The smile from yesterday was still lingering on Jongin’s face this morning when he woke up. He felt like nothing could tear him down from his good mode. Not his parents, or even all the Christmas people around. He felt so at ease after helping all the people, doing something useful, though it was not much, he really could see that the people appreciated it.
And having the article still to write, he decided he would stalk down Taemin today too.

He recalled Taemin saying something about taking the orphanage children to the river, where they could play around in the snow, so after finishing all the boring classes and being at the writing course, he headed to the river. It was a beautiful day, and the sun made the snow shine brightly - but it was cold, freezing cold outside.
Jongin huddled closer into his jacket and pulled the scarf closer to his face so his nose would not fall off. He heard the children long before he could see them, and when he turned the corner he saw them running with Taemin. Jongin smiled and stopped for a while and just looked at the scene in front of him.

Wasn’t that just, clichè! A movie, a perfect picture of some sort. The perfect of the perfect, the Ughn.

Jongin shuddered and started to think straight again.

What am I doing. I hate kids. I hate Christmas. I hate Taemin!

The smile and the happening suddenly started to fade away in a second, and everything went back to normal. Jongin sighed and shook his head.

Moodswings. Really? Maybe I should have just stayed in bed today, he thought and was about to walk toward Nevermore when he saw a tall dark figure standing underneath one of the trees nearby. The figure (it had to be a man, or a horrifying tall woman) was obviously watching the kids.

Was he a or something? Jongin thought and narrowed his eyes. The figure looked familiar, but he could not put his finger on it. Then the man (let’s for now just say it is a man) lifted his camera and started to take photographs. Jongin, not being one that wants to interfere with others, shrugged his shoulders and turned away when the man turned his head. Seeing the man’s face for a blink of a second, recognising him, he turned and took a few steps wanting to find out if it was a trick of the light or if it really was;

“Minho?”

The tall male turned around and almost fell on his when he recognised Jongin. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out and he was left with opening and closing it.

“Jon, Jong, Jongin,” he finally stuttered; his eyes big. Jongin looked suspiciously at Minho. He looked like a kid that was caught red-handed in stealing biscuits from the kitchen.

“What are you doing here?” Jongin asked and put his hands in his pockets, trying to keep them warm. Minho was having a hard time and started the procedure to open and close his mouth again before he actually answered.

“Ehm, I, pictures,” he answered and lifted the camera in his hand. Jongin nodded and added; “Pictures of what?”

Minho started to chew on his bottom lip and looked around - looking quite comfortable where he stood.

“Ahh, hm, ehm, the river,” he finally said and smiled for a second.

Ah ha, so you are not just a who likes kids then. That would have explained a lot, Jongin thought and said “Uh hm,” obviously not believing him.

“Yeah,” Minho said before an awkward silence came between them. Jongin thinking him being a and Minho wanting to run away and pretend he never meet Jongin by the river.

“Hey Jongin, what are you doing here,” a soft voice shouted and Taemin was jogging toward them. Jongin put on a smile and turned toward him. “Just taking a walk.”

Taemin smiled and looked at Minho who looked even more uncomfortable.

“Ah, this is Minho he and I...” Jongin stopped, remembering Taemin did not know about Jongin being Kai.

“...Friends,” he ended and looked warningly at Minho.

“He is the photographer for Soul of Seoul,” he added, trying to get away from the awkward way he introduced his ‘friend’.

“Oh really. Then you are really good. I really like the pictures in that newspaper,” Taemin praised and Minho smiled shyly and looked down. And it almost looked like he blushed, but it could also be the cold outside, since Taemin’s cheeks also were bright pink.
“Come, won’t you say hi to the children?” Taemin asked and walked up to Jongin when he did not answer right away. He took his hand and pulled Jongin down toward the children.

No please don’t, please don’t.

But too late, the children had seen him and was now running toward them, snow in hand and Jongin was terrified when the first snowball was thrown. The game had begun. Jongin was able to dodge and started to run out from the war zone, when he saw Taemin looking for him. Taemin had let go of his hand the moment the first kid threw the ball, and had made a ball himself ready to attack. He looked toward where Jongin was currently hiding and Jongin shrinked down behind the tree and looked for a way to get out from there when he saw Minho standing where they had left him. He waved at him trying to signalise to him that he needed help, but before Minho understood the code Jongin was watching Taemin come up to him and pulled him into the fight as well. Seeing as there were no one to save him and snowballs flying right above his head, Jongin figured out that the only way out was to get in.

He made a snowball and looked out from his hiding spot (not a particularly good one by the way) and threw the ball on the nearby kid. The kid looked baffled a second before he saw where the snowball came from.

Oh !

The boy smiled mischievously at Jongin and started to make a hell of a snowball and Jongin immediately regretted giving his spot out. He started to look for a way to get away from the kid when he saw a pile of snow nearby the river. When the kid started to aim toward Jongin, he made a run for it, and ran as fast as he could toward the safe side of the zone. He jumped over the pile just as the snowball hit and he felt the wind ruffle his hair as it flew just above his head.

Wow that kid knew how to aim a snowball. Jongin jumped when suddenly someone came flying over the pile of snow and  landed beside him. It was a terrified looking Minho. He had snow all over him and seconds after Taemin came and almost landed on the both of them.

Ugh.

They all had their back at the pile and had to squeeze together to fit all three of them behind the pile of snow.

“The children have proclaimed war against us. Ryeowook is down,” Taemin said trying to catch his breath.

“Down?” Jongin asked, confused to the situation he was suddenly pulled into.

“Yeah, the children have captured him and keeps him from firing any snowballs,” he explained.
Jongin nodded then shook himself and shouted; “Us? I have never said I wanted to participate in this.”

Minho nodded and thought of himself in the same situation.

“Sorry,” Taemin said and smiled innocently. Jongin sighed and rolled his eyes.

He had in the few days of knowing Taemin found out that he was just as smart as Jongdae, but he never meant for anyone to get hurt or anything unlike Jongdae who hoped just that. (Not physically, you know what I mean.) So really the only way of getting out of this situation was to play along.

“Okay then. Taemin and Minho, you start to make as much snowballs you can, and when I run out you will throw them all random places. I will get to the pile further up in the hill and do the same for the two of you. I don’t care who comes first or last. Just be quick and make a pyramids of snowball before you get out of here,” Jongin ordered and Minho and Taemin nodded.

They started to make snowballs, and Jongin threw a snowball at the kids now and then, keeping them from coming any closer.
They were effective and soon they had a large pile of snowballs.

“Oh hand me one, they are approaching," Taemin shouted and Minho hurriedly handed him a snowball. Their hands brushed against each other and Minho turned red as a tomato, but Taemin did not see it since he was busy throwing the snowball. Jongin caught it though and nudged Minho with his arm. Minho looked at him and Jongin mouthed something about Taemin and Minho. Minho’s eyes turned big and his face was getting an even redder color and he started to shake his head nervously. Jongin laughed heartily catching the attention from Taemin.

“What are you laughing about," he asked curiously and Minho looked terrified at Jongin, but could not do anything as Taemin would see it. Jongin waved it off and turned to the battlefield again. He pulled himself together and gave the other two a sign that they should prepare to start throwing snowballs. Counting down from three, Jongin started to run toward the hillside where he had found Minho. The run was quick and he got hit in the back by only two soft snowballs. Breathing out he started to make a pile of snowballs as well when he spotted the camera who probably belonged to Minho laying in the snow. Thinking about it for three seconds he lay down the snowball and picked up the camera instead. He wanted to be sure that his accusations were right. Hitting the on button and starting to go through the last pictures, Jongin smiled. He was right. All the pictures were close ups of Taemin. Minho had a crush on the kid, he was sure.

Suddenly out of nowhere Minho turned up and snapped the camera out from Jongin’s hands. Not expecting that he jumped a little, but then started to smile toward Minho. Minho swallowed and started to open and close his mouth again, trying to find an explanation Jongin would believe.

Jongin laughed at the sight of Minho and said as a final; “ I know your secret."

★