bop, bop. kiana’s chest alight reminded her once again of the undeniable pull she felt towards gyujeong. rarely did her relationships make her so giddy, as if she were a teen once again, careless and free in the pursuit of connection. every relationship had troublesome moments, every was doomed to her deep-set overthinking, but when it came to the pure connection between them, the highs, the baseline, little else could compare.
she needed this relationship, needed their time together, to be rejuvenated for -like he’d pointed out- this nonstop promotion schedule. before then, she hadn’t known she’d needed it. gyu brought that to her. that’s what friendship was for.
being kiana’s driver didn’t mean dropping her off and coming back when she was done. it meant she was bringing another sleeping bag. having experienced it, harder now was it to imagine camping without him. kiana’s eyes drifted to the side, a show of ‘thinking’ about the proposal, though the turn of her lips betrayed her. “why don’t we make a pact, say, we have to go camping at least twice a year. more if we can fit it in. when we start feeling all cooped up in your apartment, that’s when we start planning the next one. and we keep doing it like that. it can be a new home away from home,” quick, kiana caught herself at the end of the sentence and with a one shouldered shrug, tacked on, “away from home.” of course, gyu’s place wasn’t her actual home. important it was to remind herself of that.
she shook off the thought, manifesting in a small physical shimmy of the shoulders. none of that was important. he probably wouldn’t have judged her if she left it off. “we could try to bring tokki and anda next time, see if they like it.” though the idea was more likely to end in a fail, it still rose kiana’s spirits, having her once again readjust her place on her seat, straightening up and expression bursting. “and! and we can build up our camping gear. we can learn that stuff like the fire starting and foraging. we could learn to be survivalist types, just for fun, and if we’re lucky enough, we could do multiple day trips. i,” the word stuttered slightly, and kiana shook her head, “don’t think i’m as fit for the whole lifestyle as much as it sounds cool -gosh, how could i give up on my shows, but- i think it could be fun.” admitting as much, even after spewing all of her blossoming ideas, still felt… a lot. she felt shy, to allude to how much she’d thought this over, and how intensely she wanted this. nonetheless, she pushed through. elbow on her knee, kiana stretched a waiting pinky promise out towards gyu, and met his eyes with her hopeful ones, “what do you say?”
two peas in a pod or some shit — some cliche that wields two people into a tight-knit web of intricacies. it’s what he finds in kiana, a friendship he wouldn’t trade for a world.
not when their silence can read, say more words than any other conversation verbally spoken. he feels less on edge, more at ease — at peace with it all when she’s by his side, glued to the hip. his reservoir when the world of idoldom turns stagnant and cold. with one quick look over shined at kiana, a pact — his curiosity fades into a brows raised, eyes curved as his mouth furls into a full-spread grin. “twice a year? i’d like to go in the winter time. play that damn nature man in the cold snow, see if we could survive in that scenario.” a half-written joke when he’s no bullshitter for dramatics, softening up and following the build of his words with a chuckle. “but anytime, hit me up and camping is a done deal. a new home to make.”
his fist ball up, hanging in the air waiting for the punch back of a fist bump. silence leaves the lines at the mention of tokki, his own damn worries now causing his brows to bend together, eyes full-on wide. “i don’t know about tokki, but anda’s good. tokki’s been treating me like shit lately — you see this?” his fingers tug at his sleeve, rolling it slowly upwards to reveal a fresh scratch, still stung red by the time he shakes his head in protest.
“we could always bring a generator you know — the whole nine yards. bring in the portable projector, play the shows. it’s like the cheapened version of a survivalist.” gyujeong suggests, lending his voice to bolster up any other suggestions fro ki. whatever she says, he has his ears fully open, ready to take in any bits and pieces.
because she’s his other half. thick and thin — some other cliched shit to summarize their dynamic, and he takes it full-heartedly.
when he locks his pinkies with hers, the nod solidifying his own answer right in there, he takes a moment to purse his lips together, voice light and airy. “what do you say to semi-survivalist lifestyles? you know, when this shit gets so fucking suffocating and idoldom becomes so much?”
