“Fatty!”

          “You need to lose weight, oppa!”

          “Oppa is so chubby!”

Fat. Overweight. Obese. Chubby. Round. Plump. Flabby.

Xiumin looked in the mirror at his body. The next time they saw him, they would be proven wrong. Just look at him now: his arms and stomach toned with muscle, his jaw line sharp and edgy. No one could call him fat now. He took a breath, taking in his image now, comparing it to what it once was. Before, he had been a round-faced little kid, but he wasn’t noe. Xiumin was so busy evaluating his reflection that he didn’t notice the bathroom door open. He only turned when he heard a gasp, and the door close quickly behind someone. Chen stood just inside the door.

“Xiumin,” he gasped.

Xiumin turned to face him.

          “Chen-Chen, did you need something?” Xiumin asked, not realizing Chen's disbelief.

          “Hyung… your body…”

          “Huh? Ah—yeah… I lost some weight! That diet I went on really worked!”

          “Minnie… How much weight did you lose? You can see your ribs,” Chen said incredulously.

Xiumin looked in the mirror to consider himself again. His ribs were clearly visible, poking out along his side.

          “Oh, I guess you really can see them,” Xiumin chuckled, “I only lost eight kilograms though.”

Chen’s eyes widened and his mouth formed a small ‘o’ shape. Xiumin furrowed his eyebrows at Chen’s reaction.

          “Eight kilograms?! Hyung! You were already only 65 kilograms!” Chen exclaimed.

          “Ne… but I needed to lose weight.”

          “Why would you think that?”

          “Because… well, that’s what everyone was saying. Even the fans thought I was overweight. And shouldn’t we want to please our fans?”

Chen sighed exasperatedly.

          “Yes, we should want our fans to be happy, but not at the expense of our own health,” Chen said, “and besides, not everyone thought that way,” he finished slightly under his breath.

          “What do you mean ‘not everyone thought that way’?” Xiumin asked, grabbing his shirt off the bathroom counter and pulling it over his head.

Chen practically winced at how visible Xiumin’s ribs and just his bones in general were as he lifted his hands over his head to put the shirt on.

          “Well, I mean…” Chen swallowed, and went to sit on the side of the bathtub, trying to figure out how to say this.

          “What I meant was that I liked you just the way you were,” Chen said quietly, looking at the floor.

          “What was that?” Xiumin asked, going to sit on the closed toilet.

          “I liked you just fine the way you were!” Chen said, more loudly this time, looking Xiumin straight in the eyes.

Xiumin’s eyes widened and his cheeks started to turn a slight shade of pink.

          “You did?” Xiumin asked quietly.

          “Yes. I did. I liked you, because you were you; because you were perfect in my eyes. I still like you, Baozi, and I’ve tried my best to tell you everyday just how much I like you and just how flawless you are,” Chen said seriously.

          “I’m sorry… I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I was stupid… I’m sorry I made you worry. I just… I was too busy listening to the negative comments people were making and I didn’t notice how much you cared. Mianhae, Jong Dae,” Xiumin said, using Chen’s real name.

Xiumin lifted his hands to cover his face, resting his elbows on his knees. Chen sighed again, but this time it was of relief. He’d finally gotten through to Xiumin.

          “Hey, it’s okay,” Chen said, when he noticed the tears slipping down Xiumin’s face.

Chen pulled Xiumin’s hands away from his eyes and held them in his own. He looked into the elder’s eyes gently.

          “It’s okay,” Chen repeated, smiling.

Xiumin took a breath and let it out shakily. Chen reached up to wipe away Xiumin’s tears and Xiumin let him. After he was done, Chen didn’t take his hands away from Xiumin’s face. He rested one on each of his cheeks.

          “Saranghae, Min Seok,” Chen said softly, leaning in to kiss Xiumin.

          “Saranghae, Jong Dae,” Xiumin replied, closing his eyes.

Chen kissed Xiumin softly, his hands still on his cheeks. Xiumin returned the kiss and lifted his hands to pull Chen closer. When they broke the kiss, Xiumin opened his eyes to find Chen staring straight into them. Neither of them released the other though; content to just stare at each other for eternity.

-----

          Luhan leaned away from the bathroom door. He looked up from his place on the floor and saw Sehun still avidly watching the couple inside. He frowned and pulled the door closed, forcing the maknae out and into the dark hallway.

          “Yah!” Sehun exclaimed after having his head shut in the door.

Luhan smiled and stood up, looking Sehun in the eyes.

          “Yah, Sehunnie~ Give them some privacy,” Luhan said.

          “Hmph…”

          “Come on, Hunnie. Operation XiuChen was a success,” Luhan said, starting to go toward their room.

          “Luhan-ah! Don’t forget about Operation HunHan!” Sehun called after him, following him into their bedroom.