for olebade: The Romance of Falling Snow [2/3]
[ pt1]
The last time Junmyeon had really been out skiing in amazing conditions had been with his boyfriend of two years ago. At the time, Junmyeon was a little more star and love struck than he was sensible, so when his hottie boyfriend suggested they ski down one of the black diamonds at the end of the day, Junmyeon had ignored his better judgment that said ’no’ and said yes.
It had ended in him losing a ski to the trees and being taken down the mountain strapped into a sled by the ski patrol.
Needless to say, Junmyeon hasn’t really trusted black diamonds since then, or the people who tell him ‘they’re nothing’ because Junmyeon knows they definitely aren’t. If anything, his concern is only heightened when he hears about the ‘tricks’ and ‘stuff’ Chanyeol and Jongin get into when they’re in the glades. This usually ranges from Chanyeol reminiscing to his race days when he nearly got a concussion and Jongin talking about how many times he narrowly avoids skiing into a tree.
“Not my thing,” is thus what he answers Minseok on the third day of skiing when they’re riding up the lift on Thunder Bowl and looking down at the black diamond below them. “Really, I don’t want to be stuck on a mountain again with a sprained knee. One ride down in an emergency sled is enough for a life time.”
“Honestly, it was your ex’s fault for thinking to take you down a black at the end of the day,” Minseok tells him, leaning against the side of the chairlift to look at him as he recounts his ‘epic’ tale. “What idiot takes a first time diamond skier down a trail at the end of the day? It’s all skied off and ice. I, personally, blame your ex, not the mountain or the trail.”
“I promise,” Junmyeon says with a wan smile. “You’re not going to win me over by just telling me to trust nature rather than know my abilities.” He looks down at his skis, resting on the safety bar, and gently clicks them together, watching some of the snow fall to the trail below.
“I think you should trust your own abilities,” Minseok tells him, sitting up again and leaning close to bump him gently with his shoulder. “This makes three days I’ve been skiing with you and I definitely think you could handle a nice easy black.”
“You say ‘easy black’ like it’s not a contradiction,” Junmyeon says, laughing lightly. “The whole point of black diamonds is that they’re challenging.”
“Fine,” Minseok says. “Don’t trust me when I tell you that you’re a good skier.” He scoffs, throwing Junmyeon a look. “Rude.”
Chuckling, Junmyeon can’t help but smile anyway, looking back over at Minseok and feeling that familiar warmth that contrasts the cold that nips through his coat. “Of course I’m not going to trust you when I think you’re just trying to flatter me.”
“I’m multitasking actually,” Minseok tells him with a boy look. “I’m flattering you and also telling you the truth as an experience skier. Is it working?”
Junmyeon laughs again, feeling lighter and leaning back in the chair. There’s something extremely relaxed about Minseok, how he’s funny but doesn’t have to be all the time, and there’s just something a bit… different about him. Like he’s got secrets he’s just waiting to tell, but likes watching Junmyeon notice them the closer he gets.
He lets Junmyeon get closer too, rather than just pulling him there or positioning him.
It makes Junmyeon smile, almost indulgent where he lets go. “Maybe,” Junmyeon tells him loftily. “How do I know I can trust you not to just let me fall on my ass?”
“Oh, I’m not going to stop you from falling on your ass,” Minseok tells him. “That’s funny to watch.” Junmyeon ends up laughing. “I’m just being honest with you, watching you fall on trails is glorious, I’d just make sure you didn’t feel abandoned on the trail.”
Despite how Junmyeon doesn’t often trust people on that, he knows that Minseok is telling the truth. Chanyeol on trails with him is patient, but almost too much like an instructor when Junmyeon just wants to get the tip and then do it, not be coddled with it. From all his time skiing with Minseok, he’s not at all under the impression Minseok wouldn’t just let him go but be there if he did need help. Silently supportive and there when he needs him.
“I’m pretty sure you only ski with me because you like watching me go down,” Junmyeon finally replies. Minseok’s eyes widen slightly and he gets an amused look on his face.
“Perhaps,” Minseok says. “That’s not the only reason, though. I also like you when you’re fully erect as well.” Junmyeon bites his lip, trying not to think too hard on that and let his mind flash back to the dark look in Minseok’s eyes from the hot tub the night before. “I still promise that if you go down a black with me though, you’ll get down in one piece. Who knows, you may even enjoy yourself.”
“Tell you what, if I don’t fall before lunch, I’ll try one,” Junmyeon tells him.
“I’d believe you if I didn’t think you’d intentionally fall on me,” Minseok retorts, laughing softly under his breath as he unzips a coak pocket. He fumbles for a moment.
“I don’t fall on purpose,” Junmyeon says, watching as Minseok pulls something from his pocket and shifts beside him. Then Junmyeon catches sight of what it is in Minseok’s hand and his eyes widen. “Are those-”
“Want some?” Minseok asks, one eyebrow rising in suggestion as he holds out a gloved hand clutching a bright package of M&M’s. “I always carry them for a kind of pick-me-up during the longer lifts.
“You actually carry chocolates in your pocket to cope with cold chair lift rides,” Junmyeon says, flabbergasted as he accepts a few bright candies from Minseok. “Can I marry you?”
“I must really like you,” Minseok tells him idly. “I don’t usually share. My food is precious to me. Consider yourself special.”
“Am I indebted to you or something now?” Junmyeon asks, popping a few of the cold hardened candies into his mouth. The cold smooth surface takes a moment in his mouth before the soft chocolate sweetness explodes on his tongue. If he didn’t like Minseok before, he definitely does now.
“Maybe,” Minseok tells him. “Or maybe I just really like you.”
“Are you going to tell me?”
“No,” Minseok tells him, and pops another candy between his lips with a wide pleased grin. “You seem to like the whole mystery and romance thing, so this way it’s more fun for both of us. What’s the fun of knowing if I just like you or if I’ve chosen you as my slave for the day?”
“Slave for the day hardly seems like a proper price for chocolate,” Junmyeon laughs.
“I’m very precious with who I share my chocolate with,” Minseok tells him. At Junmyeon’s raised look, he smiles, white teeth as brilliant as the snow around them, eyes bright and dancing. “So far, you’re the first.”
They woke up to temperatures near to zero this morning, the snowfields on Wolf Peak and Windmaker closed because of winds and severe lower temperatures, but Junmyeon feels suddenly very, very warm. His hands ache from cold, and the toe warmers are fighting to keep his feet warm, but still a slow pleasant warmth curls in his belly as the flavor of chocolate lingers on his tongue.
❈
The problem with incredibly successful romantic couples is that if Junmyeon isn’t one of them, when he’s around them they’re a bit glaringly obvious. Of course, most of the time Chanyeol and Jongin just act normal when it’s the three of them. Evenings are spent with card games or something else, they all sleep and shower in the same space in their room in the Lucky Tree Inn, and skiing and meals so far have been balanced.
The only real difference is that occasionally Junmyeon will catch Chanyeol sneaking a kiss, or Jongin leaning up to peck Chanyeol on the cheek with a small smile and a blush to his cheeks. That and they share a bed and Junmyeon sleeps on a pull out. For the most part, it’s not forced in Junmyeon’s face, which makes it easier for him to not feel like he’s pushing into their personal time.
When Chanyeol had mentioned they get dinner out, Junmyeon hadn’t thought much on it. Of course, at dinner in the nicer restaurant at the resort in the Grand Monarch Hotel’s dining room, it’s a bit more, well, obvious. It’s not intentional, but Junmyeon watches as Chanyeol and Jongin begin to slip into their own world, opening it up to Junmyeon of course, but it still feels…
“Do you want to share an entree or get something of your own?” Jongin asks, looking at Junmyeon with an inquisitive frown. Junmyeon can see his hand lingering under the table, wrapped with Chanyeol’s and holding on definitely.
It’s like being on a double date except Junmyeon never had a date to begin with. Which, really, feels selfish, but Junmyeon would almost be happier just grabbing dinner at the pub and letting Chanyeol and Jongin have their romantic dinner date without him.
“Are we all getting an entree and sharing or-”
“We were going to share,” Chanyeol says, laying down the menu and scooting forward. “Jongin likes the chicken and the seafood pasta options, so we were going to get both, but if you have a preference-”
“I’ll just get something for myself,” Junmyeon says, smiling at them both. “You two figure out what you want. Don’t worry about me.”
Being included is nice, because Junmyeon does like spending time with them. Chanyeol and Jongin are fun, great friends, but Junmyeon almost wonders if they’re trying to go out of their way to include him so he doesn’t feel out of place. It had actually worked better, in retrospect, when they split for skiing. In all honestly, as Junmyeon watches them lean together to deliberate about dinner options, he’d have been just as happy to grab dinner at the Lucky Tree Inn’s small restaurant and let them go off.
The benefit is that the dinner at the Grand Monarch’s food is the best in the resort. Junmyeon smiles over his cooked to perfection steak and glass of red wine as Jongin and Chanyeol talk about the skiing they’d done, asking him about the trails and joking. Jongin sulks a bit when he finds out that Junmyeon ended up taking a run down Black Pearl without him.
“Seriously, this Minseok guy must be magic or something,” Jongin grumbles, pushing his smashed potatoes around his plate. “I asked you to go down with me like a million times-”
“You asked him four times, Jongin,” Chanyeol corrects gently.
“-a million times,” Jongin continues, “and you told me no every time. What does this guy have that I don’t?”
“M&M’s,” Junmyeon says, and laughs at the perplexed frown Jongin gets on his face. “Honestly, it just worked out that way. I made him a promise, and he made me one, and I just-” Junmyeon takes in a swift breath. “I’ll take a black with you tomorrow.”
“Wait, really?” Chanyeol asks, Jongin’s eyes going wide before he looks bottled with excitement. “You’ll ski with us tomorrow?”
“Well, I may not be able to keep up, but yeah.” Junmyeon takes another sip of wine and watches as Chanyeol’s fingers slip between Jongin’s absently on top of the table. “We can ski with you guys.”
“We?” Jongin asks, suddenly looking suspicious.
It’s then Junmyeon realizes how he’s been thinking. At the end of the day, he’d left it with Minseok they’d meet up possibly tomorrow afternoon when Chanyeol and Jongin probably take to bombing the mountain to ski on Moonlight Ridge. Minseok had taken Junmyeon’s cell number, grinning as he waved his phone and told him he’d be in touch. Junmyeon had been factoring in he and Minseok skiing with Chanyeol and Jongin tomorrow.
“Well, I was planning on skiing with Minseok tomorrow afternoon,” Junmyeon tells them calmly, cutting another bite of his dinner. “I figured you two would prefer to go down Windmaker instead of coming over the Moonlight with me tomorrow. Minseok and I-”
“But-!”
“That’s great!” Chanyeol cuts Jongin off when his boyfriend tries to interrupt. “Then why don’t the four of us head to Thunder? That has a good mix, and honestly Water Works is a great black that isn’t that intense.” He smiles at Junmyeon warmly. “If you’re feeling up for it after then, we can try something on Windmaker.”
“As long as it’s not Misery or you two drag me into the glades, I’m down,” Junmyeon says, feeling a bit calmer as Chanyeol smiles at him.
“But the Yehet glades are seriously so-”
“No glades, I promise,” Chanyeol says, and Junmyeon watches as he squeezes Jongin’s hand gently. “And if we do go, then they’re right off of Beat Maker so you and Minseok can take that while we play in the woods.”
“Glades aren’t that scary,” Jongin mumbles, disheartened as he pushes his winter veggies around his plate. “They’re not really steep and you don’t go fast.”
As Jongin excuses himself for the bathroom, Junmyeon is mostly ready to be done with dinner, and isn’t entirely sure he wants to spend dessert with Jongin and Chanyeol operating under a hands on communication method. Pulling his napkin from his lap he looks up at Chanyeol, taking a breath to prepare. “I-”
“I’m sorry,” Chanyeol says, and looks it. “I know it’s weird.” He smiles, a little guiltily and it’s like all the built up pretense just deflates out of Junmyeon. “If you want to go and, I dunno, unwind, honestly it’s fine. I didn’t want to impose but Jongin was worried you’d feel left out or excluded if just the two of us went out to dinner.”
“It’s fine,” Junmyeon says, and smiles. It’s easier to just not worry about it anymore. “I really don’t mind if you two just want a bit of you time.”
“We were just both realizing how we haven’t skied with you a ton, and felt a bit crap about it, so-”
“Are you kidding?” Junmyeon laughs. “You wouldn’t have been skiing with me anyway originally. The only reason I’m solo is because Jongdae bailed on me last minute, or I’d be skiing with him and you two would have your own room.” Chanyeol lets out a long sigh, looking incredibly relieved. “So,” Junmyeon starts, pushing back from the table. “You won’t mind if I make myself scarce for a while?”
Chanyeol waves him off before Jongin gets back, thanking him for dropping the money for his dinner and promising to text him if they need ‘a bit more alone time.’ Smiling as he pulls his coat back on, Junmyeon walks from the dining room and back into the winter air. It’s snowing lightly, just enough that they’ll have a few inches tomorrow.
For a moment, the option of going back to the Lucky Tree Inn floats before his mind, sitting by the fire with a book. Then as Junmyeon glances around, his eyes find the soft warm glow of the pub down by the base lodge, and he smiles, pulling his scarf closer around his neck.
❈
The live band at the pub keeps the whole place shrouded in a sort of bright energetic hum. Fingers wrapped around a drink that races warmth through his blood, Junmyeon finds himself smiling. It’s been a while since he just went to a bar alone without friends backing him or keeping him company. Trying to find him a date. It’s nicer, more relaxed to just stand and keep the bartender in sight as he looks around at the crowd of people all mingling around and chattering. The noise level is fairly high, a mix of voice of men and women, skiers and snowboarders alike all chatting and laughing.
Junmyeon is just taking another sip when he feels a light touch to the small of his back. Turning with lips still pressed to the cool glass, he meets a brilliant familiar smile. Minseok leans in close to speak so he’s heard over the music, “we just keep bumping into each other.”
Smiling without a thought, Junmyeon leans back in. “I thought we just established it’s fate,” Junmyeon says. He can feel Minseok’s warm laugh fan over the skin of his neck. “Technically, you found me this time. Unless you were looking for me.” The warmth of the room and the soft glow of his whiskey in his belly makes the lights shine a little brighter, and they reflect in Minseok’s eyes beautifully.
“You caught me,” Minseok says, settling in beside him. “I’ve just knew you were going to be here and I was lying in wait, ready to pounce.”
“Of course you did,” Junmyeon says, throwing Minseok a look over the rim of his drink glass. Minseok raises his own in a toast, the glass of his bottle fogged in a thin layer of ice coating the outside. Junmyeon clinks his drink, staring at the bottle of beer as he drinks. “What are you drinking?”
“One of the local brews,” Minseok answers, glancing at his beer. “Want some? Or do you prefer your own fancy cocktail?”
They end up at a small table, closer to the corner by the windows and near the fire, tucked away amid the noise and the chatter. The soft light of a small oil lamp on the table casts a warm glow, reflecting off of the glass bottles on the table as Junmyeon tries the beer Minseok had suggested (and treated) to him. It catches on the lines of Minseok’s face, his smile, sending goldes through his hair as it’s pushed off his face. With the soft pleasant warmth spreading through him, aided by the heat of the room, Junmyeon takes in the man opposite him.
“I’m glad I met you,” he says, not entirely thinking, but not regretting it as he says it. Minseok raises one eyebrow elegantly.
“Because I share my M&M’s and buy you drinks?” Minseok prompts.
Laughing, Junmyeon shakes his head, sitting back a little easier in his chair. Tugging at his collar to loosen it, the heat of the room trapping against his skin, he smiles. “No, just-” he pauses, trying to find the right words. “It’s kind of made the trip worth it.”
“Now who’s the one being flattering?” Minseok teases. “You just want more M&M’s.”
Laughing, Junmyeon reaches out to swat at Minseok’s shoulder across the table, catching on the soft sweater than hides just how well sculpted his body is. Hidden, like his smile and the secret glimmers in his eyes when Junmyeon catches them. “I’m serious,” he insists.
“Junmyeon, I have to admit, I never would have seen you as a sentimental drunk,” Minseok tells him, though the smile on his lips suggests he’s pleased. It makes Junmyeon warm, and he lets his hand drop to rest on the table, fingers almost brushing Minseok’s.
“I’m not drunk,” Junmyeon tells him. “I’m just being genuine.”
“Opposed to all other times when you’re holding out on me,” Minseok says. He takes another sip of his beer, and shifts, his hand edging slightly closer to Junmyeon’s.
“I just met you three days ago,” Junmyeon reminds him as much as he reminds himself. Looking at Minseok’s smile though, he decides he doesn’t entirely mind though. There are times and places for caution, such as business deals and choosing furniture. Then there are times when Junmyeon is pretty sure he knows what the glint in Minseok’s darker eyes indicates. He knows what the soft hum in his veins means and what the warmth pooling in his chest indicates.
“You did,” Minseok confirms with a nod. “And look how far we’ve come. I even got your number and have been buying you drinks, though I think I did that out of order.” He narrows his eyes, tilting his head slightly as he looks at Junmyeon. “Or was I supposed to buy you dinner first? Have you eaten?”
Junmyeon is laughing before he realizes it, a soft happy bubble in his chest that’s warm, so, so warm and filling to the point that he feels almost uncomfortable in his layers. The heat on his cheeks isn’t unwelcome though he almost wishes for a cool soothing press to them. “I ate, yes,” he answers. “Did you?”
“Does pub food count?” Minseok asks. “I guess we’ll have to skip that step. Especially since I think the hot tub definitely jumped a lot of steps.”
It’s when Junmyeon is standing on the deck for a bit of fresh air away from the heat of the pub and the noise, that he realizes. Watching the snow cats grooming up the sides of the mountain amid the steadily falling snow, hands tucked under his arms to keep warm, Junmyeon gives a small start as he feels something drape over his shoulders.
“You’re cold,” Minseok tells him, hands resting on his shoulders as he finishes placing his coat on Junmyeon’s shoulders. “It’s not smart to be out in the snow in just a fancy dress shirt, you know. I thought you were cautious.”
“I am,” Junmyeon says, gratefully tugging Minseok’s coat around his shoulders, the warmth from him lingering and seeping into Junmyeon. “I just didn’t realize I’d cool down so fast.” The bottle in Minseok’s hand is still frosted, the pretty ice patterns climbing up the bottle and it catches Junmyeon’s eye as Minseok takes another sip.
“How did you get it like that?” Junmyeon asks, nodding to the bottle.
Glancing at it, Minseok makes a soft sort of hum, shifting his weight so he’s pressed into Junmyeon’s side. “Magic,” he says, holding up the bottle and turning to flash him a grin. “I’m magic,” he says, and his breath is warm as it ghosts over Junmyeon’s face, Minseok standing so close.
The snow continues to fall around them in a soft slowly blanket of white, muffling the sound around them and making the air almost shimmer. It catches in the lights around the lodge and on the deck, soft white falling to drift into Minseok’s hair and catch on Junmyeon’s eyelashes. Reaching up, he brushes some from Minseok’s hair, letting his fingers run through the soft dark strands for a moment as Minseok closes his eyes and leans into the touch.
With a soft shiver that isn’t at all from the cold, Junmyeon realizes he left one dinner date this evening and then fell into another.
The difference is just that this date Junmyeon doesn’t want to get away from. At all.
❈
Swearing under his breath, Junmyeon manages to nearly pitch head first into a snow bank. It’s not intentional at all, just like he hadn’t intentionally managed to get himself tipsy on recommended beers and the feeling of a hand resting at the small of his back. Well, half of that had been intentional, and Junmyeon isn’t exactly sure what to do now.
Having left the pub early with the idea of not pushing too much too fast, he’d gotten a text from Chanyeol about half way back to the Lucky Tree Inn asking if Junmyeon could come back in two hours. Junmyeon doesn’t know what Jongin and Chanyeol are doing, but he’s sure as sin not about to walk into it to find out. Which leaves him to either go back to the pub or find somewhere else to go.
The swearing though is entirely because he realized as he tried to pocket his phone in the jacket around his shoulders that it wasn’t actually his. What’s more, he found Minseok’s phone stuck in the pocket, meaning if he tried to call him, it wouldn’t do jack shit.
“Shit,” Junmyeon whimpers under his breath, trudging back up to the pub with it’s soft lights and praying that Minseok is still there, even if only to give his jacket back. It would be easier to just go find Minseok at his condo or room, but no, Junmyeon has no idea where Minseok is staying (even though he told Minseok where he was, damnit).
It’s also still snowing, picking up and Junmyeon’s fingers are becoming stiff with cold. It’s like this that Junmyeon sees the door to the pub open, and catches the reflective light on a familiar knit sweater. A swoop of relief floods into his chest, sagging for a moment as he recognizes Minseok heading out into the night.
Except rather than Minseok turning down the road towards him, or to the left where the condo villages are, he turns right. If Junmyeon had never been here before, he might not have thought much of it, and just followed to call after him. Junmyeon has been here though, and he knows that to the right of the pub is literally nothing. Just woods, and perhaps a pond or something within the forest.
At this distance, Junmyeon is pretty sure calling out might not reach Minseok and, he’ll admit, he’s a little curious. Maybe they put in new condo units to the right since he last looked at the resort maps that morning, but Junmyeon doubts it.
If Jongdae were here, Junmyeon knows he’d be wrapping around him with that kittenish quirk to his lips and cooing “curiosity killed the idiot.” But Jongdae isn’t here.
It’s not completely dark, and Junmyeon can just make out Minseok’s white sweater as he navigates off the road and the clearings into the woods, slipping into the trees. Ignoring the voice that sounds uncomfortably like Chanyeol telling him this is a bad idea, Junmyeon wraps Minseok’s coat tighter around himself and follows. It’s easy to follow Minseok’s footsteps clear in the snow.
How Minseok isn’t freezing his balls of right now in just a sweater, Junmyeon has no idea. He recalls Minseok telling him that he didn’t do that well with cold either.
Ducking and maneuvering between trees and branches, Junmyeon frowns. Why would Minseok be coming out here, in the middle of the night, in the snow? No one in their right mind would be out here. For a brief moment, Junmyeon considers turning around, giving up and just going back to the Inn and sitting in the common space. He can give Minseok his coat tomorrow.
A sudden gust of wind has him frowning though, squinting at the footprints Minseok left in the deep snow, and a soft flicker ahead of him has him stilling. A few more strides and Junmyeon is on the edge of a clearing, what could very well be a frozen pond, covered in snow.
In the center, the snow all around giving the area a bit more light as it reflects, stands Minseok. Still standing just behind the trees, Junmyeon almost calls out. It would suck to have to give back his coat now, considering Junmyeon is pretty sure he might freeze to death, but he did come all the way out here to do so. His voice catches in his throat though as the snow seems to halt, thinning significantly as Minseok stands still in the clearing, face up to the sky.
The soft filter of moonlight slowly spreads over the snow, lighting it silver white and painting Minseok pale as bone, the clouds overhead parting. Hidden back among the trees, Junmyeon feels frozen (ironically) as he watches the air appear to still as the area falls into silence. When Minseok opens his eyes, they don’t look soft brown any longer, instead a soft dark silver as the moonlight shines through his hair, turning it oddly pale as if the same as starlight.
Before, less than an hour ago, Junmyeon had been standing with him and he’d been so warm. Now, looking at Minseok as he stands straight and looks up into the heavens, he radiates cold. Junmyeon can feel it creeping up his skin, almost unnaturally frigid in the air as he watches Minseok breathe in and raise his arms slightly.
There have been a lot of stories Junmyeon has heard that start off ‘it was like everything moved in slow motion’ that he never really took much seriousness in. Now, he does, as it truly feels as if time slows and he watches Minseok lower to a crouch and then suddenly spring into the air. Rather than air beneath his feet though, it’s ice, rising from beneath him and it looks as if it flows from his hands, pouring from his palms in swirls of white frost and snow. Transfixed in a mix of wonder and terror, Junmyeon watches as he twists, contorting just as gracefully as he does on the ski slopes, to practically fly through the air, ice and snow spinning about him in a mockery of a cyclone.
With a final sweep of his arms up, Minseok opens his mouth, head dropped back as he faces the sky, and takes in a great breath. The next moment, Junmyeon’s own breathing catches in his throat as Minseok puffs out his cheeks and blows in a sort of high wind whistle that splits the air. From his lips erupts the enormous burgeoning storm clouds of a winter squall, ballooning up into the night sky as winds suddenly whip up from all around. They cut with cruel frigidity into Junmyeon, as if blowing straight through him and taking all his warmth, spiraling from the base of the icy pillars Minseok stands upon and engulfing him in the whipped up white torrent of snow.
Minseok’s hair isn’t dark, instead bright white, just like the snow as Junmyeon squints up at him. Huddled into himself, Junmyeon feels a sudden cold lodge deeper in his chest, separate from the unnatural weather around him.
Magic Minseok had said back at the pub, and his eyes had shone so like the light on freshly fallen snow.
Just as Junmyeon realizes that he’s kind of got the hots for what is basically the equivalent of Jack Frost, his nerve breaks and he stumbles back. It’s in that exact moment that Minseok turns, his eyes silver and shining and Junmyeon isn’t sure if he’s seen, but he sure as hell runs, stumbling a bit in the snow, following the footprints he’d made back out of the woods.
Away.
Just away.
Arriving back at the Lucky Tree Inn panting and sweating from running through a suddenly violent snow squall that is clearly the product of Junmyeon’s new ‘friend’, Junmyeon looks down at the jacket clinging to him.
Minseok’s jacket, still hanging around him as he takes in heaving gasps for air.
Burning hot from running and hearing the howl of the wind outside, Junmyeon’s pulse thuds in his ears loudly, not sure if he’s excited, terrified, or a very volatile mix of both.
❈
A foot.
There is a whole new foot of fresh snow from the night before, fallen white and stunning to decorate the mountains and resort area. Junmyeon had spent the earlier morning looking out at the snowy wonderland outside the Inn’s window and holding a steaming mug of coffee, thinking.
Standing now in the lift line with his ski mask pulled up over his nose, Junmyeon is still thinking. He’s been thinking since he finally got back last night and dared to venture up to the room he was sharing with Chanyeol and Jongin. Fortunately, it looked completely untouched. Unfortunately, Jongin immediately noticed Junmyeon wasn’t wearing the right coat. The conversation didn’t go long though, mostly because they were all tired.
There is also the fact that Junmyeon still isn’t sure what he saw, and a (small) part of him wonders if perhaps he just had too much to drink. Then the overwhelming feeling of cold returns, the vision of feeling pure elemental energy in that clearing, watching the way that Minseok turned almost reflective of the snow around him, and Junmyeon goes right back to thinking. There is also the fact that Junmyeon is very sure if he tells Jongin that he thinks the guy he’s been hanging out with may be a snow summoner Jongin will either become enraptured in nerd world or forbid Junmyeon from ever seeing him again.
As menial as that may see, Junmyeon knows how Jongin can literally cock block anything if he doesn’t want it to happen, and has the determination of a bull when he’s not happy. Minseok being a hairless snow yetti might not make him exceptionally happy.
Which is why, when Minseok shows up by the lift line as Jongin and Chanyeol are laughing at something they find funny (Dermitone apparently), Junmyeon smiles and doesn’t try to move away. “Hey,” he says, not entirely sure how to broach the topic of ‘are you a yetti?’ politely.
“Hey yourself,” Minseok says, nodding with a grin to Chanyeol and Jongin. “I’m glad to see you guys didn’t get stuck in the snow.”
“Well, we are just staying at the Inn, not far from the mountain by shuttle,” Junmyeon reminds and Minseok hums, nodding. “That was a pretty intense storm that blew in last night.”
“Did you see it?” Minseok asks him, tone casual.
“Well,” Junmyeon swallows, shuffling forward in the line as people mingle around them. Minseok is using his snowboard again today, slipping along beside him in a sort of awkward two footed shuffle. “I was stuck walking home in it,” he says and Minseok turns to him fully, a small frown on his face. Concern? Junmyeon wets his lips, apprehension rising tight in his chest. “And I saw you.”
There.
Done.
“Well yeah,” Minseok says, apparently not catching on. “We were at the pub together for a while. I assume you have my coat and phone, by the way.”
“I do,” Junmyeon says quickly to clarify. “But I mean-” he wets his lips “- I realized that and went back and…” He watches as Minseok’s eyes widen, understanding slowly spreading over his face as he looks at Junmyeon.
Finally, just as they shuffle up to the front as Chanyeol and Jongin glide ahead of them, Minseok lets out a sigh. “I see,” he says, and the bubble of apprehension presses tight in Junmyeon’s chest. “Can we-” he pauses, glancing at the lift attendant who is directing the skiers onto the lift in pairs. “I’ll explain on the chair. If that’s okay?”
Figuring that he really must either be stupid or very invested in the man beside him, Junmyeon nods, and in moments is feeling the seat of the chairlift scoop himself and Minseok off the ground to head up the mountain. For a moment, Minseok is silent, leaning on the safety bar and staring at the ground. It makes Junmyeon a bit anxious, the silence stretching between them not exactly pleasant or comfortable, which, he realizes, it had been almost all other times.
“So,” he says, breaking the silence. “Are you some sort of smaller hairless yetti or just the long lost descendant of Jack Frost, sleeping in the woods and flirting with young oblivious skiers for fun?”
Head snapping in his direction, Minseok’s eyes are wide in shock. “Yetti?” he asks in disbelief. “You think-”
“I don’t know what to think,” Junmyeon sighs, words coming too fast as he feels his heart beat harder in his chest, nervous and suspended at fifteen feet up. “I just- I don’t know what I saw exactly last night, but you-” he takes in a deep breath, looking around at the mountain to try to ground himself. “You’re the one who did all this, aren’t you.”
“Well,” Minseok says, musing. “Not all of it.” Junmyeon glances over at him, and he looks slightly guilty. “But most of it, at least the snow they got last weekend and, well, every day this week. That was me.”
“So you are Jack Frost,” Junmyeon says, still not sure if he’s scared or intrigued or oddly impressed. “Flirting with naive skiers for fun.”
“I take my flirting seriously, just so we’re clear on that,” Minseok says, and when he looks at Junmyeon, his eyes are silver, flashing between their dark brown and swimming mercury. It’s unnatural and sends a shiver through Junmyeon that isn’t entirely unpleasant, instead the sincerity in his voice igniting a small spark of warmth in Junmyeon’s chest. “And I’m not Jack Frost exactly. It’s a little hard to explain.”
“We have a bit of time,” Junmyeon says, gesturing to the rest of the mountain they have to ride up. “And I’d kind of like to know before, you know, I think about getting certain bits of me frozen off from touching you.”
Minseok laughs at that, turning to him fully now and some of the distance breaks apart, the hush that had settled fading. “You won’t freeze, I promise.”
“I dunno, I saw you suddenly summon ice pillars under your feet and start a snow squall that dumped a foot of snow on us,” Junmyeon reminds. “I’d say being a bit worried is a very smart thing.”
“It doesn’t happen unless I’m using it,” Minseok says.
“It,” Junmyeon repeats, frowning slightly.
“I’m, well, I’m not Jack Frost, but it’s similar,” Minseok explains. “I’m what you might call an element channeller, in that I tap into an element with my body and kind of bring it into existence. There are others like me and we all got into a business for it.”
“So your element is frost or something?” Junmyeon asks, trying to wrap his head around this. It sounds like a load of bullshit, except he saw it happen last night, and that’s kind of been a hard thing to get out of his mind for a while.
“Snow,” Minseok says. “Or ice? I dunno, frost works I guess. Though mostly I use it for snow, like up here, with the mountains and ski areas.”
“Wait,” Junmyeon says, frowning as he remembers their first conversation. “When you said you were up here for business, is that it?”
“Yeah,” Minseok says, a wan smile stretching over his mouth. “We all kind of get into it for certain stuff. I tend to get a lot of commissions by the ski areas. We’re limited in that we only are available for a certain period of time, mostly because it’s exhausting, but the perks are awesome. I make it snow at night or during the day, and I get free room and board for a week with complete access to the mountains.” He smiles, looking out over the trees around them. “It’s really not that bad of a deal, even if it is a bit lonely to hop around all the time. It’s not always a great gig, or easy to sell. They only started contracting with with us two years ago.”
“You’ve been doing this for two years?” Junmyeon asks. It sounds… a bit lonely, really. Awesome, because of the skiing, but the way Minseok talks about it, like he’s really avoiding the topic of his ‘powers’ says that they’re not the easiest thing to deal with or talk to people about.
Junmyeon vaguely wonders how many people he’s met who did run when they found out, that might have refused to meet him in the lift line once they knew. Junmyeon wonders what that means about him.
“One year,” Minseok clarifies. “Before that I was working with a few friends for a catering business. I have to say the elemental thing works a lot better, even if it is more tiring.”
“Tiring?”
“You try and make it snow for seven days straight,” Minseok tells him dryly, looking back over at him with a wan smile. “It’s exhausting. We have to take breaks between jobs just to let our bodies recover after pulling double. Harnessing the elements is a hard work. Just dealing with one of them takes a lot out of you.”
“So you control the weather at night and then ski hard during the day,” Junmyeon observes.
“I was only planning on coming out on the slopes for a few days this week,” Minseok tells him, and his eyes flicker up and down Junmyeon. It’s not hungry, but more… meaningful. “But then I met you.”
A soft warmth flutters in Junmyeon’s chest as Minseok looks at him and there is no secret in his eyes anymore, not trick or glimmer. They’re just holding his, determined and honest. That flutter rises up into a heat that feels like it radiates out from his center, and Junmyeon smiles, albeit it little nervously. “So, I’m keeping you from resting because you want to watch me fall down a ski slope?”
At that, Minseok’s eyes glint, shining in amusement and the same light returning to them that Junmyeon is used to seeing. He smiles, and his posture finally looks like he relaxes, actually relaxes. “What can I say,” Minseok remarks. “I said before I just really enjoy watching you go down.”
The heat in Junmyeon’s cheeks this time he doesn’t bother denying as a blush, nor does he try to hide it. “So,” he asks, shifting so he’s not pulled away. It makes Minseok smile, the air around them calming like it too had been holding it’s breath for them to chat for a bit. “Just so we’re clear, you control frost.”
“Something like that,” Minseok says nodding. “I can make it snow for a month if I really feel like it, though that’s kind of pointlessly obnoxious and way too cold.”
“So you’re a frost elemental who doesn’t like cold, but all you do is make snow storms,” Junmyeon says. “And you never need an ice cooler for your drinks.”
“Well, as long as I’m holding them,” Minseok hums, leaning a bit on the chair closer to Junmyeon.
“So if you touch stuff,” Junmyeon begins. He thinks back to how often he’s spent time with Minseok over the last few day. Minseok isn’t specifically touchy, mostly keeping to himself, though there had been those moments in the hot tub. Even last night though, he’d never really touched Junmyeon’s skin. “Does it, um…”
“You’re wondering if I touch you, if you’ll freeze,” Minseok finishes, and a soft amused smirk tugs at his mouth.
“Can you blame me?” Junmyeon asks, and stills a moment later as Minseok leans in unexpectedly. The soft brush of lips to Junmyeon’s exposed cheek isn’t cold, it’s warm and gentle. It leaves his skin tingling and his heart fluttering wildly.
“Does that answer your question?” Minseok asks, and there is a soft pink coloring to his cheeks.
Wetting his lips, Junmyeon tries to take in a breath, the shivering in him having very little to do with cold. “Not entirely,” Junmyeon answers. He grins. “I feel like I need a bit more reassurance to know I’m not going to turn into a human popsicle if I grab your hand.”
“I’m happy to help with whatever experiment you might need to conduct,” Minseok says, and when Junmyeon stares at him, he smiles. “As long as it’s not actually in a lab. I’ve had enough scientists trying to figure out what I am to last me until I’m dead or possibly make sure I’m dead.”
“I promise, my intentions are not at all scientific,” Junmyeon tells him. It’s odd because Junmyeon hasn’t really been told this is okay, and he still doesn’t entirely understand what Minseok is or what he saw. What Junmyeon does know though is that he likes Minseok, at least enough to not want to make that part of him something that keeps him from learning more about him.
The soft fluttering jump of warmth in his chest also helps, and the tingle against his skin from where Minseok’s lips had brushed moments before leaving Junmyeon with a smile he can’t get off his face.
❈
[ pt3]