Luhan was by far the more self conscious of the two of them. It made sense- he was contending not only with a youthful appearance but a pronounced girlishness of features, trying desperately to combat these first impressions in favor of delivering a more manly image. 

Minseok- Minseok hyung if one was being fair- he was, barely, the eldest- had long since given up on any dramatic attempt to counteract his childish image. He had a boyish face, a bright and bubbly youthful exuberance to match, and had had nearly twenty five years to come to term with the fact that very few people would at first believe him to be his real age. Despite his initial reservations, Minseok had long since decided the effort to appear older wasn't worth giving up his happiness, and was much more open to enjoying things perceived as “childish.”

On this particular occasion, like many others, an exuberant Minseok was dragging Luhan behind him, the younger (barely) man obviously attempting to resist Minseok’s apparent near quest to force Luhan to enjoy himself without attempting to maintain a hyper masculine façade. 

“But hyuuung,” Luhan whined, feet digging into the carpet and hands catching at walls and doorframes as he attempted to resist the force of nature that was Kim Minseok.

“Come on, Luhannie, I wanna watch the fireworks, and watching something like that alone is just sad.” Minseok seemed almost to completely ignore Luhan’s attempts at escape, paying them little mind beyond occasionally tugging slightly harder on the other man to break his grip on passing doorways. 

Luhan whined, struggling futilely back against Minseok’s surprisingly muscular grip. Everyone already thought him the youngest out of everyone, despite his attempts to maintain a cool front of mystique and leather clothes, enjoying something as childish as fireworks would slaughter the scant reputation he had managed to establish by the dint of a long uphill battle against strong first impressions. 

But Minseok- small, cute, childish in both face and exuberance- proved impossible to dislike. His sweet nature and lack of judgement endeared him to all, and Luhan more than anyone, and Luhan’s soft spot for the older man was depressingly large. 

Much as his fingers gradually lost their grip on the doorframe he was desperately clutching, so too did Luhan’s mind gradually cave, despite his express wishes, unconsciously agreeing to sacrifice his hard-won respect for the sake of pleasing the indomitable Kim Minseok. 

And it was worth it. To hear the unbridled joy in Minseok’s voice as he gasped in awe at each and every firework without fail, to see the bright colors splash across his tiny face and spark in his wide eyes. Until Minseok turned to him, eyes bright and smile brilliant, for all the teeth seemed almost to small for his mouth, and Luhan realized with a thump of his heart and a tightening of his hand in Minseok’s where they laid entwined on the blanket on the grass, that the light in his eyes was less the bright sparks of fireworks and more the vibrant blaze of Minseok’s unquenchable enthusiasm. 

Luhan stared, transfixed, the other’s overjoyed expression, before pulling himself together and delivering his own bright grin in return.  Minseok’s smile grew, if possible, briefly even wider before he turned back to the display, squeezing Luhan’s hand almost painfully tight in return.

At last Luhan felt himself let go, felt his inhibitions and concern with maintaining his image finally slip fully away, and turned to the colorful explosions playing across the sky before them, an exuberant smile of his own finally spreading across his face and, at long last, sticking there and he allowed himself to truly enjoy the fireworks, childish as they may be.

With Luhan now distracted by the rockets Minseok glanced carefully to the side.  He took in the younger’s smile, bright eyes, the lack of his usual inhibitions, and grew warm inside.  Minseok was on a near constant quest to make Luhan loosen up, and for all his failures, at least now, for a brief moment, he had found success.