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There’s only four of them but the house is lively. Baekhyun sits in the living room watching his sons play about, although really it’s only Sehun roughhousing while his brother tries to get some gloves on him. Jongin’s exasperated look as he struggles to get Sehun to listen to him is funny because it reminds Baekhyun of Kyungsoo; Jongin does tend towards his personality while Sehun tends towards Baekhyun’s.
He’s laughing when he feels a hand on his shoulder. Kyungsoo kisses his temple and squeezes gently.
“Are you two ready?” His husband asks above his head. Jongin sighs loudly and turns dramatically, all while Sehun sticks out his tongue and dances in the background.
“Sehun’s being annoying!” Jongin whines, running over to Kyungsoo’s side. Sehun pauses mid-dance and lifts his hands.
“I put on my gloves already!”
“But you’re not putting on your hat, and dad told you to put your hat on.”
“I was going to, jeez. Daddy wasn’t even downstairs yet.”
“Well, I’m ready.” Jongin huffs and Kyungsoo puts a hand on his head.
“Don’t call your brother annoying, Jongin. But Sehun, he’s right. The sooner you put your hat on the sooner we can go outside.”
Jutting out his lower lip, Sehun obediently puts on his hat and rushes to the door, ignoring Kyungsoo’s scoldings not to run in the house. Jongin peeks around to look at Baekhyun.
“Aren’t you co--”
“Daddy! You’re not coming with us?” Sehun opens the door again and pokes his head inside, interrupting him.
“Sorry, guys. I wanted to help you make a snowman but daddy’s feeling a little unwell. I’ll be watching from here though!”
“Okay…” Sehun pouts. Kyungsoo waves his hand to tell him to go ahead, and Jongin seems to get the message without being prompted, letting go of his side to help Sehun go out into the snow.
“Will you be okay here?” Kyungsoo asks when it’s finally just the two of them.
Baekhyun covers Kyungsoo’s hand with his own. “I’m alright. I’ll take a ton of pictures from the kitchen. Now go and make sure they don’t kill each other out there.”
He can feel his husband’s worry despite his laugh. “Okay. I love you.”
“Love you too.” One last squeeze and a light kiss on his head and Kyungsoo goes, leaving Baekhyun to sit in the living room alone.
It’s the first real snow of the season. A full day of storm and still going on even now. Outside is nothing short of a winter wonderland, inches and inches of white piled high on the ground. Normally Baekhyun would be out there with his family playing in the cold, but this past year after a doctor’s visit that ended in diagnosis and restrictions, he’s found that what he used to do isn’t possible anymore. It’s okay, he tells himself. He’s okay with looking out the window and watching them have fun. It’s a nice change anyway; normally Kyungsoo is the one indoors, or he’s the one watching and taking pictures while Baekhyun plays with the kids. This time Baekhyun can see him struggle to make a snowman. Laughing at the exhausted look he sends him before trying to roll more snow, he mouths you can do it and receives a very obvious (yet silent) groan in reply. True to his word, Baekhyun takes a bunch of pictures, smiling at the laughter that makes its way through the walls.
After a little while Kyungsoo pauses to tell Jongin something. Then he stands and treks back through the snow, glancing at Baekhyun where he looks through the window, frowning in confusion.
“You’re going back in already?” Baekhyun asks when he opens the door.
Instead of replying, Kyungsoo says, “Come outside with us. They miss you.”
The bittersweet feeling swirls in his stomach as he tries to smile. “You know I can’t. I’m not supposed to overexert myself.”
“It’s not overexerting yourself. Just help us decorate the snowman.” Kyungsoo holds out a hand, gently tells him, “Come.”
There’s something surging inside him when he reaches out, letting his husband pull him up. They don’t let go until they have to for Baekhyun to change, Kyungsoo quietly making sure he has all the layers and that he wears a hat and scarf, and when they finally make it outside with Kyungsoo holding his hand again and leading him through the snow, Sehun and Jongin’s bright expressions at his appearance makes it all worthwhile.
Like every year, the four of them adorn the snowman with sticks and stones and a scarf and hat, smoothing the bumps of the snow until it looks picture perfect. Then Kyungsoo squeezes everyone together so he can take a picture of them, his face squishing into that smile Baekhyun loves so much.
“Perfect,” Kyungsoo says, all while Baekhyun is taking a picture of him too. They help the kids inside and, before going in themselves, Baekhyun catches his arm.
Softly, as if they could be overheard while Sehun and Jongin quarrel again in the living room, he says, “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.” Kyungsoo smiles and holds his face between his gloves, leaning in to kiss him tenderly. “I love you.”
Baekhyun thinks that he could cry. Instead he lets Kyungsoo guide him inside and tells him, “I love you too.”