for olebade: The Romance of Falling Snow [1/3]
For: olebade
Title: The Romance of Falling Snow
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: minseok/junmyeon, side!chanyeol/jongin
Word Count: 23K
Warnings: snow powers, awkward third wheeling, very mild temperature play.
Summary: It kind of sucks when his friends who are obviously dating drag Junmyeon along on their ski trip as third wheel, which is why nice hot strangers are such a relief to meet on a chair lift for two.
A/N: The ski resort and areas in the story are based on the ski mountains up in New England in the USA. Trail difficulty levels range from easy (green dots), intermediate (blue squares), hard (black diamond), very hard (double black diamond), you might die (glades aka skiing between trees). ‘Atomic’ is a Ski equipment brand name. Dear recipient, I sincerely hope that you liked this and that this fulfills what you had in mind. If not, then, well, I hope you at least could smile a little while reading this~
❈
One hundred and thirty two trails.
Fifteen lifts.
Two and half feet of fresh powder dumped the night before just after midnight and a clear and beautiful day. The winds are just barely hitting at the peaks of the mountains, their white caps shining in the brilliant morning sunlight as it beams through the clouds and lights all seven mountains into dazzling beauty. The trails that carve through the dark trees all look perfectly placed, as if an artist had drawn his brush down the side of each mountain and created this majestic view.
There is a bright nip in the air, biting playfully against the exposed skin of Junmyeon’s nose as he watches his breath mist before him in little soft clouds of white. The trees along the trails are all frosted, ice and snow clinging to them in these perfect conditions that are predicted for the whole week.
A whole week of skiing during one of the best seasons that the mountains have ever seen. The trails below Junmyeon’s skis are still showing the signs of grooming, the soft perfect almost corduroy texture over the snow stunning with soft little cuts taken out of it from the skiers and snowboarders who took first track as the mountain opened.
The sun is almost blinding as it reflects off of the snow around him, beautiful and practically picturesque. With his gloves and boots stuffed with hand and toe warmers and a neck warmer pulled up over his chin, Junmyeon doesn’t feel completely cold riding up the double chair lift for the first run of the day.
Alone.
Watching his two friends on the chair ahead of him lean closer, the bar of the chairlift still up (unsafe) and Chanyeol’s poles poking out the back (also unsafe) from between where he and Jongin are sitting. Without him. On a double chair lift. Because they insisted that Phoenix was the better mountain to start the day with than Monarch Ridge was.
Well, technically Chanyeol had insisted, considering Jongin looked too tired to do anything other than fasten his ski boots. Chanyeol had also insisted they get up at the crack of seven to get on the mountain. Then, when Junmyeon still felt like he needed his coffee and is stiff from sleeping on the pull-out bed and bundled up in his many layers, Chanyeol had insisted on riding the double chair with Jongin.
Not that Junmyeon minds, he’s just happy to be here, out in the great outdoors, his quality skis attached to his feet and with limited mobility in his huge parka and snow pants. It’s quite nice really, to have the silence of just the trees, the open sky, the slow humming creak of the chairlift as he rides it.
Alone.
Junmyeon sighs, a puff of breath ghosting before him in the cold January air. Looking ahead, he sees Chanyeol and Jongin shoving and laughing, their voices just barely reaching him. It was supposed to be four of them, but then at the last minute Jongdae had backed out, apologizing profusely. It didn't change much, just meant that they downgraded to a cheaper room and Junmyeon didn't have the share a bed with his friend. He just got to sleep, thankfully, alone.
It just feels like he's doing a lot of things alone on this trip. Which isn't bad, not at all. Junmyeon doesn't mind the solitude every now and then, where he gets a moment of peace to sit with his thoughts, just observe the natural scenery and let himself be calm. When Junmyeon gets to have those brief moments of what he likes the call 'comfortable silence' to himself that would be amazing to find with someone else. Junmyeon just doesn't expect many people to be on that level though, on his level. Which is probably why he's sitting suspended fifteen feet off the ground on a double chair riding up a mountain to go skiing with his two close friends.
Alone.
It's going to be fun though, really. Junmyeon has been itching to get out to the mountains since they got slammed with a huge storm at the beginning of November. The whole winter has been extremely good for snow, dumping it randomly and causing delays and power outages that force everyone in the North East to test their survival skills and their ability to ration food. January has been no exception, and with his newly purchased pair of Atomics buckled to his new boots that were his Christmas present to himself this year (along with stunning poles and a very nice set of socks), Junmyeon is ready to pound the mountain.
He's just a little worried that the mountain might pound back, which it very well might do considering Junmyeon hasn't been skiing in, well, about five years.
Chanyeol had told him when they'd agreed on the trip back in early December that he shouldn't worry about it. Skiing was like riding a bike, it would just come back to him. Of course, this coming from Chanyeol who spent most of his high school and college career on the downhill race teams of his schools wasn't entirely unbiased. Though, with the weather as beautiful as it is and the snow as awesome as it is, Junmyeon is going to hope that he'll at least not fall flat on his ass as soon as he tries something more than a green dot.
Or that he won’t fall on a green dot either. There is something to be said that it's not a proper day of skiing if you don't fall, but Junmyeon prefers his ass above the snow when he skis, along with the rest of him. At least on the first run.
Which, considering they took the lift up for Phoenix Peak today, may end up with Junmyeon with a face full of snow. This wouldn't really intimidate him so much if he weren't considering at the back of his mind that Chanyeol and Jongin might not even notice until they're at the bottom of the trail, too wrapped up in each other's goofy faces and smiles. While Junmyeon thought this would be a great ski trip up for a week of skiing with his friends, he kind of forgot one very important detail.
Being a third wheel, while it can be done gracefully, is a test of patience and will and overall ability to ignore the fact that Junmyeon is still tragically, blatantly, embarrassingly single.
It also is proof that Junmyeon needs more friends who are skiers and willing to spend an entire week with Chanyeol and Jongin. A part of Junmyeon understands why Baekhyun said no (ignoring that Baekhyun can't ski and would probably just roll down the mountain instead of try). It didn't seem like it would be that big of a deal at the time though, when Chanyeol had approached him diplomatically and asked him if he wanted to go on the trip to split costs.
Really, Junmyeon doesn't mind. Not at all. He can definitely just push the small detail that he's alone on the chairlift, probably will be for the next, well, five days or so of skiing, because all the 'good' trails only exist on the double lifts. Junmyeon is totally fine with that. It's just more time for him to enjoy the scenery, to enjoy beautiful sunshine and the soft whooshing sounds of the skiers that glide down under his skis as he rides the chairlift.
Alone. Very much alone.
Junmyeon lets out a sigh, leaning against the safety bar a bit and just looking ahead of him. Up the mountain, he watches Chanyeol and Jongin huddle together on the chair, Jongin's floppy hat and giant pompom and Chanyeol's ski helmet covered in about seventy stickers. They're cute really, mostly just so sweet on each other it makes Junmyeon's teeth hurt. They're very mindful of not making him feel left out, including him in conversations and games and meals to the point it's almost comical.
Junmyeon is pretty sure if he brought it up, they'd even let him snuggle with them in bed if they thought he was feeling left out. They do deserve a bit of alone time though. Junmyeon knows if he really made a fuss about it, they'd spend the whole trip riding up in the gondola on Monarch Ridge.
That's not fair though, to any of them, and Junmyeon knows that he could just as easily have said no this morning when Chanyeol suggested the mountain they're on. It also would have made Chanyeol's face drop a bit, and the whole point of the trip is to ski together and have fun.
So Junmyeon sits on the double chair, alone, and watches his friends, together, and tries not to think about how similar this is to a wheelbarrow. Letting out another sigh and watching as it puffs in soft clouds before him, Junmyeon's eyes catch on a skier just below him, stopped and looking up at the trees to the side of the trail. Junmyeon blinks, watching as the skier appears to be confused, and Junmyeon turns to look at the trees, squinting a bit as he turns into the sun.
The sky is so blue it's almost like it's not real, the sun so bright and the horizon clear of all clouds, so Junmyeon blinks in puzzlement when a soft flurry of snow tickles over him and lands on his already cold nose. When he looks around, there's nothing to show for it, only a few flakes on the empty chairlift seat beside him, and a soft flurry around him. He’s about to turn to try to find where it’s coming from when he hears Chanyeol's booming laugh ahead of him, distracting him. He looks up just in time to see the warning sign to get to ready to get off the lift on the pole ahead of him. He quickly scoots back in his chair to raise the safety bar to disembark the lift.
Poles gripped in his hand as he nears the end of the lift, Junmyeon prays silently that he doesn't fall flat on his face when he gets off the lift. He doesn't quite think he's ready for Jongin to fall over laughing quite yet. He at least needs until after lunch for that.
❈
The inside of the lodge at Moonlight Ridge is actually probably one of the nicer lodges on the mountains. It's not nearly as crowded as Monarch Ridge is and the people here are a bit less of the screaming children and families variety that make the noise level fit to break the sanity barrier back at the main lodge. The only downside is that the food is a little bit limited. Seeing as Chanyeol for some ungodly reason saw fit to wake up early and pack their lunches that day however, Junmyeon doesn’t even worry about that.
"It's more economic," Chanyeol explains, sharing his lunch with Jongin and tugging the bag of chocolate candies from his boyfriend’s hand. Jongin pouts for a moment before he’s given a small container of sliced apples instead. "Plus, you know how overpriced the food is in the cafeterias, and it's not even that good for you."
"But it's warm," Junmyeon points out, giving Chanyeol a pointed look. "It's warm and we just spent an entire morning in snow and ice and -"
"I worked up a sweat, actually," Jongin says, looking across their scattered lunch at Junmyeon.
"You were doing moguls," Junmyeon reminds him. "Of course you worked up a sweat. Anyone doing that much thigh work for fun would get their heart rate up."
"You should do it with me then," Jongin suggest, looking hopeful and probably a little bit cruel over the lunch. "Then you won't be so cold."
"I'm not about to break my neck just to get my heart rate up, Jongin," Junmyeon tells him with a soft smile. "But thank you for trying to include me in your death testing fun and games."
"We're not testing death, we're just testing our abilities and skills. Constant improvement, you know," Chanyeol clarifies. "I personally think it's awesome you were working on the moguls, Jonginnie." Jongin hides his pleased smile in a sandwich bite, but the blush on his face is enough indication he's happy with the praise. "I mean, you only just started skiing with me two years ago and-"
"I'm going to go get some hot chocolate," Junmyeon announces, pushing himself up to leave the couple to 'bond' together in peace. Slipping away before Chanyeol can stop him (or Jongin can ask for some too), Junmyeon steps in the same awkward clomping gait anyone does in ski boots. It's usually unflattering, as the shape of the boots forces the knees to bend (making stairs a nightmare) but after a morning of skiing already and his thighs and calves beginning to pleasantly burn, Junmyeon doesn't mind it as much.
The line for the cafeteria has dwindled significantly, mostly due to how they came in for lunch after the usual rush to avoid it. The lifts always have the shortest lines during lunch, everyone else inside and leaving the mountain open. So there's less hustle and bustle and noise as Junmyeon gets his hot chocolate. Rather than returning to Jongin and Chanyeol up in the loft, he ends up walking to one of the main lodge rooms.
He's still a bit chilly from outside and especially his toes could use with warming up. The nice thing about all these lodges is that they're all still set up for comfort, and Junmyeon sees no harm in stretching out on of the chairs close to a fireplace. Boots unbuckled and letting his feet and calves breathe, it's easier to just take a moment and relax. Trying to warm up after getting cold down to his bones takes time, Junmyeon starts with letting the warmth from his hot chocolate seep into his fingers and from his belly when he takes careful sips of the piping hot drink.
Toes finally warming up, Junmyeon has just closed his eyes, hot chocolate balanced in his hands, when something brushes against his nose. Opening his eyes in confusion, he frowns, having expected to see Jongin or Chanyeol looming over him. There's no one, only himself sitting by the fire and subtly giving his friends some space to feed each other romantically with cut veggies. He looks around a bit, and then shrugs it off, sitting up to look into the fire and feeling the slight stiffness in his shoulders that means they'll be sore later.
The next moment he's frowning again as something tickles by his cheek, and this time as he turns, Junmyeon sees it. A soft white little speck settling just on his shirt sleeve before it melts.
Melts.
Sitting very still, Junmyeon turns to look at his cup of hot chocolate, frowning a little as he thinks... but that's not possible, right? Then another white little speck floats down, and another, and a few more drifting through the air to land on him and a few in his hot chocolate. Junmyeon isn't even remotely near the windows, instead seated right next to the fire and yet...
It's snowing. Just the lightest touch of flurries, little soft pretty flakes floating down around him despite how he's inside and the air isn't nearly cold enough for there to be frozen precipitation.
Looking up, there's nothing except the beams of the lodge stretching over head, making up the roof. As soon as Junmyeon looks back down, the snow has stopped, the soft white flakes gone and melted. Only his hot chocolate in his hands shows sights of white tendrils of steam curling from the top. When he clomps back to Chanyeol and Jongin a few moments later, ski boots back on his feet and hot chocolate half gone, Junmyeon is significantly warmer, but no less confused.
"You okay?" Chanyeol asks him, looking up as they buckle their boots and start pulling on all their ski layers for the afternoon runs. "You look a bit dazed."
"I'm fine," Junmyeon says, trying to brush off the strange feeling from earlier of snow falling inside. He's probably just tired, still a bit snowblind from being out all morning. "Just thinking."
"Thinking about coming to El Dorado with us?" Jongin asks hopefully. "We were gonna do some runs in the glades. Feel up for it?"
"I'll pass," Junmyeon says with a laugh. "I'd rather ski 3.6.5 all day than go run myself into a tree."
"Your loss," Jongin says with a shrug, his face already half buried in a neck warmer. "So, ski Phoenix for the afternoon?"
"Yeah," Junmyeon says, smiling at both Chanyeol and Jongin as he finishes with his boots. "Sounds good to me. At least I'll be able to keep up." He ends with a soft laugh and is joined by Chanyeol, before Jongin ends up getting too impatient and shoving them out into the cold bright sunshine and prospect of awesome runs and perfect snow.
❈
The thing is, Junmyeon is perfectly happy skiing the same few trails most of the afternoon. He’s tired, worn from driving up last night to meet with Jongin and Chanyeol for their rental and getting in late. He doesn’t quite have the muscle of Jongin and Chanyeol for the harder, steeper, more demanding trails. It’s a little hard to keep up when he can feel his body getting tired.
There’s also that he can tell Jongin and Chanyeol are holding back, staying slow despite how Junmyeon knows they would easily tear off down the mountain racing each other. Or they might tear off down the mountain to run into each other and then make out in the woods. Junmyeon doesn’t really know, because most of the time they’re always keeping pacing with him, skiing ahead down the trails and waiting for him to catch up.
Junmyeon appreciates it. He also just knows that it’ll only be about one more trail before Jongin calls him ‘old’ and Chanyeol laughs because Chanyeol thinks every ‘joke’ Jongin makes is hilarious.
There’s about two more hours left of daylight for skiing and Junmyeon doesn’t mind skiing the same trails they’ve been sticking to most of the day. He just also knows that skiing the same trails on Phoenix and Moonlight end up getting monotonous after a while, especially since most of them are blues and greens. He appreciates how Jongin and Chanyeol have stayed with him for the trails when he knows they could just go off to the black diamonds they want on their own and meet him at the lift.
What Junmyeon doesn’t appreciate is how he keeps getting stuck in the singles line for the lift, sometimes alone, but mostly stuck with strangers. A lot of random strangers. Some of the strangers are nice, some of them literally colder than the weather, and some of them are downright obnoxious.
In terms of preference, Junmyeon likes to ski with other skiers, riding up the lift with them as well. Snowboarders tend to take up more room, and they shuffle-hobble to get in line. Most of the times Junmyeon has been taken down in a lift line or on the slopes it’s because of a snowboarder. Which is probably why he’s sitting right now, suspended over Black Pearl and feeling agitated because the guy next to him doesn’t seem to notice his snowboard is resting over Junmyeon’s new skis.
It’s only the first day, and both Chanyeol and Jongin did at one point switch it up and ride with him. Junmyeon wouldn’t mind usually, but the guy just sits there, leaning back in his oddly patterned parka and ski gear with his snowboard resting over Junmyeon’s skis and it’s irritating. Junmyeon misses the days when it was just skiers on the mountains and he didn’t have to worry about -
The snowboarder looks at him, and Junmyeon stills, turning and looking ahead to the chair in front of him, jaw tightening a bit as he doesn’t really want to talk to this guy. Then the guy (at least Junmyeon thinks it’s a guy) makes a soft sound and to Junmyeon’s surprise he moves his snowboard off of his skis.
“My bad,” the guy (definitely a guy) says, and looks over at him. “I didn’t realize I was on your skis.”
The pressure and weight against Junmyeon’s legs is gone and he feels a little surprised as he looks back at the snowboarder. “I-” he clears his throat, smiling. Then he remembers this guy can’t see him smile because he’s wearing a neck warmer over his mouth. “It’s okay. It’s not like there’s a ton of space on these chairs anyway.”
“Still, I didn’t mean to be trashing your skis,” the guy says, and leans a bit on the safety bar. “They new?” A soft gust of wind blows a soft flurry of snow off the trees over Junmyeon and his… companion.
“Yeah,” Junmyeon says, feeling a bit warmed. “I just got them for this season. New skis, new poles, the whole package deal.” The guy is watching him, and though Junmyeon can barely see his face, eyes shielded by goggles, he almost feels like he’s smiling. “Figured I would get my use out of them this season.”
“Yeah, it’s been sweet out in the mountains this year,” the guy says. He sits back with a sort of happy sigh and his shoulder brushes Junmyeon’s parka lightly. “I swear the snow is the best today it’s been in a while. I’m so pumped for this week.”
“Week?” Junmyeon asks, curiosity peaked. “You’re here the whole week?”
“Yeah,” the guy says, and turns to look at him again. “My company is going through this break period and I bartered with them to get the week off to come up here. Technically I’m doing a bit of business with the resort so it’s ‘for business’-” he raises his gloved hands to make little air quotes “- but mostly it’s just an excuse for me to hit the slopes and have fun.”
“That’s really awesome,” Junmyeon says, feeling almost excited himself.
“You up for just the day? Or-”
“Actually,” Junmyeon says, feeling a little chill travel up his spine as a little flurry of snow blows over them again. It scatters white ice crystals over his dark snow pants. “I’m up for the week, too. Basically the only vacation I really take and two friends of mine and I are up to share costs and basically play for the week.” Junmyeon turns a bit, glancing back behind him to where Jongin and Chanyeol are on the chair behind him. “That’s them, actually.”
He almost waves, and then realizes that would look incredibly stupid. It also looks like Chanyeol and Jongin are ‘involved’ with each other at the moment, and he’s not about to try to distract them.
“So you’re all skiers,” the guy says. “I must be cramping your style, riding up with you with my board.”
“No,” Junmyeon says. Then he realizes how strange that is considering just a minute ago he was internally grumbling about this guy’s snowboard. “It’s not just our slopes, or our snow. You deserve to be here as much as us. We just all happen to ski.” Junmyeon isn’t sure why he’s reassuring this guy. “One of my friends is a boarder, actually.”
In truth, Junmyeon has no idea if Yixing still snowboards or not, but it isn’t a lie. Yixing had been one of the few snowboarders Junmyeon liked skiing with. He didn’t just sit around or take forever by the lifts, instead bucking in fast and jumping to keep up as best he could. And he was good, too. Junmyeon often forgot he was a snowboarder just because he never even noticed.
“I do both, actually,” the stranger says. “I grew up skiing, I just was given a snowboard a few years back by a friend and decided to broaden my skill set.” He sighs, leaning over the safety bar again. “I brought up both sets of equipment with me for the week, so maybe I’ll see you in skis next time.”
Junmyeon can’t see his face, but he knows, somehow, that the guy is smiling.
“I dunno,” he says, suppressing a shiver as the wind picks up as they pass by a break in the trees. “Seven mountains worth of ski trails make it pretty hard to bump into each other. Especially if you don’t ski the same trails.”
“Well, I suppose,” the guy says, softly. “Especially if you’re just going to be skiing on blacks the whole week. I’m sticking to something I won’t trash my board with. Plus I’m still getting my legs under me, so it’s kind of a blue-green theme for a bit.” He tilts his head to the side slightly. “You?”
“I-” Junmyeon pauses, wondering why he’s just telling this guy so much. “Well, I’ll be staying with my friends,” he answers. “They’re more advanced than I am.” He swallows, his spit feeling cool as it goes down his throat. He shivers. “They’d probably actually be skiing all blacks and glades if I wasn’t with them today.”
“What do you like skiing?”
“Honestly?” Junmyeon says, letting out a little laugh. “I would be happy just skiing down Beautiful for the rest of the day.”
“I swear, Beautiful is one of the nicest trails on the seven mountains,” the guy says, sounding sincere. “I don’t consider a day complete if I haven’t taken a run down it before turning in.” He shifts a bit. “Are you guys hitting that one next? Or going to branch off and take Machine or Maze Maker?”
“I wouldn’t mind taking Maze Maker,” Junmyeon says, and then stops. He thinks of Chanyeol and Jongin, more of Jongin, who had been not so subtle in his suggestions to take a run down Black Pearl all day. It’s the only real black diamond on Phoenix and the only trail Junmyeon really doesn’t want to go down. He takes in the man beside him, who so far has been the least obnoxious and more interesting people to talk to. “What’s your name?”
“Why?” the man asks, sitting up a bit straighter. “I thought we were never going to see each other again? Seven mountains and all.”
Reaching up with the hand not holding his poles, Junmyeon pulls his goggles up off his face and tugs down his neck warmer. “I’m Junmyeon,” he says, and the rush of cold against his skin makes him feel more awake, alive, and cold. He smiles as best he can.
The guy is silent for a moment, and then he’s reaching up, pulling his goggles off his face to reveal almond shaped eyes that almost dance. “Minseok,” he says, and his eyes crease in a smile. He holds out a hand, and Junmyeon does his best to take it in the position they’re in on the chair. “Nice to meet you, Junmyeon. I hope we do bump into each other again on the slopes.”
Minseok shakes his hand with a semi-firm grip, though that’s probably due to the thick glove on his hand. Junmyeon lets go feeling oddly accomplished and comfortable, and realizes he’s just made a friend.
❈
Jongin stares when he skis up after getting off the lift with Chanyeol. The stare he gives is more in the way that he’s confused and thus disapproving because he’s not sure of the situation as he skis up to Junmyeon and the ‘stranger’ beside him. Junmyeon stops chatting with Minseok to smile at Jongin, Chanyeol right beside him looking amicably curious.
“Hey,” Chanyeol greets, looking at Junmyeon in question. The flicker in his eyes to Minseok say who’s he? with abject politeness. “What’s up?”
“Who’s he?” Jongin asks, tugging the straps of his poles around his wrist and looking at Minseok in obvious wary confusion.
“This is Minseok,” Junmyeon introduces, gesturing with his hand to the snowboarder in question. “I just rode up with him on the chair.” Chanyeol looks friendly and inquisitive. Jongin looks apprehensive and squinty. “He and I were thinking of taking down on Beautiful for a run so you can finally go down Black Pearl.
“Wait, really?” Jongin’s squint immediately vanishes and he looks almost childish in his excitement at the prospect.
“Are you sure?” Chanyeol is still smiling, but he looks a little less friendly, more like he’s slightly worried as he looks between Junmyeon and Minseok. Junmyeon knows that look, and he smiles, letting out a soft laugh and shaking his head.
“It’s fine,” he says. Looking at Minseok, who is watching silently with a sort of soft glint to his eyes, Junmyeon shrugs. “Besides, you’ve been wanting to take down Black Pearl all day. And now I won’t be skiing alone if you two go on ahead.”
“I promise, I’ll make sure to deliver him back to you safe and unharmed at the lift,” Minseok says, and gives a brief thumbs up to Chanyeol and Jongin with a smile. “Cross my heart.”
What had impressed Junmyeon initially was how as soon as they got off the lift, Minseok just moved. Not once did he flop down in the snow, ass in the frozen ground, and take his time to buckle in and just ‘chill’ for a moment. Instead, he was almost ready before Junmyeon had the straps of his poles around his wrists, gliding over the snow easily to get out of the way of the lift to wait for Chanyeol and Jongin. Junmyeon had, on a complete whim, suggested Minseok and he could ski down Beautiful for a run together, and Minseok had, surprisingly, said yes. What was even more surprising was that Junmyeon was actually a little pleased that he had.
“So, what’s the deal?” Minseok asks, as Chanyeol and Jongin skate off to bomb down Black Pearl with whoops of excitement. Junmyeon glances over at him as they head off towards the long stunning blue square that is Beautiful. Minseok has his goggles back on and his scarf pulled up over his face, but he’s facing Junmyeon. “You know, your friends and then it’s just you.”
“Package deal,” Junmyeon calls over the snow, turning a bit as they pick up speed. “We get a discount if we come up. We’d have more people up but they couldn’t get the time off or-” Junmyeon doesn’t want to say ‘the money’ and sound like he’s a rich guy but, well, he is better off than some of his friends.
“Ah,” Minseok calls, turning a bit, knees bent to glide in Junmyeon’s direction, cutting ahead of him easily. “So your girlfriend couldn’t make it?”
“I-” Junmyeon swallows. “Not really my thing.”
“Your boyfriend then?” Minseok amends and glances back at him.
“I don’t have one to drag up here with me,” Junmyeon admits, and feels his cheeks heat despite the chill of the wind picking up against his face. Minseok has skidded to a halt, board scraping down the mountain as he looks up back at Junmyeon, clearly curious. “At least no boyfriend that would put up with Jongin and Chanyeol for the week.” He stops, angled across the slope and facing Minseok. “Why?”
“Just curious,” Minseok says with a shrug. He shrugs a bit then lets out an enthused sigh. “Ready?”
“Absolutely,” Junmyeon says, and with a push from his poles is finally headed down the mountain and not worrying about holding other people up.
It’s so much nicer this way, where he can just ski and enjoy the feeling of if, the grip of the turns and the complete control he has of his technique and form and he smiles, his energy building in his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Minseok cutting down the mountain, his body almost fluid as he bends and twists. Junmyeon lets out a bit of a laugh, cutting a fast turn and kicking up snow behind him. The cold against his face doesn’t feel that bad and he feels twice as alive as he comes to a break in the trail and pauses.
He’s smiling as he watches Minseok board down to him, finally stopping and gliding close with a hand pumping in the air. Junmyeon keeps smiling as the late afternoon sun reflects on the soft white flakes falling all around them in a soft gentle dusting of snow.
“Feeling good?” Minseok asks him, his voice slightly rougher from the cold and Junmyeon still smiles. He nods. “Great!” Minseok cheers before hopping on his board and taking off ahead of Junmyeon in a flurry of snow and a loud enthusiastic cry.
As he skis down to try to catch up, laughing himself as his thighs burn from maintaining form and speed, Junmyeon thinks he definitely wouldn’t mind taking a few more runs with Minseok.
He wouldn’t mind at all.
❈
“Are you sure?” Jongin asks, giving him a serious look that is somewhat ruined in effect from the big floppy scarf around his face. “I mean, you just met him yesterday. And we barely even know him. What if he, like, tries to drag you into the woods and kill you or something?”
Junmyeon laughs, unable to help himself as he looks at Jongin’s concerned disapproving face beside his on the chairlift. It’s the first run of their second day, and Junmyeon is feeling, well, excellent. After the previous day, which he’d ended up skiing almost to the last run with Minseok, he’d been a bit bold and asking if Minseok was around for skiing the second day. Which led to Chanyeol and Jongin grilling him over his new ‘friend’ for the entirety of dinner as Junmyeon tried to reassure them he wasn’t ‘abandoning’ them.
“He’s not going to kill me, Jongin,” Junmyeon says.
“How do you know though?” Jongin asks, still frowning. “I mean, what kind of guy just agrees to spend all his time with you two days in a row?”
“The kind of guy who likes me?” Junmyeon suggests. He knows better than to take some of what Jongin says seriously, knowing Jongin sometimes has little to no idea of the shit he says and how it can sound incredibly bluntly cruel. It’s just a part of Jongin. In all honestly, Junmyeon’s rather looking forward to a day with Minseok.
Of course, if Minseok wants to go off on his own, Junmyeon won’t impose. He just enjoyed the other man’s company the day before. There was also that slight jump of excitement when he’d seen Minseok waiting at the base lodge with a pair of skis on today instead of his snowboard, a jump that made Junmyeon feel a bit warmer despite the cold air, but he’ll think about that later.
“I’m just saying-”
“Jongin, we’re here to ski, and I’m sure Minseok didn’t spent good money on a week of skiing just so he could drag people off the trail to kill them, least of all people like me,” Junmyeon tells his friend easily. “Stop worrying and start trying to figure out what death slope you’re going to fling yourself down for the day.”
Instantly, Jongin is distracted, lighting up and talking about what ‘new and awesome’ black diamond death chutes he and Chanyeol are going to ski down today. He’s still talking about it when they get off the lift, skiing to the treeline of the unloading area to wait for Chanyeol and Minseok. Junmyeon smiles as he sees them get off, skiing up to them with smiles to match his. Chanyeol winks exaggeratedly in what Junmyeon assumes means he is convinced Minseok isn’t a ‘bad guy’.
“So I hear you guys are going to take El Dorado today?” Junmyeon comments to Chanyeol. Minseok shifts, quietly putting his pole straps around his wrists. It’s not as clear as yesterday was, a few clouds threatening flurries later, and they’d woken up to a few inches that fell overnight. Junmyeon is still reeling from the amazing conditions they started on, the continuous good weather is almost like paradise.
“Yep!” Chanyeol says, Jongin grinning at him excitedly as he fits his goggles over his face. “The trails on El Dorado are some of my favorites. Maybe later this week we can get you up on some of them.”
Laughing, Junmyeon shakes his head. “Not likely, considering they’re all basically blacks.”
“Actually, considering the conditions, it’s not a bad time to try black diamonds or advanced trails,” Minseok comments, looking up at him. “Considering if you do fall, you’re likely to fall in powder, not ice or packed snow.”
“Exactly!” says Chanyeol, and throws Minseok a look that almost looks conspiratory. “What do you two say we meet up at the Summit lodge for lunch then? Kind of regroup and see what we want to do for the afternoon?”
A few snowflakes begin to drift down around them as Junmyeon waves Chanyeol and Jongin off with a promise to meet for lunch. Turning back, he looks at Minseok. “You really weren’t kidding when you said you brought both sets of gear with you,” he says, looking Minseok up and down. He’s in the same snow gear, but he almost looks more poised and comfortable with skis on his feet and poles in his hands. “Are you sure I won’t hold you up today?”
“If I was worried about being held up, I wouldn’t have met you at the lodge today,” Minseok says, and smiles. he’s not wearing goggles today, and his scarf is looser around his neck. It makes his eyes stand out bright and dancing under his hat, and Junmyeon can’t help but notice how alive they seem. “Worry more about catching an edge than if I want to be here. I promise, I do.”
A soft jump springs in Junmyeon’s chest, making him a bit warmer and he smiles without thinking. “I won’t worry then,” he says, and can’t stop smiling, that warm feeling rising in him. “What do you want to take down first?” Glancing at the trail directory, he adds, “please don’t say Black Pearl.”
“Why don’t we take down History or Machine, then maybe take Love Love Love over to Windmaker and ski the trails over there?” Minseok suggests.
Going down History, Junmyeon leads. Despite being overcast, it’s a stunning day, the lack of sun glaring on the snow makes it easier to see, and the clouds make it a little warmer. All around, the world feels almost muffled, blanketed in stillness brought by the gently falling snow that borders on flurries. The only sound is that of Junmyeon’s heart, his breathing and his skis against the snow, the soft rushing and scraping sound, almost a light packing sound as he makes sharp turns.
All around is stunning white, the snow clean and somehow comforting, and it’s somehow enchanting, catching Junmyeon’s attention as he skis down. Glancing behind him, Minseok is right there, flashing him a bright smile as he skis in near perfect form. Stopping at a break in the trail, Junmyeon watches him as he comes down, turns tight and graceful, precise and… stunning.
“You ski really well,” Junmyeon tells him as Minseok stops beside him, gliding in to stand at his side, slightly breathless.
“I’ve had a lot of practice,” Minseok tells him, eyes dancing as he looks at Junmyeon. They’re brighter than they were the day before, as if they have more behind them, more energy and excitement. “The fact that the snow is so good also helps.”
They’re pretty. Junmyeon finally realizes what he’d been searching for as his mind finally clicks. Minseok’s eyes are incredibly pretty, and Junmyeon wouldn’t really mind looking into them for-
“Yeah,” Junmyeon says, shaking himself and hoping the cold explains away the pink he can feel rising in his cheeks. “I haven’t seen conditions like this in years. It’s so nice. Everything is so pretty.”
The heat in his cheeks rises more as Junmyeon looks back at Minseok and his mind supplies helpfully pretty.
“Snow kind of just,” Minseok lets out a sigh, looking around the slope and the trees on either side. It’s a bit like a winter wonderland. “It makes everything so pretty. Like it wipes the world clean in a blanket of pure white beauty.”
“That’s poetic,” Junmyeon says, smiling as Minseok turns back to him. “This must really be your element then.”
Mouth tugging up in a wide grin, Minseok’s eyes crinkle in mirth. “You could say that,” he says, and lets out a soft laugh. “Though as much as I love snow and skiing, I can only take so much of the cold before it gets to me.”
“Likewise,” Junmyeon says. Even with toe and hand warmers, he can feel the slow creep of cold towards his skin. “So what are we waiting for?”
“I’m just waiting on you,” Minseok tells him with a pointed look. “Lead on, Junmyeon!” As he speaks, almost proclaims in a command, his eyes glint and Junmyeon hesitates for a moment, caught by them.
They almost sparkle, shimmering in the light, like the snow reflecting on moonlight. It leaves Junmyeon feeling slightly dazed, lighter as he turns to head down the slope, ski tips turning downhill and fingers wrapping to grip around his poles. The air begins to rush past his ears, the snow flying around him and he hears Minseok let out a loud happy whoop behind him. Glancing up the slope, Junmyeon catches Minseok’s huge smile, as bright and brilliant as the snow around them.
A soft tug at the edge of Junmyeon’s ski has him wobbling, jerking on the slope as his ski catches in a deeper pile of snow, and before Junmyeon realizes it, he’s tumbling down. Poles flying, ski boots popping from their bindings and landing with a yelp into the soft powered snow, Junmyeon’s head spins as Minseok’s laughter rings in his ears.
“First fall of the day!” Minseok calls brightly, and looms over Junmyeon’s white washed form, the snow biting into the skin of his face. He’s holding one of junmyeon’s skis, face bright in laughter and warmth. “It’s not a proper ski trip unless you fall, and that was a beauty.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed the show,” Junmyeon says, accepting Minseok’s hand to help him up. “I’m pretty sure it was a one time performance.”
“Well, I’m glad I was here to witness it,” Minseok says, and reaches up to brush Junmyeon off, still smile. His eyes glint and Junmyeon’s stomach swoops worse than it did when he fell.
❈
There is something to be said about ski resorts that offer a full fitness center. Nothing can really beat a nice stretch in a sauna or a soak in a hot tub, situated outside with the stunning snow falling gently amid a heated floor. The hot water and slow seep into aching muscles is like heaven and Junmyeon ends up letting out a soft satisfied groan as he sinks into the outdoor hot tub.
It’s only the second evening, but Junmyeon doesn’t see any reason not to spend some time soaking when his muscles are screaming at him from overuse. Awakening old unused muscles after not exercising them much has left him sore and the hot water is a welcome relief. Jongin and Chanyeol are in the large indoor pool playing with each other and probably disturbing the other guests, but Junmyeon doesn’t want to bother supervising them. They’d spent the afternoon over on Windmaker after lunch, skiing down the mountain together as Minseok went off on his own to apparently check out Wolf Peak.
Junmyeon finds himself happier about the trip than he thought he would. It’s not that he didn’t think he’d have fun, he just was a bit apprehensive after the first night and morning of skiing, wondering if he’d be mostly a third wheel. Of course, he’d be fine, but somehow having found Minseok is almost a relief and he’s realizing he’s having much more fun than he’d expected skiing with the other man.
It’s not demanding, and Minseok is patient and companionable even if Junmyeon knows Minseok’s skills are better than his own. Watching him ski makes Junmyeon want to become better himself, unlike how he feels when he watches Chanyeol, which is just intimidated.
In the cold night air, the sky black over him and a soft snow falling. Junmyeon lets out a soft sigh, leaning back against the side of the hot tub and sinking down a bit. The cold air outside the water is a pleasant contrast to the heat of the water. Junmyeon closes his eyes to relax.
“Enjoying yourself?” surprises Junmyeon to almost jerk in the tub, slipping in the water as he turns quickly to the voice behind him. He feels hotter, stilling and staring as Minseok skips over the bare wooden planks of the deck to the hot tub. He’s wearing just his swim trunks, plastered wet to his thighs and skin shining as it rises from the winter cold.
“I was,” Junmyeon answers, a bit late when he finally unsticks his tongue from the roof of his mouth and forces his attention away from Minseok’s very pert nipples. Scooting over a little and feeling the hot water bubbling around him, Junmyeon smiles up at him. “Care to join me?”
“I was under the impression that the hot tub wasn’t territory to be claimed, but thank you for permission,” Minseok tells him. With a soft hiss, he slips himself into the softly agitating water. Shuffling a bit, he settles in as Junmyeon watches him, suddenly feeling like the tub is too small. Or too big, he’s not sure. Minseok lets out a soft sort of moan, eyes closed and head tipping back as he sinks down into the water until only his head is exposed, pillowed against the rim of the tub. In the water, Junmyeon feels Minseok’s foot bump against his own.
“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Minseok says, drawing Junmyeon’s attention from where he’d been looking, well, elsewhere. The water has been set on jacuzzi for a while, so he can’t see into it, but the most that Junmyeon had seen previously of Minseok was him in just ski gear or briefly in the lodge during lunch. Minseok in a turtleneck and overall snowpants is a very different Minseok from the one sitting across from him now in only swim trunks.
For one, Junmyeon is pretty sure he currently has shoulder envy.
“It’s a free hot tub,” Junmyeon tells him. “Just coincidence I guess.” He smiles, letting his fingers glide through the water, just under the surface. It’s so calming, and even if he’d been initially surprised, he’s more relaxed now.
“I’m not complaining,” Minseok says, and his mouth stretches in a lazy smile. “I consider it a bonus. I just guess we’re meant to be, seeing as we keep bumping into each other.”
In the water, Junmyeon can feel Minseok’s foot bump against his as his smile tugs a bit wider. It’s almost like…
“Call it fate, I guess,” Junmyeon says, and feels himself blush a bit. Perhaps he can blame it on the hot water or hope that the dim lights don’t make it obvious. He keeps blushing around Minseok, which somehow feels imposing considering he barely knows him aside from two days of skiing.
Junmyeon came up for the week to ski, not to hit on guys he meets on the chairlift (even if they are really hot and sitting across from him mostly naked. In a hot tub).
“And there you were trying to get rid of me on our first meeting, telling me about how big those seven mountains are and how we’d probably never see each other again,” Minseok scoffs at him and his foot nudges Junmyeon’s again. “I have to say, for all seven mountains around us, I keep seeing you a lot.”
“I guess it really is a small world,” Junmyeon says and tries not to let his eyes drift too low when Minseok straightens up. Shoulders rising out of the water, steam rises from his exposed skin into the cold air, wafting around him and mingling with the softly falling snow.
“I kind of like the idea of destiny better,” Minseok murmurs. Across the steam curling from the water mingling with the falling snow, Minseok is watching him with a soft smile on his lips and a glint in his eyes.
“Sounds a bit romantic though, doesn’t it?” Junmyeon says, trying to keep his tone casual. He got the feel earlier when Minseok headed off on his own after lunch with the indication he’d see him tomorrow. It’s here again, stronger, with the way Minseok is looking at him and Junmyeon almost wants to say he’s…
“Well, sitting in a hot tub with snow falling around us, it kind of sets the mood don’t you think?” Minseok’s cheeks round up into apples as he grins, a soft dust of pink on them.
It’s like he’s flirting.
“You might say that,” Junmyeon says, and pushes down the soft flutter in his chest. He’s here to ski, and hang out with his friends, and…
“Is there something wrong with that?” Minseok asks, and this time Junmyeon does not miss the way Minseok’s eyes shift, dragging down from meeting Junmyeon’s and…
It’s in the middle of winter, January and snowing and even as the cold prickles against Junmyeon’s skin, he feels suddenly warm. Minseok’s eyes are dancing when they meet Junmyeon’s again and there is very little to suggest that Junmyeon is wrong. It’s been a bit since he last had someone really check him out, or flirt with him, but Junmyeon still knows what it looks like.
With the way Minseok just looked at him, there’s little other reason for that heated drag of eyes than, well, indication of interest.
Sitting up a bit more in the hot tub, Junmyeon swallows down the slight nerves and just lets himself relax. Chanyeol and Jongin can have their time together, and Junmyeon can have his. “No,” he says, and the more he lets himself relax, the more that soft warmth spreads in his chest and belly. “Nothing wrong with it at all.”
It’s almost out of a movie, or some sort of story that Junmyeon might hear from someone like Sehun or Baekhyun about how they hooked up with this great fling. The dark velvet of the night, the nip against his damp skin and the soft sounds Minseok makes as he settles in the warm water, and the gentle hook around his ankle to tug him a little closer all seems too good to be real.
For just a bit, Junmyeon thinks he can spend the week in his own personal fairy tale where so far everything is too good to be true and the magic of the moment is palpable.
(Of course, the moment is a little bit ruined later when Jongin and Chanyeol come scurrying out of the indoor pool to wiggle into the hot tub with them. But then, Junmyeon figures he can’t really be annoyed at them shattering the ‘moment’ when Minseok scoots next to him and Junmyeon gets an up close and personal look at his muscle definition. At which point Junmyeon isn’t sure if he has shoulder envy or just… definite intrigue.
Very warm in his gut and inclined to touch intrigue.)
❈
[ pt2]
Title: The Romance of Falling Snow
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: minseok/junmyeon, side!chanyeol/jongin
Word Count: 23K
Warnings: snow powers, awkward third wheeling, very mild temperature play.
Summary: It kind of sucks when his friends who are obviously dating drag Junmyeon along on their ski trip as third wheel, which is why nice hot strangers are such a relief to meet on a chair lift for two.
A/N: The ski resort and areas in the story are based on the ski mountains up in New England in the USA. Trail difficulty levels range from easy (green dots), intermediate (blue squares), hard (black diamond), very hard (double black diamond), you might die (glades aka skiing between trees). ‘Atomic’ is a Ski equipment brand name. Dear recipient, I sincerely hope that you liked this and that this fulfills what you had in mind. If not, then, well, I hope you at least could smile a little while reading this~
❈
One hundred and thirty two trails.
Fifteen lifts.
Two and half feet of fresh powder dumped the night before just after midnight and a clear and beautiful day. The winds are just barely hitting at the peaks of the mountains, their white caps shining in the brilliant morning sunlight as it beams through the clouds and lights all seven mountains into dazzling beauty. The trails that carve through the dark trees all look perfectly placed, as if an artist had drawn his brush down the side of each mountain and created this majestic view.
There is a bright nip in the air, biting playfully against the exposed skin of Junmyeon’s nose as he watches his breath mist before him in little soft clouds of white. The trees along the trails are all frosted, ice and snow clinging to them in these perfect conditions that are predicted for the whole week.
A whole week of skiing during one of the best seasons that the mountains have ever seen. The trails below Junmyeon’s skis are still showing the signs of grooming, the soft perfect almost corduroy texture over the snow stunning with soft little cuts taken out of it from the skiers and snowboarders who took first track as the mountain opened.
The sun is almost blinding as it reflects off of the snow around him, beautiful and practically picturesque. With his gloves and boots stuffed with hand and toe warmers and a neck warmer pulled up over his chin, Junmyeon doesn’t feel completely cold riding up the double chair lift for the first run of the day.
Alone.
Watching his two friends on the chair ahead of him lean closer, the bar of the chairlift still up (unsafe) and Chanyeol’s poles poking out the back (also unsafe) from between where he and Jongin are sitting. Without him. On a double chair lift. Because they insisted that Phoenix was the better mountain to start the day with than Monarch Ridge was.
Well, technically Chanyeol had insisted, considering Jongin looked too tired to do anything other than fasten his ski boots. Chanyeol had also insisted they get up at the crack of seven to get on the mountain. Then, when Junmyeon still felt like he needed his coffee and is stiff from sleeping on the pull-out bed and bundled up in his many layers, Chanyeol had insisted on riding the double chair with Jongin.
Not that Junmyeon minds, he’s just happy to be here, out in the great outdoors, his quality skis attached to his feet and with limited mobility in his huge parka and snow pants. It’s quite nice really, to have the silence of just the trees, the open sky, the slow humming creak of the chairlift as he rides it.
Alone.
Junmyeon sighs, a puff of breath ghosting before him in the cold January air. Looking ahead, he sees Chanyeol and Jongin shoving and laughing, their voices just barely reaching him. It was supposed to be four of them, but then at the last minute Jongdae had backed out, apologizing profusely. It didn't change much, just meant that they downgraded to a cheaper room and Junmyeon didn't have the share a bed with his friend. He just got to sleep, thankfully, alone.
It just feels like he's doing a lot of things alone on this trip. Which isn't bad, not at all. Junmyeon doesn't mind the solitude every now and then, where he gets a moment of peace to sit with his thoughts, just observe the natural scenery and let himself be calm. When Junmyeon gets to have those brief moments of what he likes the call 'comfortable silence' to himself that would be amazing to find with someone else. Junmyeon just doesn't expect many people to be on that level though, on his level. Which is probably why he's sitting suspended fifteen feet off the ground on a double chair riding up a mountain to go skiing with his two close friends.
Alone.
It's going to be fun though, really. Junmyeon has been itching to get out to the mountains since they got slammed with a huge storm at the beginning of November. The whole winter has been extremely good for snow, dumping it randomly and causing delays and power outages that force everyone in the North East to test their survival skills and their ability to ration food. January has been no exception, and with his newly purchased pair of Atomics buckled to his new boots that were his Christmas present to himself this year (along with stunning poles and a very nice set of socks), Junmyeon is ready to pound the mountain.
He's just a little worried that the mountain might pound back, which it very well might do considering Junmyeon hasn't been skiing in, well, about five years.
Chanyeol had told him when they'd agreed on the trip back in early December that he shouldn't worry about it. Skiing was like riding a bike, it would just come back to him. Of course, this coming from Chanyeol who spent most of his high school and college career on the downhill race teams of his schools wasn't entirely unbiased. Though, with the weather as beautiful as it is and the snow as awesome as it is, Junmyeon is going to hope that he'll at least not fall flat on his ass as soon as he tries something more than a green dot.
Or that he won’t fall on a green dot either. There is something to be said that it's not a proper day of skiing if you don't fall, but Junmyeon prefers his ass above the snow when he skis, along with the rest of him. At least on the first run.
Which, considering they took the lift up for Phoenix Peak today, may end up with Junmyeon with a face full of snow. This wouldn't really intimidate him so much if he weren't considering at the back of his mind that Chanyeol and Jongin might not even notice until they're at the bottom of the trail, too wrapped up in each other's goofy faces and smiles. While Junmyeon thought this would be a great ski trip up for a week of skiing with his friends, he kind of forgot one very important detail.
Being a third wheel, while it can be done gracefully, is a test of patience and will and overall ability to ignore the fact that Junmyeon is still tragically, blatantly, embarrassingly single.
It also is proof that Junmyeon needs more friends who are skiers and willing to spend an entire week with Chanyeol and Jongin. A part of Junmyeon understands why Baekhyun said no (ignoring that Baekhyun can't ski and would probably just roll down the mountain instead of try). It didn't seem like it would be that big of a deal at the time though, when Chanyeol had approached him diplomatically and asked him if he wanted to go on the trip to split costs.
Really, Junmyeon doesn't mind. Not at all. He can definitely just push the small detail that he's alone on the chairlift, probably will be for the next, well, five days or so of skiing, because all the 'good' trails only exist on the double lifts. Junmyeon is totally fine with that. It's just more time for him to enjoy the scenery, to enjoy beautiful sunshine and the soft whooshing sounds of the skiers that glide down under his skis as he rides the chairlift.
Alone. Very much alone.
Junmyeon lets out a sigh, leaning against the safety bar a bit and just looking ahead of him. Up the mountain, he watches Chanyeol and Jongin huddle together on the chair, Jongin's floppy hat and giant pompom and Chanyeol's ski helmet covered in about seventy stickers. They're cute really, mostly just so sweet on each other it makes Junmyeon's teeth hurt. They're very mindful of not making him feel left out, including him in conversations and games and meals to the point it's almost comical.
Junmyeon is pretty sure if he brought it up, they'd even let him snuggle with them in bed if they thought he was feeling left out. They do deserve a bit of alone time though. Junmyeon knows if he really made a fuss about it, they'd spend the whole trip riding up in the gondola on Monarch Ridge.
That's not fair though, to any of them, and Junmyeon knows that he could just as easily have said no this morning when Chanyeol suggested the mountain they're on. It also would have made Chanyeol's face drop a bit, and the whole point of the trip is to ski together and have fun.
So Junmyeon sits on the double chair, alone, and watches his friends, together, and tries not to think about how similar this is to a wheelbarrow. Letting out another sigh and watching as it puffs in soft clouds before him, Junmyeon's eyes catch on a skier just below him, stopped and looking up at the trees to the side of the trail. Junmyeon blinks, watching as the skier appears to be confused, and Junmyeon turns to look at the trees, squinting a bit as he turns into the sun.
The sky is so blue it's almost like it's not real, the sun so bright and the horizon clear of all clouds, so Junmyeon blinks in puzzlement when a soft flurry of snow tickles over him and lands on his already cold nose. When he looks around, there's nothing to show for it, only a few flakes on the empty chairlift seat beside him, and a soft flurry around him. He’s about to turn to try to find where it’s coming from when he hears Chanyeol's booming laugh ahead of him, distracting him. He looks up just in time to see the warning sign to get to ready to get off the lift on the pole ahead of him. He quickly scoots back in his chair to raise the safety bar to disembark the lift.
Poles gripped in his hand as he nears the end of the lift, Junmyeon prays silently that he doesn't fall flat on his face when he gets off the lift. He doesn't quite think he's ready for Jongin to fall over laughing quite yet. He at least needs until after lunch for that.
❈
The inside of the lodge at Moonlight Ridge is actually probably one of the nicer lodges on the mountains. It's not nearly as crowded as Monarch Ridge is and the people here are a bit less of the screaming children and families variety that make the noise level fit to break the sanity barrier back at the main lodge. The only downside is that the food is a little bit limited. Seeing as Chanyeol for some ungodly reason saw fit to wake up early and pack their lunches that day however, Junmyeon doesn’t even worry about that.
"It's more economic," Chanyeol explains, sharing his lunch with Jongin and tugging the bag of chocolate candies from his boyfriend’s hand. Jongin pouts for a moment before he’s given a small container of sliced apples instead. "Plus, you know how overpriced the food is in the cafeterias, and it's not even that good for you."
"But it's warm," Junmyeon points out, giving Chanyeol a pointed look. "It's warm and we just spent an entire morning in snow and ice and -"
"I worked up a sweat, actually," Jongin says, looking across their scattered lunch at Junmyeon.
"You were doing moguls," Junmyeon reminds him. "Of course you worked up a sweat. Anyone doing that much thigh work for fun would get their heart rate up."
"You should do it with me then," Jongin suggest, looking hopeful and probably a little bit cruel over the lunch. "Then you won't be so cold."
"I'm not about to break my neck just to get my heart rate up, Jongin," Junmyeon tells him with a soft smile. "But thank you for trying to include me in your death testing fun and games."
"We're not testing death, we're just testing our abilities and skills. Constant improvement, you know," Chanyeol clarifies. "I personally think it's awesome you were working on the moguls, Jonginnie." Jongin hides his pleased smile in a sandwich bite, but the blush on his face is enough indication he's happy with the praise. "I mean, you only just started skiing with me two years ago and-"
"I'm going to go get some hot chocolate," Junmyeon announces, pushing himself up to leave the couple to 'bond' together in peace. Slipping away before Chanyeol can stop him (or Jongin can ask for some too), Junmyeon steps in the same awkward clomping gait anyone does in ski boots. It's usually unflattering, as the shape of the boots forces the knees to bend (making stairs a nightmare) but after a morning of skiing already and his thighs and calves beginning to pleasantly burn, Junmyeon doesn't mind it as much.
The line for the cafeteria has dwindled significantly, mostly due to how they came in for lunch after the usual rush to avoid it. The lifts always have the shortest lines during lunch, everyone else inside and leaving the mountain open. So there's less hustle and bustle and noise as Junmyeon gets his hot chocolate. Rather than returning to Jongin and Chanyeol up in the loft, he ends up walking to one of the main lodge rooms.
He's still a bit chilly from outside and especially his toes could use with warming up. The nice thing about all these lodges is that they're all still set up for comfort, and Junmyeon sees no harm in stretching out on of the chairs close to a fireplace. Boots unbuckled and letting his feet and calves breathe, it's easier to just take a moment and relax. Trying to warm up after getting cold down to his bones takes time, Junmyeon starts with letting the warmth from his hot chocolate seep into his fingers and from his belly when he takes careful sips of the piping hot drink.
Toes finally warming up, Junmyeon has just closed his eyes, hot chocolate balanced in his hands, when something brushes against his nose. Opening his eyes in confusion, he frowns, having expected to see Jongin or Chanyeol looming over him. There's no one, only himself sitting by the fire and subtly giving his friends some space to feed each other romantically with cut veggies. He looks around a bit, and then shrugs it off, sitting up to look into the fire and feeling the slight stiffness in his shoulders that means they'll be sore later.
The next moment he's frowning again as something tickles by his cheek, and this time as he turns, Junmyeon sees it. A soft white little speck settling just on his shirt sleeve before it melts.
Melts.
Sitting very still, Junmyeon turns to look at his cup of hot chocolate, frowning a little as he thinks... but that's not possible, right? Then another white little speck floats down, and another, and a few more drifting through the air to land on him and a few in his hot chocolate. Junmyeon isn't even remotely near the windows, instead seated right next to the fire and yet...
It's snowing. Just the lightest touch of flurries, little soft pretty flakes floating down around him despite how he's inside and the air isn't nearly cold enough for there to be frozen precipitation.
Looking up, there's nothing except the beams of the lodge stretching over head, making up the roof. As soon as Junmyeon looks back down, the snow has stopped, the soft white flakes gone and melted. Only his hot chocolate in his hands shows sights of white tendrils of steam curling from the top. When he clomps back to Chanyeol and Jongin a few moments later, ski boots back on his feet and hot chocolate half gone, Junmyeon is significantly warmer, but no less confused.
"You okay?" Chanyeol asks him, looking up as they buckle their boots and start pulling on all their ski layers for the afternoon runs. "You look a bit dazed."
"I'm fine," Junmyeon says, trying to brush off the strange feeling from earlier of snow falling inside. He's probably just tired, still a bit snowblind from being out all morning. "Just thinking."
"Thinking about coming to El Dorado with us?" Jongin asks hopefully. "We were gonna do some runs in the glades. Feel up for it?"
"I'll pass," Junmyeon says with a laugh. "I'd rather ski 3.6.5 all day than go run myself into a tree."
"Your loss," Jongin says with a shrug, his face already half buried in a neck warmer. "So, ski Phoenix for the afternoon?"
"Yeah," Junmyeon says, smiling at both Chanyeol and Jongin as he finishes with his boots. "Sounds good to me. At least I'll be able to keep up." He ends with a soft laugh and is joined by Chanyeol, before Jongin ends up getting too impatient and shoving them out into the cold bright sunshine and prospect of awesome runs and perfect snow.
❈
The thing is, Junmyeon is perfectly happy skiing the same few trails most of the afternoon. He’s tired, worn from driving up last night to meet with Jongin and Chanyeol for their rental and getting in late. He doesn’t quite have the muscle of Jongin and Chanyeol for the harder, steeper, more demanding trails. It’s a little hard to keep up when he can feel his body getting tired.
There’s also that he can tell Jongin and Chanyeol are holding back, staying slow despite how Junmyeon knows they would easily tear off down the mountain racing each other. Or they might tear off down the mountain to run into each other and then make out in the woods. Junmyeon doesn’t really know, because most of the time they’re always keeping pacing with him, skiing ahead down the trails and waiting for him to catch up.
Junmyeon appreciates it. He also just knows that it’ll only be about one more trail before Jongin calls him ‘old’ and Chanyeol laughs because Chanyeol thinks every ‘joke’ Jongin makes is hilarious.
There’s about two more hours left of daylight for skiing and Junmyeon doesn’t mind skiing the same trails they’ve been sticking to most of the day. He just also knows that skiing the same trails on Phoenix and Moonlight end up getting monotonous after a while, especially since most of them are blues and greens. He appreciates how Jongin and Chanyeol have stayed with him for the trails when he knows they could just go off to the black diamonds they want on their own and meet him at the lift.
What Junmyeon doesn’t appreciate is how he keeps getting stuck in the singles line for the lift, sometimes alone, but mostly stuck with strangers. A lot of random strangers. Some of the strangers are nice, some of them literally colder than the weather, and some of them are downright obnoxious.
In terms of preference, Junmyeon likes to ski with other skiers, riding up the lift with them as well. Snowboarders tend to take up more room, and they shuffle-hobble to get in line. Most of the times Junmyeon has been taken down in a lift line or on the slopes it’s because of a snowboarder. Which is probably why he’s sitting right now, suspended over Black Pearl and feeling agitated because the guy next to him doesn’t seem to notice his snowboard is resting over Junmyeon’s new skis.
It’s only the first day, and both Chanyeol and Jongin did at one point switch it up and ride with him. Junmyeon wouldn’t mind usually, but the guy just sits there, leaning back in his oddly patterned parka and ski gear with his snowboard resting over Junmyeon’s skis and it’s irritating. Junmyeon misses the days when it was just skiers on the mountains and he didn’t have to worry about -
The snowboarder looks at him, and Junmyeon stills, turning and looking ahead to the chair in front of him, jaw tightening a bit as he doesn’t really want to talk to this guy. Then the guy (at least Junmyeon thinks it’s a guy) makes a soft sound and to Junmyeon’s surprise he moves his snowboard off of his skis.
“My bad,” the guy (definitely a guy) says, and looks over at him. “I didn’t realize I was on your skis.”
The pressure and weight against Junmyeon’s legs is gone and he feels a little surprised as he looks back at the snowboarder. “I-” he clears his throat, smiling. Then he remembers this guy can’t see him smile because he’s wearing a neck warmer over his mouth. “It’s okay. It’s not like there’s a ton of space on these chairs anyway.”
“Still, I didn’t mean to be trashing your skis,” the guy says, and leans a bit on the safety bar. “They new?” A soft gust of wind blows a soft flurry of snow off the trees over Junmyeon and his… companion.
“Yeah,” Junmyeon says, feeling a bit warmed. “I just got them for this season. New skis, new poles, the whole package deal.” The guy is watching him, and though Junmyeon can barely see his face, eyes shielded by goggles, he almost feels like he’s smiling. “Figured I would get my use out of them this season.”
“Yeah, it’s been sweet out in the mountains this year,” the guy says. He sits back with a sort of happy sigh and his shoulder brushes Junmyeon’s parka lightly. “I swear the snow is the best today it’s been in a while. I’m so pumped for this week.”
“Week?” Junmyeon asks, curiosity peaked. “You’re here the whole week?”
“Yeah,” the guy says, and turns to look at him again. “My company is going through this break period and I bartered with them to get the week off to come up here. Technically I’m doing a bit of business with the resort so it’s ‘for business’-” he raises his gloved hands to make little air quotes “- but mostly it’s just an excuse for me to hit the slopes and have fun.”
“That’s really awesome,” Junmyeon says, feeling almost excited himself.
“You up for just the day? Or-”
“Actually,” Junmyeon says, feeling a little chill travel up his spine as a little flurry of snow blows over them again. It scatters white ice crystals over his dark snow pants. “I’m up for the week, too. Basically the only vacation I really take and two friends of mine and I are up to share costs and basically play for the week.” Junmyeon turns a bit, glancing back behind him to where Jongin and Chanyeol are on the chair behind him. “That’s them, actually.”
He almost waves, and then realizes that would look incredibly stupid. It also looks like Chanyeol and Jongin are ‘involved’ with each other at the moment, and he’s not about to try to distract them.
“So you’re all skiers,” the guy says. “I must be cramping your style, riding up with you with my board.”
“No,” Junmyeon says. Then he realizes how strange that is considering just a minute ago he was internally grumbling about this guy’s snowboard. “It’s not just our slopes, or our snow. You deserve to be here as much as us. We just all happen to ski.” Junmyeon isn’t sure why he’s reassuring this guy. “One of my friends is a boarder, actually.”
In truth, Junmyeon has no idea if Yixing still snowboards or not, but it isn’t a lie. Yixing had been one of the few snowboarders Junmyeon liked skiing with. He didn’t just sit around or take forever by the lifts, instead bucking in fast and jumping to keep up as best he could. And he was good, too. Junmyeon often forgot he was a snowboarder just because he never even noticed.
“I do both, actually,” the stranger says. “I grew up skiing, I just was given a snowboard a few years back by a friend and decided to broaden my skill set.” He sighs, leaning over the safety bar again. “I brought up both sets of equipment with me for the week, so maybe I’ll see you in skis next time.”
Junmyeon can’t see his face, but he knows, somehow, that the guy is smiling.
“I dunno,” he says, suppressing a shiver as the wind picks up as they pass by a break in the trees. “Seven mountains worth of ski trails make it pretty hard to bump into each other. Especially if you don’t ski the same trails.”
“Well, I suppose,” the guy says, softly. “Especially if you’re just going to be skiing on blacks the whole week. I’m sticking to something I won’t trash my board with. Plus I’m still getting my legs under me, so it’s kind of a blue-green theme for a bit.” He tilts his head to the side slightly. “You?”
“I-” Junmyeon pauses, wondering why he’s just telling this guy so much. “Well, I’ll be staying with my friends,” he answers. “They’re more advanced than I am.” He swallows, his spit feeling cool as it goes down his throat. He shivers. “They’d probably actually be skiing all blacks and glades if I wasn’t with them today.”
“What do you like skiing?”
“Honestly?” Junmyeon says, letting out a little laugh. “I would be happy just skiing down Beautiful for the rest of the day.”
“I swear, Beautiful is one of the nicest trails on the seven mountains,” the guy says, sounding sincere. “I don’t consider a day complete if I haven’t taken a run down it before turning in.” He shifts a bit. “Are you guys hitting that one next? Or going to branch off and take Machine or Maze Maker?”
“I wouldn’t mind taking Maze Maker,” Junmyeon says, and then stops. He thinks of Chanyeol and Jongin, more of Jongin, who had been not so subtle in his suggestions to take a run down Black Pearl all day. It’s the only real black diamond on Phoenix and the only trail Junmyeon really doesn’t want to go down. He takes in the man beside him, who so far has been the least obnoxious and more interesting people to talk to. “What’s your name?”
“Why?” the man asks, sitting up a bit straighter. “I thought we were never going to see each other again? Seven mountains and all.”
Reaching up with the hand not holding his poles, Junmyeon pulls his goggles up off his face and tugs down his neck warmer. “I’m Junmyeon,” he says, and the rush of cold against his skin makes him feel more awake, alive, and cold. He smiles as best he can.
The guy is silent for a moment, and then he’s reaching up, pulling his goggles off his face to reveal almond shaped eyes that almost dance. “Minseok,” he says, and his eyes crease in a smile. He holds out a hand, and Junmyeon does his best to take it in the position they’re in on the chair. “Nice to meet you, Junmyeon. I hope we do bump into each other again on the slopes.”
Minseok shakes his hand with a semi-firm grip, though that’s probably due to the thick glove on his hand. Junmyeon lets go feeling oddly accomplished and comfortable, and realizes he’s just made a friend.
❈
Jongin stares when he skis up after getting off the lift with Chanyeol. The stare he gives is more in the way that he’s confused and thus disapproving because he’s not sure of the situation as he skis up to Junmyeon and the ‘stranger’ beside him. Junmyeon stops chatting with Minseok to smile at Jongin, Chanyeol right beside him looking amicably curious.
“Hey,” Chanyeol greets, looking at Junmyeon in question. The flicker in his eyes to Minseok say who’s he? with abject politeness. “What’s up?”
“Who’s he?” Jongin asks, tugging the straps of his poles around his wrist and looking at Minseok in obvious wary confusion.
“This is Minseok,” Junmyeon introduces, gesturing with his hand to the snowboarder in question. “I just rode up with him on the chair.” Chanyeol looks friendly and inquisitive. Jongin looks apprehensive and squinty. “He and I were thinking of taking down on Beautiful for a run so you can finally go down Black Pearl.
“Wait, really?” Jongin’s squint immediately vanishes and he looks almost childish in his excitement at the prospect.
“Are you sure?” Chanyeol is still smiling, but he looks a little less friendly, more like he’s slightly worried as he looks between Junmyeon and Minseok. Junmyeon knows that look, and he smiles, letting out a soft laugh and shaking his head.
“It’s fine,” he says. Looking at Minseok, who is watching silently with a sort of soft glint to his eyes, Junmyeon shrugs. “Besides, you’ve been wanting to take down Black Pearl all day. And now I won’t be skiing alone if you two go on ahead.”
“I promise, I’ll make sure to deliver him back to you safe and unharmed at the lift,” Minseok says, and gives a brief thumbs up to Chanyeol and Jongin with a smile. “Cross my heart.”
What had impressed Junmyeon initially was how as soon as they got off the lift, Minseok just moved. Not once did he flop down in the snow, ass in the frozen ground, and take his time to buckle in and just ‘chill’ for a moment. Instead, he was almost ready before Junmyeon had the straps of his poles around his wrists, gliding over the snow easily to get out of the way of the lift to wait for Chanyeol and Jongin. Junmyeon had, on a complete whim, suggested Minseok and he could ski down Beautiful for a run together, and Minseok had, surprisingly, said yes. What was even more surprising was that Junmyeon was actually a little pleased that he had.
“So, what’s the deal?” Minseok asks, as Chanyeol and Jongin skate off to bomb down Black Pearl with whoops of excitement. Junmyeon glances over at him as they head off towards the long stunning blue square that is Beautiful. Minseok has his goggles back on and his scarf pulled up over his face, but he’s facing Junmyeon. “You know, your friends and then it’s just you.”
“Package deal,” Junmyeon calls over the snow, turning a bit as they pick up speed. “We get a discount if we come up. We’d have more people up but they couldn’t get the time off or-” Junmyeon doesn’t want to say ‘the money’ and sound like he’s a rich guy but, well, he is better off than some of his friends.
“Ah,” Minseok calls, turning a bit, knees bent to glide in Junmyeon’s direction, cutting ahead of him easily. “So your girlfriend couldn’t make it?”
“I-” Junmyeon swallows. “Not really my thing.”
“Your boyfriend then?” Minseok amends and glances back at him.
“I don’t have one to drag up here with me,” Junmyeon admits, and feels his cheeks heat despite the chill of the wind picking up against his face. Minseok has skidded to a halt, board scraping down the mountain as he looks up back at Junmyeon, clearly curious. “At least no boyfriend that would put up with Jongin and Chanyeol for the week.” He stops, angled across the slope and facing Minseok. “Why?”
“Just curious,” Minseok says with a shrug. He shrugs a bit then lets out an enthused sigh. “Ready?”
“Absolutely,” Junmyeon says, and with a push from his poles is finally headed down the mountain and not worrying about holding other people up.
It’s so much nicer this way, where he can just ski and enjoy the feeling of if, the grip of the turns and the complete control he has of his technique and form and he smiles, his energy building in his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Minseok cutting down the mountain, his body almost fluid as he bends and twists. Junmyeon lets out a bit of a laugh, cutting a fast turn and kicking up snow behind him. The cold against his face doesn’t feel that bad and he feels twice as alive as he comes to a break in the trail and pauses.
He’s smiling as he watches Minseok board down to him, finally stopping and gliding close with a hand pumping in the air. Junmyeon keeps smiling as the late afternoon sun reflects on the soft white flakes falling all around them in a soft gentle dusting of snow.
“Feeling good?” Minseok asks him, his voice slightly rougher from the cold and Junmyeon still smiles. He nods. “Great!” Minseok cheers before hopping on his board and taking off ahead of Junmyeon in a flurry of snow and a loud enthusiastic cry.
As he skis down to try to catch up, laughing himself as his thighs burn from maintaining form and speed, Junmyeon thinks he definitely wouldn’t mind taking a few more runs with Minseok.
He wouldn’t mind at all.
❈
“Are you sure?” Jongin asks, giving him a serious look that is somewhat ruined in effect from the big floppy scarf around his face. “I mean, you just met him yesterday. And we barely even know him. What if he, like, tries to drag you into the woods and kill you or something?”
Junmyeon laughs, unable to help himself as he looks at Jongin’s concerned disapproving face beside his on the chairlift. It’s the first run of their second day, and Junmyeon is feeling, well, excellent. After the previous day, which he’d ended up skiing almost to the last run with Minseok, he’d been a bit bold and asking if Minseok was around for skiing the second day. Which led to Chanyeol and Jongin grilling him over his new ‘friend’ for the entirety of dinner as Junmyeon tried to reassure them he wasn’t ‘abandoning’ them.
“He’s not going to kill me, Jongin,” Junmyeon says.
“How do you know though?” Jongin asks, still frowning. “I mean, what kind of guy just agrees to spend all his time with you two days in a row?”
“The kind of guy who likes me?” Junmyeon suggests. He knows better than to take some of what Jongin says seriously, knowing Jongin sometimes has little to no idea of the shit he says and how it can sound incredibly bluntly cruel. It’s just a part of Jongin. In all honestly, Junmyeon’s rather looking forward to a day with Minseok.
Of course, if Minseok wants to go off on his own, Junmyeon won’t impose. He just enjoyed the other man’s company the day before. There was also that slight jump of excitement when he’d seen Minseok waiting at the base lodge with a pair of skis on today instead of his snowboard, a jump that made Junmyeon feel a bit warmer despite the cold air, but he’ll think about that later.
“I’m just saying-”
“Jongin, we’re here to ski, and I’m sure Minseok didn’t spent good money on a week of skiing just so he could drag people off the trail to kill them, least of all people like me,” Junmyeon tells his friend easily. “Stop worrying and start trying to figure out what death slope you’re going to fling yourself down for the day.”
Instantly, Jongin is distracted, lighting up and talking about what ‘new and awesome’ black diamond death chutes he and Chanyeol are going to ski down today. He’s still talking about it when they get off the lift, skiing to the treeline of the unloading area to wait for Chanyeol and Minseok. Junmyeon smiles as he sees them get off, skiing up to them with smiles to match his. Chanyeol winks exaggeratedly in what Junmyeon assumes means he is convinced Minseok isn’t a ‘bad guy’.
“So I hear you guys are going to take El Dorado today?” Junmyeon comments to Chanyeol. Minseok shifts, quietly putting his pole straps around his wrists. It’s not as clear as yesterday was, a few clouds threatening flurries later, and they’d woken up to a few inches that fell overnight. Junmyeon is still reeling from the amazing conditions they started on, the continuous good weather is almost like paradise.
“Yep!” Chanyeol says, Jongin grinning at him excitedly as he fits his goggles over his face. “The trails on El Dorado are some of my favorites. Maybe later this week we can get you up on some of them.”
Laughing, Junmyeon shakes his head. “Not likely, considering they’re all basically blacks.”
“Actually, considering the conditions, it’s not a bad time to try black diamonds or advanced trails,” Minseok comments, looking up at him. “Considering if you do fall, you’re likely to fall in powder, not ice or packed snow.”
“Exactly!” says Chanyeol, and throws Minseok a look that almost looks conspiratory. “What do you two say we meet up at the Summit lodge for lunch then? Kind of regroup and see what we want to do for the afternoon?”
A few snowflakes begin to drift down around them as Junmyeon waves Chanyeol and Jongin off with a promise to meet for lunch. Turning back, he looks at Minseok. “You really weren’t kidding when you said you brought both sets of gear with you,” he says, looking Minseok up and down. He’s in the same snow gear, but he almost looks more poised and comfortable with skis on his feet and poles in his hands. “Are you sure I won’t hold you up today?”
“If I was worried about being held up, I wouldn’t have met you at the lodge today,” Minseok says, and smiles. he’s not wearing goggles today, and his scarf is looser around his neck. It makes his eyes stand out bright and dancing under his hat, and Junmyeon can’t help but notice how alive they seem. “Worry more about catching an edge than if I want to be here. I promise, I do.”
A soft jump springs in Junmyeon’s chest, making him a bit warmer and he smiles without thinking. “I won’t worry then,” he says, and can’t stop smiling, that warm feeling rising in him. “What do you want to take down first?” Glancing at the trail directory, he adds, “please don’t say Black Pearl.”
“Why don’t we take down History or Machine, then maybe take Love Love Love over to Windmaker and ski the trails over there?” Minseok suggests.
Going down History, Junmyeon leads. Despite being overcast, it’s a stunning day, the lack of sun glaring on the snow makes it easier to see, and the clouds make it a little warmer. All around, the world feels almost muffled, blanketed in stillness brought by the gently falling snow that borders on flurries. The only sound is that of Junmyeon’s heart, his breathing and his skis against the snow, the soft rushing and scraping sound, almost a light packing sound as he makes sharp turns.
All around is stunning white, the snow clean and somehow comforting, and it’s somehow enchanting, catching Junmyeon’s attention as he skis down. Glancing behind him, Minseok is right there, flashing him a bright smile as he skis in near perfect form. Stopping at a break in the trail, Junmyeon watches him as he comes down, turns tight and graceful, precise and… stunning.
“You ski really well,” Junmyeon tells him as Minseok stops beside him, gliding in to stand at his side, slightly breathless.
“I’ve had a lot of practice,” Minseok tells him, eyes dancing as he looks at Junmyeon. They’re brighter than they were the day before, as if they have more behind them, more energy and excitement. “The fact that the snow is so good also helps.”
They’re pretty. Junmyeon finally realizes what he’d been searching for as his mind finally clicks. Minseok’s eyes are incredibly pretty, and Junmyeon wouldn’t really mind looking into them for-
“Yeah,” Junmyeon says, shaking himself and hoping the cold explains away the pink he can feel rising in his cheeks. “I haven’t seen conditions like this in years. It’s so nice. Everything is so pretty.”
The heat in his cheeks rises more as Junmyeon looks back at Minseok and his mind supplies helpfully pretty.
“Snow kind of just,” Minseok lets out a sigh, looking around the slope and the trees on either side. It’s a bit like a winter wonderland. “It makes everything so pretty. Like it wipes the world clean in a blanket of pure white beauty.”
“That’s poetic,” Junmyeon says, smiling as Minseok turns back to him. “This must really be your element then.”
Mouth tugging up in a wide grin, Minseok’s eyes crinkle in mirth. “You could say that,” he says, and lets out a soft laugh. “Though as much as I love snow and skiing, I can only take so much of the cold before it gets to me.”
“Likewise,” Junmyeon says. Even with toe and hand warmers, he can feel the slow creep of cold towards his skin. “So what are we waiting for?”
“I’m just waiting on you,” Minseok tells him with a pointed look. “Lead on, Junmyeon!” As he speaks, almost proclaims in a command, his eyes glint and Junmyeon hesitates for a moment, caught by them.
They almost sparkle, shimmering in the light, like the snow reflecting on moonlight. It leaves Junmyeon feeling slightly dazed, lighter as he turns to head down the slope, ski tips turning downhill and fingers wrapping to grip around his poles. The air begins to rush past his ears, the snow flying around him and he hears Minseok let out a loud happy whoop behind him. Glancing up the slope, Junmyeon catches Minseok’s huge smile, as bright and brilliant as the snow around them.
A soft tug at the edge of Junmyeon’s ski has him wobbling, jerking on the slope as his ski catches in a deeper pile of snow, and before Junmyeon realizes it, he’s tumbling down. Poles flying, ski boots popping from their bindings and landing with a yelp into the soft powered snow, Junmyeon’s head spins as Minseok’s laughter rings in his ears.
“First fall of the day!” Minseok calls brightly, and looms over Junmyeon’s white washed form, the snow biting into the skin of his face. He’s holding one of junmyeon’s skis, face bright in laughter and warmth. “It’s not a proper ski trip unless you fall, and that was a beauty.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed the show,” Junmyeon says, accepting Minseok’s hand to help him up. “I’m pretty sure it was a one time performance.”
“Well, I’m glad I was here to witness it,” Minseok says, and reaches up to brush Junmyeon off, still smile. His eyes glint and Junmyeon’s stomach swoops worse than it did when he fell.
❈
There is something to be said about ski resorts that offer a full fitness center. Nothing can really beat a nice stretch in a sauna or a soak in a hot tub, situated outside with the stunning snow falling gently amid a heated floor. The hot water and slow seep into aching muscles is like heaven and Junmyeon ends up letting out a soft satisfied groan as he sinks into the outdoor hot tub.
It’s only the second evening, but Junmyeon doesn’t see any reason not to spend some time soaking when his muscles are screaming at him from overuse. Awakening old unused muscles after not exercising them much has left him sore and the hot water is a welcome relief. Jongin and Chanyeol are in the large indoor pool playing with each other and probably disturbing the other guests, but Junmyeon doesn’t want to bother supervising them. They’d spent the afternoon over on Windmaker after lunch, skiing down the mountain together as Minseok went off on his own to apparently check out Wolf Peak.
Junmyeon finds himself happier about the trip than he thought he would. It’s not that he didn’t think he’d have fun, he just was a bit apprehensive after the first night and morning of skiing, wondering if he’d be mostly a third wheel. Of course, he’d be fine, but somehow having found Minseok is almost a relief and he’s realizing he’s having much more fun than he’d expected skiing with the other man.
It’s not demanding, and Minseok is patient and companionable even if Junmyeon knows Minseok’s skills are better than his own. Watching him ski makes Junmyeon want to become better himself, unlike how he feels when he watches Chanyeol, which is just intimidated.
In the cold night air, the sky black over him and a soft snow falling. Junmyeon lets out a soft sigh, leaning back against the side of the hot tub and sinking down a bit. The cold air outside the water is a pleasant contrast to the heat of the water. Junmyeon closes his eyes to relax.
“Enjoying yourself?” surprises Junmyeon to almost jerk in the tub, slipping in the water as he turns quickly to the voice behind him. He feels hotter, stilling and staring as Minseok skips over the bare wooden planks of the deck to the hot tub. He’s wearing just his swim trunks, plastered wet to his thighs and skin shining as it rises from the winter cold.
“I was,” Junmyeon answers, a bit late when he finally unsticks his tongue from the roof of his mouth and forces his attention away from Minseok’s very pert nipples. Scooting over a little and feeling the hot water bubbling around him, Junmyeon smiles up at him. “Care to join me?”
“I was under the impression that the hot tub wasn’t territory to be claimed, but thank you for permission,” Minseok tells him. With a soft hiss, he slips himself into the softly agitating water. Shuffling a bit, he settles in as Junmyeon watches him, suddenly feeling like the tub is too small. Or too big, he’s not sure. Minseok lets out a soft sort of moan, eyes closed and head tipping back as he sinks down into the water until only his head is exposed, pillowed against the rim of the tub. In the water, Junmyeon feels Minseok’s foot bump against his own.
“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Minseok says, drawing Junmyeon’s attention from where he’d been looking, well, elsewhere. The water has been set on jacuzzi for a while, so he can’t see into it, but the most that Junmyeon had seen previously of Minseok was him in just ski gear or briefly in the lodge during lunch. Minseok in a turtleneck and overall snowpants is a very different Minseok from the one sitting across from him now in only swim trunks.
For one, Junmyeon is pretty sure he currently has shoulder envy.
“It’s a free hot tub,” Junmyeon tells him. “Just coincidence I guess.” He smiles, letting his fingers glide through the water, just under the surface. It’s so calming, and even if he’d been initially surprised, he’s more relaxed now.
“I’m not complaining,” Minseok says, and his mouth stretches in a lazy smile. “I consider it a bonus. I just guess we’re meant to be, seeing as we keep bumping into each other.”
In the water, Junmyeon can feel Minseok’s foot bump against his as his smile tugs a bit wider. It’s almost like…
“Call it fate, I guess,” Junmyeon says, and feels himself blush a bit. Perhaps he can blame it on the hot water or hope that the dim lights don’t make it obvious. He keeps blushing around Minseok, which somehow feels imposing considering he barely knows him aside from two days of skiing.
Junmyeon came up for the week to ski, not to hit on guys he meets on the chairlift (even if they are really hot and sitting across from him mostly naked. In a hot tub).
“And there you were trying to get rid of me on our first meeting, telling me about how big those seven mountains are and how we’d probably never see each other again,” Minseok scoffs at him and his foot nudges Junmyeon’s again. “I have to say, for all seven mountains around us, I keep seeing you a lot.”
“I guess it really is a small world,” Junmyeon says and tries not to let his eyes drift too low when Minseok straightens up. Shoulders rising out of the water, steam rises from his exposed skin into the cold air, wafting around him and mingling with the softly falling snow.
“I kind of like the idea of destiny better,” Minseok murmurs. Across the steam curling from the water mingling with the falling snow, Minseok is watching him with a soft smile on his lips and a glint in his eyes.
“Sounds a bit romantic though, doesn’t it?” Junmyeon says, trying to keep his tone casual. He got the feel earlier when Minseok headed off on his own after lunch with the indication he’d see him tomorrow. It’s here again, stronger, with the way Minseok is looking at him and Junmyeon almost wants to say he’s…
“Well, sitting in a hot tub with snow falling around us, it kind of sets the mood don’t you think?” Minseok’s cheeks round up into apples as he grins, a soft dust of pink on them.
It’s like he’s flirting.
“You might say that,” Junmyeon says, and pushes down the soft flutter in his chest. He’s here to ski, and hang out with his friends, and…
“Is there something wrong with that?” Minseok asks, and this time Junmyeon does not miss the way Minseok’s eyes shift, dragging down from meeting Junmyeon’s and…
It’s in the middle of winter, January and snowing and even as the cold prickles against Junmyeon’s skin, he feels suddenly warm. Minseok’s eyes are dancing when they meet Junmyeon’s again and there is very little to suggest that Junmyeon is wrong. It’s been a bit since he last had someone really check him out, or flirt with him, but Junmyeon still knows what it looks like.
With the way Minseok just looked at him, there’s little other reason for that heated drag of eyes than, well, indication of interest.
Sitting up a bit more in the hot tub, Junmyeon swallows down the slight nerves and just lets himself relax. Chanyeol and Jongin can have their time together, and Junmyeon can have his. “No,” he says, and the more he lets himself relax, the more that soft warmth spreads in his chest and belly. “Nothing wrong with it at all.”
It’s almost out of a movie, or some sort of story that Junmyeon might hear from someone like Sehun or Baekhyun about how they hooked up with this great fling. The dark velvet of the night, the nip against his damp skin and the soft sounds Minseok makes as he settles in the warm water, and the gentle hook around his ankle to tug him a little closer all seems too good to be real.
For just a bit, Junmyeon thinks he can spend the week in his own personal fairy tale where so far everything is too good to be true and the magic of the moment is palpable.
(Of course, the moment is a little bit ruined later when Jongin and Chanyeol come scurrying out of the indoor pool to wiggle into the hot tub with them. But then, Junmyeon figures he can’t really be annoyed at them shattering the ‘moment’ when Minseok scoots next to him and Junmyeon gets an up close and personal look at his muscle definition. At which point Junmyeon isn’t sure if he has shoulder envy or just… definite intrigue.
Very warm in his gut and inclined to touch intrigue.)
❈
[ pt2]