Unnecessary Enchantment || 2ho

18. After Dark

The week after their river outing, the mountains are hit with another cold front.

Due to the altitude, even the rushing mountain rivers start to freeze in the sub-zero temperatures. "This isn't normal," Hongjoong had said, "with the Arctic the way it is... you can easily tell how the earth's patterns are in chaos." Jongho had never thought about it that way. Anyway, that was the last he saw of Hongjoong before the corpus and Seonghwa bunkered down higher in the mountains.

Thankfully, Jongho has learned just in time how to properly keep his fire stoked, keeping his hanok at least a little warm. Since it's just a small hanok, a single- but large- room, it only takes one stove to heat.

The curtains in Jongho's home are pulled shut to keep the freeze from seeping past his glass windows. But, alone in his hanok, Jongho is bored. With all these new experiences and feelings, he had forgotten how boredom feels. Restless, but also, in a way, calm. Because, again, he can appreciate the fact that his mind is only his own thoughts, that there's no sound invading his mind. Jongho smiles, because he can feel his mind strengthening.

He misses the sunlight, however, so Jongho wraps a blanket around himself and trudges to the nearest window, pulling back the curtains. It's been a few days now, but whenever he looks out over the valley, Jongho is in awe.

Nature is just like that.

The snow has formed a thin ice cap which makes it sparkle even more under the sun. Without a cloud in the sky, the glittering white is marvelous. Jongho has heard it retold over and over- yet never had the pleasure of seeing it himself- how the snow forms a blanket over everything. Wholly pure and recklessly inviting.

Jongho cannot find a single movement outside the window; no wind in the trees, no children playing, no deer venturing a little too close.

Until crunching footsteps nearby catch his attention. His heart spikes in welcome as Yunho approaches his door. He doesn't bother knocking. "Jongho-ya?" he calls out, shaking the snow from his boots.

Jongho grabs a spare blanket from his bed before running up to wrap it around Yunho's shoulders. "Ya, let me get my coat off first!" Yunho laughs, "here, take this." So Jongho receives the glass container in his own hands. "Did your dad make too much again?" He knowingly uses finger quotes.

"Of course. You hungry?" Yunho looks up after removing his outer layers and pulling the blanket tight. "It's still warm."

That it is. Jongho's heart- ah wait- the food is certainly warm. "Let's eat on your bed. I want more blankets," Yunho suggests already making his way over.

Jongho cringes. "Yunho, that's gross."

"But Little Bear," Yunho turns around with a pout and Jongho rolls his eyes, "I'm cold."

"Aish," Jongho grumbles, but his little blush doesn't go unnoticed by the older. "Fine." So they settle into the bed. Yunho opens his blanket and Jongho snuggles in.

"Are you able to keep up the fire?" Yunho asks once they're wrapped up. "Are you warm enough?"

"Yeah, I've got it down." The younger assures.

"Your faucets are still dripping, right?" Yunho checks again, now with a full mouth.

Jongho cringes again but holds in his commentary. "Mhmm. It's annoying though, the dripping sound." Jongho twirls as many noddles as possible onto his chopsticks before stuffing his cheeks.

"Not as annoying as frozen pipes, trust me." Yunho casually moves a slice of lamb from his side of the container to Jongho's. Then another for good measure. "Yubin and Byulyi will have their work cut out for them as it is." The pipes are metal, so after an ignis or fluvis is able to melt the ice, an aes must repair the damage caused by water expansion.