The wind gets stronger by the minute, harshly slamming into Chansung's face. Carefully threading snow up to his knees, he curses his own stupidity. Going outside in this weather was definitely not the brightest idea, but deep down he knows he had no choice.

There are three of them, beautiful fox cubs with snow white furs. In the summer, Chansung noticed them, hesitantly peaking outside their lair, curious but too afraid to move until their mother practically dragged them out.

Early in the fall, he noticed they were on their own. He still doesn't know what happened to their mother, if there was an accident or if she left them. Whatever the reason, nature is cruel and he worried they might not be ready for winter by themselves. Of course he shouldn't interfere, but even so he started building them a small hut, mostly out of stone, but also supported by some planks.

Watching them play and fight during the summer, and prance around proudly with their first kill, had given Chansung so much joy that he needed to make sure they had shelter for the winter. Getting them to accept that gift had been the hardest part, but regularly leaving raw meat inside, eventually made them accustomed to their new home. Now they had even gotten used to him, and allowed him to watch them from a safe distance.

When the storm had been building up during the coldest day of winter, naturally Chansung had started to worry, and even though it defied all logic he simply had to see that they were alright. Now, he finally managed to peek into the hut and see all three of them there. Big Taecyeon with his large head, ears and huge eyes, constantly eager and happy, Wooyoung, the smallest but cheekiest, and finally beautiful Minjun, lean and strong, the only one to have sense for his idiot brothers.

Once Chansung had made sure that the hut was still stable and able to survive the storm, he had left pieces of meat close by the opening, because he knows that keeping warm is easier on a full stomach. Even though his heart is now more at ease, the storm is far from quieting down and he has to worry about getting himself home.

At least he was smart enough to bring his St Bernhard with him, and if anyone can find the way back home, Daesung can. Slowly taking one step at a time, it surely feels like he has been walking for hours, and he couldn’t be happier when a small ray of light appears through the snow storm. Ready to hurry as much as possible to what is certainly his hut, suddenly he notices another ray of light in a very different direction.

Judging from the location of his hut, and a big, crooked tree that he recognizes close by, it seems like the unfamiliar light is coming from the road. Still in his footsteps for a moment, Chansung wonders what to do. Simply getting himself home is more than difficult enough, but maybe someone is in trouble. So he doesn’t have a choice and changes his course.

A very unhappy bark tries to convince him to stay on his track, but when Chansung calls back, eventually Daesung follows, like he knew he would. Time stand still as he threads through the heavy ocean of snow. His steps become slightly easier as he reaches the road, still fighting the wind to move forward. As he gets closer, the outlines of the car start to appear through the snow storm with its color, black, or deep blue.

Eventually, he reaches the car, knocks lightly on the window and it is scrolled down.

“Can you help me push the car?” A light male voice asks politely.

For a second, Chansung wonders if this man is insane. Getting lost in a sports car in the middle of winter is crazy enough, without having the intention to continue in this weather.

“You will never get to the nearest town.”

“What?”

All of Chansung’s words are swallowed by the wind, so he leans forward, letting the car shield him and almost screams through the half-open window: “Impossible.”

“Oh, thank you anyways.” The man inside the car answers equally as politely, and starts to close the window again.

“Wait!” Grabbing onto the edge of the window, his mittens almost frozen stuck in one position, Chansung yells back: “You can’t stay in the car.”

“No I’m fine,” again the stranger replies, still relaxed.

But even though he is fine now, eventually his car battery will run out, and he will run the serious risk of freezing to death. So Chansung yells back: “The storm is getting worse, you need to get inside.” When the man doesn’t answer right away, he adds: “Come with me.”

Finally, the man seems to gain his senses and the door opens up, pushing away the snow. The heat from inside of the car tickles Chansung nose, along with the smell of new leather. It is so tempting to dive into the car and get his toes warm again. But the storm is probably going to get even worse, so they need to get to his hut as soon as possible. A quick look over the stranger’s shiny leather shoes, makes his chest hurt in worry, and seeing his thin jacket and flimsy, decorative scarf makes it even worse. This man is clearly not dressed for the storm, and they need to get home quickly. As soon as the car door is closed, Chansung grabs his wrist, and pulls him along the road. This time the wind is in their back, so it is easier to hurry through the snow. Now that they are back on track to get home, Daesung becomes a lot happier, and runs before them, regularly looking back to make sure they are close behind him.

Cold and wet, they eventually reach the hut and Chansung has to use most of his strength to push the door against the wind and close it behind them. For a moment, all three of them stand still, panting, relieved to be sheltered from the wind. The dog shakes himself, making snow fly in all directions, covering the two men and the walls of the entryway.

“Daesung!” But even though Chansung complains, he can’t even pretend to be angry, he felt so much more secure with his best friend by his side, so he adds: “You did well.”

Kind eyes stare back at him, making him smile.

“Hmm, a nice dog you have there.”

Suddenly Chansung remembers that he is not alone, and answers shyly: “Yes, his name is Daesung,” and out of habit he adds: “…he doesn’t like to be petted so much.”

Instead of the usual objections to his dog’s unusual personality, the stranger simply nods.

Only now, does Chansung notice that the man is shaking, and he quickly removes his fancy, but useless coat, and then his own outerwear, dusting the mountain of snow off. The house is very cold, so he needs to light up the fire place as quickly as possible.

When Chansung opens the door to the living room, immediately a big, brown, furry creature greets him rather enthusiastically.

“Seungri, what are you doing inside,” he laughs, scratching the soft fur, making his friend groan happily. 

“Y-You own a BEAR?”

Looking back, he notices the stranger pushed up against the wall, staring at Seungri in fear.

“Not sure I own him, he just followed me home one day,” Chansung answers matter-of-factly, pushing Seungri down on four legs again, so he looks less intimidating, “…and you don’t need to be afraid, he’s only a cub.” He tries to be convincing, but the stranger still looks scared.

“That’s a big cub.”

“I guess.” Now that Chansung looks at his bear through the stranger’s eyes, it is true that he has grown a lot since summer, it just happened so gradually that he hasn’t given it any thought. A bear, even though it’s only a cub, is probably too much to handle for a city-man, so he offers: “I’ll get him back into his shed, no worries.”

After grabbing Seungri’s favorite snack, Chansung goes through the backdoor with the cub on his heels, walks through the adjacent tool shed and to his special place, putting food in his bowl. Patting him behind the ears, like he knows he likes, Chansung mutters apologetically:

“It’s just that we have a guest right now,” along his long back. When Seungri looks at him with slightly slanted, sad eyes, which are impossible to resist, he adds encouragingly: “I’ll promise to play with you tomorrow,” before he says goodbye and carefully locks the shed behind him.

When he gets back to the living room, his guest is standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

“Will he be alright? I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to push your… bear… out of the house.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Chansung says relaxed, “He’s not supposed to be inside the house when I’m gone, anyways… He breaks stuff.”

“Oh,” the stranger awkwardly replies.

“It’s just Gdragon who lets him inside.” Suddenly Chansung finds himself obliged to explain, “Even though he’s not supposed to.”

“G-Gdragon?”

Like he knows he is the center of the conversation, Chansung’s cat jumps from a shelf down to his shoulder, so he can simply point to him, and repeat: “Gdragon.”

“You named your cat dragon?”

“Yeah, he’s too smart for a cat, and his personality is too big for such a small body.” Softly laughing, he adds: “It fits… you’ll see.”

“You sure have a lot of animals,” the stranger mutters hesitantly.

“I guess…” Chansung replies, looking around at the big parrot in one corner, half-asleep and uninterested in the newcomer, and Daesung casually lying in his spot. Soon Gdragon gracefully jumps down to the floor, and plants himself in his favorite spot, right on top of the big dog. Often Chansung wonders if it isn’t annoying, having the overly controlling cat constantly in his face, but Daesung never complains.

“By the way, I’m Nichkhun,” the man says holding out his hand.

“Uhm, sorry, I’m Chansung,” he responds, feeling ashamed for not having introduced himself sooner. The man’s hand is icy cold, and looking at him, Chansung notices that his fancy suits are soaking wet.

“You’re freezing!” he exclaims horrified.

Seungri being in the house had thrown him off, turning him into a horrible host. Though it is probably not completely fair to blame the cute bear. It is not so often he has company, so maybe it is only natural that he has turned a bit rusty in how to entertain people.

Going through the closet, Chansung finds some warm sweatpants, a thick sweater and socks, which he hands his guest, telling him to change. Obediently, Nichkhun starts to remove his jacket, shirt and pants, along with his socks, until he is completely stripped down to his underwear. Slightly blushing, Chansung’s eyes linger on the exposed chest. The skin is so white, and this man is clearly in excellent shape.

It has been a while, a very long while in fact, since he has seen a half- man, and it makes him blush. A familiar, but almost forgotten warmth, fills his stomach, and he feels guilty for not thinking things through. He should have offered the man to change in his bedroom or in the bathroom. It is so typical of him to realize that his behavior is weird, only after things have become awkward.

But strangely, his guest doesn’t seem to mind, and puts on the clothes he is offered. Everything is way too big, and again, Chansung realizes these clothes were subpar for such a fancy, well-dressed man, so he mutters apologetically: “I’m sorry… I don’t have anything better.”

“It’s perfect.” His guest replies with a very sweet smile, making Chansung realize that not only his body is great, but that his face certainly is not bad either.

Starting to become uncomfortably self-aware, Chansung tries not to stare. It is bad enough that this man is stranded in the middle of nowhere without having some creep staring at him. Quickly, changing to something dry and warm himself, Chansung puts up the kettle for hot water, and then struggles to get the fireplace started.

With a mountain of pillows and blankets, the two of them get comfortable in front of the fire with hot tea and honey.

“Ah, this is heaven,” the stranger named Nichkhun sighs happily, stretching his fingers towards the warm flames.

Hesitantly reaching forward with his fingers and toes, Chansung copies him, his body softening from the heat. Suddenly it feels very quiet, in spite of the wind howling outside, and the occasional yawn from his dog and parrot. There is nothing to do, except wait for the hut to heat up, and Chansung feels shy, not sure how to approach this stranger by his side. Communicating with animals always felt easier than dealing with humans.

Eventually, he settles on something simple, superficial questions about his job, and if his name is really Korean. One question leads to another, and the next to a few more, until they are completely caught up in the conversation, having the most fun he has had in a very long time. The more he learns about him, the more he wants to know, and soon it becomes clear that Nichkhun is everything that Chansung is not.

While the furthest Chansung has been from home is Seoul, Nichkhun has traveled the world. Born in Thailand, he somehow ended up in South-Korea, with an important job that makes him travel even more. Completely raised in cities, Nichkhun has no sense for how dangerous nature can be, while Chansung is very much aware how dependent he is on mother nature's mood swings.

They are the complete opposites, night and day, white and black, but still Chansung finds him easy to talk to. Easy and fascinating, Nichkhun's stories are so exotic and full of life, and Chansung can't believe his luck. That out of all the people in the world, he was the one to get stranded by his doorsteps.

Listening to the story of how Nichkhun got lost in the forest, involving a broken GPS and directions from a woman with a dialect so thick it was impossible to understand, Chansung finds himself lost in his sparkling eyes and cute laughter. The longer he looks at him, the more handsome he becomes, until Chansung is convinced he's the most beautiful man he has ever seen. The thought makes him want to hug him, to touch him in ways that are far from appropriate, considering Nichkhun is practically a captive at his home.

Again the contagious smile appears on his lips, and Chansung can't help but smile back. The need to touch those beautiful lips gets pushed to the back of his mind, and he reminds himself that the probability that his guest is into men, let alone him, is astronomically small, and he shouldn't be too greedy. Having this wonderful human being in his home is magical enough, and he doesn't need anything else.

Even though Chansung doesn't want it to, Nichkhun's story approaches its end, and finally he concludes with:

“...And then I met you.” His smile becomes softer, “...my savior.”

Maybe it is Chansung's imagination, but the way those big brown eyes stare at him, it's like they are begging for something more. Neither of them says anything, and Chansung's heartbeat starts to act up, so loud in his chest, he's sure his guest must notice. A pink tongue lightly over the perfect bottom lip, and automatically Chansung leans in a little closer, his heart kicking when Nichkhun doesn't move away. His breath is ragged and hot, and he isn't sure whether to close the small distance between them or not, when Nichkhun starts to slowly lean in.

“Cha-Cha-Cha-Cha-Chansung!” A loud shriek from his parrot completely ruins the mood. For a second Chansung contemplates ignoring the big bird and going through with it anyways, when it loudly shouts: "Food gimme food!"

The moment is completely ruined, and he backs away, shyly muttering: “Sorry.”

But his guest simply laughs, making him even more beautiful, and the missed opportunity even more crushing.

Shrugging, Chansung stands up, and heads for the small kitchen, meanwhile he can hear from the living room: “Cha-Cha-Chansung. Gimme gimme food food.”

Reaching for the last blueberry muffin in his cupboards, Chansung hurries back before his bird becomes even more annoying.

“I didn't know your parrot could rap?” Nichkhun asks with a chuckle.

“I guess you could call it that... Top has a voice alright,” he replies awkwardly.

Normally, Chansung adores his overweight, overly needy bird, but right at this moment he is extremely irritated with its horrible timing.

When Chansung gets close enough, he scratches Top's chest and feeds it a muffin, while whispering as quietly as possible: “If you keep silent, I will bake a cake for you... with whipped cream.” The last part makes him guilty, because he knows Top's stomach will ache, but he is desperate.

“Whipped cream!” His parrot shouts happily, but Chansung puts a finger on his mouth, whispering: “Silence.” Hoping his parrot is smart enough to understand the deal.

After handing Top the last piece of the muffin, Chansung goes back and sits in front of the fireplace, awkwardly smiling, not sure how to behave.

“So...” Nichkhun starts slowly, “...where were we?”

“You just finished your story,” he replies quickly, desperately searching his mind for something interesting to say.

“Oh yes...” Nichkhun smiles, “...but I wasn't finished.”

“You weren't?” Looking back at his guest and his cat like smile, Chansung's palms start to sweat and his heart is pounding in his chest.

“The best part is left,” he adds cheekily.

“...Best part?”

“Yes.” Maybe it's only Chansung's imagination, but they seem closer than before. His guest's smile turns cheeky, and moving even closer he mutters: “I need to thank my hero...”

Chansung's palms start to sweat as he leans in, and his heart explodes as the unthinkable happens, those pink tempting lips touch his own, so incredibly soft at first.

Only the first seconds are gentle, then their kisses become a lot more eager, hands tug at clothes, and their true urges come to light. It has been so long since Chansung was touched by another human in that special way that makes his insides turn to fire, and his brain into mush. Giving in completely, he allows Nichkhun to take control, to do what he wants, and all of it feels good.

The heat, the feeling of skin against skin, is so amazing and in the moment nothing exists but the beautiful stranger. For so long, Chansung has been alone with his animals, and suddenly having someone take care of him feels so incredibly amazing that he surrenders control. All his built up tension washes away as he's being caressed and dominated all at once.

Afterwards, Nichkhun falls limp on top of him, and it feels right, his weight comfortable. With closed eyes, Chansung revels in the bright feelings filling up his chest, sure he has never felt like this before. Completely content, he slowly falls asleep.

************

The smell of coffee wakes him up, and it takes him a second to realize he is on the floor in front of the now cold fireplace, only covered by a thin blanket. Blushing, he opens up his eyes, hearing noise coming from the kitchen, and soon Nichkhun comes through the door with two cups of coffee, fully dressed.

“Good morning.”

“Morning.” Chansung mutters back blushing, suddenly feeling shy. Sneakily putting on his clothes, he joins Nichkhun by the tiny dinner table, which is only really big enough for one.

The slightly awkward silence is interrupted by his hungry animals, so Chansung feeds them, and fetches some bread from the kitchen for the humans and Top to consume.

The animals are a good, safe conversation starter, and Chansung happily answers any question Nichkhun has about them. He never gets tired of talking about his weird little family. Too soon, breakfast is over, and Nichkhun asks if he can help him get to the nearest town. For a second, Chansung considers telling him no, that there is simply too much snow, and that Nichkhun will have to stay another day. But immediately feels guilty. Nichkhun's clients are important and he has already been delayed too much.

With the help of shovels, they manage to get Chansung's truck out of the garage, and with more shoveling, they get Nichkhun's sports car lose enough to get towed along with them.

On the way to town, Chansung talks about the forest, and Nichkhun seems to like it, even wishes he can see it during summer. Chansung wishes it too.

They stop at a small diner, hungry after fighting with the snow.  Even though Chansung tries to eat as slowly as possible, dinner is over too quickly, and Nichkhun uses the diner's restroom to change into his suits again, returning Chansung's clothes with a sincere gratitude.

The roads from here on out have been cleared, and Chansung hides his disappointment when the fancy sports car purrs contentedly, still intact after the struggles of the night.

With the car running, Nichkhun steps outside to say goodbye, and thank Chansung for the rescue. Standing there by his fancy car, wearing his slightly crumpled, but still beautiful suits, Nichkhun is gorgeous, untouchable, and it is obvious that he lives in a different world.

Not ready to say goodbye yet, Chansung mumbles: “If you're ever passing through... you know where to find me.”

“I do.” Nichkhun answers simply, no promise in his words. Smiling back at him he says: “I probably shouldn't keep you much longer... it seems like you need to bake a cake for your parrot.”

“You heard?” Chansung stutters in total horror.

“Yes, I heard,” he replies teasingly.

Before Chansung has the chance to respond, a kiss is planted on his lips, short but affectionate. Long before he has processed everything, Nichkhun has waved him goodbye with a bright smile, and is in his car, driving away.

Slowly, Chansung's hand reaches up for his lips that are still tingling from the sudden kiss, and he watches the car move away, quickly getting smaller and smaller.

A while after the car has completely disappeared, Chansung goes back to his old pickup truck. On the way back, his mind is filled with images of Nichkhun's dazzling smile, his cute laughter and the deep passion in his big brown eyes. A smile is plastered on Chansung's face, grateful for this unexpected fairytale, and deep inside his soul he buries the secret wish that someday, maybe, they will meet again.