Chapter Text
Minho likes to say that he has the patience of a saint.
When dealing with 7 noisy boys (yes, he’s including Chan, who’s barely a year older than him and no more mature than Jeongin when he wants to be), it can be hard to maintain your composure. Thankfully, Minho knows how to deal with them, even when he doesn’t want to.
Like now, when Jeongin comes dragging his feet into their living room, groaning and flopping onto the couch.
Minho doesn’t even blink, much less take his eyes off the words to entertain his maknae.
“What book are you reading, hyung?”
Minho blinks slowly, turns the page. He presses his lips together.
“Hyung…”
If there’s one thing Jeongin hates, it’s being ignored. He’s gotten spoiled as the Maknae, Minho guessed. But this was a rare occurrence called “Me Time” where he got a break to spend on himself and he liked to use it wisely, like catching up on a fantasy novel he picked but can never seem to finish.
No matter how much he loves them, there’s nothing he loves more than Me Time.
Of course they always, without fail, intrude it.
So he keeps reading, trying to be immersed as Jeongin starts poking his leg.
He must be bored, Minho thinks, because Innie usually never stoops this low. Jeongin boasts himself as one of the more mature in the group, but at the end of the day he is the maknae and immaturity leaks out of him especially when the cameras are off.
Everyone else must be off doing their own thing, and he wants company, because of course he does. Minho sometimes wishes everyone else could understand his only child lifestyle, and the need to be alone that stems from that. The only one who would truly understand is Hyunjin, who loves being alone but he loves bothering the members more. Go figure.
He snaps the book closed when Jeongin accidentally scratches him with his nail, and the younger freezes and pulls back, making a silly face.
“What.”
Minho is all bark and no bite- and Jeongin realizes this and smirks.
“Nothing, actually.”
Minho feels his eyebrow twitch.
“Then why-”
Suddenly, Jeongin falls over, so fast Minho panics, until he realizes that the youngest’s head is in his lap, grinning up at him mischievously.
Minho scowls.
“Do you want me to give you the Hyunjin treatment?” he threatens, reaching for a box of tissues on the side table. Jeongin just glows at him with the full knowledge of how disarming his smile is. Without realizing, Minho’s arm drops, and he sighs.
Maknae on top, or whatever.
Jeongin closes his eyes, a clear sign that he isn’t going anywhere. It reminds Minho of their trainee days, when Jeongin was freshly 16 and still absorbing so much about the world. He still is, with eyes full of wonder and bliss. The fight completely leaves Minho’s body when he sees the baby bread’s face relax, putting full faith in the fact that Minho isn’t plotting to violently shove him off his lap.
And how could Minho betray him?
So he digs his fingers comfortably in Jeongin’s hair, scratching lightly and opening the book in his other hand, off to the side.
Actually, this wasn’t so bad after all.
(Hyunjin finds them later fast asleep on the couch with Minho’s head tilted back and mouth open and Jeongin curled into the older’s belly. He takes a quick pic, giggling to himself, thinking he’ll have to paint the scene later.)