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They say the 20s are the best years of your life. Baekhyun calls bullshit. Another year has gone by and yet he’s back exactly where he was when it started: sitting in his crappy, overpriced city apartment alone on New Year’s Eve. The crisp night air nips at his nose and fingertips as he pulls his window up and climbs out onto the fire escape with a piping mug of hot chocolate.
Even while wearing three layers of sweaters and the long puffer coat his mom had sent him for Christmas, he still shivers when the harsh winter wind gusts past him. He’s got to get the landlord to fix that damn heater before he loses all his fingers and toes from frostbite. He places his mug down on the window sill to wrap his scarf tighter around his neck. Down below there are couples walking hand in hand and groups of people wearing tacky and obnoxious New Year’s accessories that make Baekhyun laugh and feel a bit envious at the same time at how much fun they seem to be having.
There’s music blasting from the apartment underneath him. He can see colorful lights flashing through the curtains. When he remembers the person who lives there is the seventy-four-year-old grandmother who owns the floral shop below their apartment building he laughs so hard he almost spills his hot chocolate. At least someone is having a good time tonight.
Baekhyun could’ve been having as much fun as she was if Yixing and Junmyeon hadn’t abandoned him here to go celebrate New Year’s in Yixing’s hometown. Okay, so maybe their abandonment was justified, but still. He is a twenty-six-year-old man still in his prime. He should be hitting the city, be drinking sparkling cider, and be getting ready to kiss a special someone at the stroke of midnight. But here he is, sitting out on his fire escape freezing his ass off as he sips on his fifth mug of hot chocolate of the day.
He hears the sound of a window opening above him, then a voice that’s all too familiar. “No exciting plans tonight, hyung?”
His tone sounds as cheeky as his grin looks. Baekhyun looks up at him, frowning. “Are you making fun of me? I told you I was just going to be staying home when you asked me the exact same question last week,” he says, pouting.
Sehun laughs as he climbs out through his window onto the fire escape and descends the ladder to Baekhyun’s level. He’s only wearing jeans, a hoodie, a denim jacket, and a beanie atop his head. Baekhyun wonders how he’s not dying from the cold.
“Why don’t you have a coat on? You’ll get sick,” he scolds.
Chuckling, the younger reaches out to adjust his scarf for him. “You’re the one who always gets sick, hyung. Why are you even out here?”
It’s true. Baekhyun’s gotten sick three times this month already. Sehun had tapped on his window late at night during his last cold with a container of soup he made following a recipe he found online. It tasted horrible. Baekhyun ate all of it anyway because he felt bad the younger had gone through the trouble to make it. Sehun always makes an effort to do things like this for him and he never knows why. Baekhyun is the older one, if anything he should be the one to help Sehun out all the time. But no, it’s always Sehun coming by to help fix his leaky sink. Or to help build furniture for him. Or bring him packets of instant ramen when he hasn’t had time to go grocery shopping. Good god, is he that pitiful that he needs someone three years younger to take care of him?
Baekhyun shrugs. “I wanted to get a better view of the fireworks at midnight. What are you doing home? Shouldn’t you be out with friends and getting drunk or something?”
“Nope. I’m all yours tonight.”
Baekhyun playfully scoffs, elbowing the younger’s arm. “Who says I even wanna spend New Years with you, huh?”
“Well, don’t you?”
Baekhyun strokes his chin as he pretends to contemplate the question. Then he looks at him with a teasing grin and says, “Nope.”
Sehun pouts. “You’re so mean, hyung.”
Baekhyun opens his mouth to say he’s just kidding. The words die in his throat when he notices Sehun is staring right at him, their faces only a few inches apart. His mind goes blank when the younger starts to lean in. What is happening? In his peripheral, he sees Sehun’s hand coming up. Instead of placing that hand on his cheek and closing the distance between them as he expected, the younger gently pinches his cheek and snickers.
“Your cheeks are all red. I told you it’s too cold for you out here.”
Baekhyun quickly backs away, his heart suddenly racing. Why is his heart racing? “There’s only two more minutes ‘til midnight anyway. I can handle it for a bit longer.”
Sehun pulls his beanie off his head and runs his fingers through his messy hair before turning to Baekhyun and placing the cap atop the elder’s head instead. “Hey, what are you doing? You’re gonna be cold!” Baekhyun protests, trying to swat his hands away.
“Hyung, just take it. I’m not that cold yet.”
When their hands touch, Baekhyun grimaces. “Liar. Your hands are freezing.”
Sehun shushes him. “Look the countdown is starting.”
Once it gets to the last ten seconds, everyone on the street below them begins to cheer and count down altogether.
“Ten,” Baekhyun chirps.
Sehun grins. “Nine.”
“Eight.”
“Seven.”
“Six.”
Baekhyun looks up excitedly, waiting for the fireworks that should be lighting up the night sky in the next few seconds. “Five.”
“Four.”
“Three.” He glances at Sehun, who smiles at him just as enthused.
“Two.”
“ Hyung .”
Sehun’s lips are against his the moment he turns his head. Baekhyun’s mouth falls open in surprise when a large hand palms the back of his neck, tilting his head to the side, and oh- Sehun tastes like candy canes. His heart is pounding so loudly in his chest he can’t even hear the fireworks that are shooting up into the sky above them. It’s not until the younger pulls back that Baekhyun finally hears the booming and crackling and sees all the colors and bright lights illuminating Sehun’s delighted face.
“Happy New Year, hyung.”