chapter sixteen;
rock climbing with perks
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"Please don't talk to me. I don't know you," Chenle hissed as he queued for the infamous rock climbing with the group. "Mr. Lambs Can Give Me AIDS."

"Dude, I've overcome that mindset. I am now one with the sheep," Jaemin explained as he continued to pester the Chinese boy. He dragged his palms along his front, "We bonded."

"Fuck, I'm gonna throw up," the younger wept and tried to look ahead as the next batch of climbers were getting strapped up. Jisung and Jeno were in the mix of three, and the youngest appeared more than uncomfortable with the harness winding around his figure. "Someone take him to jail, please."

"You're not the one sharing a room with him in two nights," Renjun sighed in front of them. He, Mark and Donghyuck were the next three due to adventure the man-constructed rock surface. "Now Sheep Boy is going to keep me up 'til four with his night habits."

"Wh-What habits?" A random stranger who was supposed to climb with Chenle and Jaemin enquired. He tapped the youngest male present's shoulder to gain their attention. "If he tries to resuscitate you in your sleep, run."

"Not that," Jaemin scoffed before looking the guy up and down. "He's referring to my sleepwalking and night terrors. Self defence is no joke, children."

"Oh."

"Who're you anyway?"

"Just a lone wanderer. I would love to tell you that I've left home to explore Japan and find out more about myself, but really my parents are at the rollercoaster and I refused."

"Nice," Jaemin chuckled, "Na Jaemin, you?"

"Haku Shota. I'll be climbing with you two, so please don't let me fall."

"I'll be too busy splatting on my ass myself," Chenle giggled. "Why'd you ditch?"

"Riding a rollercoaster with your parents? Lame. I'd rather die valiantly on this thing with the harness halfway up my ass than with my parents breathing down my neck." The ravenette didn't seem to be the forthright, outgoing type though. There was a shyness and uncertainty to his eyes that the older Chinese male was detecting.

"How old are you, Shota?"

"Um, sixteen. Why?"

"Wow, a baby," he started smiling softly, though a certain interruption made a high-pitched squealing noise and in burst Donghyuck from beside Mark and Renjun.

"Oh my God, you are such a precious bean. Lele! Why didn't you tell me you made a friend?"

"Because I didn't—"

"My name's Hyuck," the blonde winked playfully. "I heard the age sixteen but you don't look that young."

"So I've been told," the Japanese boy beamed. He seemed pretty mature and ready for the world at such a disadvantaged age, but really...it was just a number. "Nice to meet you, I'm Shota."

"Ugh, love that name! How are you speaking Korean right now? Are you clever or something?"

Mark visibly rolled his eyes to Renjun, an audible, "two languages doesn't make someone a genius," slipping out, to which the younger nodded in agreement.

"I'm half Korean, actually. And is that your friend up there?" He frowned, pointing upwards to the conundrum occurring above them on the rock face. Jisung was currently hanging upside down with the worst looking case of harness-rubbing any one of them had ever seen. Nasty.

"Alright, you three can come down," the woman manning the activity sighed. Jeno seemed to be more than happy sitting up at the top with his legs dangling. Obviously this hadn't been much of a challenge. "Next three."

"Come on, Hyuck. Hurry up," Mark insisted as the younger continued to chat their new friend's ear off incessantly. This same disaster happened with Shotaro back at the first hotel, and the group had a feeling that every cute Japanese male they discovered would undergo the same interrogations and flirting.

"One minute, would you?!"

"If he asks what's become of me in the next twenty minutes, tell him I changed my name to Leonard and I identify as a potato now," the oldest member muttered to Renjun who giggled sweetly at the joke.

"Will he notice? His eyes are awfully...distracted."

"True true."

"Look guys, I don't have all day," the lady whined. "Strap up or forfeit your place. What will it be?"

"I'll go instead," Jaemin volunteered and tried to skip over, though Renjun swiftly pushed him back a bit and point-blank refused his idea.

"I don't want to die or get molested today. You can go with Chenle."

"Shoot me!" The younger Chinese hissed.

"He'd be happy to have you." With that, the brunette returned to getting the harness pulled over him. It wasn't comfortable at all, but he was actually rather used to it. The training during his years with the military had kicked out his inner princess and left behind a seasoned fighter. It may have been tight around his thighs, but what could he do? Complain?

Hell no.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Mark shrieked while the strap was suddenly yanked too tightly on his hip. "Fuck! I think I'm sterile from this? How small do you think I am, woman?!"

"Pretty fucking small," Donghyuck smirked while taking the safety gear quite well. He seemed to like it actually, which could well have been a talent or skill....or just plain weird.

"And how would you know? You've never even seen it."

"Or have I..?"

"You haven't."

"Nah, you're right," the younger nodded absentmindedly. "....Or are you?"

Mark's brows dipped inwards as he eyed his group member and temporary roommate up once or twice. There's no way...

"Alright. You have ten minutes to climb. Consider it a race, blah blah blah," the girl sighed and skipped over various sections, "The top acts as a perch, yada, yada, yada, if you fall and snap your necks there's no insurance. Go."

"Hang on a fucking—" the older was about to point out the serious gaping hole in those instructions, but the other two had already started immediately, pulling along their ropes and crawling up the rocks. "Ugh, damn. I hate things like this."

"Wooh, I'm actually good at this," Donghyuck celebrated and moved faster. "How you doing, Renjun?"

"Not bad. This isn't hard," the smaller responded softly. "I've done worse."

The ravenette was a little bit behind, but not by much. His arm muscles were fine, but his core was trembling from weakness and so were his thighs. Every pull upwards was like a stab to his heart, but he had to persevere so not to be made fun off. "Ow, this is shit."

"Quit whining," Hyuck could be heard teasing, but the sun was making it quite difficult to see, and so were the helmets. When the oldest looked up, he was met with a body dawning over his.

"Hah, move your ass Donghyuck, it's blocking out my light." Then, he playfully pushed at it to make the other lose balance.

"Well, well, well, I'm thicc, but not that thicc," the said voice chuckled from beside him suddenly, "Nice that my ass could block out sun for you in theoretical terms though."

"Shit, you're beside me...so..." Both looked up and saw Renjun already finished and sitting at the top. He was kicking the climbing wall a bit and giggling mischievously. "Oh God..."

"Thanks for the compliment," the Chinese male winked, "I've never had an ass touch before."

"I hate you," Mark hissed to Donghyuck before both made it to the top as well. He sat between the younger pair defeatedly, listening to them laugh and joke with each other like two evil twins. How very irritating.

"Well done!" Jaemin waved from below with both Shota and Chenle, and beside them were Jeno and Jisung. "You didn't die!"

"Physically I live on," the Korean-Canadian murmured as he flashed back to only moments prior. "But I lost a part of myself spiritually today."

"Tell me about it," Jisung called back up. "My balls ache like hell!"

"I hate this group," he repeated to himself, glancing to the side to find Hyuck smiling angelically to the crew down there and waving cutely. He really was a sight for sore eyes, even with that crazy attitude and behaviour of his. He made Mark grin as well, just because he was. But I guess there are some amazing things to be said for each boy.

"You coming down?" The woman waved her arm madly. "Hurry the hell up!"

"Oh wait....I don't know how to do that..." the black-haired man panicked, sweeping his gaze around to look for a solution. All he could find was a wide-armed Jaemin below his spot with a serious expression adorning his typically unbothered face.

"Fall for me, Mark. I shall catch you, fair maiden."

"...............No..."

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