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Chapter Text

"It's about time to decide how to spend our vacation, Xiao Yue. Where should we go? What should we do?"

Wang Yue didn't know how many weeks ahead people usually planned their vacation, but Ling Rui had been nervous and fidgeting for days, and apparently this seemed to be the reason for it. Their vacation was at the end of the next month, and Wang Yue hadn't intended to do anything special. 

Sure, he was looking forward to spending time with his brother and Ling Rui, but actually going on vacation was such an unusual concept for him that he couldn't really grasp it. He wasn't used to it. In the past, he had always spent his rare days off at home, sleeping in, and maybe using the time to make some repairs in his flat or finally clean the dirty corners of his living room that usually didn't get any attention. He didn't even know whether or not he'd enjoy going on vacation. Although he always enjoyed spending time with Ling Rui.

"Okay," Wang Yue replied, even though he wouldn't mind deciding spontaneously on their first day of vacation instead of planning ahead. He knew that Ling Rui grew restless without thorough plans. Wang Yue turned off the TV and expectantly looked up at Ling Rui.

After nervously twisting his wedding ring —and drawing Wang Yue's attention to his beautiful slender fingers— Ling Rui sat down on the couch next to Wang Yue. "What do you want to do?"

Wang Yue shrugged his shoulders.

"Yue'er." Ling Rui narrowed his eyes.

"I have no idea, really," Wang Yue admitted honestly. "What did you have in mind?"

Ling Rui sighed. Tentatively, he reached for Wang Yue's hand, enfolding it in his hands. "Yue'er." His voice was calm but insistent. "I don't want you to hold back."

Wang Yue frowned.

"I know you often put your own desires back to—"

"Whoa! No way, hold it, stop!" Wang Yue turned to face Ling Rui more properly, their knees bumping against each other. "I wasn't lying."

"My apologies. I never meant to insinuate—"

"Sheesh, Rui-ge!" Freeing his hand, Wang Yue cupped Ling Rui's face with both hands, squeezing his cheeks. "Don't make a big deal out of nothing."

"Wmhat?" Ling Rui mumbled, looking like a gaping fish with how hard Wang Yue pressed his hands against his cheeks. 

Snorting, Wang Yue pulled his hands back, resting one on Ling Rui's thigh and the other on Ling Rui's lower arm. "I did think about our vacation," Wang Yue explained, talking slowly and carefully watching Ling Rui's face, "more than once. But I really couldn't come up with anything specific I wanna do. I'm not holding back anything." 

"Oh."

"Also it doesn't always have to be about me and my desires. You—" he poked Ling Rui's chest "—are just as good at holding back your desires as I am." The guilty wince that slipped from Ling Rui's lips proved that Wang Yue's words were correct. "So, why don't you tell me what you want to do during our vacation?" 

Challengingly, Wang Yue raised an eyebrow, and Ling Rui groaned in defeat, his forehead flopping down on Wang Yue's shoulder. 

"Rui-ge?" 

Blinking, Wang Yue wrapped his arms around Ling Rui.

It was silent. Just when Wang Yue wanted to speak up again, Ling Rui murmured something against Wang Yue's shirt.

"What was that?"

Ling Rui groaned loudly. "I haven't decided yet," he mumbled.

Wang Yue grabbed Ling Rui's upper arms to push him back until he could catch a glimpse of his face.

"I just—" Ling Rui averted his eyes. "I thought I'd just agree with whatever you wanted to do and— Ouch!" Ling Rui flinched when Wang Yue flicked his forehead. 

"Weren't you the one who just last month told me that we have to stop neglecting our own wishes and start communicating openly and honestly?" Wang Yue reprimanded his husband.

Ling Rui groaned, rolling his head. "I didn't know it would be so difficult!"

Wang Yue snorted. "Who would have thought you'd struggle even more with it than I do?"

Ling Rui sighed. "We're so bad at this."

"We're getting better."

"You're getting better."

"Come on, Rui-ge." Wang Yue patted Ling Rui's arm. "Don't put yourself down. You're getting better, too." 

"You really don't have any wishes for our vacation?" Ling Rui asked sheepishly.

"I just wanna spend time with you, Rui-ge," Wang Yue replied softly. "And if we can't come up with anything special to do, we'll just stay at home." Wang Yue shrugged his shoulders. "Fine by me."

"No," Ling Rui immediately denied. "I want to go on vacation with you!"

"Then think about it again and suggest something you wanna do." Wang Yue smiled. "And I'll honestly tell you whether or not I'm up for it. Deal?"

Ling Rui took a deep breath. "Deal."

Chapter Text

Wang Yue still couldn't believe this was happening. He had expected Ling Rui to either cave in and actually spend their vacation at home like Wang Yue had suggested, or use this opportunity to spoil Wang Yue by going to some kind of fancy luxury hotel Wang Yue could never afford on his own. 

Never in a million years had Wang Yue expected Ling Rui to suggest going on a road trip — with a tent even! If Wang Yue was honest, his first thought had been that Ling Rui had racked his brain to come up with something simple and cheap that Wang Yue would enjoy, but when Ling Rui had started trembling from nervousness and asked whether it would be okay to spend a vacation with just the two them while Wang Chao stayed with Ling Rui's family, Wang Yue had realized that this was something that Ling Rui really wanted. And it had taken Ling Rui a lot of effort to admit his wishes. Wang Yue couldn't do anything but agree, but not only because he wanted to fulfill Ling Rui's desires, but also because a road trip with his husband did sound like a nice vacation.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Wang Yue asked, sitting in a low camping chair on the first evening of their trip.

"What?" Crouching on the ground, Ling Rui looked up and blinked.

Wang Yue parted his lips to reply, but something inside him refused to call what Ling Rui was currently preparing dinner. Instead, he only nodded towards the little portable burner standing on the ground next to Ling Rui. Incredulously, Wang Yue watched the ravioli sliding out of the can and into the small pot, tomato sauce splashing on Ling Rui's hand and wrist.

"I don't mind cooking during our vacation," Ling Rui replied as if that had been the problem. Raising his hand to his mouth, he licked off the tomato sauce droplets before reaching for a spoon to stir the contents of the little pot.

"Can you even call this cooking?" Wang Yue asked, raising an eyebrow.

Thoughtfully, Ling Rui furrowed his brows. "I guess it's more heating up dinner than actually cooking it." 

"Is that even—"

"Stir that for me for a moment, will you?" Ling Rui interrupted him, pushing the spoon into his hand and pulling Wang Yue's other hand to the handle of the pot to steady it. 

Reflexively, Wang Yue grabbed both things, totally perplexed as he watched how Ling Rui walked over to the car with his long legs, searching for something inside the trunk. "Ouch!" His attention was brought back to their dinner when some tomato sauce bubbled over and right onto his hand. Quickly, he stirred it.

"Turn down the heat," Ling Rui called over.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Wang Yue did as he was told. 

Ling Rui returned, carrying a small box with little spice jars inside. Wang Yue watched how his husband added salt, pepper, and some other spices and dried herbs that Wang Yue didn't recognize into the pot, turning the pathetic meal into something better.

"Well, I guess you can call it cooking dinner now."

Ling Rui snorted. "Why are you so hung up on that?"

"Just surprised you're actually okay with canned ravioli for dinner," Wang Yue mumbled, dutifully stirring the pot while Ling Rui stored his spices again.

"Have I spoiled you so much that you don't like simple convenience food anymore?" Ling Rui called over.

"Nah, I'm fine," Wang Yue replied honestly, even though he couldn't deny that Ling Rui's home-cooked meals were so delicious he wouldn't want to miss them for long. "Have you ever eaten something so simple before?" Wang Yue asked once Ling Rui had returned and squatted down next to the camp stove again.

"Yue'er," Ling Rui looked at him with a deadpan expression, his voice serious. "I had other people's leftover bread crumbs for lunch during school when my mum couldn't afford to buy enough food." 

Wang Yue's eyes widened as he felt overcome by guilt. "Sorry." He stirred the pot quicker, the sauce almost spilling over. "I forgot."

"It's fine," Ling Rui whispered, reaching for the handle and spoon to take over stirring again. He did it more carefully than Wang Yue had. "I had only told you once."

Sighing, Wang Yue flopped back in his chair. "It's not like I forgot-forgot." He still felt bad for not remembering before speaking up just now. "I just hadn't thought about it." 

"It's not a nice story anyway," Ling Rui replied. "So I don't even want you to think about it."

Wang Yue hummed in acknowledgement. He never knew what to say when Ling Rui talked about his past. Great. Now he had ruined the mood. Raking his teeth over his bottom lip, he desperately searched for something to say. And he wouldn't go so low as to comment on the 
weather — which was perfect for a road trip! Sunny with only a few clouds, but not too hot. 

Eventually, Ling Rui turned off the portable burner and evenly distributed the ravioli in two plastic bowls. 

"Some bread to dip in all that sauce would be nice," Wang Yue mumbled as Ling Rui handed him his dinner.

"Let's look for a bakery tomorrow morning," Ling Rui suggested, sitting down in his low camping chair. "We need breakfast anyway."

Wang Yue raised an eyebrow. "Are we having canned ravioli for dinner again tomorrow? Not that I'm complaining!" he quickly added, taking a spoon of tomato sauce. "Ah shit, hot!"

Ling Rui snorted, but immediately handed Wang Yue a water bottle.

Gratefully, Wang Yue accepted it and took a big gulp to cool down his mouth. 

"We have enough canned food to survive for a week, if we don't find something else on our way."

"Huh." Thoughtfully, Wang Yue stirred his ravioli to cool them off a bit. "So you didn't plan ahead what and where we'd eat."

"No," Ling Rui replied, furrowing his brows as he suddenly got insecure. "Should I have done that?"

"No," Wang Yue replied with a smile. "I like that you didn't come up with a tight schedule for this vacation."

Ling Rui visibly relaxed. "That's the whole point of a vacation, isn't it?"

Wang Yue hummed in agreement as he took a spoon of ravioli. It was tastier than expected. He knew it wasn't easy for Ling Rui to let go like this. As far as Wang Yue knew, Ling Rui had only looked up some camp sites along the route they had chosen for their roadtrip. But they hadn't planned what to do along the way or where to stop in-between their main destinations. "Well done, Rui-ge."

"I haven't—" Flustered, Ling Rui averted his eyes. "I don't always—"

"Seasoning the sauce, I mean," Wang Yue offered him an easy way out, even though they both knew he had complimented Ling Rui for something else. "It's delicious." 

Ling Rui huffed. "This stuff is barely even edible without some spices."

Wang Yue laughed. He really enjoyed this vacation so far.

Chapter Text

"Alright, watch this." 

The evening had turned into night, the cicadas still chirping since the wind subsided and the temperatures failed to drop.

Wang Yue smirked triumphantly as he placed two cards in a row on the stump that served as their table. "UNO," he added and set down the last card. "And done!"

"Whoa, wait." Ling Rui's eyes widened. "Why are you playing three cards in a row?!"

Wang Yue raised his eyebrows. "Red reverse, blue reverse, blue three," he explained, pointing at the cards he had put down.

Ling Rui frowned. "But a reverse card changes the direction from clockwise to counterclockwise or the other way around." 

"Only if you're playing with a group," Wang Yue objected. "But since we're only two players, it's my turn again."

"What? But then the reverse card would be the same as the skip card!" Ling Rui exclaimed. "That can't be right." Frowning, he reached for the box. "Let me check the rules."

"Who the fuck reads the rules of UNO?" Rolling his eyes, Wang Yue reached for his beer can to take a sip.

"I do." Ling Rui opened the worn-out box. "Because you're trying to cheat!"

"It's not cheating!" Wang Yue put down his can to cross his arms, staring at his husband in disbelief. "You're allowed to do the same if you play a reverse card!"

"We'll see about that," Ling Rui mumbled, fishing the instructions out of the box. "Wait," he said before even fully unfolding the paper. He picked up their little portable light, but to Wang Yue's surprise, he didn't use it to read the rules but to illuminate the cards on the stump. "That's a green reverse."

"What?" Perplexed, Wang Yue uncrossed his arms. 

They both leaned closer to the stump, blinking as they took a closer look at the last three cards Wang Yue had played. It really was a red reverse, followed by a green reverse, and then a blue three.

"Shit."

"I knew you were cheating!" Ling Rui exclaimed, throwing the box on the ground, rules forgotten.

"Whoa, hold on! I really couldn't see it properly," Wang Yue defended himself, hands raised. "It's fucking dark out here."

"I'll believe you for now," Ling Rui mumbled, his eyes narrowed, "but you've gotta redo your last turn."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Wang Yue murmured and picked up his three cards. "So," he mumbled, looking at his cards. He didn't have many options, and Ling Rui already knew his hand anyway. "I'll stick to my strategy." He played the red reverse followed by the green reverse. "UNO," Wang Yue said, picking up a new card because he couldn't play his blue three. Blinking, he stared at the card he had drawn, holding it closer to their lamp to make sure he wouldn't make another mistake. "Well. Sorry to break it to you, but you still lost Rui-ge." Smirking, Wang Yue placed down the blue reverse he had drawn, followed by his blue three. "I win."

"No, you don't. Because you didn't say UNO after playing the blue reverse!" Ling Rui called out, and Wang Yue groaned.

"Oh, come on!"

"No!" Ling Rui cut him off insistently. "We're not discussing this rule. It's literally the name of the game!"

Sighing, Wang Yue accepted his penalty and drew two cards. He would win this game against Ling Rui anyway!

He would!

He lost.

Chapter Text

"Oh my god," Ling Rui whispered. "You can't be serious."

"About getting a boner when sharing a bed with my sexy husband?" Wang Yue asked, rubbing his naked erection against Ling Rui's clothed ass.

"Shush!" Ling Rui hissed. "Do you have any idea how thin these tent walls are?!"

Wang Yue hummed playfully, peppering the nape of Ling Rui's neck with kisses. "I guess you need to shut me up somehow."

"Are you for real?" Ling Rui groaned, but barely managed to bite back a moan when Wang Yue reached around his body to palm the growing bulge in his pajama pants.

Smirking, Wang Yue whispered right next to Ling Rui's ear, "Or are you the one who can't keep quiet?"

The loud, embarrassed sound that left Ling Rui's lips was way too sweet to be heard by anyone else, and for a second Wang Yue pondered stopping. It wouldn't do if anyone else overheard his husband! But then he had a better idea. 

Pushing off the thin blanket —it was still a mystery to Wang Yue how Ling Rui could even sleep with any kind of fabric in summer— Wang Yue turned around so his face was closer to Ling Rui's groin, the air mattress squeaking under his movements. 

"What are you— Oh," Ling Rui breathed against Wang Yue's erection.

"Think that might wor— Ah!" Before Wang Yue could finish his question, Ling Rui had already licked the tip of his erection. 

"We've gotta be quiet, Xiao Yue," Ling Rui reminded him, his breath hot against Wang Yue's skin. 

"Yeah, yeah," Wang Yue mumbled, pulling down Ling Rui's pajama pants. He immediately reached for his husband's cock. It wasn't fully erected yet, but Wang Yue knew he would get him there in no time.

"Don't make a mess," Ling Rui whispered, and Wang Yue could hear that he was frowning. "We don't really have anything to clean up, and I don't want to walk to the shower facility where we might run into someone else."

Wang Yue snorted, slowly stroking Ling Rui's cock. "As if I would ever walk so far after sex." He had to admit that he tended to be rather lazy after sex. Most of the time, he just stayed wherever he was and left the clean-up to Ling Rui. But that probably really wasn't fair at a camp site. "Don't worry," Wang Yue said with a smirk. "I'll swallow."

"Xiao Yue!" Ling Rui exclaimed before biting down on his lip to muffle a moan as Wang Yue wrapped his lips around the growing erection. "Oh my god," Ling Rui whispered one last time before finally sucking on Wang Yue's dick. 

It didn't take more than a few seconds before Ling Rui started deep-throating Wang Yue's cock, once again proving that he had no gag reflex. Wang Yue rolled his eyes back and moaned around Ling Rui's cock. It made Ling Rui whimper in return, the vibration only causing Wang Yue to feel even better. They really weren't sucking each other off at the same time often enough. It was a shame.

Eagerly, Wang Yue tried his best to reciprocate, but Ling Rui's dick was bigger, and Wang Yue's deep-throating skills weren't the best. So he focused on Ling Rui's tip instead, swirling his tongue around it while stroking Ling Rui's base with his hand.

Even like this, every noise sounded too loud in the tent, their elevated breathing, the squeaking air mattress, the occasional slurping. An owl howling was outside, and Wang Yue became even more aware of how thin their tent walls were. It was weirdly arousing.

It didn't take long until Wang Yue felt his orgasm approaching and even though he wanted to enjoy this a bit longer, he couldn't avoid coming. Rolling his eyes back, he moaned around Ling Rui's cock, his toes curling as his dick twitched and he spent himself inside Ling Rui's mouth. He weakly pushed his tongue against the underside of Ling Rui's cock, unable to properly blow him while his orgasm washed over him.

Bathing in his afterglow, Wang Yue eventually noticed his husband's displeased groan and how he frantically patted the tent floor next to them as if in search of something. 

"Ah, shit." Wang Yue rolled over and off the air mattress with a loud squeak, his dick slipping out of Ling Rui's mouth. Due to the crowded space, he landed on their phones, knocking over a water bottle. "Sorry, sorry," he apologized and pushed himself back up on the mattress while looking for the tissues Ling Rui no doubt was searching for. He should have remembered that his husband didn't like swallowing. Unfortunately, it was too dark to see much. "Tch. Whatever. Just come here." Wang Yue leaned in for a kiss, swallowing Ling Rui's protest along with his own cum as he pushed his tongue into Ling Rui's mouth, thoroughly cleaning everything up. 

Ling Rui whined and half-heartedly pushed against Wang Yue's shoulder, but Wang Yue didn't stop. Instead, he only deepened the kiss, making sure to lick every part of Ling Rui's mouth clean — lips and teeth included. Unlike his husband, he really didn't mind the taste. 

Suddenly Ling Rui whined loudly, his body tensing before he gasped for air, and Wang Yue was so perplexed that he finally broke their kiss. Ling Rui's face was flushed, tears in the corners of his eyes. Wang Yue blinked, his gaze traveling down to see Ling Rui's spent erection, his hips and shirt covered in cum.

"Oops," Wang Yue mumbled as he noticed the mess they've made. "What even tipped you over the edge?"

Ling Rui groaned, burying his face in the crook of his elbow. 

"Was it my kiss?" Wang Yue asked before leaning down to carefully lick the cum from Ling Rui's sensitive tip.

Instead of replying, Ling Rui just whined, his body twitching.

"Am I such a good kisser?" Wang Yue teased, his face pressed against Ling Rui's hip, tongue licking over the dirty skin. 

"That's not it," Ling Rui whispered, still hiding his face. Even in the darkness of the night Wang Yue could see that the tips of Ling Rui's ears were burning.

"Then what?" Wang Yue asked as he tried to suck the cum from Ling Rui's shirt. He was pretty sure it would leave a stain anyway. 

"It's—" Ling Rui groaned. "You—"

"Hm?" Wang Yue was really curious by now. 

"It's just so thoughtful that you kissed me to—" Ling Rui had blurted out the first words before slowing down, eventually whispering so quietly that Wang Yue missed the end of his sentence.

"That I cleaned up the mess I made inside your mouth?" Wang Yue asked, and Ling Rui groaned. That was confirmation enough. Chuckling, Wang Yue lay down, an arm wrapped around Ling Rui's torso, head propped up on his chest. "You're so cute." He kissed Ling Rui's chin, and Ling Rui finally pulled his arm back to reveal his face. He was still flushed. "Sorry for staining your shirt," Wang Yue mumbled.

Ling Rui sighed. "It's okay. I brought a spare."

"I promise I'll be more careful tomorrow night," Wang Yue said, closing his eyes, even though he felt Ling Rui twitching.

"Tomorrow?" Ling Rui whispered in disbelief.

Wang Yue snorted, unbothered. He knew his husband loved sex just as much as Wang Yue did, even though he often called Wang Yue insatiable. "Tomorrow," he simply confirmed with a hum.

Ling Rui groaned. "I haven't brought that many spare clothes."

"Maybe you'll finally realize the appeal of sleeping naked in summer."

Ling Rui groaned again, but wrapped his arm tighter around Wang Yue, placing a kiss on his hair. 

"You love me," Wang Yue couldn't help but tease, already halfway drifting off to sleep.

"Just be quiet and sleep," Ling Rui hissed.

Three seconds passed.

"I do love you."

"Love you, too," Wang Yue mumbled before falling asleep.

Chapter Text

Chin resting on his palm, Wang Yue looked out of the window, taking in the passing scenery. He was still surprised that Ling Rui had actually managed to sleep in for once in his life. After a lazy shower, they had slowly broken down the tent and stored it in the car along with their other belongings before hitting the road. Their only goal today was reaching another camp site Ling Rui had looked up beforehand. Otherwise, they hadn't planned how to spend their day or where to stop along the way. 

"There's a small town coming up," Ling Rui announced, interrupting Wang Yue's thoughts. "We should grab some breakfast."

"Sure," Wang Yue agreed. 

After spotting a few stores, Ling Rui parked the car in what seemed to be the main road. But despite it being the main road, it was quiet and peaceful, not many people or shops to see. It really was a small town. 

An elderly woman passed by after they had gotten out of the car nodded her head to greet them.

"Morning," Wang Yue mumbled.

"Good morning," Ling Rui said. "Excuse me, but do you know if there's a bakery close by?"

The old lady smiled mysteriously. She turned around towards the direction she had come from and raised her walking cane to point at a side street. Then, without a word, she turned back around and continued her way.

"Thank you!" Ling Rui called after her. She raised her hand above her shoulder, waving it without looking back, a white plastic bag dangling on her arm.

"Weird," Wang Yue mumbled as they started walking towards the side street.

"Hm?"

"Not very talkative."

"But she was still kind enough to help us out," Ling Rui replied. 

"Or lure us into some kind of trap," Wang Yue mumbled after spotting how small that side street was. A car would never fit through it. 

"You're watching too many movies, Xiao Yue," Ling Rui said, but his eyes nervously darted from the main road to the side street and back. From their current position they could spot a supermarket further down the main road. It would be an alternative option for breakfast — a safe but boring one.

Wang Yue challengingly raised an eyebrow. "Getting cold feet?"

"Of course not!" Ling Rui replied and entered the unknown alley. 

Snorting, Wang Yue followed him. 

The path was getting narrower the further they walked, the houses left and right casting their shadows into the alley. A gust of wind suddenly blew through the alley, making an ominous sound. A shudder rushed through Ling Rui, and he rubbed his arms. 

"Getting cold feet now?" Wang Yue couldn't help but tease.

"No, just cold arms because the sun doesn't reach this place," Ling Rui retorted stubbornly, making Wang Yue snort. His husband was so cute.

"So." Wang Yue paused as they reached a small intersection. "Where to now?"

Frowning, Ling Rui looked left and right into the other small alleys. "It looks like these are leading to private properties," he mumbled.

"Then let's continue straight," Wang Yue replied. "The old lady never told us to take any turns anyway."

"She hasn't told us much in general," Ling Rui mumbled.

"Oh?" Wang Yue smirked. "Weren't you just defending her earlier, saying how kind and helpful she was?"

"She w-was."

"I heard that stutter, Rui-ge. You're starting to doubt her."

"Stop analyzing every single bit of my behavior!"

Wang Yue snorted. "Nothing there that I don't already know, Rui-ge."

Ling Rui sighed. Warily, he watched the walls that seemed to keep coming closer as their path grew even smaller towards the end of the alley. "Maybe we should turn around after all."

"Nah," Wang Yue replied. "Don't give up so quickly." The path was getting dirty as the asphalt suddenly ended, stone dust stirring up as Wang Yue accidentally kicked some pebble while walking.

"But—" Ling Rui's protest died on his lips, when Wang Yue grabbed his hand.

"Come on." With an encouraging smile, Wang Yue pulled him along. "We're almost through." 

By now, the alley was so small that they couldn't walk next to each other anymore, and Ling Rui let himself get pulled along by Wang Yue.

"What if—" Ling Rui sounded distressed. "What if we walk right into something we aren't supposed to see?"

"Huh? What are you talking about, Rui-ge?" Wang Yue asked without looking back, determined to reach the end of that alley.

"What if we witness a crime! Maybe there's a murder happening or—"

"Now who's watching too many movies?"

"I'm just reading crime novels!"

"Apparently that's worse!"

"Xiao Yue, wait." Ling Rui half-heartedly tried to stop walking, but Wang Yue just squeezed his hand harder and pulled him along. He knew that Ling Rui could break away any time if he really wanted to. "We really shouldn't go there. What if—"

"We're through!" Wang Yue exclaimed as he stepped out of the alley.

When the sunlight hit Ling Rui's face, he yelped and clung to the back of Wang Yue's shirt, burying his face in Wang Yue's hair as if too afraid to watch where they had arrived.

Wang Yue snorted in amusement. "Are you for real, Rui-ge?" He patted Ling Rui's hand. "Just open your eyes, you adorable dork."

"But—"

"Trust me."

Wang Yue freed himself from Ling Rui's grip, but securely wrapped an arm around his waist. Amused, he watched how Ling Rui slowly opened his eyes.

"Oh," Ling Rui mumbled, his lips staying apart as his eyes grew wide. "Oh," he repeated, his face lighting up. "Xiao Yue, look at that bakery!" Ling Rui exclaimed, excitedly pointing forward. "Have you ever seen something so lovely?"

"Nah," Wang Yue mumbled, his eyes fixed on Ling Rui's face. "Nothing's more lovely." 

He started laughing when suddenly he was the one getting pulled along by an excited Ling Rui. 

Truly, nothing was more lovely and joyful to watch than his husband being happy.

Chapter Text

"How much further do we have to walk until you admit that we're lost?"

"We're not lost," Ling Rui replied, frowning when he stared at his phone for the umpteenth time as though it hadn't lost signal ages ago. "We haven't taken a wrong turn!"

Hands on his hips, Wang Yue sighed. "We haven't taken any turn, and that's the problem."

Ling Rui's frown deepened, his forehead wrinkled. They had stopped on their way from the bakery to the next campsite to take a hike in the woods, trying to follow a hiking trail.

"Let's head back," Wang Yue suggested, turning around without awaiting Ling Rui's reply. "The last time you checked the map on your phone you said it wouldn't be much further until we've gotta take that turn to the right. I'm sure we simply missed the path because it's overgrown."

"But I kept an eye out for it," Ling Rui mumbled, but followed Wang Yue anyway.

"I'm not blaming you, Rui-ge."

"You should," Ling Rui whispered. "I do."

"Rui-ge." Sighing, Wang Yue came to a halt. "Missing a path is not the end of the world. And I didn't see it either. Are you blaming me for that?"

"What? No!"

"Then stop blaming yourself." Patting Ling Rui's shoulder, Wang Yue started walking again. "We just gotta be extra observant this time," Wang Yue mumbled, keeping his eyes on the trees and bushes, looking for the secret path they must have missed. It was said to be on their right when they had walked along this path, so it had to be on the left now that they were tracking back.

"I think we're lost," Ling Rui eventually mumbled, making Wang Yue snort.

"Now you're admitting it? We're already walking back. So we are less lost with every step we take."

"That's not how it works."

Wang Yue shrugged his shoulders. "I think that's exactly how it works and—" He came to a halt.

"Whoa, careful!" Ling Rui exclaimed, bumping into him. "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"I found a secret path," Wang Yue replied with a smirk. Confused, Ling Rui looked to the left, but Wang Yue only shook his head. "Nuh-uh. I found a path on the right!" Thrilled, Wang Yue pushed a branch aside and stepped onto the thin path leading deeper into the woods and further away from the road.

"Xiao Yue, wait!" Ling Rui exclaimed, panic in his voice. "That's the wrong side. It can't be the right path!"

"It's a path." Wang Yue shrugged his shoulders. "So, come on! Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I've traded it for my sense of responsibility after growing up."

"Boring," Wang Yue replied as he continued to explore the secret path.

"Oh my god. Xiao Yue, no. You can't be serious!" Ling Rui complained, but followed him anyway. "This is a bad idea."

"This is the best idea ever!" Smirking, Wang Yue reached for Ling Rui's hand and pulled him deeper into the woods. "Just don't start thinking about these crime novels you read."

Ling Rui groaned, no doubt having flashbacks about that creepy alley they had passed through to reach that cute little bakery. But Wang Yue was sure this adventure would have a happy end, too — just like this morning.

Chapter Text

"Whoa." Ling Rui's eyes widened as he followed Wang Yue and stepped out of the woods. The hidden path had led to a huge meadow, surrounded by trees and rocks. Water ran down the rocks, a small waterfall flowing into a beautiful lake. 

"I knew my sense of adventure wouldn't disappoint me!" Wang Yue exclaimed, stepping closer. 

The sun was burning down on them now that they had left the shadow of the woods. The surface of the lake was perfectly flat, the water so clear Wang Yue could spot the sand and pebbles at the bottom. He dipped his fingertips into the water, relishing how refreshing and cool it was. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face, and Wang Yue got the hidden message.

"Alright." He took off his sweaty shirt and carelessly dropped it on the grass.

"Xiao Yue!" Ling Yue exclaimed, flustered. "What are you doing?"

"Ever heard about skinny dipping?" Smirking, Wang Yue took off his shoes and socks.

"You can't be se—" Ling Rui whined when Wang Yue opened his fly. "You are serious."

Wang Yue pulled his pants and underwear down in one go, and Ling Rui avoided his gaze, cheeks glowing red as if he had never seen Wang Yue naked before. Wang Yue snorted. "You're acting like a virgin, Rui-ge." 

"I'm not!"

Chuckling, Wang Yue stepped into the water. The ground was soft thanks to all the earth and sand at the bottom of the lake. "Colder than I thought," he mumbled as a shudder rushed through his body. 

"You can still—"

Before Ling Rui could even recommend Wang Yue to stop, Wang Yue had already taken a leap and jumped into the lake, diving beneath the surface. The water was cold but also very refreshing. He didn't regret it one bit.

When he rose up again, shaking droplets of water from his hair, he turned around to float on his back, looking at Ling Rui. "You should join me!" 

Warily, Ling Rui checked their surroundings. "You should put your clothes on!"

"I don't wanna swim with clothes, Rui-ge." Closing his eyes, Wang Yue enjoyed the sun on his face. Now that he had cooled down, it didn't feel burning hot on his skin anymore. 

"But what if someone sees!" 

"So what?" Wang Yue asked in return, but Ling Rui didn't reply. Their conversation died down, and Wang Yue listened to the birds and cicadas chirping. It was a beautiful day. Sure, they had gotten lost on their hike, but instead they had found this beautiful lake. It didn't feel like they had taken a wrong turn. It felt right to be here.

A loud splashing sound, followed by a high-pitched yelp, caught Wang Yue's attention. Blinking, he turned his head towards it and was surprised to see Ling Rui swimming towards him, a pile of clothes lying at the shore next to his own.

"Rui-ge!" Wang Yue called out, impressed. "Never thought you'd had it in you!"

"It's so cold!" Ling Rui complained once he reached Wang Yue.

Wang Yue laughed. "It's refreshing!"

"Yue'er," Ling Rui whined, spreading his arms. 

They were still close enough to the shore for Wang Yue to reach the ground, so he put his feet down and allowed his husband to cling to him. "I honestly didn't believe you'd join me." Chuckling, Wang Yue kissed his temple. "I'm proud of you for stepping out of your comfort zone."

Ling Rui groaned. "You're a bad influence."

"Wait until I tell Peng Bo about this."

"Don't!"

Wang Yue laughed.

Chapter Text

Wang Yue and Ling Rui had spent a lot of time at the lake, only searching their way back when the sun had started to set. By the time they had managed to get out of the woods and back to their car, it was already dark. It was too late to drive to the camp site they had planned to spend the night at, and they were too exhausted to look for another place to stay, so they decided to simply remain where they were. 

They placed their camping chairs next to the parked car and ate the pastries they had bought for lunch and left in the car. 

Sighing, Wang Yue leaned back and looked up at the sky.

"Have you ever seen so many stars?" 

"Mmh." Ling Rui hummed in confirmation. "When I still lived in the countryside as a child." Smiling, he also looked up. "So it's been a while."

"It's really beautiful."

"It is," Ling Rui confirmed. Suddenly, he yelped and waved his hand. "But I could do without all the mosquitos."

Wang Yue snorted. "Yeah, these beasts are gonna eat us alive if we stay out here for much longer."

"We can't put up our tent around here."

"We'll just have to sleep in the car," Wang Yue said, and Ling Rui sighed. "I know it sucks with your long legs. Sorry we didn't make it to the camp site on time because we stayed at the lake for so long."

"It's fine, Yue'er," Ling Rui replied honestly. "I enjoyed that little adventure."

"Glad to hear it."

"Eek!" Ling Rui screamed, slapping his arm when he got attacked by another mosquito.

Wang Yue snorted. "Alright. Time to call it a night. There'll be more adventures tomorrow!"

"I'm looking forward to it," Ling Rui replied.

They moved into the car, and even though it wasn't the most comfortable, they were exhausted enough to quickly fall asleep.