Spring of ’03; it was when Sehun was first divulged of his half-brother’s existence. 

His name was Luhan, naught but a four-year-old child who at the time had no knowledge of his mother’s ill health. To win a battle against a terminal disease would be beyond the bounds of possibility, and no sooner had Luhan been bereaved. In spite of being estranged to both mother and son, Oh Seungheon reached a decision to take full custody of his youngest and bring him to Seoul with him. And when disclosed to Sehun in the following manner, the six-year-old gladly received the news and was more than acceptable of the new addition to the family. Sehun had more than once wished for a sibling of his own, a playmate that could ease the boredom of being an only child. Although Chanyeol, his newly established best friend, dropped by more often than any other of his friends, having a sibling that could live and play with you anytime you please was more excitable for Sehun.

"Hyung...do you have robots? And toy guns and cars?”

"I have a whole room back at home. I’ll give half of them to you! Sounds nice, right?"

Luhan was a sweet boy with big sparkly eyes and huge enthusiasm, his inability to speak Korean being one of his most endearing traits because he couldn’t go anywhere without tugging his older brother with him to act as his interpreter, since only Seungheon and Sehun could catch on his mandarin. The older boy always enjoyed playtime with Luhan and was quite fond of the child, and he was certain their relatives would also take a liking to him.

But he spoke too soon.

His grandmother and mother especially, weren’t too pleased. Oftentimes his parents’ heated arguments stem from the issue of Luhan’s custody. Seungheon couldn’t say he never saw his wife’s displeasure coming as he had known beforehand that even couples cannot expect to see eye to eye on everything.

“You want to gain my approval? Of taking your illegitimate bastard into this family? Have you gone mad, Seungheon?!”

“He has nowhere else to go, Juhyun. He’s mine regardless of whether he is illegitimate or not, and if you were me, you wouldn’t want any child of yours to be an orphan either.”

“Do not compare yourself to me. I will never conceive a child with a man I’m not married to. No matter what you say or how much persuasion you say it with, my mind is unchangeable. I will die first before I consider that child a part of this family!”

Unlike his mother who treats Luhan with a cold-shoulder and his grandmother who blatantly expresses her distaste through looks of disdain and patronizing remarks, Sehun never once thought that Luhan was inferior for being an “outsider” and for being only half of his blood. Instead he treated Luhan specially, spent time with him like no other and cherished him as though he was a possession of inestimable value. His toys were Luhan’s toys, his friends were Luhan’s friends and his happiness was Luhan’s own. He was the only ally the boy truly had as their father’s attention towards Luhan was equally sparse as the other adults’. It didn’t matter much though, because he had his older brother and he was all Luhan needed to be happy in a world devoid of his mother’s love and care.

However while growing up, his perception of the harsh world became more and more apparent. He was neither blind nor unfeeling, and he could see his supposed relatives’ prejudice against him. He knew for a fact that he was scorned for he’s nothing but an illegitimate child from a local flight attendant that his father knocked up after a business trip in Macau; an ugly flaw in the untainted, perfect Oh bloodline. All their family members were cruel people with the exemption of his older brother, Sehun always cared about his well being and Luhan looked up to him the most.

But it was only a matter of time that his outlook became distorted. He couldn’t curb the green-eyed monster from debasing his perspective of Sehun. Every day he was forced to swallow the fact that his stepmother paid his existence no mind, that his grandmother loathed him, that his father simply didn’t care. Such was not the case with Sehun; they all seemed to favor him, dote on him endlessly, even more so now that he was turning out to be such a handsome and intelligent young man.

The perfect son. The legitimate heir. The child everyone adored.

All the while he had already been left in the dark, but only now was it really starting to sink in. He never belonged in this family and the shame of being Oh Seungheon’s illegitimate son, he would forever bear. In the course of time all the insecurity and jealousy he felt turned to bitter spite and before long, Luhan found himself despising Sehun’s very existence.

Sehun most definitely found Luhan’s cold attitude towards him unacceptable and tried everything in his power to appease the other boy, but it seemed Luhan no longer cared. Soon, Sehun became occupied with his social life and studies while Luhan’s indisposition to everyone and everything remained. They grew apart in the long run, until they’re nothing but estranged brothers living under the same roof.

By the time Luhan reached the age of thirteen, he asked to be sent to a boarding school abroad. His father complied without a fuss.

“And what am I supposed to do with this information?” Sehun asked, irritated, when informed by his grandmother that Luhan’s flight to Denmark would take off in less than an hour.

Kwon Hyejin stirred her chamomile tea with a satisfied gleam in her eyes as she gauged her grandson’s reaction. “I just thought you ought to know, at least.”

“There’s no need for me to be updated with whatever he does with his life.” Sehun’s response was as cold as the untouched cup of coffee that sat before him. “Shouldn’t we be talking about important things rather than the trivial ones?”

Inwardly, Sehun felt a little down. His relationship with his brother had become much too irreparable to the point that Luhan couldn’t stand living with him anymore and left. But if that was what he wanted, then he had all the freedom in the world to do so.

“Very well then,” Hyejin finally found the chance to divert the topic. She placed her teacup down and looked Sehun in the eyes before releasing the words that Sehun would have never seen coming.

“Let’s discuss your engagement.”

-
-

Indeed it only took Do Kyungsoo two days to polish the rest of his compositions. And though it’s against his will, Baekhyun nonetheless headed straight to music studio 3 after class like he’s told. The first few days of their rehearsals went smoothly according to plan and it’s all just about preparation and professionalism—and a little bit of insolence too on Baekhyun’s part. It’s just strange that he never gets sacked for it; Kyungsoo actually lets him get away with it and at times it ruffles his feathers that he fails repeatedly to get the reaction he wants from Kyungsoo.

Unsurprisingly, he learned the compositions with ease. Committing them to memory was a piece of cake and he’s glad that he’s well grounded in what he does, because then he’s shortening the timespan of these rehearsals instead of prolonging it. The less he spends time stuck in a music studio with Kyungsoo, the more opportunity for leisure. As if it’s not already evident enough that the last thing he wants is interaction with the other man.

Grades. He’s doing it for the sake of that glorious A+. Because trust him, if there was any other way he could get that mark, Baekhyun wouldn’t even consider subjecting himself to this.

The week rolls by in a blur and the next thing Baekhyun knows it’s already Friday yet again, and he’s standing outside music studio 3, glaring at the class schedule which displays the teacher’s name.

[5:00-7:00 PM: Mr. Do Kyungsoo]

Baekhyun brushes off the urge to grumble petulantly and blows the bangs out of his face before turning the doorknob to let himself in. He has half a mind to just ditch practice today, but remembers that it would be more of a disadvantage to him than to Kyungsoo. In addition, the play is in three days’ time and he ought to make good use of the time he has left to brush up everything.

Although there’s the littlest hint of impatience marring the older male’s face, Kyungsoo doesn’t question why he’s twenty minutes late (Baekhyun swung by the auditorium okay, watching Jongin’s own rehearsal and poking fun of his best friend getting tongue tied over 14th century English is too damn hilarious to resist) and merely gets to the enormous white grand piano right away. Baekhyun doesn’t show any signs that he’s sheepish; he couldn’t even be bothered to say a greeting at the very least and walks straight to his usual place at the center of the stage platform, stolid as ever. He sweeps his vision over the same composition he’d been reading for the past few weeks, checking if somehow there were new notes or lyrics that Kyungsoo had added, and thankfully there aren’t any. Keeping his lips sealed, Kyungsoo poises his fingers over the row of pure ivory keys and begins to play a song. The soothing tune he creates instantly replaces the pin drop silence, and without any fuss Baekhyun starts his routinely warm up.

For the past hour the two have managed to go through the rehearsal without any problems, and Baekhyun almost thought for a second this would go on until it’s over, but to his surprise a sudden call interrupts their session and Kyungsoo has to hold up a hand to notify him that they’re pausing the practice. Baekhyun rolls his eyes inwardly and flops down into the nearest chair, crossing his arms and setting his eyes elsewhere.

“...Luna. Why did you call?”

A nasty feeling suddenly lurches in Baekhyun’s gut. His head whips to look at Kyungsoo with an indecipherable expression.

“I want to talk about something with you.”

“I’m busy.”

“Don't you have time to spare?”

“Maybe later, I can—”

“…Are you saying no to me right now?” Here this woman is again with her theatrics. Kyungsoo sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You don't have time for me anymore?”

“No, that’s not what I meant—” Kyungsoo cuts his words short at the violent scraping of the metal chair from across the room. He looks back and sees Baekhyun’s impassive face as he picks up his bag in a rather aggressive manner and heads to the door where Kyungsoo is currently standing. “Wait, Baekhyun…where are you going?”

Baekhyun’s voice had never been so detached. “Home.”

“But we’re yet to wrap everything up.” Says Kyungsoo, suddenly alert.

Baekhyun doesn't respond. He tries to reach for the doorknob but much to the younger’s chagrin, Kyungsoo is swift to block it. “Move.”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said? Rehearsals are not yet over.”

“And so?” is Baekhyun’s retort.

Kyungsoo’s gaze narrows. “What do you mean by that? Drop your bag and we’ll finish the third verse.”

Baekhyun sneaks a glance at the phone in Kyungsoo’s hand and sees the call still running. Seeing Luna’s contact name and image gnaws away at Baekhyun, seems to corrode his insides with acid and he pushes, “I’m going home, whether you like it or not. By the way, you better not make your girlfriend wait.”

With a cold sneer he reaches for the doorknob again, but Kyungsoo has other plans than to let him escape. He shuts his phone off and pulls the younger by the arm, using a little force to make him sit on the chair he was just occupying earlier. Baekhyun gawks at him, not quite sure how to react. “And whether you like it or not, you’re not allowed to leave this room unless I tell you to.”

Baekhyun can feel his anger rising dangerously fast to the surface. The audacity of this man to touch him! Baekhyun doesn’t usually lose his cool this quick, but there’s just something about Kyungsoo that makes him snap so easily. “Who do you think you are?!”

“I'm your teacher.”

“Like hell I care!”

Noticing the younger’s sudden behaviour, Kyungsoo’s hard expression softens. He tries to think of other possibilities that might give a reason for Baekhyun’s anger but there’s really no other explanation for the sudden spike in his temper other than the one he has in mind.

“Is this...about Luna?”

Baekhyun scoffs. “Who said this is about that ? Get over yourself. I'm ing tired so I'm going home!”

There is enough venom in Baekhyun’s tone to confirm the elder’s suspicions. “You're not tired, you're upset. You think I didn't notice the change in your behavior when Luna called? Look,” Kyungsoo regards him with calmness, hoping it would take the edge off the teen’s emotions even just for a bit. “She isn't my girlfriend. I already told you we were through.”

Baekhyun almost laughs. So what is he supposed to do with that stupid information? Is he expecting him to rejoice over that or something? “Why the hell are you explaining? I didn't ask!”

“I'm explaining because you were wrong. You called her my girlfriend when she’s not. Now, I know you're mad and you can hit me all you want, but you're going to stay until we sort this out.”

Baekhyun is vibrating with anger. Kyungsoo is such a conceited pig. A jerk. A ing bastard. No matter how soothing the older’s baritone is, he can’t find it in himself to calm down. All he knows is he wants to hit something—and he does. He rises from his seat and shoves the older man on the chest, and gets even angrier after seeing that Kyungsoo didn't even bat an eye during his attack; like he already saw it coming. Baekhyun hits his chest again and again, trying to relieve his anger.

He never expected to hear that girl’s name at all. Heck, he even forgot she existed. But he heard, and what’s even funnier is it came straight out of Kyungsoo’s mouth. It’s hilarious, the power Luna’s name has over him, that by merely being mentioned it triggers such a negative response. He didn't know what to think, just that he had to get out of the room before doing something he might regret later on. But then here Kyungsoo is, being annoying, volunteering to be his punching bag. Frankly speaking he has got to be the dumbest person ever for making that kind of offer to a person who’s furious. But Baekhyun needs to vent his anger out and Kyungsoo’s offer is as tempting as water is to a man in a desert.

Baekhyun hits him again in the chest, panting, eyes tearing up uncontrollably out of anger. He nearly even slapped him. When Kyungsoo’s back hits the wall, Baekhyun finally stops to gather air in his lungs and rest his arms. The silence reigns once more and for a long moment neither one speaks, Baekhyun’s eyes just trained on the ground while his balled fists remain on Kyungsoo’s chest, using him as some sort of a pillar to support his weight. Now that some of his anger had steamed off, it feels quite exhausting.

“Ow,” Kyungsoo flinches despite his late reaction. “You should never hit someone like that ever again—”

Baekhyun keeps himself from snorting and growls, “You ing asked for it—”

“—because I don't want your hands, or any part of you, to be hurt.”

Baekhyun freezes. He brings his eyes up and sees how solemn Kyungsoo looks.

“It’s been four years,” Kyungsoo says, hands winding around Baekhyun’s thin wrists to get them off his chest and take his hands in his. He gazes into Baekhyun’s eyes so deep and unlike the old Kyungsoo he knew, this one knows how to show emotion. And Baekhyun, for the life of him, cannot move at all under the pin of his stare. “And I know you already stopped waiting for me like I told you to, but…I never did let go of this hope that you’d open up to me again.”

Kyungsoo brings his hand up to cup Baekhyun’s jaw, thumb swiping across his cheek. “Am I too late, Baek…?” he whispers, leaning his forehead into the younger male's.

They lapse into silence once more. Baekhyun feels like his chest is going to burst, the question—confession has rendered him speechless. Of all the things Baekhyun expected to happen tonight, this hasn’t even graced his mind. Kyungsoo is looking at him, his eyes so full of hope that Baekhyun finds his lower lip trembling, and he can feel the familiar sting in the back of his eyes. This was what he looked like, how he was like, when he thought everything would be fine and dandy and that he wouldn’t be put through heartbreak by the guy he loved the most. It’s as if he’s looking back at his past self, and there’s something pinching at his heart.

The next thing he knows is a pair of warm, soft lips covering his own. A lot of things go through Baekhyun’s head at once; surprise, curiosity, the realization that this is his first kiss with Kyungsoo and it’s happening withou