The week after their river outing, the mountains are hit with another cold front.

Due to the altitude, even the rushing mountain rivers start to freeze in the sub-zero temperatures. "This isn't normal," Hongjoong had said, "with the Arctic the way it is... you can easily tell how the earth's patterns are in chaos." Jongho had never thought about it that way. Anyway, that was the last he saw of Hongjoong before the corpus and Seonghwa bunkered down higher in the mountains.

Thankfully, Jongho has learned just in time how to properly keep his fire stoked, keeping his hanok at least a little warm. Since it's just a small hanok, a single- but large- room, it only takes one stove to heat.

The curtains in Jongho's home are pulled shut to keep the freeze from seeping past his glass windows. But, alone in his hanok, Jongho is bored. With all these new experiences and feelings, he had forgotten how boredom feels. Restless, but also, in a way, calm. Because, again, he can appreciate the fact that his mind is only his own thoughts, that there's no sound invading his mind. Jongho smiles, because he can feel his mind strengthening.

He misses the sunlight, however, so Jongho wraps a blanket around himself and trudges to the nearest window, pulling back the curtains. It's been a few days now, but whenever he looks out over the valley, Jongho is in awe.

Nature is just like that.

The snow has formed a thin ice cap which makes it sparkle even more under the sun. Without a cloud in the sky, the glittering white is marvelous. Jongho has heard it retold over and over- yet never had the pleasure of seeing it himself- how the snow forms a blanket over everything. Wholly pure and recklessly inviting.

Jongho cannot find a single movement outside the window; no wind in the trees, no children playing, no deer venturing a little too close.

Until crunching footsteps nearby catch his attention. His heart spikes in welcome as Yunho approaches his door. He doesn't bother knocking. "Jongho-ya?" he calls out, shaking the snow from his boots.

Jongho grabs a spare blanket from his bed before running up to wrap it around Yunho's shoulders. "Ya, let me get my coat off first!" Yunho laughs, "here, take this." So Jongho receives the glass container in his own hands. "Did your dad make too much again?" He knowingly uses finger quotes.

"Of course. You hungry?" Yunho looks up after removing his outer layers and pulling the blanket tight. "It's still warm."

That it is. Jongho's heart- ah wait- the food is certainly warm. "Let's eat on your bed. I want more blankets," Yunho suggests already making his way over.

Jongho cringes. "Yunho, that's gross."

"But Little Bear," Yunho turns around with a pout and Jongho rolls his eyes, "I'm cold."

"Aish," Jongho grumbles, but his little blush doesn't go unnoticed by the older. "Fine." So they settle into the bed. Yunho opens his blanket and Jongho snuggles in.

"Are you able to keep up the fire?" Yunho asks once they're wrapped up. "Are you warm enough?"

"Yeah, I've got it down." The younger assures.

"Your faucets are still dripping, right?" Yunho checks again, now with a full mouth.

Jongho cringes again but holds in his commentary. "Mhmm. It's annoying though, the dripping sound." Jongho twirls as many noddles as possible onto his chopsticks before stuffing his cheeks.

"Not as annoying as frozen pipes, trust me." Yunho casually moves a slice of lamb from his side of the container to Jongho's. Then another for good measure. "Yubin and Byulyi will have their work cut out for them as it is." The pipes are metal, so after an ignis or fluvis is able to melt the ice, an aes must repair the damage caused by water expansion.

"It's times like these I kinda miss my heater and plastic plumbing." Jongho muses.

Yunho chuckles. "But you prefer it here, right?" he questions, and Jongho nods his head. "Just because something is better doesn't mean it is easier."

— • —

It's evening. Early evening, actually, but in the winter season, sunset is quite early.

Jongho lights a few lamps thanks to the electric flow traveling through surrounding graphite lines.

Sitting on his low couch, Jongho's boredom returns. This time a little melancholy.

Because... in the quiet... he misses Wooyoung's incessant laugh. Even though, as they grew, the laugh became less and less, he still remembers it: still misses it. His little siblings too, Kyungmin and Eunmin, he wonders if they've forgotten about him. Surely not? He wonders if they still laugh wholeheartedly.

Even- though Jongho will not admit it- he perhaps misses Eomma.

Eomma who he fought with at least once a week. Well, the weeks she was home at least. But still, she gave good hugs.

Gave. Past tense. Jongho sighs.

He should probably sleep. But it's too early.

He would ask Seonghwa to make him some tea- because the tea is always better when Seonghwa makes it- but he's not about to hike up a snow covered mountain in the freezing dark for a few ounces of flavored water.

There's a saying Jongho heard as a young teen: never trust your thoughts after dark.

And perhaps he should pay heed, because right now his thoughts are a complicated soup of wanderlust and listlessness. He doesn't know where this came from, but it's as annoying as it is miserable. For the first time in a long time, Jongho cries himself to sleep.

— • —

As the late morning sun greets Jongho, his mind is okay again. He brushed off the previous night as a simple bad dream. Wrapping himself in layers of cotton and wool, Jongho pulls himself out of bed to re-stoke the coals in his oven and set on a kettle to boil.

He chuckles softly at the sight. A kettle on the stove. A fire he keeps himself. Who could've imagined? A peaceful morning alone, hidden away in the valleys and mountains of snow. Jongho feels something wet slide down his cheek. Pride and gratitude and a longing hope for the future all in a single tear. He sniffles and wipes his eyes with the corner of his blanket.

He checks his faucets: still dripping through the night. Good. After washing his face with unfortunately rather freezing cold water, Jongho is feeling very much awake. Tea is still nice, though. Back in his kitchenette, the kettle whistles and Jongho pulls down a large jar of an herbal concoction Seonghwa gifted him; lemongrass and honey crystals and a pinch of cayenne.

Once the whistling stops, Jongho can hear the sounds drift in from outside his windows. Less quiet out than yesterday, though certainly just as cold. The crunching and screeching comes closer as a gaggle of wild children weave their way through the hanoks. Sipping his tea, Jongho can't tell if he's impressed or concerned at their disregard to the weather.

And he loves it.

Until Jiwoo's eyes lock with his through the window.

Jongho's eyes widen and he crouches down with a swear under his breath. He spills some tea over his hands and bites his tongue... waiting...

Because, as much as children are kind of worming their way into Jongho's heart, he is not prepared for a boisterous bunch right after waking.

Just when he thinks he's in the clear, there's a knock on his door. "Oppa! Good morning!"

For a moment, Jongho seriously debates just ignoring her. But... Jongho has, without realizing, adopted Mingi's little siblings as his own. Or, perhaps they adopted him. Either way, Jongho wipes the tea from his hands- again using that poor blanket- and opens the door.

The sight which greets him instantly melts his heart. Jiwoo with her entire face red from the chill bit eyes sparkling as the snow. Jongho wonders how he could've considered leaving her out in the- Jongho's mind flashes to Woohyeon. To Woohyeon on the night he left. Jongho clears his throat- leaving her out in the cold.

"Hyung?" Jiyoung stands next to his twin sister now. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," he laughs. And really, he is. It's just strange: to miss the old dearly and yet love the new with all your heart.

"Do you wanna play in the snow with us?" Hyunjin, the small ignis from the waterfall, asks.

For a moment, Jongho's face falls; he's always felt guilty saying no. Because, in the past, Jongho felt like he had to, that it was so hard to move through life as it is, that any additional task would be the final straw. "You don't have to," Jiwoo pipes up, "but we wanted to invite you!"

Jongho feels his lungs release. This isn't a task, he says to himself, it's an opportunity. But still, he is emotionally drained from last night. And Jongho can now recognize this. He has the ability to identify his fatigue, his mood, and pinpoint its beginning. Even though he cannot find this specific trigger, this is still a wonderful improvement.

"I'd rather stay where it's warm for now," Jongho informs the children. They take this in stride and, before running off with the rest, Jiwoo promises to return after lunch with a surprise. A surprise from the twins, Jongho has found, could be anything from a rather uncomfortable mud facial to a sparkling lost diamond they picked up along the beach.

— • —

As promised, Jiwoo and Jiyoung return in the late afternoon carrying a basket. A basket which Jongho eyes with full suspicion.

"Do you have cookies?" The girl asks after toeing off her boots. "Ji," her brother elbows her, scolding. "I'll ask for you too, don't worry," she whispers back. Jongho goes along with it, pretending not to hear.

"Uh, no. I don't have any cookies. I have," he opens his small yet overstocked pantry, "I have hwangnam?"

"Do you have honey?"

"Are you supposed to put honey on hwangnam?" Jongho raises a brow.

"I don't know, but it's yummy, so I say yes."

Jongho guesses that's as good an argument as any, so he plates the entire container of hwangnam bread along with a jar of honey. Is this the best idea? Probably not. But the way Jiyoung and Jiwoo's eyes light up... Jongho says it's worth it. Tummy aches are temporary, bribing children into liking you is forever.

"So what did you bring for me?" Jongho asks as he watches the youngers stuff their faces. Jongho is pleased to see that these twins are apparently raised better than Yunho because they do not talk with a full mouth.

"Jiyoungie made it!" Jiwoo opens the basket, pulling out a small clay vase with a corked top. "And I made the jar!"

Jiwoo hands the pottery off to her brother to explain. "Inside is olive oil rose water. Here," he pulls the cork, "it smells nice." Jongho sniffs the top and, indeed, the aroma is welcoming, especially in the long winter.

"Do... do you want to try it on?" Jiyoung asks, hesitant.

Jongho's eyebrows scrunch. "Try it on?"

"Yeah!" The younger says. "Do you know what perfume is? It's like that!"

Ah. Jongho must hold back his laughter at the question, though. "So do I put it on my wrists?"

"Jiwoo-ya and I like to put it in our hair since it stays longer," the boy suggests.

"You said olive oil and rose water, right? So I need to shake it first?" If there's one thing Jongho remembers from his few exploits in the kitchen, it's that water and oil simply don't mix

"Oh don't worry!"

Jongho raises at Jiyoung's statement.

"I don't remember how it works..." the younger trails off, "but Eomma taught me how to foo- - fru-"

"Fuse," Jiwoo pipes up.

"Oh yeah. Fuse them!"

Jongho blinks.

But then simply shrugs his shoulders. Well, you learn something new each day, I guess. Splashing some of the mixed oils and water into his palms, Jongho runs the sent through his strands. He giggles up on seeing how happy the twins are at the use of their hard work.

"Thank you for the sweets, Jongho oppa!" Jiwoo stands to collets her winter gear from being strewn around the hanok. "Eomma is gonna teach Mingi to cook again and we want to watch," she says with an excited cackle.

"Oh, Hyung." Jiyoung, after buttoning his coat, pulls an envelope from his pocket. "This is from Yunho Hyung. He says to open it."

Jongho takes the paper in his hands. Flipping it, Jongho runs his fingers over the wax seal. Embedded into the wax are the letters 호. Jongho smiles; their shared name. From: 윤호 to: 종호.

"Thank-" but as Jongho looks up, he sees the kids gone, already running off, tackling each other into the snow banks. This seems to happen rather often, Jongho getting lost in his thoughts. Well, if the thoughts are of Yunho, at least.

Wrapping a blanket around himself and moving to his desk, Jongho takes a table knife and carefully pops open the seal. He pulls out a beautiful cream paper; it's folded with a lopsided crease. Jongho smiles. Opening the letter, a pressed forget-me-not falls onto his desk. He looks at the message, simple and short.

Meet me in the library tonight, just
after sunset. Dress warm and
bring the hwangnam bread!

- Yunho

Jongho eyes the last of the crumbs left on his kitchen table. Well, there already is a slight flaw in this plan, Jongho thinks. But still, his curiosity is spiked. Jongho smiles; oh how he missed being curious.

It's late already, the sun beginning to set, but still a little while until it's fully dark. Jongho stokes his fire, checks the faucets, then sits to wait patiently for darkness to fall.

°

1-24-24 2.3k words

A/N: What chapter length do you guys prefer?