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Jungwoo mounted Johnny with an annoyed huff, tears falling down his cheeks and landing in the snow beneath him. He furiously rubbed them off of his face, shook the reigns and forced the worried horse to begin running.
"Who does he think he is?" Jungwoo hissed, "God, and for a second I thought he was more than just his name."
Johnny neighed softly at the boy's poor words, before coming to a grinding halt.
"What's wrong?" Jungwoo asked uncertainly, gently petting Johnny's nose. The horse shook his head towards Jungwoo's left and the blue-haired boy slowly turned his head. Yellow eyes stared into his own terrified ones, and with a loud gasp, Johnny took off. The pounding of hooves and paws were the only sounds echoing throughout the forest, followed by an occasional snap of a tree branch. Jungwoo let out a scared squeak when a brave wolf nipped at Johnny's tail.
Almost instantly, the wolves froze in their tracks, ceasing their usual relentless chasing.
"That's odd..." Jungwoo commented, his voice trailing off as he noticed the ice-covered water they had wandered onto. A crack was heard beneath the two, and Jungwoo realized that they were headed for a fate worse than being eaten by wolves. The ice gave out and Jungwoo was encased in freezing water, soaking through his clothes and freezing his skin. He grappled around in the dark water, finding nothing except for Johnny's slippery coat, or what Jungwoo thought was Johnny's coat.
The same wolf that had tried to attack Johnny had jumped into the water, his pack following suit. A cacophony of yelps and muffled screams filled the once silent forest. Jungwoo's hands grasped something leather before he was hoisted out of the ice-y water, Johnny's hooves never stopping as they crossed the thin ice, shivering and frightened. The horse cleared the trees but was met with an unwelcome surprise as the determined pack surrounded the two. Jungwoo was on the ground before he could blink, Johnny bolting to the tree line but trapping himself in a branch due to his faulty reigns. The wolves took their opportunity, but Jungwoo's love for his animal counterpart was stronger than his fear as he grabbed a loose branch and swung it at the deadly creatures.
The alpha wolf, Jungwoo presumed, grabbed the stick between his gnashing teeth, snapping the wood in half and leaving Jungwoo defenseless. A curse slipped past his lips as he was dragged to the ground by his cloak, having nothing but his hands to fend off the rabid dogs. Jungwoo looked up, his eyes widening in shock at the wolf that was preparing to pounce on to his weak frame.
Time seemed to excel for Jungwoo as its hindlegs leaped from the snow, but just as fast, it was pinned to the ground by a much bigger beast. Lucas stood with his hands balled by his sides, angering radiating off of his frame in dangerous waves. Wolves jumped and yelps resounded, yet Lucas remained unharmed, until one risky wolf landed on his back, ripping at the flesh on his shoulder. Lucas swatted the wolf away effortlessly, although Jungwoo could see the strain on his face. The wolf collapsed to the snow, red staining the white like a deadly painting, and the pack scattered, their ruler dead. Lucas gave Jungwoo a despairing look, before following in the wolves footsteps, falling to the cushiony snow.
Jungwoo glanced between the two beasts before running to Johnny, helping the colt from his reigns.
"Don't do it, Jungwoo," Jungwoo scolded himself, the devil and angel on shoulder fighting. Eventually, his good conscience won and with a sigh, he turned to Lucas. The man was surprisingly light for his impressive combat skills and obvious muscles, and Jungwoo hoisted him onto the horse with ease.
When Lucas awoke from his dark slumber, Jungwoo was sitting at his bedside, a rag in hand. Kun was delicately sitting on a golden tray next to him, soaking the rag in steaming water.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty," he greeted sarcastically, pressing the rag to Lucas' wound. Lucas winced, slapping Jungwoo's hand away with a pout.
"Oh, come on, are you a Beast or a puppy?" Jungwoo rolled his eyes at the dramatic male, who had fought of wolves but couldn't handle heat.
Lucas growled lowly, and the servants that had been watching with piqued curiosity scurried back to their hiding places.
"That hurts!"
"If you'd hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much," Jungwoo counterargued, pressing his free hand against Lucas' chest and laying him back against the silk sheets. In all honesty, Jungwoo could have removed his hand immediately afterward, but for some reason unbeknownst to him, the warmth radiating from the man was comforting. He traced nonsense patterns into his chest, an action that sent a wave of heat straight to Lucas' cheeks.
"Well if you hadn't run away, this wouldn't have happened," Lucas stuttered weakly, not liking the effect Jungwoo's touch had on his cold exterior.
"Well if you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run away." Jungwoo stuck his tongue out childishly, hand absentmindedly climbing higher up Lucas' body. When Jungwoo's fingers grazed against the skin of his neck, Lucas was rendered speechless, his comeback becoming lost in a flurry of butterflies.
"W-well, you shouldn't have been in the West Wing."
"Well you should learn to control your temper," Jungwoo suggested seriously, sounding very similar to a disappointed mother. Lucas opened his mouth to argue, but closed it again, knowing Jungwoo spoke nothing but the truth. Instead, he chose to focus on the patterns being drawn on his skin, the stinging in his shoulder fading to a dull buzz as he let the feelings he couldn't describe overcome his body.
"Now, hold still. This may sting a little." Jungwoo pressed harder, softly wiping the blood from the gaping wound, much to Lucas' displeasure. Jaemin emerged first, a shocked and dazed Renjun following behind, then the rest of the household, all with wide eyes and dropped jaws at the boy that had managed to tame the Beast.
"By the way, thank you for saving my life," Jungwoo spoke tenderly, his gaze never wavering from Lucas'.
"You're welcome," Lucas replied, cheese dripping from every syllable. The servants watched with hope in their eyes as their master found someone that could love him for more than his wealth and melt the stone cold facade he had conjured.
