A chill had set in the air, signalling that winter was on its way.

Already the people had been stocking up on winter clothing and going all out on buying hats. The people on the street had begun to wear coats along with their daily outfits, signalling the coming of a season, especially the festive season.

Him? He was one of those who tried not to go outside.

Luckily, with their new comeback on its way, they were spending increasing amounts of time in the studio or practice rooms, preparing endlessly. 

He didn't mind. At least he wasn't out in the cold.

He was currently in the practice room by himself as his dance partners (Jongin and Sehun) had decided that they were tired and wanted to take a break and hence left the room. He however, was unable to get the dance they were doing and he wouldn't stop until he had gotten it down pat.

Baekhyun suddenly came into the room and Junmyeon paused his practice. Baekhyun sheepishly bowed his head and walked over. "Sorry, hyung, I hope I'm not intruding."

He shook his head. "No, not at all," he said, grabbing a bottle of water. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," Baekhyun said. "It's just...I was wondering whether you had any plans tomorrow?"

Junmyeon paused to think. "I'm meeting up with Eunji, does that count?" 

"Actually, that's perfect," Baekhyun smiled. "Taeyeon's been wanting to meet you two for a while now, so I was hoping we could all meet up tomorrow. What were you going to do anyway?"

He actually didn't know. "I was just going to take her for a movie or something."

Baekhyun looked at him. "You don't know what to do, do you?"

Junmyeon shook his head. "Nope."

"Then just bring her along," Baekhyun suggested. "Taeyeon and I were going to get a bite to eat at that All You Can Eat Buffet in that barbecue restaurant. You guys can join us too. It'll be fun, I promise."

Junmyeon thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

Baekhyun grinned widely. "That's great!"

***

The following evening had Junmyeon and Baekhyun riding up to the restaurant together. After a call the previous night to confirm the plan, Eunji had agreed to meet up with them inside, as Taeyeon would be getting them a seat.

They walked into the restaurant, taking a moment at the door to smell the gorgeous smell of Korean barbecue, and then went in to find their girlfriends.

The two girls were at the table, chatting and laughing whole-heartedly when the two men walked in. Eunji spotted them and smiled. "Speak of the devils, here they come," she said.

"Devils?" Junmyeon asked. "Were the two of you gossiping about us?"

"It would be a lie if I said no," Eunji chuckled.

Taeyeon got up greet Baekhyun with a light hug before the black haired man slid into the booth next to her. Junmyeon playfully pushed Eunji with his hip before the girl shifted a bit to allow him to sit beside her.

"Now, before we do anything else," Baekhyun said. "Did you girls order anything?"

Eunji pointed to the line of great smelling dishes. "Food is over there. Do you want to order or get the buffet?"

Baekhyun shared a look with Junmyeon. "We came specifically for the buffet." 

"Then let's go," Taeyeon said, making to get up. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. We can talk after we get some food."

The four immediately moved to the buffet line, each loading up gracious amounts onto their plates. After bringing the plates and sides back to their table, Junmyeon placed the slices of meat onto the grill and then placing it onto the plates when they were done frying.

"So," Taeyeon said, turning to the couple in front of her. "Are you two going to do any more public appearances?"

Baekhyun turned to look at her with wide eyes. "Noona, what do you mean?"

She turned to him. "Don't act like you don't know," she told him. "After your interview with Dispatch, you guys didn't really do anything, did you?"

Junmyeon shook his head. "I think the public's had their share of us," he said.

Taeyeon nodded. "I do hope too." 

Baekhyun then looked down at his plate to find it clean and empty. "Oh, I'm out," he said. "I'll go get a refill."

"I'll come with you," Eunji said, getting up. "I need to get a drink too."

The two walked over to the buffet, talking and laughing. Junmyeon watched after the two of them for a while and then turned back to Taeyeon.

"Noona," he said, "I seriously want to thank you for taking care of Baekhyun." He looked down immediately. "Especially since I've failed him so much."

Taeyeon smiled a sad smile. "You're talking about Kris, Luhan and Tao, aren't you?"

"Not only that," he said. "Yes, it's a big part of it. But I also was unable to support you two, since the public didn't take too kindly to your relationship."

Taeyeon smiled. "Suho-yah, if we bothered about what the public thought of us, we wouldn't even be together right now," she said. "There was nothing you could have done, as it was something that concerned just the two of us."

"But still..."

She folded her elbows and leaned on the table. "You have something on your chest," she observed. "Tell me."

Junmyeon sighed. "I was unable to protect my family, I was unable to keep them together. I had no idea what they were feeling, that they were hurt and injured beyond thought. Even when I knew, I was helpless, pathetic, just watching them suffer. Eventually, they left." 

"I know what you mean," she said. "Being a leader has even more of an impact, doesn't it? You feel responsible for anything, and personally blame yourself when something goes wrong, even when it has nothing to do with you."

He looked up at her. "You lost a family member too, didn't you?"

Taeyeon nodded. "Sooyeon's departure wasn't as dramatic as your members' though," she said. "She left because she wanted to focus more on her solo activities. She told me it was her choice to leave and it had nothing to do with us, but I still felt like a failure." She turned her eyes down to her plate. "I kept thinking to myself 'Why doesn't she want to perform with us anymore? Did we do something wrong? Did I do something wrong?' These thoughts never stopped, even to this day."

"Guess that's just our burden as leaders," Junmyeon suggested.

Taeyeon nodded. "It is our burden. It won't ever go away, but it is possible to find someone who helps ease it." She turned her head towards where Baekhyun and Eunji were standing. "You find someone who doesn't take that burden away, but just keeps your mind off it. While you're with them, you forget about your responsibilities. They put a smile on your face."

Junmyeon's eyes locked onto Eunji's figure, where she was happily talking with his group member. "With them, you're not a leader," he muttered loud enough for Taeyeon to hear.

The older woman nodded. "Our burden will never cease, or even lessen. It's our responsibility, and there are things which the fans or anyone, even our group members, will know. We can't escape that, but we can leave our worries behind for a few hours." 

She took a deep breath, bringing Junmyeon's attention back to her. "I won't tell you that your members leaving wasn't your fault, because no matter what I tell you, you're still going to feel responsible. All I can say is treasure the time you spend with Eunji, because when you're with her, all you are is a man in love." 

He nodded, taking her advice to heart. She shot a look back at them and chuckled. "Look at us, both leaders of world famous groups, both dating main vocalists with a three year age difference."

He laughed, suddenly noticing the similarities. "Who would've thought?" he exclaimed. 

"Who would've thought what?" Baekhyun asked, suddenly appearing with a plate chock full of meats. Eunji tailed him, bringing four glasses of sparkling blue drinks. 

"Nothing," Taeyeon told him.

He slid into the seat next to her while Eunji arrived and handed out the drinks. Junmyeon placed Baekhyun's meats onto the grill and began to cook them while Eunji and Baekhyun struck up a conversation.

In the midst of it all, he caught Taeyeon's gaze, and the two leaders shared a knowing look.

Their partners would never know about this side of them, and that was okay.

They accepted the responsibility. 

They were leaders.

***

A/N: A little appreciation for our underappreciated leaders!

I would have updated this morning but I got a cat.

A Freaking cat!

I've been asking for a pet for over ten years.

It' still too real to be true.

In other news, why are all of EXO's Christmas albums full of beautiful ballads? I was hoping we'd get something lighter and happier like Infinite's White Confession, but no, I get a beautiful tune that drives me to tears.

Moving on...

Enjoy!