Chapter Text
Jihoon stares out into the ocean of lightsticks, a bright smile decorating his face.
He’s tired, the sweat running down his face and the harsh panting as he attempts to get back the air in his lungs prove it. Still, he thinks this is the happiest he has ever been in a long time.
Beside him, Seungkwan grabs the mic and addresses the fans, his sentences filled with empty space in between as he, too, tries to catch his breath. “And I guess that wraps up Seventeen’s first concert! We’d like to thank all the fans who have participated as well as for the crew’s help. We’d also like to thank our managers and the production crew for making this a big success! I’m sure our leader has some words to say to you as well.”
The mic is passed down until it reaches Seungcheol who grabs it and places it in front of his mouth. He doesn’t speak, not yet, because he’s too busy trying to memorize the sight from the stage, the sight of the fans cheering loudly and waiting eagerly for his words as he stands there.
Jihoon’s lips curl up. He knows more than anyone that Seungcheol has always felt a bit useless when it comes to matters concerning Jihoon, has always been the one to be the shoulder to cry on whenever Seungcheol felt like he wasn’t doing enough. To see Seungcheol standing there, his eyes sparkling in happiness and joy, brings Jihoon great happiness.
His best friend deserves it.
“Uh,” Seungcheol starts, looking down the line of members and then at the fans, “Seventeen would like to thank all of our fans for coming today. We’ve gone through many obstacles and whether you are a new fan or an old fan since our pre-debut days, we’d still like to thank you for giving us the chance to stand up here on stage during our first concert.
“We’re very happy that we are able to be here with all of you and that we’re able to do our first concert with amazing fans. We’d also like to thank our international fans as well as any fans that were unable to attend our concert today because even if we’re oceans apart, your love has contributed to this special moment. So thank you.” Seungcheol bows and the rest of Seventeen follow, expressing their thanks to everyone watching.
When they all straighten, Jihoon catches Soonyoung’s eye from the other side of line and smiles.
They’ve done it. They’ve really done it. Seventeen’s first concert had been a huge success.
The grin that Soonyoung sends him in reply is enough to bring him back to Earth and he smiles as he gazes out at the fans.
They end the concert with one last action. The beginning that has paved the path for Seventeen’s success.
Blinking away tears, Jihoon and the rest of the members do the main action of their debut song.
“Ah-kkin-dah!” The fans shout along and the curtains close.
The sounds of the cheering replays itself in Jihoon’s head even hours after the concert.
--
The lights in the room are already turned off and Jihoon is already half-asleep when he feels someone crawl into bed with him. He moves over to make space, blinking sleepily as he tries to recognize the newcomer.
“Shh. Go back to sleep Jihoonie,” A familiar voice coos and Jihoon nods, eyes sliding close as he snuggles into the warmth that is Soonyoung’s body.
--
Jihoon wakes up to the rising sun, eyes scrunched tight as the rays of light hit his face just right. Usually, he’s the last one up due to his unhealthy habit of staying up till the sun’s rays are up themselves as he works in his studio but today it seems that he’s the first up.
With a groan, Jihoon sits up, ruffling his hair and running his fingers through the messy strands in a poor attempt to fix it. He’s about to step out of bed when he notices the blond tresses underneath the blanket beside him.
Memories of last night flash in Jihoon’s head and he sighs, carefully maneuvering himself out of the bed and avoiding Soonyoung’s body. He stretches when he’s finally able to, letting out a yawn and a sigh of relief as his bones crack in place.
“Time for breakfast,” Jihoon mumbles, quietly making his way out of the room and shutting the door on his way out.
He heads to the kitchen and opens the refrigerator first to assess its contents. There’s a loaf of bread that he can use to make toast with and a carton of eggs. If he’s feeling particularly ambitious today, he can also make French Toast but alas, he’s tired and can’t really be bothered to do so.
Jihoon chuckles at his laziness and pulls the carton and the loaf out, shutting the door with his foot. He grabs the pan and heats up some oil for the eggs then readies the toaster. He’s about to start plopping bread in it when a pair of arms wrap itself around his waist and warm body engulfs him.
“Good morning,” The person greets, pressing a kiss on Jihoon’s shoulder. He twists around and sees a sleepy Soonyoung, his hair messy and tangled together, but Jihoon’s is the same so he's in no position to say anything.
Jihoon settles with “Good morning.” and leans up to kiss Soonyoung softly. “I’m making breakfast, want to help me?”
Soonyoung scans the ingredients and the materials and raises his eyebrow, “Are you making eggs and toast?”
“Yes. Is there something wrong with that?” Jihoon asks, turning around in place in order to avoid dislodging Soonyoung’s arms.
“It’s Christmas today.” Soonyoung simply says, perching his chin on Jihoon’s shoulder, “You can at least make French Toast for everyone.”
Jihoon glances at the calendar on the kitchen wall, “Ah, is it? I haven’t even noticed. We’ve been so busy preparing for the concert that all the days just blurred together.”
“Mhm.”
“I guess I can make French Toast for everyone.” He decides, looking at Soonyoung behind him with a small smile, “I forgot to pick up presents for everyone, after all. It’s the least I can do.”
The arms pull away and Soonyoung steps beside him to reach into the cabinet. He grabs a can of cinnamon and the bottle of vanilla extract, placing it beside Jihoon. Then he heads over to the refrigerator for the jug of milk, grabbing measuring utensils on his way back to the counter.
“Guess we don’t need this.” Jihoon comments, unplugging the toaster and placing it aside, “Soon, can you grab me a bowl or a tray? We’ll need those to dip the bread into the mixture.”
“Got it.” Soonyoung holds up a tray and sets it on the counter, “Lead the way, chef.”
Jihoon rolls his eyes, but complies, opening the bag of bread and setting off to work.
--
By the time breakfast was been made, everyone has already risen up and gathered in the kitchen, lured by the sweet smell of french toast.
Jihoon places all the slices in their biggest plate and surrenders it to the group, watching in amusement as the all the slices quickly disappeared, devoured by ten hungry teenage boys.
“Here,” A plate is held up in front of him and Jihoon follows the hand to Soonyoung. The blond has drizzled powdered sugar on top and had even taken the time to place some raspberries on the side for decoration. “Eat up, Ji.”
Jihoon accepts the plate and leans on the counter, “Aren’t you going to eat?” He asks as he grabs one and takes a bite.
Soonyoung shrugs, “They’re all gone and I only managed to save you a few slices before everything got eaten.”
“Have some, then.” Jihoon passes the plate and watches as Soonyoung looks at him for permission. “Go on, eat. You helped me make it after all.”
“Thank you, then.” Soonyoung bites into a slice and gives him a crooked smile, one that Jihoon returns happily.
“Looks like we got a new pair of parents,” Hansol teases, laughing when Jihoon’s face flushes. “This was great, hyung. Thanks for the breakfast.”
The others chime along as well, causing the smile on the couple’s face to widen.
--
The day passes by like normal with the maknaes playing video games and the elders playing cards within themselves.
It’s their day off since it’s a holiday, and although they can’t spend it with their immediate families, they can’t help but feel that they’re spending it with family anyways.
--
It’s after a lovely dinner that Jeonghan and Seungkwan prepare when the presents are brought out.
Not everyone has been able to shop for Christmas gifts and it’s understandable. With their busy schedule for their first year as a debuted group, barely anyone has found time to sneak out and buy gifts. And even if they had, they didn’t have much to spend and had ended up getting presents for the group as a whole.
“Merry Christmas,” Seungkwan sings, passing a box of reindeer antlers around. “I wasn’t able to get everyone great presents this year, but next year I promise that you’ll all get something amazing.”
The group thanks him nonetheless and Seungkwan sits back down, satisfied.
Jihoon grabs a headband himself and puts it on, passing the box to Soonyoung on his other side.
The next to stand up is Jeonghan and he smiles and claps his hands together, “I wasn’t able to go out and get presents, but I hope these will do.” He leaves for his room and returns with a gift bag. Reaching into it, he pulls out a ziploc of cookies and holds it up. “I baked them myself so please enjoy.” He hands the bag to Minghao and tells them to pass it around as well before sitting down.
During the night, Seokmin hands out chocolates to everyone while Jisoo prepares a Christmas song he’s arranged with his guitar. Soonyoung performs a short dance with the rest of the performance unit and Seungcheol and the hip hop unit perform the rap they’ve written just for Christmas.
Finally, it’s Jihoon’s turn.
Slowly, he stands up. He’s not sure what he can give them since he hasn’t been able to buy anything and he can’t really perform anything since he hasn’t had time to prepare a song between their busy schedule and his producing.
Jihoon’s about to apologize and sit back down when Soonyoung stands up as well.
“Actually, we’ve prepared a duet for everyone so I hope everyone likes it.” Soonyoung says and turns to Jihoon with a smile.
“A duet?” Jihoon whispers, confused, and Soonyoung just winks.
Soonyoung sings the first lines to Eric Nam’s ‘Melt My Heart’ before Jihoon catches on and joins in, harmonizing and singing perfectly despite the lack of practice. Jihoon remembers the night Soonyoung had come in his studio and ordered him to take a break and the two had somehow started singing Christmas songs, ‘Melt My Heart’ being one of the few. He also remembers telling Soonyoung that it’s one of his favorite songs and that he knows it by heart, singing the chorus as if to prove his point, receiving a kiss from Soonyoung in return.
He’s thankful that Soonyoung has managed to recall that night and save him, flashing a grateful look at the dancer.
As the last few lines die down, Jihoon keeps his eyes trained on Soonyoung’s profile, and it’s only when the other moves to sit down that Jihoon realizes he’s staring. Flushing slightly, Jihoon sits down, folding his legs and resting his arms on top of it, unable to look anyone in the eye.
Thankfully, no one, but Seungcheol seems to catch it, the elder wiggling his eyebrows when Jihoon catches his eyes. He flushes again and proceeds to bury his face into his arms for the rest of the night.
--
When the light shuts off and all the members sleeping in the large room slowly make their way to their bed, Soonyoung doesn’t even bother to wait for everyone to fall asleep before crawling underneath the covers with Jihoon.
“Seungcheol and Jeonghan do it,” He says simply at the look Jihoon gives him and gathers him into an embrace, resting his head atop Jihoon’s with a small sigh. “Good night, Ji.”
“Good night Soon,” Jihoon whispers back, cuddling closer to Soonyoung’s body. He closes his eyes and lets Soonyoung take his hand underneath the covers, listening to the sounds of the other members shifting in their beds before he continues, “And thank you by the way.”
His only response is a squeeze from their interlocked hands, but it’s enough. He knows that Soonyoung has heard him loud and clear.
With a small smile, Jihoon leans closer to Soonyoung’s chest and breaths out, letting sleep take him.
That night, he dreams of Soonyoung and him dancing in a snow-filled clearing surrounded by frosted trees and twinkling lights as snowflakes fall softly around them.