[Year 19 of Exile]

A loud snore roused me from my sleep and I gingerly opened an eye to find him facing me.

I opened the other eye, and a small smile formed when his nose wrinkled as though a foul smell had penetrated his nostrils. Yet another loud snore came from him and I had to cover my mouth to muffle my laugh.

His hair flopped over his closed eyes and his thin lips curled upwards briefly to reveal a perfect set of pearly white teeth that always appeared when he smiled, gum and all. His long fingers lightly grazed my nose and I slipped my hand into his large one.

His gigantic hands never cease to amaze me. Uncle Hanqiang's hands weren't big, because my hand fit into his perfectly. So where did the largeness come from? Aunt Rose?

Another loud snore snapped me out of my thoughts and a silhouette rose from the camp bed behind Kris'.

Unable to see his features, the only part of the boy that enabled me to identify him was his sharp face. Against the white fabric of the tentage and from the sunlight beating on it, his bed hair was evidently messy and his sharp face stood out. He turned towards me, or that was what I thought.

I narrowed my eyes, not wanting him to know that I was awake. However, as quickly as he sat up and whirled around briefly, he flopped back down. He kicked his towel-blanket off his bed, and his abs made an appearance when his hand reached under his shirt to scratch his tummy. Oh? They seem more defined than the last time I saw them. He has been working out. I gazed at him fondly, as he wrinkled his nose and sniffled. He nuzzled his face into his hands, looking very much like the youngest he was.

And as if the boys in the tentage were telepathically linked, they snored altogether.

Well, good morning everyone. Haha.

After lifting Kris' arm from my waist and placing it on his camp bed (somehow, during the night his bed joined with mine), I gave a sweeping glance at the other three camp beds, where Kai, Yixing, and Kyungsoo lay sleeping, before stepping out into the clearing.

"You're up early."

Luhan glanced up from a large pot that was sitting on the 'stove' made by Kyungsoo and Chanyeol. The fire bender provided the fire (that never seems to die out) needed to cook the food prepared by our resident chef. In actual fact, it was essentially a campfire with sticks holding the pot up above the fire. The two boys seemed to be very proud of their contraption so I kept my sarcastic comments to myself.

"Good morning, Luhan. You're up early too." I peered into the pot, and smiled to find porridge simmering within. A faint smell of chicken wafted from the pot and I knew that Luhan had cooked the dish he was most confident of — chicken porridge.

And sure enough, when it was ready, he eagerly dished the thick porridge into bowls for the boys who were beginning to stir from their slumber. The chef for the morning hummed a little tune while he handed the bowls to me. As I arranged the table, Baekhyun stumbled out of his tentage with his same-aged friends in tow.

"Morning guys." I grinned at them when they staggered onto the benches one after another, hands intertwined, reminding me of the fact that they used to play together all the time; they were inseparable back then. "Luhan made porridge."

They nodded and Chanyeol's head lolled forward. I swiftly moved the bowl away from him and true enough, his face landed where the bowl used to be. "Chanyeol! Go back to bed if you want to sleep." I tapped his shoulder but he didn't budge. Looking at the two of them for help, they shrugged and began to eat their breakfast.

I pursed my lips. Chanyeol can literally sleep anywhere. This boy is a really heavy sleeper, sighs. I ruffled his hair and prodded his cheeks. Putting my mouth next to his ear, I blew at it. No response. I blew at it again. His right eyelid twitched and I smirked.

"If you're not going to get up, I'm going to kiss you."

And the boy shot up like a rocket, his ears pink and face crimson. I had noticed the change of his facial expressions, but I hadn't taken it to heart. Chanyeol always had weird looks.

His friends snickered while Xiumin and Kris slid onto the bench opposite them, confusion and weariness written on their faces. "What's so funny?"

"Ah, nothing hyung." Baekhyun, now somewhat awake, sang as he continued to spoon porridge into his mouth, exchanging knowing glances with a grinning Jongdae.

The older boys gladly received their breakfast from me and they began to wolf it down almost immediately. By the time Yixing, Zitao, and Kyungsoo emerged from the tentages, the five boys already had two bowls of porridge each. I had to stop them from taking more because the pot seemed to be running empty soon, and six boys haven't had their shares.

"No more!" Luhan smacked the back of Xiumin's hand as he reached for the ladle in the pot still sitting over the fire (it's smaller now; Luhan had asked Chanyeol to lessen its intensity). "Get back to your seat, you hungry wolf."

The eldest slouched and slunk back to his seat on the bench, amidst snickers from the boys at the table. Kyungsoo spooned the porridge into his mouth and I found myself staring at his lips. Heart. I swallowed and turned away before I let the heat rush to my cheeks.