Crossdressing To Survive An Apocalypse [BL]

Getting out of that ditch was not as easy as it had seemed.

It took nearly twenty minutes of swearing, grunting, slipping, and jumping around before Zou Chen finally managed to pull himself over the edge. By the time he was safely out, he was panting heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly, sweat running down his forehead despite the cool air.

"Wait a minute. I'll find something for you to climb."

Saying so, the man turned around and disappeared into the thick greenery.

Skyy, who had been left behind in the strange ditch, immediately began to feel restless.

Biting his lower lip, he gazed around anxiously, his eyes searching through the sea of leaves and branches for that familiar figure. He had only known Chen for a short while, yet somehow, seeing him disappear into the forest made an uncomfortable feeling settle in his chest.

Trexa, still sitting comfortably on his shoulder, let out a tiny squeak.

Skyy glanced at the little creature.

"He'll be back, right?" he whispered, gently nudging its tiny paw with one finger.

"Squeak."

Skyy stared at it for a moment before nodding solemnly.

"I'll take that as a yes…"

With a small sigh, he sat down against the side of the ditch and took a deep breath.

The air here was different.

It was so clean and fresh that every breath seemed to fill his lungs with something he had never experienced before. The cool breeze brushed against his skin, making tiny prickles rise along his arms, but instead of feeling uncomfortable, Skyy found himself enjoying it.

For the first time in his life, he was surrounded by so much greenery.

Trees stretched endlessly above him, their branches intertwining into a vast canopy. Tiny plants grew from every patch of soil, some of them so delicate that Skyy was almost afraid to touch them.

His hesitant fingers slowly reached toward a small fern growing nearby.

He gently nudged one of its tender leaves.

The soft frond brushed against his palm, so delicate and smooth that his heart fluttered with pure delight. His eyes widened slightly as he traced the leaf with his fingertip, completely captivated by the sensation.

He had read about forests.

But reading about something and actually touching it were two completely different things.

Chen, who had returned with a thick vine draped over one shoulder, stopped when he saw the scene.

For a moment, he simply stared.

The young man was dressed in a dirty, burned white T-shirt and equally battered pants, his clothes stained from everything they had been through. Yet none of that seemed to matter right now.

Skyy was sitting there with complete wonder in his eyes, gently touching the green leaves as though they were something precious.

For a second, Chen's heart began pounding strangely hard. He had never seen anyone look so completely at home in their surroundings. There was something almost unreal about the sight.

Like a forest fairy that had somehow wandered into the human world.

Chen immediately frowned at his own ridiculous thought. What the hell am I thinking?

Clearing his throat, he quickly tied one end of the vine around a thick tree nearby and tugged on it several times to make sure it was secure. "I'll throw the rope down. Just climb up as much as you can. I'll lift you out after."

His voice pulled Skyy out of his daze.

Skyy looked up. The moment he saw Chen standing there, a bright smile immediately spread across his face. "You came back."

Chen paused for half a second. "Yeah. You thought I wouldn't?" he mumbled, avoiding the young man's bright gaze as he lowered the vine into the ditch.

"Go on. Climb up now. We don't have much time. It looks like it's going to get dark out here."

Skyy happily grabbed the vine with both hands. Unfortunately, his strength was not exactly impressive. He struggled his way upward, feet slipping against the uneven wall of the ditch as he desperately tried to pull himself higher. He managed to make it halfway before his arms began trembling.

Before he could lose his grip, a hand suddenly reached down and grabbed him.

Chen pulled him upward with ease.

Skyy barely had time to react before he was hauled over the edge and deposited safely onto solid ground.

Chen let out a grunt as he released him. "You hurt anywhere?"

"No." Skyy immediately looked around. Then he lowered himself onto the mossy ground, his fingers pressing experimentally against the soft green surface. "What is this…?"

He rubbed the moss between his fingers, fascinated. "It's not a plant, but it's so soft."

"That's moss." Chen grabbed his arm and pulled him back to his feet. "We have to move."

Skyy looked around, his earlier fascination replaced by a hint of anxiety. "Are we in danger?"

"Dunno. Something might be lurking around here. We need to find a place to stay for the night." Chen tightened his grip around his knife and began moving through the dense vegetation. He hacked through the overgrown bushes blocking their path.

Skyy silently followed behind him. But his eyes kept wandering.

Everywhere he looked, there was something new.

The enormous trees stretched high above them, their branches forming a thick canopy overhead. Soft, dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, painting shifting patterns of gold across the forest floor. Birds chirped somewhere high above them, their calls echoing between the trees, while tiny insects buzzed and hummed among the plants.

The entire forest seemed alive. It was magical.

It was nothing like what Skyy had imagined. No book could have prepared him for this.

He stumbled over a root but quickly regained his balance, his eyes still fixed on the breathtaking surroundings. "It's so beautiful here," he whispered.

Chen glanced back at him. "Watch your feet. There are a lot of vines along the way. Don't break a leg. I don't want to have to carry you around." His tone remained gruff, but his eyes lingered on Skyy for a moment longer than necessary.

The young man looked completely fascinated by everything around him.

His gaze darted from one tree to another, lingering over every strange leaf and unfamiliar flower. He looked as though he wanted to stop every few seconds just to touch everything.

Chen couldn't help but wonder. "You've never seen a forest?"

Skyy shook his head. "No. But I've read about them… from where I come from."

"Hmm…" Chen's response was quiet.

They had barely gone much farther when Skyy suddenly stopped.

"Chen! What is that?"

His voice was filled with excitement as he pointed ahead.

Chen followed the direction of his finger. Through the tangled branches and thick greenery, he spotted a small, run-down cabin in the distance.

He narrowed his eyes. "Our place to sleep for the night, if we're lucky."

Chen approached the building as cautiously as he could, his eyes constantly scanning the surrounding forest. The little cabin looked as though it had been abandoned for years.

Moss covered much of the wooden walls, creeping over the boards and curling around the corners. Thick vines had grown across the roof and around the doorway, while weeds and bushes nearly swallowed the entire structure.

Yet beneath all that overgrowth, the cabin still looked surprisingly sturdy.

The wooden walls remained intact, and the roof appeared strong enough to shield them from the elements. At least for one night, it might protect them from the cold and whatever else was hiding in the forest.

Chen stopped in front of the overgrown cabin and stared at it cautiously.

"Looks like we found ourselves a place to stay."