Fire and Ice | Jinkook ✔️

Seven

They found shelter when they came up to the bottom of the mountain.

There was an opening on the side of the mountain. It looked almost too perfectly placed for them. Still, Seokjin gathered sticks to light fire for light and warmth— for himself, of course. Jungkook set up a place to rest.

"How are we meant to climb this mountain?"

Jungkook jumped at Seokjin's unexpected voice and he eyed him from the ground— he was sitting down, watching the sun as it set in the distance. Seokjin had snuck up behind him with sticks in his hands.

"Well." Jungkook nearly wanted to scoff. "I have ice. We make bridges and staircases out of ice all the time. It's the easiest way to build!"

Seokjin deadpanned as he lit the sticks up with his hands. "I don't walk on ice as an everyday practice," he said with a hint of irritation in his voice. "How do you expect I would walk on ice? And up a mountain? What if I fall and die?"

"It's simple to walk on, but now that you mention it... What a terrible way to die that would be, right?" Jungkook snickered.

Seokjin lit the fire even brighter, probably wishing it was Jungkook's face instead of a bunch of sticks.

"I'd almost dare you to do it, Ice boy."

"Stop calling me that," Jungkook huffed in return. "I'm so kind as to build a staircase for you and all you can do is be rude?"

With the light now there, Seokjin opened his bag and took out blankets and a small pillow, setting them out on the other side of the fire— far away from Jungkook.

He sat there on the blankets, also waiting for the sun to set. There was nothing else to do. Jungkook thought he'd eventually go mad.

That's how they spent their night, though. Quiet as the sun disappeared, quiet as the fire slowly died down, and quiet as they both fell asleep.

——

Jungkook stood back from the mountain, aiming to where he wanted the staircase to be.

"Make sure to make it safe. I don't want to die."

He waved Seokjin's words off. "Shh. I'm doing it." He held his hands out and built up his energy— he'd probably waste lots of it just doing this. With one big motion, ice was flowing from Jungkook's hands, a long ice staircase building itself up to the very tip of the mountain.

"How beautiful."

Jungkook turned to Seokjin and furrowed his eyebrows. "What did you just say?" He was surprised by such a compliment on his powers; on ice in general. But... the voice hardly sounded like Seokjin's.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Confused, Jungkook stared at the older. Even as Seokjin made his way to the first step, Jungkook stared at him in disbelief. He was so sure he'd heard someone say something. It was so loud and clear— amazed, even.

Maybe Jungkook was hearing things.

The only bad thing about the staircase was that he had to help Seokjin up it. He looked like an old lady. At first, he simply walked up and waited for Seokjin, who held tight onto the railing as he tried not to slip.

He was so slow.

"Do you need help?"

The prince finally looked up at Jungkook. The younger was many steps ahead, he seemed to notice, because he huffed when their eyes met from so far away.