Running to You | Park Han + JL + Steven | Haneulz + Stejay AU

Chapter 13: The Food Run

Neither of them spoke for the first hundred steps or so. It wasn't uncomfortable, rather it was the silence that came when two people weren't sure if they were walking together or merely in the same direction. JL snuck a glance at Han, who walked with that same quiet intensity he carried everywhere. His back straight, eyes forward, and jaw set as though he was perpetually preparing to win something.

"So..." JL ventured, trying not to sound too awkward. "Do you do this often?"

Han shrugged, the motion casual but elegant. "A few retreats. Usually I get stuck carrying stuff."

"Well, now you're just carrying the weight of expectation," JL said wryly, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. The lantern light caught his smile, softening it into something boyish.

Han glanced at him, unimpressed. "How poetic."

JL chuckled, emboldened. "Ooh, hunger makes you touchy. Riddle me this, what would you eat every day if you could?"

Han didn't even hesitate. "Burgers. And aglio e olio."

JL blinked, mock-offended. "Together?"

Han gave him a long-suffering look. "Not at once. I'm not a monster."

"That's very civilized of you. Like, neat boy lunchbox vibes."

"Let's hear yours then, wise guy?" Han asked dryly.

"Shrimp, sweet potatoes, and kimchi belong together. It's a holy trinity. A sensory slap to the face." JL said, grinning. 

His voice was animated now, and his eyes gleamed with something excited and alive. Watching him, Han felt the barest hitch in his breath. It was the kind of energy that made people want to listen.

"Unbelievable. You described your dream meal as a slap to the face and I'm the one getting judged."

The trail opened up into a small clearing. They slowed as the trees pulled back, revealing a view of the valley below . There were quiet hills rolling into the distance, and the faintest glitter of the main lodge far behind them. For a moment, neither of them spoke. JL tilted his head back, eyes closed.

"Moments like this are really rare for me," he said quietly, almost like a confession.

"Quiet ones?" Han asked, watching him.

JL nodded. "Still ones. It's always go-go-go where I'm from. My neighborhood is right in the city center, so I hear sounds of activity all night long. Even the quiet hours feel loud."

Han considered that. "I don't usually stop long enough to notice."

"Maybe you should," JL murmured. He closed his eyes and took a giant breath, savoring the mountain air.

The breeze lifted, ruffling JL's hair. Han turned toward JL, studying him -- his profile softened by the lantern glow, his cheeks flushed from the earlier training, his lips parted slightly. There was a pull there, a magnetism Han didn't have a name for.

JL opened his eyes and caught him staring.

For a suspended moment, nothing else existed. Then Han's foot caught a slick patch of gravel.

He stumbled, pitching forward toward the side of the path. JL yelped and reached out without thinking, trying to grab him. They both lost balance.

They tumbled down a shallow incline, a blur of limbs and startled exclamations. When the dust settled, JL found himself sprawled awkwardly across Han's chest. His hand braced against Han's sternum. Their faces , closer than they'd ever been, hovered a whisper apart. Han's gaze lingered on JL's mouth, then snapped to his eyes.