Minki awoke protected by the large and heavy bundle that was Jonghyun’s gear. He didn’t want to open his eyes, in fear of what he’d find. He reached out a shaky hand to touch the bark of the tree that he’d remembered falling asleep next to. The bark was the same, he’d remembered. To hell with not wanting to see, he needed to know.

Minki turned his frozen face up towards the sky before opening his eyes. There wasn’t one thing he’d wanted to see less than what he’d expected. Against all will within him, he stared up at the frozen pines, moving his head slowly toward the tree. Jonghyun was frozen in place, or so to say, the hood of his light jacket pulled tightly around himself, and his knees underneath his chin. His face was not visible, and Minki was glad.

Nothing filled Minki’s heart except for fear. He reached his exposed arm outside of it’s sleeve and brushed a finger across bare, purple back of his hand. He didn’t move. The maknae had fully expected that, but didn’t, for the life of him, want to believe it.

He rose as quickly as he could, trying hard to not fracture his now frail bones or puncture his hard skin with even the smallest graze of a shoelace. He let Jonghyun’s heavy coats fall from his back, and he replaced them over him. He kept himself from crying with the single thought that his eyes would probably freeze shut and prevent him from helping them both. He hesitantly pulled the buttons and zippers from his own outerwear and piled it on top of him.

His words were short and breathless, but he meant them nonetheless.

“Wake up, JR.”