some other crazy winter sports you’ve dragged me into.”

                “That’s what I like to hear.”

                They laughed, enjoying their limited time in the warmth of the moving bus.

                “I didn’t think I’d be wearing these for another couple of months.” Minho laughed, posing to show off his snow pants.

                “I think it gives you a nice .”

                “But Kitten, don’t I already have a nice ?” He asked, shaking it back and forth.

                “It’s lovely.” The blonde laughed. “Honey, have you skied before?”

                “Yes. Once or twice. Have you?”

                “Many times when I was younger. They were all at ski resorts though, so nothing that felt this… authentic?”

                “Authentic?”

                “Yeah, like… you know, the snow was fake, the hills were fake, everything was fake. These are real, giant mountains. The snow is fresh, and the air is cold, and… and I’m with you. Hey, race me to… there.” Taemin said, pointing over at a bush.

                “There? Why there?”

                “Because I’m a little bit closer than you.” He admitted, speeding ahead.

                “Hey, Kitten, that’s cheating!”

                “It’s strategizing!”

                Sighing, he prepared for loss, racing after the younger boy who slid through the slopes confidently.

                “That’s not fair, Taemin! Slow down!”

                “No can do!”

                “You’re so mean!” He groaned, gaining on the blonde. “Next time we do something together, I won’t play nice!”

                “Play nice?! You?!”

                He was now only meters behind the younger boy, so obviously when he suddenly turned around, the two crashed into each other, tumbling further down as their skis detached, balance stolen by the landscape.

                “Minho, what were you thinking?!” Taemin yelled, but although he did, he continued to cling to the boy. Finally, with the assistance of a large snow hill, they came to a stop, limbs tangled. “You’re an idiot- mm…” He moaned, the elder’s tongue in his mouth.

                “Am I really? Because last time I checked, you’re the one under me and I’m the one with the advantage now.” Minho laughed, jumping to his feet and running for his skis, leaving Taemin confused.

                “Hey, now you’re the cheater!”

                Running through the snow, laughing, they enjoyed their time together.

                The remainder of their day consisted of several different types of sports ranging in intensity, length, and effort.

                Within hours, they seemed to have travelled all over the place.

                The thought of returning back to the hotel only struck them when they finally looked away from what was in front of them, registering the dark sky.

                Checking the time, faced with the numbers ten and twenty three, they decided to call it a night.

                Arms linked and heading towards the bus, they made their way back to their hotel room.

                “Minho, are we still going to go to the pool and sauna?” Taemin asked.

                “No baby… I’ll take a shower, but I’m too tired for more.”

                “Okay. Then we can do more tomorrow.”

                “Definitely.”

                With that, their conversation died as each boy fought sleep.

                Minho relaxed in bed, flipping through channels that made no sense to him until he decided to give up, turning the screen off completely.

                Eyes flying towards the bathroom door, he smiled when a blonde happily stepped out, steam accompanying him. It wasn’t much longer until he hit every single light switch on his way to his husband, leaving them in darkness once he jumped in beside him.

                “Ready to cuddle?” Minho cooed, burying his face in the younger boy’s fluffy hair.

                “I am.” He yawned, pulling the covers over himself and up to their shoulders, making sure that not a single inch of the skin below their necks was exposed to the air.

                “You know, we’re going to be really busy tomorrow too. What If we wake up tired and sore and we won’t be able to do anything?” The older boy asked, pulling his lover close, sharing the heat.

                “Well then I guess we’ll have to struggle through with it because after all, we’re only here for a little bit. We can put stuff off a weak because of our wimpy bodies.”

                Minho laughed. “Okay, so since we’ll be sore either way, what about we do some really naughty things tonight? Might as well, right?”

                “No, might as well not.” Taemin shook his head. “Aren’t you the one that said you were too tired to go to the pool and even relax in a sauna? Relax is a sauna! You wouldn’t even be doing anything, just relaxing! If you’re too tired for that, then how are we supposed to do anything else? Besides, I already showered and I’m not really prepared for that right now. You’ve gotten me into a sleepy mood so now all I can do is close my eyes and doze off, right?”

                “Right. I guess you’re right. My baby is always right, isn’t he?”

                “He is.” Taemin smiled. Readjusting themselves to fit each other’s forms better, they prepared to close their eyes for the next eight or more hours. Just as they were about to lose consciousness, embracing the night, the younger boy managed to whisper. “Honey?”

                “Yes, Kitten…?”

                “Five years ago… would you ever imagine that you’d be falling asleep next to your fiancé in Switzerland? That you’d be lying in some hotel, tired after a complete day of extreme sports in foreign lands?”

                “No Kitten, I wouldn’t… but you know what?”

                “What?”

                “I couldn’t imagine it any other way now that we’re here.”

                Using the last of their energy to sneak a peck on the lips, they kissed, giving into sleep.