Little elf ears twitched, catching musical notes to his heart. He stirred awake from the racket. People were outside. People important to him. People he called friends. Amongst them was a special one. A person he called more than a lover. Their laughter filled his ears. He roused more until he sat up, groggy from the night before.

EXO had another night concert. Tired as they were, always were, it seemed to dissipate at the gentle white cotton-like balls falling from the epitome of darkness the city had. It was snowing. It was enough to awaken the boys and bounce out of their respective dorms as they all shouted with glee as if they were young and reckless again. Well, young. Reckless was something they still were as Suho whispered it from his lips, watching s slip and fall on multiple occasions, holding their stomachs as they cried laughing more and more. Their night ended with all of them shivering against one another for warmth, soaking wet from playing in said snow.

Before he knew it, Chanyeol was the last one to awaken the next morning, sore and still delirious. It was a blur. His vision and that same snowy night. He faintly remembered a hushed whisper among tangled limbs of his brothers-in-contract tickling his ear. He followed the voice and tiptoed around a mumbling Sehun koala-hugging Lay for dear life. Lay on Suho's arm. Suho on Chen's knee. Chen cuddling into Xiumin's shoulder still whining in his sleep about the bone-like pillow until he realized it was bone and moved over to lay his head on Kai's stomach. Kai clench Kyungsoo's hand tighter. Kyungsoo's head lolled over muttering something or other about safety to Baekhyun who giggled as he left and another string of words about killing Chanyeol for one reason and another. Chanyeol simply responded stepping on the latter's hand on his way out of their living room.

Baekhyun immediately found hands sliding down his hips to hold him against a toned chest. Chanyeol smiled at the large, white puff of a breath from the smaller one in his arms, indicating he sighed from just his touch. Baekhyun rolled his head from side to side, following the motions of their light sway. He smiled as he was castled by a wool coat, closed by buttons on his chest. Chanyeol loved the silence of the night as it highlighted the way Baekhyun giggled. The night of silences always comforted the giant.

It was like living in his mind.

Quiet.

At peace.

Content.

Filled with nothing but the little things that made up Baekhyun.

His prominent laugh.

His persuasive words.

His sultry tongue.

Next thing he knew, Chanyeol hovered over warm eyes. They stared up at him with pleas he didn't need to hear to know what each one was. He's heard them screamed one too many times. As did the other members who weren't as interested to hear how Baekhyun practiced his high notes. Chanyeol swore he could still hear them echo in the back of his mind.

Oh. 

No. 

Not imagination this time.

Thank the heavens.

Chanyeol didn't want a repeat of the time he had misunderstood Baekhyun calling his name.

He was only asking to pass the pepper at Thanksgiving dinner.

Chanyeol gave him more than just heat and the spices of life, filling him to the brim as if he were pumpkin pie, stuffed like a turkey, made into mush like a pot of mashed potatoes, turned and flipped around like roasting ham, and was topped and creamed as much as a-

There were those lips again on his neck, making Chanyeol come back again.