Jeonghan cursed as he fell, his skis tangling awkwardly Jihoon skied over and pulled back his goggles

"Hey, at least you didn't face plant this time," his friend said, standing by as he struggled to stand. Jeonghan and Jihoon were on the main greens, as Jihoon had gotten tired of the bunny slope and dragged him to a different ski lift. 

"I at this," Jeonghan moaned as he stood up, leaning on his poles. 

"No, you don't you're just learning. I was this bad once." 

Jeonghan glared at his friend. "How long have you been skiing to be this good?" 

Jihoon shrugged. "I started when I was like, seven." 

Jeonghan gave the small male an unimpressed look. 

Jihoon just pulled his goggles back down, "Come on, Soonyoung and Seungcheol passed us ages ago." 

"That's because I at this," Jeonghan muttered. Jihoon hit his pole out from under him, causing him to go down. "What the hell, Jihoon?!" 

The younger just shrugged. "More practice for getting up. I'll see you at the bottom."

Jeonghan slumped over in defeat as he watched Jihoon skillfully speed down the slope. With a sigh, he began to try and get up, but he appeared to be stuck. Cursing, he tried to snap off his ski, but it was locked on too tight. He groaned. 

"Do you need some help?" 

Jeonghan looked up as someone snowboarded up. 

"Yes, please. My friends left me, and this is my first time skiing." 

The man smiled; he wasn't wearing a mask. "I understand." He knelt down and skillfully snapped off Jeonghan's skis for him. "Most of my friends snowboard, but one of them, his name is Luhan, he skis, and when he first learned, he kept falling. I had to learn how to take off his skis if they were locked." The man was babbling, but Jeonghan didn't mind. 

"I'm Oh Sehun, by the way," the man said, glancing up at him. 

"Yoon Jeonghan," He replied. Sehun smiled. 

"Nice to meet you, Jeonghan." 

He smiled back and accepted Sehun's hand to pull him up. "You said your friends left you, right?" Sehun asked. "Do you want me to stay with you? In case you fall again, y'know?" 

Jeonghan blinked in surprise, but nodded. "Yes, thank you. My friends tend to desert me at times." 

Sehun nodded in understanding. "I know how that feels. My friend Jongdae will always leave me when I need him. But I don't hate him for it or anything, he's just a major troll, especially when he's  with his boyfriend." Jeonghan noticed how Sehun seemed to babble at times, but he didn't mind. Wonwoo got like that when he was embarrassed, like that one time Jeonghan walked in and him and Mingyu were sharing a really sweet moment. Like, Wonwoo would be perfectly fine if he walked in on them ing, but that one time he walked in and they were just curled up on the couch, not kissing, but just breathing in each other, Wonwoo would not shut up. 

Jeonghan struggled down snap his skis back on as Sehun talked, but when he almost fell, he grabbed onto the man for balance. Sehun immediately held his arm to steady him. He flashed him a grateful look and snapped on his skis before letting go. Sehun knelt down to strap his left foot back onto his snowboard. 

"I'll stay with you in case you fall," Sehun said, nodding at him. 

"Thanks," Jeonghan replied, giving him an appreciative smile. He pushed off and shakily started his way back down the slope, Sehun slowly boarding along with him. The chatted as they declined, Jeonghan falling only one other time. Sehun applauded as he got up by himself, laughing as he did so. 

Jeonghan laughed with him and shook some snow off. "You know Sehun, I kinda like you," Jeonghan told him. 

Sehun smiled. "I get that a lot." The headed down the rest of the slope slowly, still casually chatting and getting to know one another. Finally, they reached the bottom of the mountain and glided up to where Soonyoung, Jihoon and Seungcheol were all waiting. 

"Who's this?" Seungcheol asked immediatly. 

"This is Oh Sehun," Jeonghan introduced him smiling. Sehun extended a hand towards Seungcheol. 

"You must be Seungcheol, Jeonghan told me about you as we headed down," Sehun said. Seungcheol just looked at him, never making a single movement to shake the man's hand. Sehun coughed awkwardly. "Okay then." 

Shaking off Seungcheol's odd behavior, Jeonghan said, "Why don't you three go take a black, I can stay with Sehun on the greens. That is, if it's okay with you," he added hurriedly, looking at the snowboarder. Sehun nodded. 

Seungcheol just hummed and moved forward, tucking back a stray lock of Jeonghan's hair. "Are you sure? I can go with you." 

Jeonghan shook his head. "No, go take on a black, greens are boring for you, I can tell. I'll be fine, Sehun can call an ambulance if I need it," he joked. 

Seungcheol didn't seem sure, but he just gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "If you're sure you can trust him, then it's okay." 

Jeonghan smiled. "I promise I'll be fine. I'll text you when I make it back down for lunch, okay?" 

Seungcheol just nodded and kissed him again before he, Soonyoung and Jihoon pushed their way towards the ski lift that went up to the very top of the mountain they were currently on to where the blacks were. 

Jeonghan turned to Sehun. "Shall we be off then?" 

The snowboarder nodded. "Of course, m'lady," he joked, bowing. 

Jeonghan just lauged as they went over to the ski lift. 

/    /    /

Jeonghan sighed as he flopped down at a table in the lodge. Seungkwan's stuff was there, though the freshman was nowhere to be seen. Probably in the bathroom. 

Jeonghan had said goodbye to Sehun when the snowboarder ran into some of his friends and headed off with a quick apology and a hurried phone number exchange. They had skied a few more greens and one of the easy blues before they split up, Jeonghan heading in for lunch. 

His mood had progressively gotten worse throughout the day. He had been having fun with Sehun, but he was tired, and he knew Sehun should have been boarding the harder blues and blacks. He felt like he was pulling everyone back, having to hang around so he could make his way down the slopes safely. He quickly sent a text to Seungcheol syaing he had stopped for a quick lunch and was going back out to try a blue or two. 

He had made up his mind. He was going to get better. 

After scarfing down a salad and a chicken sandwich, Jeonghan went back out to see it was snowing. He wanted to stop and marvel, but he had been motivated. Jeonghan spent the rest of the afternoon taking on some blues. He fell a couple times, but all in all, he was doing much better. 

He finally ran back into everyone else around five by the lodge as they were taking off their gear. 

"Hey babe," Seungcheol greeted, coming over and giving him a quick kiss. "Take off your skis, we're heading back.

Jeonghan shook his head. "You guys go, I'm gonna stay and ski for a while. The night trails will be lit soon, and I wanna get more practice in." 

Seungcheol gave him a confused look. "Are you sure? I can stay with you if you want."

He shook his head again. "No, you go home and rest, I'll be fine by myself."

"Are you sure about this Hannie?" Jihoon asked. "Night skiing is different."

He shrugged. "I'll be okay. I can text if I need to, plus there'll be workers out."

Seungcheol briefly twined their fingers together. "If you're sure. Don't be out too late, okay?" 

Jeonghan nodded. "I won't." 

/    /    /

The sun had long since gone down, and Jeonghan was still on the slopes. He had taken most of the blues at least twice, and was debating taking on a black. He looked over the map for the mountian he was currently on, trying to decide what black seemed easiest. He chewed his lip as he settled on one and skiied over to the lift. As the lift carried him up the mountain, he realized he was the only person still on the slopes. Jeonghan decided that he would go back to the resort after this run.

 He dismounted the lift and pushed himself over to the top of the run, looking over the edge. He swallowed. It looked so steep, but he knew he'd done blues that were barely any better. 

Jeonghan took a deep breath. And he pushed off. 

He slanted his skis to turn, making sure to continually shift his weight to slow himself into turns. He'd pulled his ski mask down so it was around his neck, letting his hair fly free as he skidded down the slope. 

Before he knew it, he was panting at the bottom of the mountain. Jeonghan looked around. He was alive. He hadn't fallen. 

He wanted to sleep. 

"Excuse me," a timid voice said to his right. Jeonghan looked to see one of the younger rangers from the slopes. "I hate to force you home miss, but the slopes are closing." 

Jeonghan smiled. "It's alright, I was just about to home." 

The man did a double take. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry sir!" He apologized, bowing. 

Jeonghan laughed. "It's okay, it happens all the time." 

The ranger looked relieved. "O-okay. If you'd like, I can give you a ride down to the bus stop," he offered. 

Jeonghan gave him a grateful look. "Would you? Thank you so much." 

The ranger nodded and headed over to his snowmobile, gesturing for Jeonghan to follow. 

As he rode behind the ranger with his skis across his lap, Jeonghan felt a feeling of elation. He'd done it. He'd survived a black diamond. He'd been practicing all day, and he'd finally done what he set out to do.

He thanked the ranger as he climbed off the snowmobile, then stood patiently by the bus stop. 

By the time he made his way back up to his room at the resort, he was exhausted and his feet were aching from walking around in ski boots. He left his skis and boots by the door and ducked into the bathroom to change quickly. After shaking out his tangled hair, he slipped into the bedroom to see Seungcheol asleep with his mouth open just slightly. Jeonghan smiled at the sight and crept over to the bed before softly slipping in next to his boyfriend. 

Seungcheol shifted immediatly, sensing his presence. Turning so he was facing him, Seungcheol wrapped his arms around Jeonghan, pressing his face into the younger's hair. 

"You're late," Seungcheol hummed. 

"Sorry," was Jeonghan's only response. 

Seungcheol kissed his neck a few times before muttering, "So who's Sehun?" 

Jeonghan frowned. "He's just a nice guy I met on the slopes, he helped me when I fell and Jihoon deserted me. That little traitor," he muttered lightly, trying to bring up the rapidly darkening mood.

"Hmmm," Seungcheol hummed. "You two seem to get along well. Is that why you stayed late? Becuase you wanted to ski with him more?" 

Jeonghan pushed the elder away. "What are you talking about?" 

Seungcheol looked at him bitterly. "Oh, maybe the fact that you and Sehun seemed a bit to physical for newly met acquaintances," he growled. 

Jeonghan glared at him. "Seungcheol, I don't know what got in your head, but Sehun is not the reason I stayed. He left me halfway through the day to go snowboard with his friends." 

Seungcheol scoffed. "Sure he did. Just tell me the truth Jeonghan; you feel some ual attraction towards him." 

Jeonghan coughed. "I'm sorry what? Yeah no, that's not a thing, and I'm done with this conversation." He stood up and grabbed his pillow and a blanket before exiting the room to go sleep on the couch. As he made himself comfortable, he shook his head. I can't believe this! He thought. Accusing me of hanging with Sehun becuase I'm 'ually attracted' to him or whatever. Sure Seungcheol. 

Jeonghan growled to himself as he lay on the couch. Was Seungcheol really that stupid? Why would he even be caught up on that? It wasn't like they were really dating or anything. Seungcheol shouldn't care what he did or who he spent his time with. Right?

Jeonghan just sighed and threw an arm over his eyes. He needed sleep. 

/    /    /

Jeonghan woke up around two in the morning eith his skin prickling, as if someone was watching him. 

He started when he saw Seungcheol leaning against a wall, his normally glowing coffee-colored eyes dark with something Jeonghan couldn't quite identify, his black hair shadowing his face. 

"Did I wake you?" Seungcheol asked, his voice husky and low. 

Jeonghan sat up and gazed back evenly. "Maybe. Maybe not." 

Seungcheol didn't say anything for a while, just looking at him. "You're beautiful when you sleep," he said finally. 

Jeonghan didn't say anything.  He just waited for Seungcheol to say what was on his mind. 

The elder sighed before moving over to sit on the coffee table. "You know you're the only one I would do this for," he muttered, dragging a hand down his face. "I'm sorry. I overreacted when I saw you having a good time with him. I don't know why, okay? So just, yeah. I'm sorry." 

Jeonghan sighed and absently teased a strand of hair. "Seungcheol, I'm going to ask you something. If you don't want to respond, then that's okay. Just, hear me out."

The elder nodded. "Alright." 

Jeonghan took a deep breath before asking, "What happened to you? The smallest things set you off. Hell, you're like a timebomb sometimes, like you could blow at any second. So what caused this?" Jeonghan looked at his boyfriend expectantly. 

Seungcheol sighed a dragged a hand down his face. "There's just, a lot that I have to do for someone my age. My parents are both dead, one in a car accident, the other, uh-" Seungcheol broke off and coughed. "Suicide." 

Jeonghan blinked. "Oh." 

Seungcheol nodded. "I have to run my family's company even though I'm barely making it through senior year so far. It's stressful. I like to have my space, and feel secure. So, yeah, that's why..." 

Jeonghan didn't speak as Seungcheol trailed off. He thought for a while. Having both parents dead and running a company? How on earth was Seungcheol even functioning properly? He must've been exhausted, emotionally amd physically. 

He reached out a lightly touched Seungcheol's arm. "Am I the only one who knows?" He murmured. 

Seungcheol nodded. "Yeah, except Vernon." 

Jeongan nodded. His heart was skipping, telling him that he was special, but he shut it down. "That must be really hard for you," he whispered. 

Seungcheol shrugged. "I manage. Plus I have my secretary who takes care of things if I have a lot of school work." 

Jeonghan hummed once before standing up with his pillows and blanket. "Come on, let's go to bed. We're gonna need a lot of rest for tomorrow." 

Seungcheol just nodded and stood up. 

That night, the elder slept away from him. 

/    /    /

Junhui walked through the door of Chan and Minghao's apartment, rubbing his neck in guilt. To his surprise, the kitchen light was still on despite it being late, and Minghao was leaning against the sink, a glass of milk in his hand. 

The younger boy looked up as he walked in. "There you are. You were gone all day, where were you?" 

Jun just looked at him with heavy eyes. "Where do you think?" 

Minghao just looked at him. Jun shook his head and walked past, but Minghao stopped him by grabbing his wrist. 

"You smell like alcohol," he muttered. "And ." 

"Wonder why," was Jun's only response. 

Minao narrowed his eyes. Junhui could feel the piercing chocolate gaze. 

"You ," Minghao growled. 

A jolt ran through Jun. In a flash, he had Minghao pinned against the wall with the younger's wrists in one of his hands above his head. 

"What did you call me?" He asked, his voice low. 

Minghao glared back. "You , you just don't stop, do you? All you care about is , isn't it? Always going out, getting guys. And you wonder why I won't forgive you. You're a sad excuse for a human, Wen Junhui." Then, in Mandarin, Minghao whispered, "You disgust me." 

Jun opened his mouth to say something back, but they were too close. They had gone too long without contact, without the feeling of the other against them, without their faces this close. Jun felt suffocated, like his was drowning in the pools of Minghao's fierce chocolate eyes. 

He couldn't take it. 

Before he knew what was happening, Jun had his lips against Minghao's. The younger struggled against him, but within mere seconds, he had surrendered his mouth to Jun. He pushed the younger's lips apart with his tongue and he felt Minghao melt against the wall, completely breathless and shocked from what was happening. 

Jun pulled away, gasping, searching Minghao's face. "Hao..." he breathed. 

Minghao's eyes were closed, but his eyelashes fluttered as Jun's breath touched his face. "Junnie," the younger whispered back, "please don't do that again." 

Jun felt as if all the strength left him. He released his hold on Minghao's hands and completely collapsed against his ex, his head resting on Minghao's shoulder. "Minghao," he whispered. "I miss you." 

"I - I miss you too," Minghao whispered back. "But I don't trust you." 

"Then don't," Jun replied. "Don't trust me. But please, don't leave me." 

Minghao took a shaky breath next to Jun's ear. "I don't want to." 

"There we go," Jun murmured. 

"But Jun," Minghao continued. "You know we can't. I would just mad and jealous again. It would be a constant circle." 

Jun pulled away to look at Minghao. "I know you can't trust me, or think about this right now, but can't you at least give me a chance?" 

Minghao shook his head, pushing Jun away gently. "I - I'm sorry, Jun. But I can't." 

Jun watched hopelessly as a single tear rolled down Minghao's cheek and the younger male ran back into their room. 

Jun sighed and slumped against the wall, running a hand through his hair. 

"I love you." 

The words from his mouth echoed around the now empty room as he cried silently. 

Ha. Haha. Hahahahahaaaaaa, let my throw myself from the empire state building. 

So hey guys, there we go with that, um, yeah, I'm not gonna go into detail on that. Let's just say i broke my own heart. Anyway, theres the new chap. We got a bit of Seungcheol's backstory there, happy? Theres more on that subject too, btw. OH, and are we not gonna talk about Don't Wanna Cry? Yeah, our boys kinda broke my heart with that. AND PLEDIS FINALLY DID SOMETHING RIGHT!! The china line gets a whole song, i freaking love My I. Like. A lot. 

So yeah, theres that ty authors note. Yall know the drill, comment, blah blah blah, feedback and all that jazz. Love you all my lovelies, and see yall next time awesome nerds!!