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“Yes, hyung, I know.”
Seungmin stirs, groaning as he rolls onto his stomach, face smothering into the pillow. It smells soft, like flowers and clean soap. Like Changbin.
“I know it wasn’t right and I should’ve said something but you understand, right?”
A whine punches out of his chest and Seungmin lifts his head, feeling like he’s lifting a heavy weight as he does so. His eyes are blurry and he has to blink away the sleep to make out the figure standing in the middle of the room, back turned to him and head bent low, a phone held up to his ear.
“Yeah,” He hears Changbin sigh into the phone. Seungmin wonders who he’s talking to.
“You know he’s alright but if that makes you feel better, then you’re more than welcome to come over,” Changbin runs a hand through his hair as he nods, despite the person on the other end not being able to see him. Seungmin pushes himself to sit up with a grunt, a sharp pain spearing across his temple that has him wincing and clutching at his head. Somehow, the sound reaches Changbin’s ears and he looks at him from over his shoulder. His eyes widen a fraction when he notices Seungmin’s state of consciousness–even more so when he notices that Seungmin’s in pain. He’s quick to end his conversation on the phone. “Okay, yeah. He’s awake now so I’m gonna go. Yeah, I’ll see you later. Bye.”
Changbin turns his phone off with a click and tosses it onto the nightstand without care, a smile gracing his features when he approaches Seungmin.
“G’morning,” his voice is noticeably softer and a bit quieter as he talks to him, moving to stand in front of Seungmin at the edge of the bed. He reaches a hand out and threads his fingers through Seungmin’s hair, combing out the knots and tangles from a night of rolling around in bed. Seungmin’s head falls forward with a sigh, knocking into Changbin’s stomach.
“Morning,” he grunts, voice raspy with sleep and disuse. Changbin cups the back of his head and caresses his hair, holding him to his stomach.
“How are you?”
“Head hurts.”
Changbin frowns. Seungmin can’t see it but he assumes from the pause, from the still of his hand that he’s frowning down at him, a notch in his eyebrows.
“Yeah, from all that crying, huh?” There’s no lilt of teasing in his voice where it usually would be and Seungmin… he’s unsure whether to be sad or happy that Changbin’s treating him like he’s made of glass. He doesn’t know if he wants Changbin to keep doting on him or if he wants them to go back to that song and dance they usually perform; made up of teasing and light-hearted banter.
“You’re probably dehydrated. We should get you some water and maybe some painkillers too.” Changbin suggests and Seungmin nods against his stomach, one hand clutching at the side of his shirt, the other twisting in the sheets where it holds his body up.
“Who were you on the phone with?” Seungmin asks in a mumble, tilting his head up so his words aren’t muffled into Changbin’s shirt. Changbin smooths his hand down the back of his head, his other hand scratching at his scalp like one would a dog. Seungmin finds himself leaning into it like a dog would.
“Channie-hyung,” Changbin hums. Seungmin pouts. He figures it wasn’t a very good conversation, with the way Changbin had hung his head. “He was scolding me for not telling them sooner where you were since everyone was worried.”
Seungmin pouts harder and hides in Changbin’s stomach, a twinge of guilt tugging at his heart.
“He said he wants to see you and talk to you about what’s going on so he’s coming over for lunch later,” Changbin explains softly. Then he adds with a smirk that Seungmin can practically hear in his tone, “But he’s going to be bringing food so I can’t even complain.”
Seungmin would giggle and nod and agree, would say that Chan bringing them food makes up for everything but he doesn’t. He doesn’t want to giggle, and he doesn’t want to just gloss over everything that happened last night because of Chan’s home cooked food. Changbin picks up on the silence and sighs, bending down to drop a kiss to the top of Seungmin’s head.
“It’s not your fault,” he whispers, hand cupping the back of his neck. Seungmin sometimes wonders if Changbin can hear his thoughts.
“But it is,” Seungmin whines, fingers twisting in Changbin’s shirt. “I was the one who didn’t tell Felix I was going to leave and then I didn’t tell him where I was after he repeatedly asked and I basically harassed you by—“
“Absolutely not.” Changbin all but growls, squeezing the back of his neck in a way that hurts. Seungmin lets out a sound in the middle of a gasp and a whine. “Seungmin, you didn’t harass me. Sure I was surprised but you didn’t even do anything.”
Seungmin whines again and opens his mouth to protest further but Changbin slides his hand into his hair and grips, pulling his head up to force eye contact. Seungmin winces, the pull only adding to his headache. Changbin notices and immediately lets go, the hardness of his eyes cracking way to concern. He sighs and caresses Seungmin’s cheek so gently that it makes Seungmin want to cry. Again.
“You didn’t harass me and you didn’t make me uncomfortable or anything—because I know that’s what you’re going to say. I told you this last night and I’ll tell you again; I was worried about you more than anything else. So I don’t wanna hear you say you ‘harassed’ me and that what happened last night was your fault.”
Seungmin feels like a kicked puppy. He’s sure he looks like one, all round glassy eyes and devastating pout as he looks up at Changbin.
“But I-“ He doesn’t know why he’s still arguing, really. He really should just shut up before Changbin makes him.
“You didn’t tell anyone because you were overwhelmed and stressed. I don’t wanna hear it,” Changbin interrupts him sternly, jutting his pointer finger in between Seungmin’s eyes. Seungmin pouts but shuts his mouth, deciding to swallow down whatever else it was he wanted to say.
After a bit more talking and a bit more weirdly tender touches from Changbin, they finally leave the room, retreating out into the hallway. The sound of Changbin’s door opening must’ve alerted whoever else is in the house—Hyunjin, Seungmin assumes—because he hears a sound come from down the hallway, a muffled voice, whiny and pleading.
“Hyunjin please…” Felix. Seungmin recognizes that voice from anywhere. He stops in the middle of the hallway and Changbin does too, raising an eyebrow at the sound. Seungmin’s just about ready to turn around and sprint right out of the house–because he is not in the mood to listen to Hyunjin and Felix go at it (despite how much he’d like to join) when he hears the doorknob rattle, followed by a groan from Felix. “Just let me go… I heard the door open, what if it’s him?”
Seungmin feels a sigh punch out of him and with the way Changbin’s shoulders relax, he assumes Changbin thought the same. Don’t get them wrong, they don’t mind if Hyunjin and Felix decide to have some ‘private time’ together, they just tend to be a bit…loud and energetic when they do. And with the headache Seungmin’s currently sporting, he’d rather not have to hear them all morning.
“Fine,” he hears Hyunjin grumble, followed by the click of the lock. Felix bursts out of the room like a caged bird finally set free, sprinting right down the hallway and crashing right into Seungmin. Seungmin barely has time to think, to register what the hell is happening before arms are squeezing tight around him. He blinks down at the top of Felix’s head, the blonde’s face buried in Seungmin’s shoulder, and he softens, wrapping his own arms around his roommate, hugging him back just as tightly.
“Was Hyunjin keeping you hostage?” Changbin asks, looking over at Hyunjin who slowly retreats from his room with a beat up look on his face. Felix nods against Seungmin’s shoulder and lifts his head just enough to pout at Changbin.
“He was,” He sniffles, using his puppy dog eyes to full use. “He was keeping me from going to your room…”
Changbin looks over at Hyunjin in amazement, eyebrows raised and mouth parted in surprise when Felix ducks back against Seungmin.
“How’d you do it?” He mumbles, jerking a thumb towards Felix, no doubt referring to the devastating put he just had on his face–which he probably had the entire time Hyunin had him locked up in his room for. Everyone in Stray Kids, hell, even every Stay knows Hyunjin is weak to Felix, most especially his pleading face and it's a huge surprise that he was able to ignore it. Hyunjin sighs heavily and sways on his feet, pressing a hand to his forehead as if he’ll fall over on the floor.
“Don’t ask,” He shakes his head with another sigh. “I definitely owe him later.”
“But wait,” Seungmin says, placing a hand on Felix’s shoulder to pull him back. “Weren’t you at our house?”
Felix nods. “We were. But then Hyunjin said he was gonna go back home to make sure you guys were okay and I made him bring me along.”
“You were going to leave Felix all alone?” Changbin gawks at Hyunjin once again, in disbelief this time. Seungmin throws him a glare as well. Hyunjin shakes his head furiously and holds his hands out defensively.
“No, no, I wasn’t!” He defends himself, voice high pitched. “Channie hyung said he was going to come over so I thought I could switch us out. Just while I came back to check on you guys.”
Changbin shrugs and mutters something close to ‘makes sense’ but Seungmin doesn’t. He hugs Felix again, the blonde squeaking as he’s pulled back into Seungmin’s chest tightly. He narrows his eyes at Hyunjin for even thinking about leaving Felix alone but drops it a second later.
“And what happened to hyung?” He asks instead, arm tightening around Felix’s shoulders as the blonde burrows into his chest.
“I told him I was bringing Felix with me, so he went home,” Hyunjin shrugs before adding, “Hopefully.”
“He’s coming over in a bit for lunch,” Changbin tells him. Felix pulls away from Seungmin to look over at Changbin, attention piqued. “He said he wanted to talk to Seungmin.”
“Is he bringing food?” Felix’s eyes sparkle and he bats his eyelashes expectantly at Changbin, who smirks and nods knowingly. All of them are suckers for Chan’s food. Who wouldn’t be? Hyunjin and Felix beam, looking seconds away from jumping up and down out of happiness and cheering their lungs out. Seungmin snorts at them but the action causes another sharp pang across his head and he winces, eyebrows furrowing at the dull pain.
“Oh, your headache,” Changbin whispers, lifting a hand to hover over Seungmin’s head, hesitant to touch. Hyunjin and Felix shut up in an instant upon learning that he’s in pain, looking over at Seungmin worriedly. “Come on, let’s go get you some painkillers.”
They move out into the kitchen, the four hovering around as they wait for Chan to arrive with food. The entire time, neither Hyunjin nor Felix ask Seungmin what had happened last night and Seungmin couldn’t be more thankful. He’ll tell all of them together later. He’s just…embarrassed right now.
“Yeah, and then I told him—“ Hyunjin is in the middle of retelling a story about his experience at Cartier’s year-end party he went to back in November when they all hear the sound of the front door clicking open. They all perk up, turning towards the door eagerly as they wait for Chan to walk in holding the equivalence of heaven on a plate.
“Hey,” The eldest says when he walks in and sees them all gathered in the kitchen, a plastic bag dangling from one hand. He’s not alone, however, because seconds later, Jeongin peeks out from over his shoulder with a wide, dimply smile.
“Jeonginnie!” Felix beams at the sight of the unexpected–but never unwelcome– guest. Chan chuckles and ruffles Jeongin’s freshly dyed orange hair fondly, looking seconds away from pinching his cheek.
“This one insisted on coming with,” He says, as if the others would be bothered by that. They aren’t, of course. Innie lands his eyes on Seungmin and beelines to him, ignoring Felix’s open and awaiting arms. Felix pouts widely at being ignored and is just about to lower his arms again when Chan all but launches himself into them. Seungmin sees them laugh together as they embrace from the corner of his eyes.
“Hi hyung,” Jeongin says as he stands in front of where Seungmin sits on the stool. He shuffles on his feet, hands tucked at his sides as his eyebrows furrow in concern. Seungmin smiles at him and his worried look as he reaches out to sink his hand into the maknae’s soft curls, letting the touch serve as an invitation for the orange-haired boy, who wastes no second lunging forward to wrap his arms around Seungmin’s torso. Seungmin grunts in surprise but hugs the younger boy back just as tightly, chin tucked into his shoulder with a small smile.
“I’m okay, Innie,” Seungmin tells him, knowing the question was eating away at him. He presses his hand reassuringly to the small of his back and Innie sighs in what must be relief, pressing the lightest kiss to the side of Seungmin’s neck before pulling back.
“You can always talk to us, you know?” He says with a smile, fingers lingering on Seungmin’s waist when he pulls away. “You don’t have to hide.”
Seungmin reflects his smile back to him and nods. “I know.”
With a squeeze to Jeongin’s fingers, Seungmin looks back at the rest of the group and audibly gulps when his eyes land on Chan. He has his hip leaned onto the counter and his arms crossed tight over his chest. His jaw is ticked and he has an eyebrow raised, a look that screams ‘we need to talk’ drawn right on his face. Seungmin should feel intimidated–which he is– but he feels mostly…hot and bothered. How could he not when Chan is staring at him like that, eyes sharp but not mean and hair short and spiky on his head, dyed a light blonde color that does nothing to calm his thoughts. Seungmin has to mentally shove the thoughts away as he smiles sheepishly at the leader.
“Hi hyung,” he says sweetly, echoing how Jeongin had greeted him moments prior. Chan doesn’t greet him back and only narrows his eyes.
“Before or after lunch?” He asks ominously and Seungmin squirms on the stool. He wants to say neither and get himself out of this situation but he knows he can’t. What he can do, at least, is delay the talk as far as he can.
“After.”
But then Chan’s whole ‘angry leader’ facade fades and makes way to worry and concern, his body deflating from its previously tensed position. He just looks like Seungmin’s boyfriend now. He sighs heavily and steps closer to Seungmin to place a hand on the back of his head, pushing their heads together.
“I’m just glad you’re okay, Min,” He whispers, breath fanning across Seungmin’s mouth. Seungmin nods as best he can with his forehead pressed against Chan’s. “I’m not mad, yeah? I just want to talk to you about what happened and why it happened. So we can prevent it from happening again.”
Seungmin nods once more, lips twitching downwards into a frown. Chan sighs at the sight and tips his chin forward to brush their lips together, noses bumping. Seungmin’s the one to initiate the kiss, pressing his lips firmly and reassuringly against Chan’s, who kisses him back just as firmly. When Chan pulls away, he places one last tender kiss to Seungmin’s forehead, right where his bangs part. It’s then, when Chan takes a step back, that Seungmin remembers they’re not the only ones in the room. The others are all looking at them, eyes fond and soft and Seungmin feels his cheeks heat up, especially as he hears one of them coo. He’s just about to run away from embarrassment the longer the room stays silent when Felix spreads his arms wide and puckers his lips.
“Me next!” He exclaims, already launching himself onto Chan and Seungmin. Seungmin’s trying to weasel his way out of a Chanlix sandwich when the front door suddenly flies open. They all jump at the same time, jerking their heads towards the front entrance.
“So you’re all having lunch together without us?!” A voice echoes from the foyer. They all relax at the familiar voice and Seungmin rolls his eyes, as does Chan—but much more fondly.
“We were going to invite you guys, we just weren’t sure if you were free,” Chan reassures as Minho steps into the kitchen, arms crossed and face pinched in irritation. He looks more like a pissed off kitten to Seungmin. Behind him, Jisung trails close by with a wide, heart-shaped grin on his face.
“Yeah, right,” Minho scoffs at Chan before letting his sharp eyes scan the room. They fall on Seungmin, narrowing. Seungmin feels a shiver run down his spine and he feels the need to run away. Before he can do so, however, Minho is crossing the room in three wide strides and grabbing at the back of his neck. Seungmin flinches and tries to push himself away but Minho holds him tightly and pulls him forward, crashing their mouths together. It’s a weird angle, considering Seungmin was not at all prepared for it, and their noses are smushed together awkwardly and it’s making his lips hurt. He’s just about to tilt his head to the side to deepen the kiss when Minho suddenly pulls away, his ears painted a dark cherry red.
“Don’t do that again, you hear?” Minho warns him with a jab to his chest. Seungmin, cheeks and ears flushed, can only nod dumbly. Chan grins so hard when Minho steps away from Seungmin that his face almost splits into two. Seungmin watches him coo at Minho and pinch his cheek and the burning tip of his ear before another body is suddenly on him. This time, it's Jisung.
Jisung wraps his arms around Seungmin and smacks a wet kiss to his cheek before skipping away happily towards Felix. Seungmin’s head is spinning now from far too much attention and too many unexpected kisses, his face no doubt a bright shade of red.
“You okay?” Changbin approaches from behind him, bumping their shoulders together. Seungmin snaps out of his daze with a shake of his head and looks over at him, a genuine wide smile spreading on his face. It reflects off of Changbin’s face in a little smirk and he slings his arm over Seungmin’s shoulder, pulling him towards the others so they can start eating.
~~~~~
Lunch is as nice as it usually is when they’re all together. They talk, they laugh, they tease each other. But not once did any of them ask what had happened yesterday. Seungmin appreciates that.
They do seem much nicer to him than usual, however. They share their food with him, let their touch linger for far longer than usual, and their smiles just seem softer. Seungmin’s not complaining but it’s weird. It’s different.
When he had first sat down, Minho had filled a plate high with food and instead of placing it in front of himself or Jisung (as he usually does), he placed it in front of Seungmin. Seungmin would be lying if he said his heart didn’t start beating faster at that moment.
Minho hadn’t even looked at him. He didn’t smile at him, didn’t wink, didn’t say anything. He just placed the plate in front of him and went off to plate his own food. A wry smile was plastered on Seungmin’s face the entire meal.
After lunch, they all unanimously agree to do the dishes together later, choosing to lounge in the living room and play some video games first. (To ‘let the food digest’ Jisung had said).
They’re rummaging through Changbin and Hyunjin’s limited supply of video games when Innie comes to the rescue, brandishing a switch, its dock, and multiple controllers out of the bag he had brought with him. They all cheered raucously and Seungmin was just about to join them when he was stopped by a hand on his elbow.
“Seungminnie.”
Seungmin freezes, lips pressing together as he curses under his breath. He had surely hoped Chan had forgotten about their little talk, had hoped he was off the hook. He scolds himself for thinking that. Chan never forgets these things.
“Yeah?” Seungmin’s voice is shaky as he turns around to face his hyung. Chan doesn’t say anything, just gives him a small, seemingly reassuring smile and jerks his head down the hallway, towards Changbin’s room.
Seungmin feels everyone’s eyes on his back as he trails nervously behind Chan, who leads the way.
~~~~~
“I’m not mad, Seungmin.”
Is the first thing he says when the door is closed and they’re both in Changbin’s room. Seungmin wants to scoff and tell him how cliche that statement is but he holds back. He’s sure it won’t help his case.
He sits on the edge of the bed instead, thighs pressed tightly together and hands tangled in Changbin’s stolen hoodie.
Chan himself takes a seat in Changbin’s desk chair, rolling it over until he’s mere inches away from Seungmin, their knees almost bumping together. Seungmin squirms on the mattress and wonders what the repercussions will be if he flees right out of the room. He decides not to try.
“If you don’t want to talk about what’s been bothering you, that’s fine. But you can’t just run away from your problems, okay? Especially without telling anyone where you’re going,” Chan says, looking at him in a way that makes Seungmin curl in on himself, making himself even smaller. “Lix was on the verge of a heart attack looking for you.”
He feels guilt pool low in his gut and tries to ignore it, eyes trailing down to his lap instead. He can’t bear to look Chan in the eyes, not when his leader has that disappointed and worried look in his eyes.
“I’m a grown adult, I should be able to go somewhere without having to tell all of you where I am 24/7…” He grumbles quietly, pulling at a loose thread of the hoodie.
“Not when you have seven people constantly worried about you,” Chan says in return, with a sigh that makes his shoulders droop. He runs a hand through his hair—despite its short length. His arm stretches out to gesture towards the door, further emphasizing his words. “And it’s not just you either. We’d be like this if it was any of the others.”
Seungmin doesn’t respond, only curls in on himself further, shoulders drawing up. Chan sighs again and drops his arms, scooting forward in his chair to bump his knee into Seungmin’s, kneecap pressed against kneecap.
“You don’t have to tell us where you are 24/7,” he says, voice lowering to a soft, hushed whisper. “But when someone asks where you currently are, it’d be much appreciated if you responded. If you don’t tell us, then we don’t know if you could be in danger. It’s not safe to be out and about by yourself, no matter how much you try to hide your appearance in public. You understand that, right?”
Seungmin’s throat bobs as he swallows and he jerks his head in a barely-there nod. Chan frowns and reaches out to stroke Seungmin’s hair gently. Seungmin almost leans in. Almost..
“You don’t have to explain what happened yesterday if you don’t want to, but I would really like to talk about it,” Chan drops his hand to rest on Seungmin’s kneecap, thumb brushing back and forth. “Bin told me the gist of what happened and what went on between you two—“
Seungmin feels a scowl pull on his face, anger beginning to bubble in his stomach at the thought of Changbin telling Chan despite Seungmin telling him not to. Chan picks it up and clicks his tongue, pinching lightly at the skin of his kneecap.
“Don’t start getting mad,” He chides. “I told him to tell me and I wouldn’t have taken no for an answer. If you wanna be mad, be mad at me.”
Seungmin pouts, eyelashes fluttering in a barely held back eye roll. Chan doesn’t see it—and if he does, he chooses to ignore it.
“I wanted to talk to you about some ways to de-stress that aren’t harmful to you or anyone else.”
“Like you’re one to talk,” Seungmin grumbles, low and under his breath. Still, Chan hears it and shakes his head fondly as he swats at his knee.
“Aish… you’re snappy today, aren’t ya?” He tuts. Seungmin has to hold himself back from smiling, especially with Chan’s own mouth tugged upwards. Before he gives up and lets himself smile, Chan sighs and his smile flickers. “You’re right though.. I do have a history for not properly taking care of myself, especially when it comes to being stressed. And that's why I want to talk about it, so you don’t do the same.”
Seungmin finds himself nodding. Chan continues, hand still caressing his knee.
“So, we’re going to brainstorm some ways to release your stress without hurting yourself or others in the process. Okay?”
Seungmin’s chest feels funny. It feels like he’s in therapy. Still, he nods again.
“Okay.”
~~~~~
They talk for a good amount of time and although Seungmin hadn’t been looking at the clock, he assumes they’ve been here for at least thirty minutes. It’s been a productive thirty minutes though and they come up with a multitude of creative ideas and techniques Seungmin can use the next time he’s stressed.
They come up with playing video games, reading a book, doing meditation, working out (‘as long as you’re not pushing yourself’, Chan had said), talking about it with one of the members or with a friend, journaling, watching a movie or a tv series, baking, cooking, drawing, and Seungmin’s favorite: sleeping it off.
“Sex can be a good way to let off some steam, just as long as you’re not hurting yourself in the process,” Chan adds once they run out of things to add to their ever growing list. “It’s like working out; don’t do it if you’re not in the right mindset, don’t push yourself farther than you need to and don’t hurt yourself.”
Seungmin nods at Chan’s words. It makes sense, really. Seungmin doesn’t know why he hadn’t considered that before he had stormed to Changbin’s room and demanded to be railed hard and rough. He blushes out of embarrassment, letting his head drop in between his shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” he mutters, glancing up at Chan through his bangs. Chan’s face softens and he shakes his head, reaching out to brush the back of his hand over Seungmin’s cheek, trying to coax him to pick his head up.
“Hey, you don’t have to apologize, sweetheart,” He whispers softly and reassuringly. Seungmin leans into the hand on his cheek, eyes sliding shut as he lets Chan cradle his face.
“What I did was reckless and I should’ve thought about it more,” Seungmin still mutters. “I should’ve especially thought about you guys and how it would affect you.”
Chan nods, thumb stroking Seungmin’s cheekbone.
“I’m glad you understand that what you did wasn’t…ideal—and it’s okay. Everyone acts reckless sometimes. I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t let it happen again and I especially want to make sure you know how to deal with your emotions safely and properly,” Chan explains, the hand that’s not cradling Seungmin’s cheek squeezing his hand softly but firmly. “I have no intentions to make you feel guilty or bad about your actions and I’m certainly not mad or upset at you. Sure, I am a little upset that you didn’t think to talk to us about it, but it happens. Everyone’s been there. I just want to be sure that you know that you can talk to any of us about anything.”
Seungmin really doesn’t want to cry again but Chan’s words are hitting straight to his core. He’s never had to have this talk with him. He’s sure many of the other members have (Jisungie when he was spiraling and lost, Hyunjin when he was close to giving up and leaving, Felix when his pain became too much to bear by himself..) but Seungmin never thought he’d be one of them. Still, he’s lucky to have someone like Chan. A caring and loyal leader like Chan, who cares about each and every one of his ‘kids’. A boyfriend like Chan.
Seungmin sniffles and picks his head up from Chan’s hand, rubbing at his eyes to make sure no tears start to spill. He nods and when he opens his eyes, Chan is smiling adoringly and fondly at him, hand still on his knee.
“I love you, you know?” Chan whispers, reaching out to brush his hand in Seungmin’s hair, not being able to stay apart for long enough. Seungmin smiles back at him, the smile genuine and thankful—loved, most of all.
“I know,” he whispers back, threading his fingers in between Chan’s to hold his hand. Chan cups under his jaw, leaning in to press a soft, chaste and slow kiss to his lips.
“And so does Hyunjinnie, and Lixie, and Jisungie, and Iyen-ah, and Minho, and Changbin.” Chan lists against his mouth.
Seungmin nods, lifting a hand to cup the side of Chan’s face as he kisses him back just as lovingly and just as soft.
“I know,” he repeats. He kisses Chan again, foreheads pressing together. “I do too.”
“We’re all here for you and we always will be, my love,” Chan wraps an arm around Seungmin’s waist, pulling him to his chest in a tight embrace, dropping a kiss to the top of his head. Seungmin’s arms snake around Chan’s shoulders as he melts into the hug, a smile plastered on his face.
He feels so, so loved—and he knows he is.
——
When they make their way back to the living room, the others are sprawled out all around the space, cuddled together and lounging comfortably.
Changbin, Hyunjin, and Felix take up the couch, Changbin and Felix on each end of the long sofa with Hyunjin draped horizontally across the remaining space. His feet are resting on Changbin’s lap, head pillowed on Felix’s thighs. He holds his phone high above his face, lips pouted out as he scrolls through whatever social media he’s scouring through.
Changbin also has his nose buried in his phone, but it looks like he’s typing something—most likely texting someone. He’s typing with one hand, balancing his phone in it as his thumb stretches across the screen. His other hand is on Hyunjin’s leg, rubbing up and down the muscles of his calves and ankles. The leg of Hyunjin’s sweatpants are bunched up on the leg Changbin has his hand on, fingers occasionally kneading at particular spots on his calf and foot.
Felix is the only one sitting on the couch not currently buried in his phone. Instead, he holds a Nintendo controller tightly in his hands as he focuses on the screen, eyebrows furrowed in both concentration and competitiveness as he plays.
The other three are sprawled out across the floor—despite there being two empty armchairs they could very well use. Jisung and Jeongin are sitting next to each other, cross-legged and tense as they too focus on the game, Nintendo controllers clutched in each hand respectively. Minho is lying on the floor next to them, legs thrown over Jisung’s lap as he watches the game play out on the screen, a small little smirk pulled on his face.
They’re playing Mario Kart, Seungmin notices when he glances at the TV screen. There are currently only three boxes displayed on screen despite the game being a four person game and Seungmin realizes, with a rapidly growing heartbeat, that they’ve reserved the last box for him.
They all look up at him when he and Chan walk in and the reaction when they realize they’re back from their ‘talk’ is immediate. The game is instantly paused, even though the race doesn’t seem to be anywhere close to finishing, as the three youngest boys look up wide-eyed at Seungmin. Minho sits up at the sight of them, betraying any chance at being nonchalant, and looks at them curiously and…is that worry clinging to his pupils?
The other two also pulled away from their phone, one more aggressively than the other. Changbin perks up, phone shutting off and sliding out of his hands in an instant at the sight of the two while Hyunjin loses his grip on his own phone completely. The device slips out of his hand and falls on his face, right on his nose. Seungmin can’t hold back the cackle that leaves him. They check on Hyunjin first, albeit quickly, to make sure his pretty little face wasn’t hurt before turning their attention back to Seungmin, who just grins at them.
“What? Do I have something on my face?” He teases, cocking his head to the side with a playful grin. Their eyes follow the movement.
“You wanna tell ‘em what happened yesterday?” Chan encourages, nudging at him from where he stands behind Seungmin, hand splayed over his lower back. Seungmin shrugs, rocking back and forth on his heels.
“I just got too stressed,” he admits. “And I didn’t know how to get rid of it.”
He leaves out the part with Changbin—he’s still embarrassed about it.
“You can all stop worrying about me. I talked with hyung about what to do the next time it gets to that point and I’m fine now,” He tells them, eyes flicking from each face. “I just want things to go back to normal and for you guys to not treat me like I’m a piece of glass just because I didn’t know how to express my emotions correctly.”
They all nod and Chan positively beams, his eyes going shiny as he looks at Seungmin like he just solved world peace. He sniffles dramatically and lunges at Seungmin, wrapping himself around his body like a koala.
“I’m so proud,” he coos, rubbing his cheek against Seungmin’s shoulder. “My baby…”
“Ugh, hyung, get off of me,” Seungmin groans, pushing at Chan’s chest to pry the clingy koala off of him. Chan eventually lets go of him, leaving a kiss onto his cheek before sauntering off towards the others, more than likely looking for his next victim. He pounces on Minho, who grunts at the sudden weight but doesn’t push him off, letting his only hyung cuddle up to him as much as he desires.
“You wanna play?”
Seungmin drags his eyes away from the two of them and to the smiling face in front of him. Jeongin holds up a red controller, the only spare controller left. Seungmin beams, head bobbing with a fast nod as he drops himself onto the floor, taking the controller from the maknae.
“I’m going to beat all of you!” He declares.
The other three respond with variations of ‘yeah, right’ and ‘keep dreaming’ and ‘you’re going down!’ as they start up a new game—this time with Seungmin included.
In the end, Seungmin places first in almost every race, except for the last one. Stupid Baby Mario…