They had no idea where they were going but it was a bright and sunny day, so they weren't too upset about walking outside.
The sunlight felt warm, and a sort of beauty held in it the way it seemed to shine that day.
They had headed out the entrance door they had entered, still not used to the sight of the huge stainless steel building that shone in the light.
When they had first got there, the sky was transitioning to night time, so they really didn't get to see the building in full light. To say it was astonishing was an understatement.
Ten continued to lead the way, heading directly into a thick brush, until he himself had disappeared. It was another distraction, a screen like the one for the warehouse. So Ten was used to the dark image of trees that made the forest seem dangerous. The boys stopped, not wanting to go where Ten was, it seemed suspicious.
When Ten realized that they others weren't following, he headed back, looking at the frozen boys in confusion.
"Guys," he said, "what are you doing?"
Chenle shifted uneasily on his two feet, seemingly nervous.
"When we learned about forestry," Ten's confused face made the younger pause, until he realized that the older didn't understand.
Not having the confidence that he could translate it in Korean well, he looked at Renjun with pleading eyes.
Without having to say actual words, the older understood, and turned to Ten to further explain.
"When we learned about forestry, or the study of trees, or plant-making, we learned of the dangerous brush that could be located around and underneath these trees. As well as the dangerous animals living in this area," he explained, his words sinking in as he too realized the potential dangers that could be facing them.
Ten looked at them in understanding, comprehending what Renjun had told him, and smiled in reassurance.
"Guys, we've been living there," he pointed at the little bit of the building that they could still see, "for years. We've been tracking every living thing that resides in these woods, and we know these forests like the backs of our hands. If there were any dangerous animals, we took care of them years ago," he said, still smiling softly.
That information seemed to calm them down, each taking deep breaths, and then Ten held his hand out, ready to help whoever needed it.
Chenle took it, and he was pulled through the brush and on the other side, where he, too, disappeared from the other boys' eyes.
Next was Jisung, not wanting to be apart from Chenle too long, followed by Mark and Donghyuck. Jaemin and Jeno seemed to have a little battle as to who would accompany Renjun across.
The oldest of the three sighed, pushing them together quickly, making them hold onto each other in shock, and pushed them through the little image without Ten's help.
Ten said nothing but laughed a little in amusement.
Renjun only sighed slightly, before smiling back at the older boy.
Renjun took Ten's hand, who also walked through with Renjun.
Chenle and Mark were too busy looking at the distraction that Renjun and Ten passed through to actually get out of the way, making the Chenle and Mark fall backwards when suddenly Renjun and Ten were there.
Renjun looked back at what they were looking as.
It was what they had just come through, a iridescent marbly surface that showed a distorted image of where they had just come from.
The boys couldn't take their eyes off of the mystical sight, making Ten chuckle a little.
"Yuta makes those for us. They're very handy when we need a good illusion," he said, shocking the boys.
They all had forgotten about basically everyone else being a Defect, and how incredible that piece of art was.
The sight of the forest was nothing like the illusion. It was much more inviting, making the boys calm down.
They continued to follow Ten, occasionally having the move a branch out of the way, or step over a fallen trunk that had been uprooted.
They were having fun with the woods, not wanting the experience to end.
They weren't concerned until they reached a little stream, stopping for some water. The stream was a little run-off from a large waterfall about a mile away from them, which had a small lake it ran into.
But the concerning thing there was that there was steam coming from the water that fell into the waterfall.
"Ten," Mark said, gaining the older's attention, as Ten looked at him, "What is that?"
Ten looked at the direction of Mark's pointing finger of the plumes of steam, but the boys thought it was smoke, rising into the air.
"The Spring," he answered simply, finishing filling up his water bottle from the stream.
Standing up, they all were finished, and continued to follow the oldest boy, their traveling still quiet.
They continued following the oldest, now rounding the lake and waterfall as mist came to rest on their faces from their proximity. Jeno was wearing a white shirt, making more of his body easily seen because of the vapor, and Renjun turned his gaze sharply to something else.
The heat started to get to Renjun, making him grab his water bottle and drink most of it's contents, until a thought crossed his mind.
If we're all going to the Spring to bathe, does that mean Jaemin and Jeno nake-
Renjun cut his own thought off, choking on his water, cheeks flushed. The others turned to him worried, and Jeno and Jaemin were patting his back.
Oh god, the two of you of all people, he groaned internally.
He started coughing, trying to catch his breath. He held his hand up at Jaemin and Jeno, signally that he was fine.
Although still coughing a little, Renjun tried to drink some more water, only to find out he didn't have anymore left.
Sighing, he kept walking with the group, who had made it to the base of waterfall and were trying to scale the short wall to make it to the Spring.
"Renjun," Renjun looked at Ten, who had a teasing smile on, "you look a bit red, are you O.K.?"
Renjun glared at the older, and answered with a slightly firm 'of course, it's just the heat,' making Ten smirk at him still.
Renjun groaned, lifting his leg to finally get over the wall, his eyes landing on a beautiful scenery.
The plumes of what he now knows is steam was hovering over a clear see-through calm watered stream. The stream floor covered in white and black stones, the colors complementing each other, making them both stand out. The grass was fine, from being under older willow trees, meaning that the grass was also going to be insanely soft. The image of different greens surrounding a crystalline surface, seemed all but real for Renjun. The sight of it almost making Renjun lose his breath.
Is this real?
The other boys were in a similar state, only having Ten walking surely had them walking in a daze behind him.
Ten reached a little area of water that had been built, lights were surrounding it, steam clouding the pristine surface.
Ten let the boys set their things a little bit away from the pool, before he started talking.
"O.K., this is the first pool out of three," he said, making Renjun a little nervous, "and that will mean that you will share, but I'm gonna get you prepped for training. We do know it'll be hard for you guys, it's even difficult for ourselves, but we need everyone we can get, I've brought a variety of oils and shampoos, just let me know, and I'll help you to all relax. Any questions?"
Chenle raised his hand.
"Will this we with each other or-?"
"I will massage individually for about five minutes. That's the reason Taeyong had me bring you. That and so I can't distract Johnny," he said, making the others laugh.
"So, I won't have y'all strip, because we gotta keep it rated E for everyone, so I have some towels and spare shorts if you need them. I'm gonna go from youngest to oldest, and some might have to relocate to the stream," he finished, gesturing to the bag he had brought.
The boys weren't exactly uncomfortable, but mainly nervous.
Ten didn't care, taking Jisung with him, the younger boy still facing the others with the expression of 'helP-ME.'
Chenle snickered at the younger, before realizing that he was next.
Renjun sighed, knowing he was second to last, and sat down on the smooth stones surround the little pool in front of him after taking his shoes and putting them beside his things, feeling the surprisingly warm water engulf his feet.
Heaven.
The rest followed his example, and they started a light conversation about the place.
Jisung then returned a couple minutes into their conversation.
His hair was damp and laying limply on the top of his head, shorts that weren't his, and a towel around his top half, looking like he had just been reborn.
"That was awesome!" he exclaimed before pulling Chenle up from his spot at the water, "You're next."
Chenle wasn't ready exactly, but he couldn't go back to his seat as Jisung found it just as comfortable sitting at the spot instantly.
Pouting, he went to the direction Jisung came from.
"That was heav-en," the youngest went further, exclaiming each syllable.
They continued their chatter until Chenle returned, exactly the same way as Jisung.
Jaemin took that as his cue to leave, as Chenle ranted about what Ten had done.
"I feel like a new man!"
"You're not even a man yet."
"You don't know that!"
"You're literally three, sit down."
And the countdown continued, with Donghyuck next, followed by Jeno, and that's when the nerves began to hit Renjun.
Jeno had returned, looking like the rest had, but Renjun couldn't help but see a new glow to the boy. He smiled, before hesitantly rising to go to his own turn.
His steps were shaky as he walked on the soft grass.
Ten greeted him at another pool, sitting on the edge with the edge of his own shorts damp from the water, multitudes of bottles of different concoctions around him.
Renjun looked at him, a hint of nervousness in his eyes.
Ten smiled in reassurance.
"Don't worry Renjun, I'm leaving this seat right here, and I'm only going to be massaging your shoulders and a bit of your spine, to help with stability and release some pre-existing pressure before training starts."
Renjun nodded, glad that he had been told all of the details.
Ten held his hand to guide him into the water, some larger stones placed to act as a sort of stairway entrance. Renjun felt the warmth and fluidity slowly engulf more than his feet, and slowly up his thighs until the water seemed to stop a little over his waist, dampening the bottom of his own shirt.
Sighing at the warmth, he looked nervously at Ten, who only gave a small nod in reassurance.
Feeling a little shy, he took his arms out from the sleeves of his shirt, before reaching the wet end, and quickly pulling it over, trying to get past the embarassment of his body.
Ten instantly cooed sadly, seeing the skinniness of the younger.
"Renjunnie, we need to get more food in you," was all he said, before lightly gripping the younger's shoulders, pulling him closer, before taking a scented bottle, and coating his hands.
Renjun wasn't ready for the warmth of Ten's hands and the intrancing scent of the soap the older had used.
All of his worries seemed to wash away with every stretch of his muscles in complying hands.
He let himself relax.
After a while, the hands pulled away before a bottle was shown in front of him.
"I can trust you'll use this accordingly?" Ten said, handing Renjun another bottle.
It took the younger a little bit out waking out of his trance to recognize the shampoo and conditioner.
Nodding he took hold of the bottles before he heard a splash of Ten leaving, along with the clinks of bottles.
Renjun perceived that Ten was going for Mark, probably in the Spring.
Uncapping the shampoo, he let the scent of it be his only thought as he started washing his hair.
What he didn't notice were two boys creeping in, and silently sitting at the edge of the pool.
Renjun screamed when a pair of hands made their way into Renjun's hair from behind, pulling him towards that person.
He looked up at the person, meeting a pair of eyes, as their legs were now touching his shoulders, back hitting the side of the steaming pool.
"Jaemin! You can't just scare me like that!" he said, looking forward again, blushing as he heard Jeno laugh lightly, as he sat next to Jaemin.
The youngest continued running his fingers through Renjun's hair, moussing it any which way, before tapping Renjun's shoulder, telling Renjun to lean down.
To Renjun this seemed a bit intimate, a blush holding on his face as he closed his eyes.
He tilted his head, and Jaemin took the container Jeno had been given from Ten, and filled it up, pouring it slowly on Renjun's scalp. The warmth of it contenting the older.
They continued in silence, until they were finished conditioning his hair.
Jaemin then turned Renjun so he was facing him, and took Renjun's face into his hands, lightly kissing his forehead and nose. Jaemin smiled as he pulled away from the eldest's face, making Renjun smile brightly as well.
Jeno then took Renjun's face as well, kissing both of the older's cheeks, before leaving a light peck on his lips.
Renjun's face was definitely on fire, but he smiled at Jeno as well.
They didn't need words to express how they felt about each other.
After all, actions speak louder than words.