"I'll race you all the way to the lodge."

Johnny gazes out ahead of him, eyeing the vast scenery of pointed peaks and sunken valleys, the sun above shining heartily on the sheets and sheets of miles deep snow. He breathes in deeply, the air clear yet thin from such an altitude, wind howling around his red ears which he tucks the tips of under his beanie. He looks at Taeyong, standing ready beside him, decked out in similar gear: thick, padded coats and pants; protective gloves and goggles; warm hats and scarves, all in use to keep their body warmth trapped in and to keep the chilling, minus one-degree temperature out.

"What do I get if I win?" he challenges, bringing the heavy eyewear from resting on his head to over his eyes.

"Why don't we just race for fun?"

"What's the fun in that?"

Taeyong chuckles and motions to the mountain range they stand upon. "This is the fun in that."

Johnny will admit that standing up so high on such an extensive, beautiful platform is indeed harrowing, yet incredibly satisfying. Up here, so far away from the busy city he's used to being in, the tranquil, tree topped mountains feel so much like a home; like they're a place Johnny feels that he knows and feels that can trust; like they're a place Johnny feels he belongs. Not to mention the afflicting conditions that power against the skiers and snowboarders alike make for a wholesome triumph when conquered. Johnny knows what Taeyong means. He means that being up in a secluded ski range like this is a gift, a treasure all to be indulged, and he can't help but completely agree.

Taeyong yanks his hood over his head and swings his snowboard around, tipping it dangerously over the peak where nothing but miles and miles of snow-covered slopes lead him to the grand ski lodge right at the bottom. They're the only ones up this high; after riding the helpful cable cart to the top of the authorized ski zone, Johnny and Taeyong found themselves fronted with a need for a bigger thrill, thus they trekked ten minutes higher up the mountain to a staggering peak some three miles higher than cable cart drop off.

"Granted," Johnny replies, "but I bet you I can land a triple this time."

"Eat my ," Taeyong snorts, "the last time you tried that, you nearly broke your neck. And the neck of the five-year-old you rode into."

"First of all, who lets their five-year-old ride a snowboard on their own in the middle of the Alps? And second of all, that wasn't-- hey, wait, Tae, you didn't say we were going yet!"

Johnny watches as Taeyong, having jumped mid-sentence from the ledge, zips down the white mountain, scoffing as the latter calls, "You snooze, you lose!" He kicks the snow off his own board and straps his foot into the latch, following suit with a deep breath and launching his whole body off the verticle peak.

The wind, unsuspecting of two fast boarders cutting through her path, battles against Johnny as he leans into the rhythm of his board sliding over snow that ripples away and leaves a trail in its wake. He leans back, slowing as he catches up to Taeyong, and rides along side him.

"Tell you what." Taeyong pauses and rides a ramp, landing after a high jump and a method grab. "Land a triple and I'll buy food tonight."

Johnny dodges some trees and laughs. "Whatever I eat you'll buy?"

"Deal?"

"Deal!"

Johnny races down the hill, zooming past the cart drop off and to the nearest, strategically placed long box where he completes a 180 on and off into some spinning butters. He looks back up to Taeyong, falling behind, who calls, "Watch where you're going!" only to be dismissed by Johnny as he shouts, "Hurry up, I want you to see this!" He speeds towards a snow ledge, built a few feet high, that sits in the middle of the shallowing slope down. He calms his breathing, his hot breaths puffing condensation up over his goggles as he braces his body, crouching and tensing as the jump grows nearer and nearer and nearer until he's launching himself up into the air.

He grabs his board with one hand, pelting the built up tension in his body into flipping himself once... twice... a third time, letting go and landing wobbly on his feet. He looks back up again, heart hammering in his chest as Taeyong comes zipping around the wall. "Did you see that!" Johnny shouts, jabbing a finger at his friend.

"I saw it!" Taeyong waves both arms in the air, clapping. "But watch where you're going!"

"Did. You. See. Tha--" Johnny cuts himself short, a blunt force knocking into his back, causing him to bite his tongue and go toppling over, sliding gradually down the slope in a heap with another person.

"Ow!" He hears as his legs go up and land bluntly against the snow. His head throbs and he can taste blood seeping from the muscle in his mouth, a warm body shielding his back from the cold snow. "Are you kidding me?" the voice says again, hissing as they try to lift Johnny off of them, but the hunk of a man doesn't register until a sharp sting echoes around his skull.

"I'm sorry!" Johnny says quickly, his feet straps crippling him from standing up from his position, opting to roll of the unfortunate stranger instead, throwing off his hat and goggles in the process. The stranger grunts and tries to sit up, their face full of snow and their hair flopping in front of their eyes. Johnny sits on his knees as Taeyong rolls up beside him, smiling but saying nothing. "Are you okay?" Johnny asks, leaning towards the stranger, who has their face scrunched up in pain as they reach up to push down their hood.

It's a man, borderline boy, youthful looking, with skin suntanned and blemished, cheeks that sit full and round on his beautifully sculpted face. He looks at Johnny with his downturned eyes, a deep, brown color and sniffs with a sloped nose, ending in a cute snub. Johnny swallows and drains in every inch of beauty radiating from his face, speech leaving him as the stranger looks him dead in the eye. "Are you okay?" he counters. "I mean, in the head? Why were you riding backwards?"

Johnny snaps himself from his little daze as the boy tries to stand, only to fall back on his hands, skis attached to his feet which he scrambles to undo, wincing. "Ow, ow, ow..."

"What's wrong?"

"My ankle," he says, chewing his lip. "Must've busted it."

Johnny, with surprisingly steady hands, unclasps the buckle on the stranger's boot and helps him lift the shoe wear off. "You might've twisted it..." he says, examining the joint with tentative fingers, pulling down the sock and bending the foot slightly. "Does that hurt?"

"Ow!" the boy yelps. "Yes!"

"Yeah, that's a twist surely."

"I'll go and get some help," Taeyong informs, kicking off on his board and zooming down the last half mile of the slope.

"Are you a doctor or something?"

"Basically," Johnny says. "I mean, I took a first aid course in high school, which is pretty much the same thing."

The boy laughs, a sound which makes Johnny look up and smile. "Yeah, pretty much," he chuckles, before sticking out a hand. "Ten."

Johnny takes the hand with a frown. "Nine?"

"My name, . My name is Ten."

Ten gives Johnny's hand a gentle shake as the latter blushes in embarrassment. "Johnny," he replies. "Indeed a ."

"Yeah, I've known you for all of two minutes and you've already busted my ankle and made a fool of yourself."

Johnny can't help but smile at everything Ten says. His voice is sweet sounding, sort of raspy but not sounding like he smokes fifty packs a day. Thinking about it, having it echo in his head, makes the frozen fingertips on Johnny's hand warm up, like the warmth that spreads through his chest from his erratically beating heart. "I have a bit of a habit of doing that."

"You made me laugh though," Ten says as he cradles his leg, smiling back at Johnny, "so, I'll let you off."

Before he implodes on the spot from the mere way Ten looks at him (it's like his eyes shoot right through to his very soul or something), Johnny clears his throat, unstrapping Ten's other foot. "Who are you here with? We'll find someone to help you."

"I'm here alone," Ten admits, smiling nonetheless. "Looks like I'm a weight you'll have to deal with."

"Well... I don't particularly mind that." Johnny looks at Ten and Ten looks at Johnny, a soft silence between them that, for some odd reason, doesn't feel awkward at all; like the cold area is overthrown by the warmth in the pair's eyes. Before Johnny falls totally into the sparkling of Ten's, he clears his throat again. He really should work on not getting so distracted by pretty boys... "So what do you say we get you back to the lodge rather than freezing out here?"

"What about my stuff?"

"I'll have Taeyong bring them in."

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"Not exactly." Johnny grins. "We have more of a sir-and-servent relationship," he jokes, Ten giggling again, "he likes to wait on me hand and foot."

"Sounds intimate."

"Yeah, we're real bros." Johnny motions for Ten to tuck an arm around his shoulder. "Uh, no, to answer literally. Taeyong's my best friend." He helps Ten up with surprising ease, the latter's injured foot hovering as the other hops alongside Johnny's feet which pad deep into the snow.

"Not your boyfriend..." Ten hums, "so he's single?"

Blinking in surprise, Johnny turns his head, opening his mouth to stammer a reply before Ten giggles.

"I'm joking." He tightens the arm slung around Johnny's neck, who releases a subtle breath of relief he hopes the former can't hear.

Ten collapses back on the common room sofa with an oof, sighing as his cold, aching muscles are soothed by the warm comfort.

Johnny pulls a sitting stool from by the crackling fire place and gently lifts Ten's poor foot onto it, rolling his sock off and placing the staff-given bag of ice over it. "We'll wait for the swelling to go down then bandage it up. Looks like you'll be off the snow for a while."

Resting his arms above his face, Ten smiles, his white teeth shining brightly. Johnny can see his frame better like this, stripped to a simple t-shirt and jeans. Ten's small, smaller than him at least - he's the kind of boy that would be engulfed in Johnny's body if they were to hug and is the kind of boy who has to look up to address Johnny eye to eye. If anything, it's an adorable concept, but Johnny tries his best to shake the thoughts from his head. 

"I don't mind that," Ten admits, "I've never been a skier, really." At the quirk of Johnny's eyebrow, Ten continues. "I'm only here for a friend's birthday, his boyfriend had to pay me to leave the warmth and the wifi."

Johnny chuckles, "Yeah, I feel that." then pauses. Friend? Ten had said he was here alone... He looks up and frowns. "Wait a minute--"

"Ten!"

The pair look over to the oak door leading to the foyer, where an average sized, lean boy stood with his palms open in front of him. "Where the hell have you been?" he says, stomping over and standing beside Johnny, who sits on the coffee table, Ten's foot resting on the stool between his legs. "We've been looking everywhere for you!" He looks at Johnny then back to Ten. "And who's this?"

With an almost cheeky smile, Ten drops his arms to his side. "Johnny, this is my friend's boyfriend Doyoung, Doyoung, this is Johnny. He hurt my ankle so I made him help me."

"By accident," Johnny stammers as Doyoung quirks an eyebrow. "I wasn't looking where I was going and, uh, knocked into him."

"Hopefully knocked some sense into him while you were at that," Doyoung tuts. "So you can't walk?"

"He can," Johnny answers, "it's just a twist. After it's bandaged he'll be up in no time."

Sighing exasperantly, Doyoung shakes his head. "Well, thank you, Johnny, for looking after our rather dense friend Chittaphon--" ("It's not like it was my fault!") "--When you're ready to stop flirting with handsome strangers Ten, me, Doyoung and Yuta are in the bar area." He gives a nod in Johnny's direction and mouths something at Ten, who mouths something back before he turns and stalks back out of the common room, disappearing into the hallway.

Johnny looks at Ten with an open mouth and a set of raised eyebrows. "What happened to, 'I'm here alone'?"

A faint blush dusts over Ten's cheeks as he bites his lip and grins. "Guilty as charged, I was looking for your attention." He pulls his sleeves down his hands and holds them cutely in his lap. "You can't blame me though, can you?"

Rolling his eyes but maintaining a soft smile, Johnny tuts and graciously accepts the roll of bandage offered to him by the staff. He takes the ice pack carefully off Ten's ankle and wipes the condensation with his sleeve. "Well, you know you already had it," he mutters, taking a string and wrapping it generously around his foot. 

"Besides, I didn't want to ruin my lovely friend's day by making him help silly old me..."

Johnny rolls his lips together and nods, ripping off the roll and tucking the loose end into the bind. "There..." he says, smiling up at Ten, who looks at him with a look nothing short of endearing. "All better."

"So your work here is done."

"It is." 

Johnny doesn't leave, however. He sits up and looks at Ten, who looks at Johnny with an equally gentle smile, and they share a moment of God knows what, to a backdrop of snowy mountains and a crackling fireplace. Johnny sees the chance and snatches it, saying, "Well, since you can't wander around yourself, I guess I'll take the job of assistant carrier for the time being." with a not-so-subtle flirtatious undertone. 

Ten chuckles. "Hmm, I agree, but maybe I should take your phone number. You know, in case you're not around to carry me."

Laughing heartily, Johnny winces. "Wow that was smooth--" Ten grins "--I think I need to start taking flirting lessons."

"Yeah, you weren't doing too good today."

"Oh, I wasn't?"

"Nah... like, I was wooed, but I haven't totally fallen for you yet."

"You haven't?" Johnny rests his elbows on his knees, where he rests his chin on his knuckles.

"No, but you have all night to make that up. I'm sure if you keep smiling like that my heart will get the better of me."

Johnny can't help but grin widely, heat rushing to his face. "Funny, I'd say you had me at 'hello' but the first thing you said to me was, 'Are you kidding?'."

"Hey it's the twenty-first century, being knocked over is the new cliche meet cute."

"It wasn't a very cute meet cute really."

"That's okay." Ten bites his lip. "Your face is cute enough."

Johnny groans and tips his head back, feeling his heart's about to explode. "Damn, you are good at this."

Laughing along, Ten nods. "Yeah, maybe I could teach you actually. For carrying me around I'll exchange tips on how to not act like a dork in front of potential boyfriends. Is that good enough to earn your number."

Shaking his head insignificantly, Johnny wets his lips and hums, reaching into his pocket. Ten embodies this ideal that does nothing but draw him closer and closer; the more Ten talks, the more Johnny wants to hear him speak; the more he smiles, the more Johnny wants to be reason for it; the more he looks at him, the more Johnny feels the indescribable warmth running through his veins. He whips out his mobile and hands it to Ten without hesitation.

"I think it's more than good enough."