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It's not always that they get to celebrate the holidays as eight members because some usually go back to their hometown and finally get their deserved rest. And while Chan doesn't really mind it now, the fact that he has to fly to a different country just to do the same can either be the most exciting he'll ever do, or the most tiring he can ever endure because amongst everything that he has, lack of sleep is the majority of it.
He peers at the busy members loitering in the living room of the maknaes' dorm and smiles to himself.
"What are you smiling at, hyung?" A voice snickers to his side as an arm wraps around his waist.
It doesn't take much for him to know who it was and doesn't take much for him to lean closer to that touch. As much as he tries to deny to himself how much he likes this feeling of warmth that spreads in his chest, and the shrill that runs down his tailbone everytime he does this, there is no way for him to deny how good Minho looked that night.
Jeongin scurries to bring the roasted chicken, Felix playfully hits Jisung's arm for stealing a brownie, and Changbin is pulling both Hyunjin and Seungmin to get the presents he prepared from the other dorm. He squints his eyes and exhausts himself with the lingering presence of Minho by his side, and somehow, joy keeps on brimming inside him. He loves it.
"They're all over the room." He says, huffing slightly when Minho chuckles to his ear.
Sometimes, he thinks about what he went through. What he had to do just so he can get to where he is right now together with the other members he willingly chose for a group that he swore to take care of. Sometimes, he thinks about the things he could've done more, and the things that he should've done less. Sometimes, he thinks about how he's being reminded how everything is going to be okay.
"They always have been." Minho replies and thrums his fingers on his waist. He relishes this and the fact that Minho lays close to him like this. "You should be too."
He shakes his head and turns slightly, seeing Minho'a face up close as a small smile starts to find its way on his lips. "Shouldn't you be, as well?"
Sometimes, he looks back at himself and perceives how much he has changed over the years. Sometimes, he realizes that there was so much that he learned, and so much more to learn from all these. But most of the time, he just stops looking back and peers forward to allow himself to enjoy.
Minho shifts his gaze to him and stares knowingly, fondly, and affectionately. Minho isn't a man of words, isn't a man to babble something he truly feels, and isn't a man to allow just anyone to be this close. But Minho is trying to be, for him.
"I can't bake like Yongbok, I don't have anything else to bring to the dining table like Iyen, and the gifts I have for everyone are already in your room. I have nothing else to do." He murmurs with the idea of seeing Minho's eyes turn into crescent moons. With a face that bare, Chan cannot fathom himself to feel so much whenever Minho does that to him.
Minho's hold on him tightens as the younger brings his face towards him, their chins almost touching, and looks down on his mouth.
"You totally deserve a rest, hyung." Minho whispers. The tips of Minho's fingers lightly play the edges of his shirt, leaving a part of his skin exposed. He gives no words and bites his tongue, clearly anticipating whatever shenanigans Minho has to offer. But he's proven wrong when Minho takes it to himself and speaks, "Oh, and a kiss as well."
It isn't too quick, neither is it too slow. It's enough and filled with anticipation when Minho closes the distance between them and places his lips on him as he sighs in exchange and melts under Minho's touch. It is a small encounter, the mundanity of their everyday lives, but that small encounter is what makes everything so special for him. He pulls away and chuckles, adoring the faint blush on Minho's cheeks and the smile that turns so wide from being frail.
He shakes his head and turns around. His hand gently rubbing Minho's hand that is on his waist.
"At least wait for us to be in our rooms before you kiss?" Jisung complains and sighs so loud that the others look back at him.
It's not always that they get to celebrate the holidays as eight members, but now that they're given the chance to, who is Chan even to look back at the past and not enjoy the present?
He steals a look at Minho and remembers just how much of this was his utmost joy.