elysium ▸ nct x male

snow › jeno

— LEE JENO —
3 ↺ snow

the first snow of the season caught jeno by surprise. he hadn’t been expecting it, the way the sky had slowly darkened as the day went on. heavy clouds gathered above, thick with the promise of snow, but the two of them hadn’t noticed at first. they were too caught up in m/n’s living room, sitting on the couch together, jeno's feet tucked under a blanket while they watched a movie.

jeno had come over, it was their usual weekend routine of spending time together — nothing too planned or rushed. they always liked it that way, comfortable in the quiet space they shared. it was simple, just how jeno liked it.

the sound of m/n shifting beside him pulled jeno from his thoughts. he glanced over, just in time to see m/n stand up from the couch and walk towards the window, his steps quiet. he stopped in front of the glass, his posture relaxed, and jeno noticed the soft smile on m/n’s face.

"it’s snowing." m/n said.

jeno blinked, surprised. he hadn’t even realized the weather had changed. with a curious frown, he tossed the blanket aside and stood up, making his way over to the window to see for himself.

sure enough, delicate snowflakes had begun to drift down from the sky, falling lightly at first, but quickly gathering into a steady shower of white.

"it’s early for snow, isn’t it?" jeno asked, his breath fogging the window as he pressed his nose closer to get a better look.

"maybe. but who cares? it’s snow. it’s nice."

jeno could hear the excitement in m/n’s voice, and he couldn’t help but smile a little. m/n always found joy in the little things like this, and it was one of the things jeno liked most about him. but still, it was cold outside, and jeno wasn’t exactly sure he wanted to leave the warm house just yet.

"come on," m/n said suddenly, turning to look at jeno. "let’s go outside."

jeno blinked, caught off guard. "outside? now?"

"yeah!" m/n smiled, his face lighting up. "what’s the fun in just watching it from in here? we have to experience it."

jeno hesitated, glancing back at the cozy living room. the heater was on, the blankets were soft, and he was perfectly content staying inside. but then he looked at m/n again — the way his face was practically glowing with excitement — and jeno knew he wouldn’t be able to say no. not when m/n was looking at him like that.

with a sigh and a small smile, jeno nodded. "okay, fine. but if i freeze out there, it’s your fault."

m/n just laughed, already grabbing his coat and scarf from the hooks by the door. jeno followed, pulling on his jacket and wrapping a scarf around his neck. soon, they were both bundled up and ready to face the cold. the snow was falling steadily now, swirling around them in soft flurries.

"it’s beautiful." m/n murmured, stopping for a moment to look up at the sky, his breath visible in the cold air.

jeno nodded, his hands stuffed into his pockets as they started to walk down the street. the snow crunched softly beneath their boots. it was peaceful, the kind of peace that jeno hadn’t realized he needed.

but m/n had other ideas. without warning, he bent down, scooping up a handful of snow and packing it together. before jeno could react, m/n threw the snowball at him, hitting jeno squarely on the shoulder.

jeno gasped, startled, and looked at m/n with wide eyes. "hey!"

m/n just smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he reached down for more snow. "you’re too slow, jeno."

jeno narrowed his eyes playfully. "oh, you’re gonna regret that."

and with that, the snowball fight was on. they chased each other through the snow, laughing and dodging as snowballs flew through the air. jeno wasn’t used to this kind of carefree fun, but with m/n, it felt natural, like they were just two kids playing in the snow without a care in the world.

time seemed to slow down, the cold hitting thrm, but they didn’t care. jeno couldn’t remember the last time he felt this happy, the laughter coming so easily as they darted around each other, slipping and sliding on the snowy ground.

at some point, m/n stopped, catching his breath as he bent over, hands on his knees, snow still clinging to his coat. jeno took the opportunity, grabbing one last snowball and launching it at m/n. it hit him right in the back, and m/n let out a startled wince of surprise, straightening up with a smile.

"that was a cheap shot, jeno." m/n said, still laughing as he wiped snow off his coat.

jeno smiled, walking over to him. "you were wide open. what was i supposed to do?"

m/n shook his head, but the smile never left his face. they stood there for a moment, the snow still falling gently around them, the place quiet again. jeno felt his heart beating a little faster, not from the running, but from the way m/n was looking at him.

jeno took a step closer, his breath hitching as he reached out, his gloved hand brushing against m/n’s coat. m/n looked up at him, his smile fading into something more serious, but there was no hesitation in his eyes.

"jeno, what are you—" m/n started, but jeno didn’t let him finish. he grabbed m/n by the coat and pulled him close, their faces inches apart.

jeno leaned in, his heart pounding in his chest. when their lips met, it was gentle, almost tentative, but then m/n leaned into it, his hands coming up to wrap around jeno’s neck, pulling him closer.

the kiss was slow, sweet, their cold noses brushing against each other as they stood there in the falling snow. jeno could feel the warmth of m/n’s lips. it felt perfect, like this was the moment they’d been building up to all along.

when they finally pulled apart, their foreheads resting against each other, jeno smiled, his breath shaky but content.

"what was that for?" m/n asked.

jeno smiled back, brushing a stray snowflake off m/n’s cheek. "i don’t know." he admitted. "i just... wanted to."

m/n laughed. "well, if that’s what snowball fights lead to, i’m gonna make sure it snows more often."

jeno smiled, pulling m/n closer again, resting his forehead against m/n’s. "fine by me."