The dawn light filtered softly through the trees, casting a golden glow across the clearing where Li Wei and Feng Rui had camped the night before. The air was fresh, the kind of crispness that made everything feel new and full of possibility. Li Wei stretched as he woke, his limbs sore from the long journey, but there was a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the fire.
Feng Rui was already awake, sitting by the edge of the camp, his eyes scanning the horizon. He looked like he was lost in thought, his usual confident demeanor replaced by something quieter, more introspective.
Li Wei watched him for a moment, his gaze lingering. He wasn't sure why, but the sight of Feng Rui in these rare quiet moments—moments when he let his guard down—felt like an unspoken connection, a bond growing between them without either of them fully realizing it.
"You're up early," Li Wei said, his voice gentle as he stood and walked over to join him.
Feng Rui turned his head slightly, offering a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Couldn't sleep," he said, his tone light, though there was something deeper there, an undercurrent of thoughtfulness. "Too much on my mind."
Li Wei didn't press, choosing instead to sit beside him in companionable silence. They watched as the first rays of sunlight touched the tops of the trees, the world around them slowly coming to life. Birds chirped softly in the distance, and the sound of a nearby stream murmured quietly, as if the earth itself was waking up slowly, stretching out from the calm of night.
"You've been distant lately," Li Wei finally said, his voice tentative but honest. "I've noticed it."
Feng Rui didn't respond right away. His gaze remained fixed on the horizon, and Li Wei couldn't help but feel a sense of weight in the air between them. For all the easy camaraderie they had shared, there were moments when Feng Rui would retreat into himself, as if something was haunting him, something he wasn't ready to share.
"I'm not good at this," Feng Rui said quietly, finally breaking the silence. His voice was low, almost apologetic, as if the words themselves were a burden. "At… letting others in."
Li Wei tilted his head slightly, not quite sure what to say. His fingers toyed with the edge of his sleeve as he thought about Feng Rui's words. "I don't expect you to be perfect," Li Wei said, his voice soft but steady. "We don't have to be anything but ourselves. We're both on this journey, and I'm not asking for anything more than your company."
Feng Rui's eyes flicked over to him then, his gaze intense for a moment, before it softened. "I don't want to drag you into something that might break you," he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Li Wei's heart gave a gentle thud at the words. For a moment, the world seemed to pause, as if Feng Rui's confession had shifted something in the air between them. "You don't need to protect me," Li Wei said, his voice firm, though there was a hint of vulnerability in it. "I'm not some fragile thing that needs sheltering. I know the risks. I understand the dangers we face."
Feng Rui looked at him, his expression unreadable for a long moment. Then, with a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not about fragility," he said softly. "It's about the things I can't control. The things that might hurt you, things I'm not sure I can prevent."
Li Wei's chest tightened at the depth of Feng Rui's words. There was a rawness there, a vulnerability that Feng Rui rarely let anyone see. It was a side of him that Li Wei hadn't expected, and yet, he found it strangely comforting.
"You're not alone in this," Li Wei said, his voice steady. "I've chosen this path too. I don't want to be someone you feel you have to protect from the world. We're in this together, for better or worse."
Feng Rui's gaze softened, and for the first time in days, there was a flicker of something warmer in his eyes. "Together, huh?" he murmured, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Li Wei nodded, the weight in his chest lightening just a little. "Together."
For a long time, neither of them spoke. The world around them seemed to hold its breath, as if waiting for them to decide what came next. There were no grand promises, no elaborate vows. But there was something simple in the understanding between them, something that felt like the beginning of a quiet, steady bond.
As the morning sun rose higher, they packed up their camp, ready to continue their journey. The path ahead was uncertain, and the dangers still loomed, but in that moment, Li Wei felt something stir within him—something deep and unspoken.
They weren't just traveling together anymore. They were moving toward something, and for the first time, Li Wei felt the weight of it not as a burden, but as a shared purpose.