a/n: Written for the lovely ash, @anita_dee4! Happy birthday ash~ <3

Drabble 32: Fire and Ice Xiuyeol

A little girl ducked underneath a table and crawled out through the legs of a chair, weaving among knees and hurrying feet of the innkeepers and their patrons. The little girl was just trying to get to a quiet corner of the room where she could see her older brother talking to one of their cousins; but then a gleam of metal twinkled in the firelight from the hearth, and the girl’s eyes snapped over to the fireplace. A strange, large button was attached to someone’s bag by the fireplace, and it twinkled enticingly at her from the other side of the room.

The girl changed course from the quiet corner to the hearth, and her breath grew strained as she dodged flying knees and hurrying feet. At last, she was within hands-reach of the shiny piece of brass, and the girl stared at the unique twists and turns of the design in fascination.

“Fire and ice.”

The girl flinched and fell backwards on to the floor. She hastily craned her neck around to see a young man with puffy cheeks and dark, almond-shaped eyes smiling down at her.

Despite the young man’s friendly countenance, the little girl couldn’t help but feel nervous. “I wasn’t going to steal it!” she said defensively.

“I didn’t think that you were going to,” the man replied, walking around the girl to sit down in the chair next to his bag. “Now, as I was saying—the design on the pin is supposed to represent fire and ice. Do you like it?”

The girl relaxed a little; it looked as if this strange man wasn’t really mad at her. She looked back at the pin and found herself being hypnotized by the swirls and edges of the pin. Without thinking, she reached out to touch the shiny metal.

Before her fingers could make contact, her hand was caught in a tight grip by the man in the chair. “You have to be careful,” he warned her, gently guiding her hand back to her side. “Only two people can touch that pin without getting burned or frozen.”

“Only two people? How come?” the girl clutched her hand to her side obediently and stared up at the man in fascination.

“That’s because this pin was made so that if anyone ever tries to take this bag, only those two people can open it.”

“But why?” The girl pouted in confusion. “Does the bag have something important in it?”

“Bingo!” The man winked at her, and the girl brightened up slightly. “The bag has something very, very important; so important, that only the two people who can open know what’s inside.”

“Can I know what’s inside?” The girl’s eyes glistened hopefully in the firelight. “I’m the best at keeping secrets!”

“Even the best secret keeper can’t know what’s inside,” the man told her kindly. “But maybe someday, you’ll find out.”

“Minseok!”

The girl whipped her head around to see a very tall man, maybe a couple of years younger than man in the chair, walking towards them. She turned back to the man in the chair and blinked in surprise when she saw a fond expression on the man’s face.

“Chanyeol.” Minseok smiled up at the man who had come to stand beside him.

“Who’s this?” Chanyeol smiled at him, and then looked down at the little girl, crouching down so that he was face to face with her.

The litte girl, a little frightened at Chanyeol’s sudden proximity, turned tail and headed back into the hustle and bustle of the inn.

Minseok sighed and ruffled Chanyeol’s hair. “I told you, you have to stop doing that. The children get scared and run away every time.”

Chanyeol’s shoulders slumped as he rocked back on his heels. “Yeah, I know, you tell me all the time.”

Minseok patted Chanyeol’s shoulder comfortingly. “More luck next time, Yeol.”

Chanyeol leaned into the touch for a moment, and then slowly got back to his feet. “What did she want?”

“She was interested in the pin.” Minseok sat back in his chair and kicked his feet up on to the top of his bag. “Just like all the children are.”

“Did she touch it?” Chanyeol perched on the edge of Minseok’s chair.

“Of course not.” Minseok sighed heavily and stared into the fire. “Besides, when have I ever let a child touch the pin?”

“Never,” Chanyeol said instantly, reaching out to massage the back of Minseok’s neck with his hand. “Never.”

“She wanted to know what was in the bag,” Minseok said bitterly. “They always do.” His neck remained tense beneath Chanyeol’s searching fingers, and Chanyeol sighed quietly through his nose. It looked like there would be no cheering Minseok up today.

“Let’s go up to our room,” Chanyeol suggested after a small silence. “Some peace and quiet will do us both good.” Chanyeol leaned down to kiss Minseok’s forehead, and then hopped off of the arm of the chair. “Come on,” he insisted, gently kicking Minseok’s feet off of the bag.

Minseok groaned and then reluctantly got to his feet as Chanyeol picked up both of their bags. “Thanks, Yeol.” He reached out and brushed the back of Chanyeol’s hand with his fingertips.

Chanyeol grunted at him and began to walk away, but Minseok smiled when he saw Chanyeol’s ears turn a rather telling shade of red.

a/n: So...uh yeah. It's just a measly drabble but I hope you like it ;; Happy birthday and I hope you have an awesome, lovely day and that there are good things in store for you! <3 I'll let you know if I do any continuations of this drabble...I realize that it was kind of weird and mysterious but alas. Comments are always appreciated, and until next time my lovely readers!