Stray Kids one shots #2 || honeyndwild

Minho - cooking meat, cat's food and sweatpants

The snow is wet and cold, tangling in his purple hair, and Minho notices with annoyance that he should've taken the beanie Jisung was so insistent to pack into his hyung's suitcase. But Minho is a grown-up boy, he doesn't need a freaking beanie, no, thank you very much, squirrel.

Annoyance scratches his throat while a few snowflakes melt on his cheeks, and Minho allows himself to feel a little disappointed. He should've taken the beanie with him, yes. No one will know about that though, thank God, he's alone in this cabin.

The fire crackles loudly, asking for his attention, and Minho yields to its pleas, throwing a fresh, dry log into the grill. The fire gladly munches the wood, burning brighter, and Minho realises it's time to cook dinner. (Finally, because, oh God, he's hungry.)

Grilling the meat makes him smile silly, and maybe, he would've been worried if not for the fact that the evening is cold and quiet, and the backyard of the cabin is small and empty, only him, the grill and a stray cat hiding somewhere in the bushes.

Minho noticed it the moment he arrived, leaving his suitcase slowly drifting in the tiny living room while he ran outside to check the nature. He didn't have any luck communicating with the small creature, because the cat, of course, was thoughtful, only peaking at Minho from under the bush. But Minho could wait, he was good at that stuff.

The grease is sizzling on the foil, the mushrooms are slowly darkening from the heat, the meat is sparkling, losing its redness. Minho's mouth is watering, his nostrils filling with the smells, and his ears, with the sounds of the food cooking.

He stares at the trees on the horizon, the way their bare brunches paint the darkening blue sky with messy ornaments. The cold bites his cheeks and the tip of his nose, the wind slaps his thighs from time to time, reminding him that his sweatpants are too thin for this winter.

His mind drifts from one thing to another, parts of choreography he was learning yesterday changes to the lyrics he needs to discuss with Chan and then mixes with the flashbacks of Hyunjin's whining, begging his hyung to take a few pictures of the scenery for him to use later as a reference for his drawings.

But the thoughts aren't irritating, like soft waves, they come and go, leaving Minho in blissful peace. And he can't help but smile because, dammit, it feels incredible.

The meat screams at him to flip it over, the snow stops falling and the darkness settles in. Minho collects the mushrooms on a paper plate when the cat finally shows its nose from under the bush.

Minho tries to hold his happiness inside and stay still, but it doesn't work. A few minutes later, he surrenders and runs to the house to grab a few packages with the cat's food.

He's going to leave tomorrow, Minho knows that. But right now the evening is cold and delicious, and the only thing he wants to do is to enjoy.