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Universities always had traditions and traditions were hard to break. Pledis U and its own snowball fights are no exception. Every year, during the weekend after the first snow, students from all the departments of the College of Arts would gather in the large oval in the middle of the university and engage in a friendly competition of flinging balls of frozen water in each other's faces.
It is a way to relieve stress from the days the artists were cooped up in their studios, wasting away in the darkness while making sure the world would see the color of their souls afterwards. The snowball fights always worked.
Somehow the tradition evolved into something of a meeting of students from the different colleges, where they could size up their differences and challenge each other into something that wasn't their specialty. At the end of the day, they meet friends and gain contacts.
Artists should know that they need each other to survive the world beyond the university.
Soonyoung is early.
He always is every year. But this year is his last year and he's spending the first light of the weekend with Seokmin, the music major he met in the snowball fight a few years back. They decided they could make snowmen and forts both their respective colleges could use later in the game, or just enjoy the snow before the fight.
Soonyoung loves the tradition. But that's only because he's good during the chaos, being a dance major with good hand eye coordination. Other than stress relief, he hasn't really fully experienced the true purpose of snowball fights. He hasn't made many friends in the years even though he's sure he's played with all the other arts colleges. (He had to remember never to go easy on those from Theatre. They are always insanely competitive.)
In his last year, he's hoping to at least get someone to collab with from other departments. Maybe get a painter to design him a mural or a backdrop for his yearend performance? Or a theatre artist to join him onstage. Or better yet, a music major. Whose songs he can dance to.
Somewhere in between building and destroying snowmen and watching more people crowd the oval, Soonyoung finds himself chasing Seokmin halfway around the oval, a stack of snowballs in his hand while trying to dodge all the others the music major is throwing at him.
Seokmin is fast and athletic, Soonyoung learned from years of playing with him and the only way to get a hit is to make sure you're close enough and...
Soonyoung stops in horror as he watches his snowball sail to where Seokmin was one second ago to the face of a smaller boy who appeared as if from thin air. Seokmin, Soonyoung finds him on the ground, is dropped and huddled around the snow. The crowd around the boy heaves a collective gasp as if already fearing the consequences of Soonyoung's mistake.
Maybe even fearing for Soonyoung's life.
And as the boy shakes the snow off his face, Soonyoung finds out why.
Lee Jihoon. Pledis U's Ice Prince. Known to have a frozen heart, and breaks all other ones like they were made of icicles.
In short. Pledis U's resident heartbreaker.
Which is ironic for someone also as famous for his love songs.
Seokmin crawls over to reach Jihoon, maybe to ask for forgiveness for him or in behalf of Soonyoung, music major to music major, Soonyoung isn't sure and he doesn't get to find out because Jihoon walks until he's right in front of Soonyoung.
Soonyoung hears voices behind him, and he doesn't have to turn to know that his fellow dance majors are around him, as if to support him and back him up. He catches himself from releasing a breath. It's too early to vouch for victory or even relief.
Soonyoung isn't sure what he's expecting Lee Jihoon is going to do. He's always portrayed as ruthless, even violent, by the rumors circulating around the university. Would Jihoon punch him? Kick him? Ask someone to bring his guitar to hit Soonyoung with? Because as ridiculous as the last one sounds, Soonyoung is sure he wouldn't be the first one to experience it.
Jihoon tilts his head, his face curious, as if regarding Soonyoung. Even though Soonyoung is a full head taller than Jihoon, he stops himself from stepping back in fear.
Jihoon crouches suddenly that Soonyoung tenses at his movement.
"You have declared war against the Music Department," Jihoon says, his voice serious as he stands back up. "We will pulverize you, Kwon Soonyoung."
Soonyoung jumps at the sound of his name, but the rest of Jihoon's statement does not make sense to him. (Well, maybe Soonyoung is distracted by that fact that LEE JIHOON ACTUALLY KNOWS WHO HE IS??) That's until a snowball leaves Jihoon's hand and splats against Soonyoung's face.
There is an eruption of laughter and cries all around, and Soonyoung guesses that marks the official start of this year's snowball fight with a special featuring of the Music and Dance Department. Soonyoung only vaguely registers the snowballs flying all over him, his focus solely on catching the distinct laughter in front of him, loud and breathy. He sees a bundle of a white windbreaker digging on the ground for snow and Soonyoung throws a shot, hitting Jihoon on the shoulder.
Jihoon shoots up his head to glare at him, but there's a smile that's distracting, and the snowball hits Soonyoung before he can grin.
Soonyoung finds himself chasing and being chased by Jihoon throughout the war. He gets hit by rogue snowballs with a few apologies and a screaming of DUCK! every now and then (SOONYOUNG SUNBAE GET OUT OF THE WAY I SWEAR TO G-) but his only target is that spot of sunshine in the middle of the white of snow.
Soonyoung learns that Jihoon loves to laugh, and that his laughter feels like summer even though it reminds Soonyoung of presents and hot cocoa. It is warm and safe, Jihoon's laughter. And Soonyoung makes him laugh all the time, Jihoon doesn't mind getting hit a lot, Soonyoung discovers because he can hit just as good.
At one point, Soonyoung and Jihoon are standing a little away from each other, both running out of snow they can reach from where they're standing. Jihoon gathers all the snow he can get, and the wave hits Soonyoung and he almost stumbles, making Jihoon double over in laughter and Soonyoung basks in the warmth of it that seems thaw the coldness around him.
As his final attack, Soonyoung tackles Jihoon and they tumble together in the snow, both cackling, both enjoying their own bubble of snow and warmth that they realize is actually possible.
Their laughter slow to breaths and they just stare at each other with smiles that are content and are genuinely happy, without worries of exams or papers or requirements.
Soonyoung then notices the growing strain on his arms from carrying his weight for some time, trying hard not to crush Jihoon below him. He's about to push himself up when he sees Jihoon reach over to take off a glove from his hand and use a finger to poke Soonyoung on the nose.
Soonyoung grins instantaneously and widely, almost forgetting (ignoring them really) the struggle of his hands to keep him from falling over. "You think I'm cute."
Jihoon only hums a response, his smile with a secret.
"Your finger is cold."
"Your arms are shaking."
"You think I won't try to keep this up as long as I can with Lee Jihoon under me like this?"
Jihoon laughs again, loud, breathy and alive. Soonyoung thinks that if Santa's sleigh has a sound, it could sound like Jihoon's laughter. Bright and full of joy. As if everyday is Christmas.
Jihoon catches him by surprise when the music Major rolls them over and Soonyoung is relieved of the weight he's carrying and instead of the sky, he's looking into the brown of Jihoon's eyes. He might as well be looking at the glory of the sky, Soonyoung thinks, what with the expanse of the soul the soul that Jihoon shows him in his eyes, and Soonyoung is drowning and flying at the same time.
"What if I'm on top of you like this?" Jihoon tells him.
Soonyoung makes a sound he hopes doesn't sound as choked as he feels. "You're fiestier than the rumors say."
Jihoon smiles at that, pleased. "What do the rumors say?"
Soonyoung takes Jihoon by the collar of his windbreaker and pulls him down, his weight dropping easily on Soonyoung's body. "Grant me a collab and I'll tell you everything."
"Oh?" Jihoon raises a brow, seemingly unbothered by their questionable position. "Kwon Soonyoung. The Star. The most wanted choreographer of the whole University. Wants to do a collab with me?"
"You being Lee Jihoon. Woozi. The beloved singer, song writer, producer. The pride of Pledis U and wanted by the world. It would be an honor to collab with you."
Soonyoung wishes Jihoon could feel the sincerity in his voice. And in his haze of admiration, Soonyoung even forgets that Jihoon is supposed to be the bad guy. The heartbreaker. The Ice Prince. That's his Pledis U title after all.
Soonyoung is glad he doesn't mention these other names to Jihoon, because he looks so content that he's acknowledged as someone he worked so hard to become, and not someone other people thought him to be.
Soonyoung could relate. His title as Hoshi, the Hotshot, the Playboy from Dance Department, is somewhat of a pain, too.
For all of Jihoon's banter and cheeky grins, the comment gifts Soonyoung a shy smile and a light blush that he suspects has little to do with the snow.
"The honor is mine," Jihoon breathes, and Soonyoung wishes he can stamp this warmth in his heart, this feeling of contentment, where everything just feels right with the world. It's Christmas, Soonyoung thinks. This is what Christmas is supposed to feel.
Jihoon moves to get up, but Soonyoung thinks he's faster, he is, and pulls Jihoon back down, but his face is only met with cold fingers sandwiched between their faces. Soonyoung yelps at the sensation, Jihoon's laughter is back, and the weight on Soonyoung is gone.
The warmth is still present, though.
"You're not as smooth as the rumors go, Kwon."
Soonyoung lets the other boy smirk. "Maybe because you sweep me off my feet, Lee."
The smirk does not waver but the blush deepens.
"We have a deal?" Soonyoung asks, just so he can prolong their moment.
Jihoon only winks at him before he turns around to walk away.
"That's cold, Jihoon-ah," Soonyoung calls over.
He's answered by that laughter again, warm, and happy and bright, and Soonyoung just knows that Jihoon is the warmest person in the world.
Soonyoung turns around himself and he jumps when he sees the familiar faces of the dance majors crowding around him. "How long have you been standing here?"
"Long enough," Chan says with a roll of his eyes, but it's not hard to miss the awe in his voice. Lee Jihoon does that to dance majors in general.
"So, did you get that collab or what?" one of them asks.
"Uh..."
"HOSHI STUTTERED??"
"HOSHI HAS BEEN TAMED BY THE ICE PRINCE."
"OUR HOSHI IS NO MORE."
"IT'S OBVIOUSLY A YES."
Soonyoung tries to get a rhythm of his laughters and his breaths as drowns in the hoots and hollers and bodies of the dance majors piling on him from the ground. The collab is a win for all of them, he knows, and he's grateful that he has this kind of support from the people he loves the most.
He chances a glance to where the music majors have gathered, and to his source of summer in the middle of this winter, and finds Jihoon still smiling at him.
Soonyoung couldn't help himself so winks at that spot of sunshine which bursts into the color of his laughter.