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Donghyuck sleeps the whole drive up to the Snowy Mountains.
He sits in the middle seat with Yangyang on his right and the ski gear on his left. The back seat on the left had been folded down to fit their ski equipment in Donghyuck’s family car, leaving Yangyang and Donghyuck squashed together in the remaining space.
Yangyang doesn’t mind though. Donghyuck is rather physically affectionate so he is used to having his boyfriend cling to him and lay his head on his shoulder.
They had departed Sydney yesterday in the late morning and drove four to five hours to a small regional town just half an hour away from the Mountains. The town overlooked a vast lake that glistened under the afternoon sun, welcoming them as they pulled into the town. There, they hired their ski gear and stayed at a rental house overnight in preparation for this ski trip.
This morning, they rose at half past six and left the small town for the Mountains at half past seven to beat the traffic. Despite leaving early, they’re still stuck behind a long line of cars. While it’s not ideal to go skiing during the busiest time of the ski season, this was the only weekend that everyone was free to go.
It doesn’t help that the best snowfall they’ve had in years has coincided with the school holidays, resulting in an influx of families to this area of the country for a ski trip.
They had decided to travel in Donghyuck’s parents’ car instead of driving their own. It’s nice not having to drive because even though Yangyang has his licence, he has minimal experience with driving on the highway for lengthy periods of time.
“Donghyuck has never been to the Snowy Mountains before,” Taeyong turns from where he is seated in the front passenger seat to inform Yangyang, mindful of his volume to not wake Donghyuck.
“Really?” Yangyang blinks, surprised, “I thought you said yesterday that you’ve gone skiing before?”
Donghyuck’s brows furrow before he buries his face further into the base of Yangyang’s neck. It’s cute how Donghyuck is extra clingy when he’s tired. He really isn’t a morning person, Yangyang thinks.
“Johnny and I have gone skiing,” Taeyong clarifies. “Donghyuck has never been because his asthma was exacerbated by the cold weather and physical activity when he was younger. He used to stay over at Kun's when we went skiing.”
Donghyuck’s Uncle Kun is joining them on this family trip as well, just for today. He had taken a week off work and had already enjoyed two days of skiing with a few old friends from university. Kun's accommodation is located in a different town so they had agreed to meet at the ski fields.
Yangyang can’t help but feel a little sad for Donghyuck. Skiing isn’t for everyone, but it certainly is something that he’d recommend others to try once or twice in their lives. At least Donghyuck will finally get to experience skiing today. Better late than never.
As if reading his mind, Taeyong adds, “He didn’t mind being left in Sydney whenever we went to the snow though. He wasn’t all that interested in sports when he was young because it always made him feel sick.”
From what he’s heard from Donghyuck and his parents, Donghyuck has managed his asthma rather well over the past few years so he has been able to participate in a lot more physical activity than when he was younger. Donghyuck was the one who had insisted on coming along to this trip; he was so excited when they were planning this holiday.
Worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, Yangyang glances down at Donghyuck’s face. He wonders if Donghyuck will still be able to participate in skiing for the whole trip. He really hopes that all goes well, because Donghyuck would feel so disappointed and angry at himself if he had to sit out.
As the car winds its way up the mountain, fresh snow begins to appear along the side of the road, covering the ground and dusting the tops of surrounding trees. The reality of the ski trip sinks in and Yangyang’s stomach lurches in excitement. Yangyang’s parents used to take him skiing annually, back when they used to live in Germany. He hasn’t seen snow since he finished schooling in Germany and moved to Australia.
From the driver's seat, Johnny clicks his tongue sympathetically, “These people won’t be driving faster than thirty kilometres per hour for the rest of the way to the snow with those chains in.”
Peering out of the window, Yangyang spots a long row of cars that were travelling in front of them. They have been pulled over onto the side of the road to fit snow chains over their tires, as none of them are four-wheel drives, meaning the vehicles are not suitable for safe driving in the snowy road conditions.
Fortunately for Donghyuck’s family, they have a large four-wheel drive that is suited for this road condition and will not be pulled over. A staff member wearing a neon vest waves them through, giving them the green light to continue up the mountain.
As they drive past the last of the cars on the side of the road, Taeyong replies to Johnny’s earlier comment, “It’s safer to drive slowly with chains on though. It’s a dangerous time of the year with icy roads.”
*
Donghyuck wakes when the car jerks and his head slips off Yangyang’s shoulder.
“Are we there yet?” Donghyuck asks. He rubs his eyes blearily, looking utterly confused. It’s an adorable sight and Yangyang resists the urge to press kisses on his sleepy face.
“Not yet, we’re almost there though,” Johnny replies cheerfully. “You might want to look out the window.”
Turning towards the car window to his left, Donghyuck instantly brightens.
“Snow!” Donghyuck exclaims. His face lights up in child-like wonder, “Dad look, it’s snow!”
“We know, sunshine. The snow has been along the side of the road for the past fifteen minutes,” Johnny teases.
“Have you seen snow before?” Yangyang asks, squeezing Donghyuck’s thigh gently.
Donghyuck’s head turns to Yangyang’s voice. He does that thing where his eyes wander down the curve of Yangyang’s nose and to his lips, then they flicker back up to look him right in the eyes. It drives Yangyang crazy, not knowing if Donghyuck is secretly hinting that he wants a kiss or if he is merely staring.
Even if Donghyuck wants to though, Yangyang wouldn’t dare to kiss him right now. Not in front of his parents. Johnny and Taeyong are rather relaxed about them dating and holding hands, but the thought of being touchy and making out in front of his boyfriend’s parents makes him queasy.
“I have, back in Canada,” Donghyuck finally replies. He furrows his brows, thinking hard, “But I haven’t seen snow since I was about… six and a half? Not since I moved to Australia.”
“Wow, that’s a long time ago,” Yangyang remarks, carding his hand through Donghyuck’s hair to brush the stray strands out of his eyes.
“Oh no—actually,” Donghyuck scratches his head sheepishly. “I just remembered that we went to Japan like, four years ago over the summer school holidays. It was winter in the northern hemisphere and I got to see snow then.”
Taeyong turns in his seat to raise his eyebrows at Donghyuck. “Didn’t you see snow in Korea two years ago when we visited grandma and grandpa? After you finished high school?”
“And that time we went to visit Uncle Doyoung and Jaehyun in Canada over the summer holidays when you were in Year 8,” Johnny pipes up. “You’ve seen snow plenty of times in the past decade, how could you forget?” he teases.
Donghyuck gurgles, waving a dismissive hand, “Don’t expose me like that. I have a bad memory.”
Twenty minutes later, they arrive at Smiggin Holes. It’s barely eight thirty and the ski resort’s car park has already filled up halfway.
Taeyong reaches a hand over the gear stick to rest on Johnny’s thigh, “Drop me off at the Ticket Office. You guys can get the gear out of the car while I go pick up our ski passes.”
Johnny hums in agreement, pulling over. “Hold the rail when you’re walking. Don’t slip on the ice,” he reminds Taeyong gently.
Not long after Taeyong hops out of the car, he unlocks his door again. “Can you find out where Kun parked while I get the passes?”
Johnny snags the perfect parking spot right beside the entrance to the ski fields. Glancing around their car, Yangyang notices that Kun's car is nowhere to be seen.
“Get the ski gear out, I’m going to check on Uncle Kun,” Johnny instructs, turning off the car engine. “I’m opening the boot.”
The moment they’re left alone in the car, Donghyuck leans in and steals a kiss.
“You look so cute in a beanie,” Donghyuck sighs, tugging Yangyang’s beanie down to cover his ears.
Yangyang tilts Donghyuck’s chin, angling his head to kiss him back. He buries his hand in Donghyuck’s hair and they kiss deeply until Donghyuck pants and whines. Yangyang shifts over slightly to nose along Donghyuck’s cheek then the base of his jaw.
“Yangyang,” Donghyuck gasps.
Yangyang strokes Donghyuck’s hair and nips at the base of his jaw gently, relishing in the way Donghyuck squirms.
“Donghyuck!” Johnny bellows from outside the car. “Get out of the car!”
They spring apart instantly, alarmed by Johnny’s voice.
“Whoops, the ski gear,” Donghyuck chuckles.
At the sight of Donghyuck’s pretty flushed cheeks, Yangyang wishes for another minute of privacy so he can steal more kisses from him.
*
Yangyang prides himself in being the loud and boisterous friend of the group.
He enjoys the sight of smiles spreading slowly across his friends' faces and the sound of laughter that echoes in his head long after the joke is over. Being the centre of life in all of his friendship groups, Yangyang is used to being the person that turns heads because he talks too loudly or laughs a little too hard.
As Donghyuck's voice resounds at the base of the ski slope, he wonders if it is time that he hands his crown over to Donghyuck for being the loudest of them all.
"Yangyang!" Donghyuck calls.
Johnny, who had been giving Yangyang a crash course on riding a snowboard, pauses mid-sentence. They whip their heads towards the loud voice calling for Yangyang and sure enough, Donghyuck comes storming towards them.
Donghyuck is barely recognisable with his ski goggles fitted snugly on his face and his body bundled up in Johnny’s old ski jacket that is one size too big for him. He's carrying his skis, propping them against his shoulder—the way Yangyang had shown him earlier.
"Careful, you don't want to slip and fall," Johnny warns, raising an eyebrow at the way Donghyuck is rushing towards them.
"Yangyang!" Donghyuck shouts again, at the top of his lungs.
A middle-aged couple gearing up near them and a group of school-aged children waiting for their ski lesson all turn to stare at Donghyuck. Even from a distance, Yangyang can see that Donghyuck’s lips are pursed. The way Donghyuck is stomping his way towards suggests that Donghyuck is annoyed at being left behind. Yangyang can’t deny that he did leave Donghyuck at the Ticket Office, but it was for a fair reason.
Donghyuck was caught up at the Ticket Office because there was a problem with his ski pass. The small office had been packed with people and the lines were particularly long, so Johnny suggested that they waited outside and geared up while Donghyuck and Taeyong worked on resolving the issue with his pass.
“This will save time,” Johnny had reasoned. “That way when things are all sorted, we don’t have to spend time gearing up together. We can head right up to the slopes.”
Johnny also took advantage of this spare time to share some snowboarding tips with Yangyang. While Yangyang has a wealth of experience in skiing, this is his first time snowboarding.
"You left me behind!" Donghyuck cries out, halting to a stop beside Yangyang. He looks adorable, even with a frown on his face. “You didn’t wait for me!”
"I told you I was going outside to wait with your dad," Yangyang hums as he adjusts the bindings to strap his lead foot securely onto the snowboard. He tests it out, shuffling around a little with one foot strapped in. It doesn't feel too different from riding his skateboard. “You probably missed it when I told you because it was so noisy in there.”
The frown on Donghyuck’s face deepens as he lays his skis and ski poles on the ground. Yangyang wracks his brains for the right words to console Donghyuck. Immersed in his thoughts, Yangyang gets caught off guard when Donghyuck pelts a snowball at him.
“Hey!” Yangyang yelps as his arms fly up instinctively to protect himself. He hears a soft thud as Donghyuck throws another snowball at his side.
Johnny lets out a bark of laughter and from the corner of Yangyang’s eye, he sees Johnny’s feet shuffle out of the way. He lowers his arms just on time to see the frown on Donghyuck’s face falter and shift into a small smile.
“I thought you were actually mad for a second,” Yangyang laughs. He squats down and unstraps his foot from his snowboard so he can move freely. He gathers some snow and attempts to make a snowball.
“I was just looking for a reason to start a snowball fight,” Donghyuck replies with a grin, swinging his arm to hit Yangyang with yet another snowball.
Yangyang’s snowball doesn’t quite stay together when he launches it in Donghyuck’s direction. Instead of hitting Donghyuck, the snow disperses and rains down on him.
Donghyuck bends over to gather another handful of snow, bunching it up to form a sizable snowball. Before he has the chance to throw it at Yangyang, Taeyong appears from behind him.
"Hey, settle down,” Taeyong says, giving Donghyuck a squeeze on the shoulder. “We can throw snowballs later. Let’s not crowd outside the Ticket Office.”
“Don’t be such a party pooper, Dad,” Donghyuck retorts, rolling his eyes behind Taeyong’s back.
In a swift motion, Donghyuck swings his arms and pelts the snowball in his hand at Taeyong’s back. Johnny guffaws at this, attracting looks from a young family exiting the Ticket Office. Taeyong turns and flashes them a look of exasperation.
“You two need to watch your backs. I won’t hesitate to pelt you with a snowball,” Taeyong points a finger at them and threatens mockingly.
“Where’s Kun?” Johnny asks once his laughter is under control.
“Uncle Kun is running late. Do you two want to go up the J-Bar and test out your skis and snowboard on the small slope? We’ll wait for him to come. We can go up on the chair lifts together once Uncle Kun is here.”
"Alright, let's get you geared up," Yangyang announces, gesturing at Donghyuck's skis. "We should move closer to the ski lift. It’ll be easier that way."
Donghyuck picks up his skis again and they amble up the small slope in the direction of the ski lifts together.
*
"Do you remember what I taught you yesterday?" Yangyang asks, setting down his snowboard. Donghyuck mirrors his actions, lowering his skis to the ground.
At the ski hire shop, Yangyang had talked Donghyuck through how to lock his ski boots onto his skis. They didn't get the chance to practise, but Donghyuck had insisted that he got a general idea.
"I just fit my foot in here, right?” Donghyuck gestures vaguely to his skis. “Then my heel will push something that will lock my foot in place."
"Something like that," Yangyang nods. "Try it now."
Donghyuck's tongue pokes out of his mouth slightly as he attempts to lock one ski in place. They both hear a click but Donghyuck's foot slips out. A small noise of confusion escapes Donghyuck.
"Here," Yangyang plucks a ski pole out of Donghyuck's hand and uses the tip to push the lever behind the boot to unlock the binding. "Try again."
His second attempt is much the same, his foot slipping off the ski after the click. As Donghyuck goes for his third attempt, Yangyang realises what the problem is.
"You need to tuck the front of your boot into the front binding first. Only step down once the front is secure," Yangyang instructs.
Carefully following Yangyang’s instructions, Donghyuck finally succeeds in securing his left ski boot in place. He cheers loudly when his other foot clicks in place as well.
Yangyang tugs his face mask over his nose and conceals his smile. "Alright champion, let's head to the top of the ski slope."
Nodding his head in the direction of the queue, he urges Donghyuck to line up in front of him. He wants Donghyuck in sight so that he can make sure that he goes up the ski lift safely.
"This type of ski lift is called the J-Bar, they’re a bit different to the chair lifts," Yangyang explains. “The chair lifts will take you up a steeper slope so it’ll be good for you to try something less steep first.”
Donghyuck extends his neck to peek over the top of the head of the girl in front of him. A metal bar rounds the corner, hanging vertically from the aerial cable loop. He hums in awe as the staff situated at the station tugs on the bar, pulling it downwards by the recoiling cable that attaches the bar to the cable loop. They watch as the staff tucks the metal bar between a skier's legs, ensuring that the round disc at the base of the bar is placed behind the skier's bottom.
“So I keep that bar between my legs?” Donghyuck asks before letting out another hum of interest.
"Yeah. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it. It's not that bad," Yangyang shrugs. "Make sure you stand so that you're facing the top of the mountain. The staff will retrieve the bar and help you tuck it between your legs."
Travelling up the slope on a snowboard feels completely different to Yangyang’s previous experiences with skis. As the J-Bar tugs him upwards, Yangyang runs Johnny’s snowboarding tips through his mind, over and over, particularly the one about putting more weight on his front foot so he can steer the snowboard.
Donghyuck waits for him at the top of the slope with a cheerful wave. If Yangyang didn't know Donghyuck well, he would have been fooled by the wide grin on his face. He is all too familiar with the signs of nervousness when it comes to Donghyuck, the way he tenses his shoulders when he's feeling uneasy.
Yangyang reaches out a hand and squeezes Donghyuck's shoulder firmly. A part of him is glad that he chose to try out the snowboard on this trip. He’s so experienced and used to skiing that he has forgotten how daunting it can be for someone like Donghyuck who is trying it out for the first time. Snowboarding for the first time has helped him remember what it’s like to be a beginner again.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be great,” Yangyang reassures him. His hand darts out to pinch Donghyuck’s cheek lightly and Donghyuck punches his arm with a laugh. “You’re a natural at everything you try!”
“Oh stop it,” Donghyuck chuckles, shaking his head in disbelief.
Donghyuck may think of Yangyang’s words as mere flattery but Yangyang means it. Every word of it. Everything Donghyuck puts his mind to, he excels at it. Yangyang admires the way Donghyuck picks himself back up every time he falls and perseveres and he has no doubt that Donghyuck will be okay on the ski slope.
Donghyuck makes Yangyang recite the basic skiing tips one last time before he decides that he is ready.
"See you at the bottom of the slope!" Donghyuck calls out in Yangyang's general direction, then off he goes, skiing down the slope with incredible skill for a beginner.
Unlike Donghyuck, five seconds down the slope, Yangyang's body tips the wrong way. To protect his wrists, he resists the urge to stick his arms out to break his fall and ends up face planting in the snow.
By the time Yangyang gets to the base of the slope, Yangyang's more confident in his snowboarding abilities. He scans the area, searching. Donghyuck isn’t hard to spot at all. He's clad in a bright red jacket with purple pants, making him stand out from the sea of dark coloured ski jackets and pants.
It’s not long before he finds Donghyuck. The only thing is, Donghyuck is not quite at the bottom of the slope. He's lying in the snow with his legs tangled by the awkward positioning of his skis.
Yangyang peers down at Donghyuck, grinning as Donghyuck lets out a pitiful whine.
“Need a hand?”
Donghyuck shakes his head and pushes himself upright.
"I fell twice on my way down,” Donghyuck whines as he detaches his boots from his skis. Grumbling under his breath, he nudges them aside. “There were these little kids skiing around here and I couldn’t stop in time so I made myself fall over to avoid running into them.”
“First time down the slope is always the hardest,” Yangyang chuckles. As he helps Donghyuck to his feet, he pats down Donghyuck’s backside to remove the snow clumping at odd places.
“Don’t laugh!” Donghyuck punches Yangyang's side with a gloved fist.
Yangyang thrusts an arm out to stop Donghyuck from swinging his fist a second time. "I'm only laughing because you're cute. I'm not laughing at you!"
Donghyuck butts his helmet against Yangyang's. It doesn't hurt Yangyang's head at all but it's enough force to cause him to lose his balance, pulling Donghyuck down with him as he falls. Unfortunately, the snow is not as soft and fluffy as it looks and it does little to cushion his fall.
Yangyang yelps in pain as he lands on his side. He’s definitely going to wake up with bruises on the right side of his body tomorrow morning.
Donghyuck cackles and showers Yangyang with a handful of snow as he attempts to sit up. Yangyang curls away from Donghyuck and prepares a snowball under the pretense of shielding his face from Donghyuck’s attack. The loud screech Donghyuck lets out when Yangyang surprises him with the snowball is absolutely satisfying to hear. Music to his ears.
Their little snowball fight is interrupted when Donghyuck’s parents wander over to check up on them. Johnny helps Donghyuck up first. Taeyong fusses over him as Johnny offers a hand to pull Yangyang to his feet.
Donghyuck waves him off. “I’m fine dad, you don’t need to worry about me.”
“I am just checking, okay?” Taeyong replies defensively. “I just want to be sure you’re okay. Remember, the moment you feel a little breathless, pull over for a break.”
Yangyang swallows hard. They were having so much fun that it completely slipped Yangyang’s mind that he had to keep a close eye on Donghyuck in case he had an asthma attack.
Taeyong rests his hands on Donghyuck’s shoulders so that Donghyuck is forced to look at him as he talks. “If it doesn’t get better—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. You don’t need to remind me again,” Donghyuck snaps, shrugging Taeyong’s hands off. “I know I need to ask for medical help. I think I’ve had enough asthma attacks to know what signs to look out for so you don’t need to worry.”
Taeyong’s mouth parts to make a comment, but he appears to change his mind at the last minute. He clamps his mouth shut and purses his lips.
“We met up with Uncle Kun just now. He went back to his car to get something,” Johnny explains after a long pause.
“Okay. I’m going up the slope one more time,” Donghyuck replies tersely. “Come on Yangyang.”
If Donghyuck’s parents want him to stay by their side and wait for Kun, they don’t get the chance to say it. Donghyuck hoists his skis up to his shoulder hastily and marches off in the direction of the queue for the J-Bar. Yangyang excuses himself and rushes after Donghyuck. When his parents are out of earshot, Donghyuck turns to Yangyang.
“I hate it when he nags like that in public. It really gets on my nerves,” Donghyuck vents. “I’m not ten anymore, but he continues to fuss over me. It’s not like I don’t know how to take care of myself!”
Yangyang hums sympathetically. “I understand what you mean. It gets a little annoying when our parents repeat things to us several times. My mum does it too, you know?” He claps his hands together to dislodge the small clumps of snow stuck to his gloves. “But I think the older I get, the more I realise that it’s our parents’ way of showing that they care a lot about us and that they’re worried about our safety and wellbeing.”
Donghyuck pauses in his steps and lowers his skis to the ground. His lips are pinched together, forming a slight pout, as if he is accusing Yangyang of taking Taeyong’s side.
“I’m not taking sides. I’m just saying that they mean well most of the time,” Yangyang clarifies with both his hands up in the air. “They don’t always communicate their concern in the best way though,” he adds as he reaches out to pinch Donghyuck’s cheek.
Wrinkling his nose, Donghyuck mumbles, “Fine, you made a good point.”
“Oh Donghyuck, sometimes I worry about you as well,” Yangyang sighs.
He shifts his hand to stroke Donghyuck’s cheek instead, noting how hard it is to move his thumb with his ski gloves on. Donghyuck nudges his cheek into Yangyang’s hand. They stay like that for a moment, revelling in each other’s presence.
“Don’t be, I can take care of myself,” Donghyuck’s voice softens. Donghyuck shifts first, suggesting that they head down the slope again. “Let’s ski again? Or snowboard for you, since you’re too good for skiing now.”
“Hey, I never said I’m too good for skiing! I just wanted to try something different,” Yangyang grins. “Besides, if we skied together, I’d totally leave your slow ass behind.”
*
Mid-way up the slope on the J-Bar, Donghyuck veers off the path during an attempt to dodge a stray ski pole sticking out of the snow. He loses his grip on the J-Bar and falls into a heap with a yelp. Yangyang releases the J-Bar between his legs to help him.
As Yangyang scoots off the path, the ski instructor on the J-Bar behind him shouts at him. "Don't do that in the future, that's really dangerous."
Yangyang raises his hand apologetically, "Sorry!"
The instructor flashes him a scowl but doesn't say anything else as the J-Bar tugs him further up the slope. Yangyang ducks his head to avoid making eye contact again. He bends over and unstraps one foot from his snowboard to navigate freely.
"You didn't have to get off the J-Bar to help me," Donghyuck frowns when Yangyang scoots to his side. He accepts the hand that Yangyang offers him and tugs hard to get back on his feet.
"I can't just leave you here by yourself," Yangyang reasons, gently pushing Donghyuck's back to urge him to shift further away from the path that other skiers and snowboarders are using to travel up the slope on the J-Bar.
He helps Donghyuck to retrieve one of his skis from where it is lodged in a fresh pile of snow right beside the spot where Donghyuck had fallen off the J-Bar. Yangyang watches in mild amusement as Donghyuck removes his other ski, grumbling under his breath.
Donghyuck hikes both his skis over his shoulder and huffs, "Let's go."
Without waiting for Yangyang, Donghyuck proceeds to stomp his way down the slope. They belatedly realise that they have ventured into the toboggan zone when a group of young people zip by on their toboggans, cheering loudly.
"If I had known skiing would be this hard, I'd have just gone with the toboggans," Donghyuck whines. "But all of you made it sound so fun!"
"It is fun," Yangyang muses, "you're doing well for a beginner, don't worry."
As they leave the toboggan zone, they spot Donghyuck’s parents in the distance, still conversing in the same spot that they had left them.
“Uncle Kun's not here yet. Quick, let’s go down the slope one more time,” Donghyuck says, his eyes darting between his parents and the ski slope.
Donghyuck hikes his skis higher with one hand and wraps his free hand around Yangyang’s wrist. He tugs Yangyang in the direction of the slopes hastily.
This time, they manage to make it to the top of the slope without any accidents. Having gone down the slope once, Donghyuck appears to be more confident skiing down a second time. Yangyang snowboards behind Donghyuck to keep a close eye on him. He feels his chest swell with pride as he watches Donghyuck glide down the slope comfortably.
When he arrives at the bottom of the slope, someone approaches him and asks him, “How did you go?”
It takes him a moment to recognise Kun with his ski gear on.
“Oh!” Yangyang removes his goggles and greets Kun with a wide smile. “Long time no see!”
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Kun smiles back at him. “How are you finding the snowboard?”
Yangyang tugs down his mask to speak clearly, "It’s good! I fell once, but I feel like I am getting a hang of snowboarding already." He bends over to unbuckle the straps binding his right foot to the snowboard.
"That's impressive," Kun smiles back at him. "I watched you snowboard down the last third of the slope from here. I would not have been able to tell that you were a beginner if Johnny hadn’t mentioned that it was your first time snowboarding.”
As Yangyang explains his past experience with skiing to Kun, he glances around the area to find Donghyuck again. He vaguely thinks about how the time he spent watching videos on snowboarding paid off when Kun praises him for his natural talent again. The conversation about snowboarding ends when Donghyuck rushes in their direction, abandoning his conversation with his parents and his skis to greet Kun warmly.
“Uncle Kun!” Donghyuck chirps brightly.
Yangyang’s chest warms at the sight of Donghyuck wrapping his arms around Kun tightly. Having dated Donghyuck for a year, Yangyang has become accustomed to Donghyuck’s ways of loving and treating those around him like family. To Donghyuck, family extends beyond blood. His parents’ best friends are no exception. Yangyang recently met Doyoung and Jaehyun, Donghyuck’s uncles from Canada who visited for a two-week holiday just last month. It was lovely gaining insight into the important people in Donghyuck’s life, particularly two people who have known Donghyuck since birth.
Donghyuck speaks highly of Kun and Yangyang knows that he is ecstatic that his Uncle Kun can join them on this holiday. Yangyang looks forward to spending some time with Kun on this trip to get to know more about this important person in Donghyuck’s life.
*
Johnny insists on warming up before skiing down a more challenging slope so all five of them travel up the J-Bar twice. After two successful trips down the slope, they re-group and Kun suggests that they try something different.
“Does everyone feel comfortable and warmed up? Why don’t we head to the chairs?” Kun gestures towards the chair lifts in the distance.
As their last two runs down the slope went smoothly, Yangyang feels more comfortable with the snowboard. Donghyuck appears to resonate this thought, having grown familiar with his skis. He nods his head enthusiastically to Kun's suggestion, completely missing the way Taeyong’s lips curve into a small frown.
“Donghyuck,” Yangyang pipes up, his eyes flickering towards Taeyong’s face to monitor his expression. “The chair lifts will take you up to a steeper slope. Do you think you’re ready?”
While Donghyuck has demonstrated improvements in his skiing ability, the chair lift will transport them higher up the mountain and from Yangyang’s experience, the slopes are often much steeper and challenging.
“I’ve got to try it sometime,” Donghyuck shrugs, “I’ll just learn as I go.”
Yangyang isn’t the only one who notices the look on Taeyong’s face. Johnny shuffles closer to Donghyuck and loops an arm around his shoulder.
“Are you sure?” Johnny asks.
Donghyuck beams up at him. “Positive.”
Together, they head towards the chair lifts to challenge the steeper slope. There’s a crowd of people at the base of the ski lift, lining up for their turn. The number of people on the ski field had drastically increased over the past half an hour.
As Johnny, Taeyong, and Kun join the queue, a group of young people wedge their way into the line, separating them from Donghyuck and Yangyang. Although Donghyuck doesn’t appear to be bothered by this, Yangyang notices how he turns his head towards his parents to keep an eye on them every now and then.
In the distance, another group of four people disembark on the chair lift, but the line remains stagnant. Yangyang considers returning to the slope with the J-Bar with Donghyuck, where the queue is shorter and the slope is less crowded. He voices this thought aloud to Donghyuck as they shuffle a few inches forward in the line.
“We’re here already, we might as well stay and wait a little longer,” Donghyuck suggests. “If it’s still busy after we get down from the top of the slope, we’ll go back to the slope with the J-Bar.”
Yangyang nibbles his bottom lip and considers Donghyuck’s suggestion.
Sensing his hesitation, Donghyuck adds, “The line feels like it’s crawling, but we actually haven’t waited here for too long. See, it’s going to be our turn soon.”
“Alright,” Yangyang agrees eventually. He wants Donghyuck to have an enjoyable time so if he doesn’t mind staying and waiting, Yangyang is happy to stay with him.
They watch as an empty chair lift approaches and Johnny, Taeyong, and Kun board it safely with one of the young people in the group next to them.
“That looks so fun. I’ve always wanted to try one of these lifts,” Donghyuck muses.
“We’ll meet you at the top!” Johnny calls in their direction as their chair elevates and begins travelling up the mountain.
In no time, Donghyuck’s parents and Kun disappear in the distance, fading into a black speck amidst the white snow coating the face of the mountain.
Yangyang reaches out a hand to squeeze Donghyuck’s. “Ready?”
Donghyuck nods and squeezes his hand back. The two young boys who share a chair lift with them squeal in excitement as the lift departs. Yangyang watches them, amused by the way the young boys scan the view around them, marvelling at the sight. He scans the surroundings and soaks in the view himself. The morning sunlight reflects right off the expanse of white landscape stretched beneath his feet, giving the snow-covered ground a mystical appearance.
“Look at that person down there. Wow, they’re so good,” Yangyang says to Donghyuck as he tracks the movement of a snowboarder on the ground below, zipping down the ski slope with precision and grace.
Donghyuck doesn’t reply, though his eyes are trained on the ground, roughly in the direction that Yangyang is looking at. Eventually, the snowboarder disappears from view, travelling down the slope in the opposite direction to Yangyang and Donghyuck’s chair lift. As the lift travels higher up the zipline, the view below them changes. Patches of trees appear along the edges of the ski slope. Their branches are dusted with snow, like someone had sprinkled icing sugar over them with a sieve.
“Isn’t the view beautiful?” Yangyang asks, feeling a comfortable warmth spread across his chest despite the harsh, cold wind at this altitude.
When Donghyuck remains silent, Yangyang turns to him and repeats his question. There is no indication as to whether or not Donghyuck heard him—Donghyuck’s eyes are squeezed shut and his hands are gripped tightly around the safety bars of the chair lift.
“Hey, Donghyuck” Yangyang murmurs, leaning closer to Donghyuck.
His first instinct is to ask Donghyuck if he is alright, but Yangyang knows he’s not feeling well. It seems unnecessary to ask when he knows the answer already. So instead, he places his hand securely over Donghyuck’s.
“How are you feeling?” he asks.
“Scared,” Donghyuck admits with a shuddering breath. His eyes remain shut.
The last time Donghyuck had been this frightened, he had asked Yangyang to help him sift through the thoughts and feelings in his head. He hasn’t asked for Yangyang’s help this time, but Yangyang offers it anyway—just in case Donghyuck wants to talk about it.
“Do you want to talk through your thoughts? I’m here to listen.”
Donghyuck hesitates and Yangyang wonders if it is because they are accompanied by two strangers on the chair lift. He observes the expression on Donghyuck’s face carefully as he squeezes his hand, noting the way Donghyuck’s brows furrow. After a moment, Donghyuck’s eyes crack open.
“The wind keeps blowing the chair,” Donghyuck says eventually in a low voice. His eyes are locked on Yangyang’s. “I can’t stand it… We’re so high up and—urgh, I can’t look down.”
At Donghyuck’s words, Yangyang belatedly realises just how hard the wind is blowing today. The feeling of the chair lift rising and rocking with the wind is so familiar to him he didn’t even register it.
“Focus on the feeling on my hand,” Yangyang suggests, squeezing the backs of Donghyuck’s hands again. “You don’t have to look down or around us. Just look at me.”
Donghyuck nods slowly. His eyes remain trained on Yangyang’s for a good few minutes before he croaks, “I think I’ll stick with the J-Bar when we get to the bottom of this slope.”
“We can stick with the J-Bar,” Yangyang agrees.
He glances out of the corner of his eye to see how much further there is left to go. In the brief moment he looks away, Donghyuck releases one hand from the safety bar and clamps onto his hand tightly.
“Hey, hey,” Yangyang murmurs, squeezing Donghyuck’s hand reassuringly. He meets Donghyuck’s eyes again and says, “I’m still here. We’re almost at the top, just a few more seconds, okay?”
The prospect of getting off the chair lift summons courage in Donghyuck—he manages to look away from Yangyang and loosen his grip on his hand to prepare himself to slide off the chair.
They arrive at the top of the slope safely and Donghyuck’s shoulders visibly drop in relief. Yangyang clamps one hand over one of Donghyuck’s shoulders and squeezes gently, feeling a tight knot even through his gloves and the thick ski jacket Donghyuck is wearing.
“You feeling okay?” Yangyang asks.
Donghyuck flashes him a small smile and nods.
*
Yangyang checks that both his feet are strapped securely to his snowboard. He inhales deeply as he surveys the slope ahead of him. It’s significantly steeper than the one at the J-Bar; the start of this slope feels like a sharp drop downwards in comparison to the other slope. The prospect of falling over several times on his way down the mountain leaves his stomach lurching uncomfortably. The slope appears impossible to conquer, though he tries to remind himself that he won’t know for sure until he tries it out.
Donghyuck departs first and for the first third of the slope, he manages quite well. He skis down the slope by himself, only falling once when he attempts to dodge a young child on a snowboard. Unlike Donghyuck, Yangyang falls on his bottom a number of times. Yangyang catches up with him eventually and right as he begins to think that Donghyuck has mastered skiing, Donghyuck loses control and zips past him screaming.
“Donghyuck!” Yangyang calls after him, angling his snowboard and shifting his weight so that he can skid down the slope faster.
His stomach twists as he watches Donghyuck head right for one of the trees along the edge of the ski slope. In his haste to catch up with Donghyuck, he nearly runs into a skier travelling down the mountain slowly. He stops just in time by forcing himself to land on his bottom. He loses sight of Donghyuck, but he doesn’t miss the loud thump and the sharp cry of pain that follows right after.
Even though Yangyang’s rear end is extremely sore from falling so many times, he manages to summon energy to get back on his feet. He inches down the slope towards the spot where Donghyuck had landed in a heap—fortunately, a good distance away from the closest tree trunk.
Donghyuck wraps a hand around his right ankle and hisses loudly at the sensation.
“Shit, it hurts,” he groans, withdrawing his hand.
Yangyang hastily unstraps both of his feet from his snowboard, abandoning it to rush to Donghyuck’s side. “Is it broken?” he asks, kneeling down beside him.
Donghyuck shakes his head. “I don’t think it’s broken. I broke my arm when I was thirteen and that hurt a lot more,” Donghyuck replies. He frowns at his ankle. “I probably just sprained it. Still hurts though.”
Yangyang nods, trying his best to focus on every word Donghyuck is saying so that he can shut out the numerous negative thoughts speeding through his mind. He helps Donghyuck to detach his skis from his ski boots.
“Should I find a medic?” Yangyang glances around in hopes of spotting a medic on duty.
The medics on duty are dressed in bright red jackets, not unlike the one Donghyuck is wearing, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find someone to help them.
Donghyuck presses both palms against the ground. “It’s alright, let’s just rest for a bit.” The snow sinks beneath his palms as he leans back. Donghyuck lifts a hand momentarily to pat the spot beside him. “Sit.”
Yangyang nods. Luckily, the spot where Donghyuck had fallen over is a fair distance away from the main traffic of skiers and snowboarders. Yangyang clambers to his feet to retrieve Donghyuck’s skis. He lays them beside his snowboard and joins Donghyuck. They sit side-by-side on the slope with their backs facing the top of the mountain.
Now that Donghyuck is back on the ground and not hovering in the sky on the chair lift, he finally has the chance to appreciate the beautiful view around them. Yangyang removes his helmet so that he can rest his head against Donghyuck’s shoulder. Donghyuck does the same and they sit there on the slope with their helmets in their laps, watching people ski and snowboard past them as they admire the scenery together.
Donghyuck apologises several times for taking time out of their trip and even attempts to encourage Yangyang to leave him on the slope so that he can make the most of his day on the snowboard. Yangyang finally puts his foot down when Donghyuck apologises for ruining their trip.
“Hey, you didn’t ruin anything, okay? I came on this trip because I wanted to spend more time with you and your family,” Yangyang says, reaching a hand out to squeeze Donghyuck’s arm.
This does little to alleviate the look of guilt on Donghyuck’s face. Donghyuck averts his gaze to stare intently at a clump of snow by his feet.
“But you could be using this time to snowboard…”
Yangyang shrugs. “Doesn’t matter. I can come back to the snow every year if I want to practise snowboarding.” His hand shifts to Donghyuck’s chin to tilt his head upwards. “Hey, look at me,” Yangyang whispers.
It takes a few seconds for Donghyuck to find the courage to meet Yangyang’s eyes. He shudders when Yangyang cups his cheek.
“Donghyuck, today is about spending time with you. I don’t need to spend every minute here snowboarding to do that. I just want you to feel comfortable, okay?”
At these words, Donghyuck’s face falls and he begins to tear up. Yangyang tries his best to wipe them away with his gloved hands. Donghyuck pries his hands away and scoots closer to bury his face in the crook of Yangyang’s neck.
*
A medic on patrol catches sight of them and helps Donghyuck to get down the rest of the slope safely. Yangyang follows them down the slope on his snowboard and all the way to the clinic located at a nearby lodge.
Donghyuck’s ankle is slightly swollen when the doctor removes his ski boot to examine it, though she reassures them that with some rest and ice, Donghyuck will be okay. Once Donghyuck is transferred to the rest area in the clinic, Yangyang leaves his side briefly to buy hot drinks for them from the cafe next door.
“Did you see the text Uncle Kun sent? They want us to meet them at The Loft for lunch now,” Yangyang asks when he returns with two large cups of hot chocolate.
He passes one of the cups to Donghyuck who accepts it gratefully. Donghyuck takes a careful sip before replying.
“Yeah, I just texted him back to let them know that we’re at the clinic,” Donghyuck says, glancing at the doorway of the rest area, as if expecting his family to burst through the door at any moment. “My parents will probably freak out when they hear about it, but I did make sure to emphasise that it was a minor sprain so they don’t think it’s because I had an asthma attack.”
From where they are seated by a large window, they spot two small children rolling two sizable balls of snow. They sip their hot chocolate in silence and watch on as the children stack one ball on top of the other with the help of an adult. They find small sticks for the snowman’s arms and the accompanying adult pulls out a small carrot from his pocket for the snowman’s nose. Yangyang can almost hear the squeals of delight from the bright looks of excitement on the children’s faces as the adult gently pushes a carrot onto the face of the snowman.
“I think I’ve had enough of skiing for this year,” Donghyuck grimaces. “My wrists are sore from all the falls I had coming down the slope.” He winces when Yangyang reaches out to massage his right wrist, pressing down with his thumb.
“We’re matching,” Yangyang grins into his hot chocolate. “My butt is sore from falling.”
“I’ll just have to kiss your ass better when we get back to the house.”
Yangyang shushes him, glancing around cautiously. Even though there’s no one around, he hisses, “Don’t say stuff like that so loudly!”
Rolling his eyes, Donghyuck reaches a hand out and curls it around the back of Yangyang’s neck. “Does it matter if anyone overhears?”
“Yes because it will kill the remaining sliver of dignity I have left,” Yangyang sniffs. He sets down his hot chocolate on the small coffee table beside them.
“You’re so silly,” Donghyuck grins, tugging Yangyang closer to kiss him. He pulls away briefly to whisper against Yangyang’s lips, “I love you.”
Yangyang doesn’t get the chance to say it back—Donghyuck doesn’t give it to him. He cups Yangyang’s face with both hands and kisses him slowly, like he’s savouring every kiss their share.
With Donghyuck’s lips against his, Yangyang instantly forgets about their unfinished hot chocolate and the winter wonderland outside.