"Yunho, Jaejoong, your oats are getting cold," grandmother Jung shouted from beneath the staircase. Her powerful timber voice carried up into the two level, reaching the ears of the two siblings. Jaejoong bellowed out a laugh as he blew soap suds onto his older brother, the bubbles collecting onto Yunho's torso before popping and deflating against the bronze skin. He squirmed as his brother wrestled with his hair, trying to distribute the soap as evenly as possible into the strands. He didn't fancy bathing with his brother, seeing as he always spent too much time cleaning the younger and accomplished little in cleaning himself. Jaejoong always insisted Yunho wash his hair, and by now, he couldn't resist the younger's urgings.

"You'll get soap in your eyes," Yunho warned, bending across the blonde to get the pail of water before slowly letting the cool liquid fall onto the soap covered Jaejoong. He gently combed through the blonde hair matting onto his little brother's face and dribbling down like curtains across powdered skin. "We need to hurry or else our food will get stale," he said, his tone filled with authority as he stilled his brother's attempt to decorate him with any more soap suds. Chuckling as Jaejoong protested, he gently rinsed the bubbles sticking to Jaejoong's torso and waist before pushing the other out of the bathing square. Yunho grinned as Jaejoong gave a squeak, his bare skin meeting with cool fall air. He went back to washing his own locks as Jaejoong retrieved a rag and toweled himself.

"Are you not coming?" Jaejoong asked once he was securely dressed and his hair no longer dripped water onto the floor.

"I spent the time washing my wet kitten, now go so I can wash myself. I will be down in a bit," Yunho ushered, smiling over at the younger before hearing Jaejoong huff about not wanting to be called a wet kitten.

Ignoring his brother's banter, the youngest turned and followed the aromatic fumes of baked goods and honey. Jaejoong skipped down the stairs two at a time before being warned by his grandmother to slow down. She smiled gently at him as he shuffled into his seat, bouncing as she distributed a hefty amount of honey speckled oats on his plate. "Thank you gran," he said cheekily before grabbing it and giving tentative bites, all the while basking in the morning glory and sounds. He watched as she gazed at him gently, her smile a big one as she took a seat next to him, her bones creaking as she shivered from the gust of fall wind. She was undoubtedly old, yet youth sprang forth in her eyes. Despite her slightly hunched back and withering frame, she was as benelovent as she was since childhood. Age did little to deter her outlook on life, and she could only look on proudly as she watched Jaejoong feast.

"You grow more beautiful with each passing day," his grandmother praised, raising her hand up to silk through his damp hair. Her eyes brightened as her grandchild squirmed in her palm, his nose scrunched as he shook his head. "That pout of yours is still going strong," she laughed, watching as her grandchild protested at the adjective. Jaejoong slowly chewed on the oats before gathering his thoughts.

"I want to be handsome, gran. Handsome like Yunho," he grinned, turning over to the stairs as his older brother leisurely walked down, his form in a pair of black trousers and a white smock, drying his hair with a rag. "Tell gran, Yunho. I don't want to be called beautiful," he begged, but it did little to faze the two. Yunho quirked his eyes in amusement, having just walked down and into such an amusing conversation. Shaking his head, the eldest of the two walked over to the table and sat down, his eyes sending a playful message across the surface and over to the elder Castor. Jaejoong watched on, his frown deepened when he realized that his two most favorite people were sharing a chuckle at his expense. "I don't like you two," he threatened, earning another laugh from the two eldest at the endearing words.

"Being beautiful is a great thing," grandmother soothed, running her quaky hands down his back. She shifted her eyes over to Yunho, gauging his reactions as she continued calming her youngest grandchild. "Your mother was a beauty," she said, turning to Yunho. Jaejoong shifted his gaze onto his brother's, watched as Yunho stiffened, the older chancing a quick glance at him before looking onto the oats on his plate. The mood in the room soured as Yunho picked at his food, a stormy frown on his features. Jaejoong shifted on his bottom as he glanced from his gran to Yunho.

He saw a silent struggle eat at his brother, warring between two sides until a battle had been won and Yunho accepted the defeat. "Jaejoong, just accept compliments without complaining," the eldest instructed before he stood up, a cold indifference covering his veneer. Pushing away the oats, he grabbed onto his bow and arrows before making to leave for the forest. Jaejoong knew the older loved to hunt in the morning and he preferred to stay at home and entertain himself, but he couldn't quite place the startled way Yunho had reacted.

"Where are you going?" Jaejoong asked, springing from his seat. "Can I come?" He put on a smile as he scrambled to get his moccasins, stopping short of reaching them due to Yunho's hand across his torso, stopping his actions. He frowned when Yunho gentle prodded him away from his shoes.

"I want to go alone," Yunho informed before sending a disapproving glance at his grandmother and exiting the vicinity. Waves of anxiety and frustration bombarded his senses, leaving him disorientated as he tread down the paved stone leading into the wild. He placed two fingers in his mouth before letting out a shrill whistle into the air. Not sparing a moment, he dashed into the green foliage and crept underneath the overgrowth. He was immediately joined by Kint and Fi, their forms gliding and scurrying closely behind his own.

He knew he was wrong in his anger but he could not help but feel frustration. Jaejoong did not know that they were not brothers--not truly in every sense of the word--and his grandmother seemed to constantly want to spill out the secret he had been guarding. Jaejoong would crumble if he knew. His beloved Jaejoong would surely cry, and there would be no way to placate the other.

He could still remember the coldest night of his life, his body molding against the warm frame of his grandmother's. They had only one room where insulation was enforced, but Jaejoong had fallen sick that month with a contagious illness, leaving them no choice but to sleep in the cold livingroom. He had been sick with worry, waking up every hour to check on his little brother. Grandmother had looked on with strange eyes, gazing him down every time he returned under the covers.

"Yunho, he is not your blood brother," she had said, and Yunho had cried at the words. He knew. Of course he knew. He was there when Jaejoong was created, but he couldn't deny the fact. Jaejoong was too old now. He thought of himself as blood. They couldn't make him think otherwise.

Yunho couldn't think otherwise. It was too dangerous for his heart--too dangerous for his emotions--and he stored it deep within him under the guise of brotherhood. It was easy for him to ignore everything, but his grandmother always found ways to show that there was a line dividing the two young men. Yunho didn't want that line to be destroyed. His grandmother seemed to want that line gone. It angered him to no end, but it was getting harder and harder for him to see the marks separating him from his younger brother. He couldn't bare it. Not like this.

Sighing, he whistled for Kint to sniff out the trail of prey he had been hunting for the past few days, wanting to clear his mind. Seconds later, Kint shot out from behind a tree stump, graceful limbs pivoting the fox towards the meadows. He found thrill in the chase as Kint dashed into the deeper parts of the forest with Yunho following close behind. He could feel the air around him whistle, the thrashing of the forestry weaving in and out of his vision. With the untrained eye, one can only see leaves and trees--the forest blocking the sun from reaching into its crevices--but Yunho was well adepted to the wild.
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