Much like it sounds, cooking dinner for seven fully grown young men with physically demanding schedules and eratic and inconsistent diets is no easy feat.

Taeil had assumed responsibility for a number of reasons early on in their career, an awful mistake as he sees it now. His parents had owned a restaurant that he'd worked at most of his life, he was the eldest, he was desperate for something to do in the evenings where he was near flat-lining from boredom; whatever he'd said before sounds foolish now.

But he'd damned himself, and won't go back on his promise.

It's why he's not giving up now, despite his fervent want too.

Everyone is at the dorm for the first time in nearly a month, just having arrived from a grueling choreography rehearsal with empty and impatient bellies.

Taeil himself is not excluded, but he's the only one not sprawled on a couch or the floor.

Instead, he's stationed in front of a cutting board, one eye on the cabbage he's dicing and the other on the pork frying on the stove. His hair is pulled up into an apple stem courtesy of a grinning Jihoon, and his apron his tied around his waist loosely, it sits at an angle on his hips.

He's tired, and sore, and thirsty beyond belief, but depite his complaining he takes genuine pride in feeding his younger friends, and doesn't really begrudge his unofficial position as dorm chef.

He still complains though, that keeps things fun.

Things are nearly done, the rice cooker is beeping and the vegetables in the stir fry are wilting nicely, and everything smells heavenly.

"Jiho!" Taeil shouts, not stopping stirring the pork around in the sesame oil as he does. 

Jiho is quick to come in, barefoot and in a big tank top, hair spiked with sweat. Taeil smiles over at him before nodding his head towards the cabinet beside the refrigerator. 

"Can you get the dishes please?"

Jiho salutes  and starts taking plates and bowls from their stacks.

"That smells so good, hyung." He sighs once he finishes placing everything, coming to stand directly behind Taeil and looming over him like only he can get away with.

Taeil smiles over his shoulder as a thank you, and jumps a little at the cool kiss Jiho delivers to his cheek.

Surprised, he turns back to the stove, convinced that he can hear the greasiness of Jiho's slow smile behind him. Jiho must be able to see the pink of his blush creep up the back of his neck, because that's where he presses his next kiss, this time closed lips stretched into a pursed smile.

"Stop, oh my god." Taeil whispers, for some reason violently embarrased as he flips off the stove and rubs at the places where Jiho had kissed.

"Why?" Jiho asks, impish tone only furthering to heighten Taeil's redness.

Before Taeil can answer Jaehyo is walking in, asking if there's anything he can do to help.

Taeil jumps at the chance to distance himself from Jiho and his teasing, and slips a pair of oven gloves onto Jaehyo's waiting hands and asks him to dish out the steaming pork and vegetables.

His strategy of avoidance is pointless as it turns out, as Jiho grabs his wrist the moment he turns around, and goes in for another sweet kiss on Taeil's nose before he can squirm away.

Jiho is never this affectionate, ever, and Taeil is as suspicious as he is secretly elated.

"You guys are so cute. Why can't I be in a cute relationship? I'm totally as cute as you guys are, where's my cute soulmate? I hate you guys." 

Jaehyo's pouting has both Taeil and Jiho giggling. Jiho presses a final kiss to Taeil's lips, this time one that Taeil returns, before they untangle, and Jiho goes to get everybody in and at the table to eat.

Taeil goes back to the counter by the stove to get the rest of the food, smiling broadly as he does it.