Sanggyun and Taeyang stood outside of the restaurant that they would be reuniting with their family in. They had been standing outside for the past ten minutes and Taeyang was already over it all. If his brother yanked him back one more time, he was picking him up and marching into the restaurant.

“But hyung, what if it’s a trap? What if they have something up their sleeve?” Sanggyun worriedly asked, staring at the building as if it were the biggest, ugliest monster he has ever seen and not just some building. Taeyang sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“What kind of trap could they set up? Answer me that, Sanggyun.” Taeyang snapped.

“Yah! Don’t get mad at me! I’m a nervous wreck, what do you expect!” Sanggyun exclaimed, not caring that people were passing by, some giving them weird looks. Taeyang just smiled apologetically at those people and bowed slightly.

“And you don’t think I’m not? It’s been six years since I’ve seen them! And that includes Sohee and Donghan. You haven’t seen eomma and appa for four years but saw Sohee and Donghan last week. So if anyone should be a nervous wreck, it’s me.” Taeyang snapped.

“You?! You left because they didn’t want you to do music and you were 18. I left because I got a girl pregnant and became a dad when I was 16! Appa suggested killing my unborn child! So you don’t get to be a nervous wreck!” Sanggyun flailed his arms before calming down and bringing his voice down to a normal level. “Besides, one of us needs to be calm. We both can’t be a nervous wreck and I already claimed that title.” Taeyang just stared at his brother before shaking his head and muttering an ‘unbelievable’.

“Let’s just go in. I’m starving and we’ve been getting weird looks from everyone.” Taeyang grabbed Sanggyun by the arm and yanked him into the restaurant.

“Oppas!” “Hyungs!” Before the maître d could even take them to the table that their family was, Sohee and Donghan were running to them to greet them. Taeyang wanted to shrink when he saw the looks they were being given because of it but that feeling went away when Sohee and Donghan were hugging him. He stood frozen for a second before hugging the two back tightly.

“Yah, what about me?” Sanggyun humphed.

“Hyung, we saw you last week. We haven’t seen Taeyang hyung in forever!” Donghan said, hugging Taeyang even tighter as if he were scared that he would disappear. He never talked about it but the morning he woke up and found out that Taeyang had left in the middle of the night, it felt like a nightmare. Taeyang wasn’t the easiest hyung to approach but when Donghan would get picked on, Taeyang always stepped in to put a stop to it, Sanggyun being the more passive of the hyungs. Donghan always knew that Taeyang was someone he could always rely on.

“Yeah, Sanggyun oppa,” Sohee said, keeping her eyes shut tight as she hugged Taeyang because she knew if she opened them, tears would spill and her mascara would run. Taeyang had been the oppa that told Sohee that if any boy broke her heart, he would beat them up. And if any girl picked on her, he would find their oppa and beat them up to teach the girl a lesson. He wasn’t the one for comfort like Sanggyun was, but Taeyang did love his siblings and even when Sohee was just 10, she knew that. His absence wasn’t any easier than Sanggyun’s to cope with.

“Okay, you two. Let’s let the nice lady do her job. I’m not going anywhere, I promise.” Taeyang softly told them, resting a hand on each of their heads. The two refused to let go so Taeyang had to walk with the extra weight attached to him.

The group of four was lead to the private room their parents had gotten and Sohee and Donghan finally let go so their brothers could greet their parents. Taeyang and Sanggyun bowed to their parents who stood up once they arrived at their table. Sanggyun was the first to hug their mom, more comfortable to initiate than Taeyang.

“Hello, Taeyang.” Their mom said, her voice thick with emotion as she looked at her eldest son for the first time in six years. Taeyang just nodded at her, not sure if he trusted his voice to speak. She smiled a watery smile at him, her firstborn before rushing him and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Taeyang hugged his mom back, burying his face into her shoulder as he tried to not cry so much. The mother and son held on to each other as they cried over their reunion, many words being said just through their tears and embrace alone. They finally broke apart from each other, both laughing a little over their tears.

“I knew it.” Mrs. Kim said as she looked her son over.

“You knew what, eomma?” Taeyang asked. Mrs. Kim looked him in the eye with a serious face.

“You haven’t been eating well.” Taeyang laughed at this, pulling his mom into another hug.

“No food was as good as yours, eomma,” Taeyang said, earning laughs from his mom and siblings. Taeyang and Sanggyun finally went to great their father who had been silent the entire time.

“Appa.” The boys said in unison. Their father just nodded at them and the two boys got to their knees to bow to their father.

“Have you been well, appa?” Taeyang asked when he and Sanggyun were standing up again.

“I have. Have you two been well?” Mr. Kim asked, face void of any emotion.

“We have, appa,” Sanggyun answered. Mr. Kim nodded at this before gesturing to the table.

“Let’s all have a seat. I’m sure you two are hungry.” Taeyang and Sanggyun nodded their heads, moving to the table with their siblings right behind them. The family all sat down and soon a waiter came in to get their orders.

“So, what are you boys up to?” Mrs. Kim wondered as they waited for their food.

“Um, I’m working two jobs. One at a café and I bartend at a nightclub. I make good money there, especially with tips.” Sanggyun shyly explained.

“And I work at a repair shop. I’ve been working there for the past uh, past six years. And I make my own music too.” Taeyang explained, not as shy as Sanggyun but he did feel awkward. Both him and Sanggyun felt on edge, expecting either of their parents to say something negative. While they did miss their family, they both knew that they didn’t have the time to deal with toxic relationships. It wasn’t good for them and wouldn’t be good for Jiwoo so if they could avoid them, they would.

“Well that’s good you two are working. I assume you two are living together?” Mrs. Kim wondered. No judgment at all was present and it seemed like she genuinely wanted to be back in her sons’ lives again. Mr. Kim has yet to say much and it was difficult for either Taeyang or Sanggyun to read his expression.

“We are. Have been for the past four years. It isn’t anything fancy. Just an apartment big enough for the thr-for us. Big enough for us.” Taeyang caught himself, knowing that Sanggyun would want to minimize the mention of Jiwoo as much as possible.

“And it helps with the rent and stuff,” Sanggyun added on, shooting his hyung a look.

“That’s good! And I’m sure with Taeyang’s job, you two save money whenever something breaks.” Mrs. Kim grinned. Sanggyun and Taeyang nodded their heads.

And the lunch went on like that. The family of six catching up as they ate. Sohee and Donghan happily talked about how school was going for them and their extracurricular activities and hobbies, catching up Taeyang on everything he’s missed for the past six years. Taeyang laughed and smiled with them, set on making the relationship between them better. Their mom told them about her own hobbies and work, informing them that she’s moved up in her job at the clothing store that she’s been working at ever since Sohee was in school.

“Eomma, appa, I think I can speak for all of us that this reunion is happening and this is a step forward in our relationship but what triggered it?” Taeyang wondered, asking the question that was probably on all the Kim siblings’ mind. Their parents were silent for a moment before Mr. Kim spoke up.

“Do you remember the Lee’s? They lived across from us for as long as you’ve all been alive. They had two boys around your ages.” Sanggyun and Taeyang nodded their heads. The Lee’s had always been a pleasant family and they got along with their sons. They never went past acquaintances though, being interested in different things and going to different schools.

“Well their oldest, passed away a few months ago.” Sanggyun and Taeyang felt their eyes widen. Sohee and Donghan hardly talked to the Lee’s, their only kids not being close to them in age and just knew them as their parents’ friends. But they did remember the solemn mood that had fallen upon their area a few months ago because of the oldest Lee son passing.

“It was very sudden and had been a loss that our entire community felt.” Mrs. Kim said, voice becoming thick with emotion again. Taeyang reached over and place a comforting hand on top of his mom’s. She smiled a watery smile at him before taking the handkerchief her husband handed to her to wipe at her eyes.

“How did he pass away?” Sanggyun wondered.

“It was a car accident. A drunk driver hit his car straight on. He was in a coma for a few weeks before passing away. When we went to the funeral, Mr. Lee pulled me to the side. They knew everything that happened between us and you boys.” Mr. Kim said, his own voice becoming thick as well as he remembered the advice his dear friend gave him.

Mr. Kim cleared his throat before speaking again, “He told me that if there was one thing he wished he had told his son was that he was proud of him and will always be proud of him. He and his son had gotten into a fight a few days before the accident and hadn’t been talking. Mr. Lee said that even if it was too late for him, it wasn’t for your eomma and me.”

“He said that we shouldn’t let our own wishes for your future, get in the way of the unconditional love we should have as your parents. Your happiness needed to come first and that was something he had to realize the hard way.”

“What happened to them was something no parent should go through. Parents shouldn’t have to bury their children. It’s always their biggest fear. The fact that you two were just alive and not getting in trouble should’ve been enough for us. But we were blinded by our own pride and wants and we were wrong.” Mrs. Kim sobbed.

“We didn’t want to go the rest of our lives like we had been. It isn’t right and you two didn’t deserve that. Donghan and Sohee shouldn’t have to sneak around to have to talk to you two and your eomma and I shouldn’t go each day, not sure if you boys were even alive.” Mr. Kim said. Sanggyun and Taeyang were both struggling to hold back their own tears.

“Appa, it’s fine. We’re fine. Just, let’s just keep talking and staying in each other's lives. Okay, appa. Hyung and I aren’t going anywhere.” Sanggyun tried to reassure his dad.

“We’ll stay in contact and Sanggyun and I will go over for dinners and see you all,” Taeyang said. Mr. and Mrs. Kim nodded their heads, both trying to control their emotions.

“When did we become a family of crybabies?” Donghan wondered, wiping at his own eyes as well. His comment caused the mood to lighten though but also earned him a hit to the arm from his dad.

“Sanggyun, where’s your child?” Mrs. Kim asked once she’d gotten control of herself.

“I uh, wasn’t sure how this was going to go and I didn’t want to get Jiwoo’s hopes up. His mom’s parents aren’t in his life and I know he’s always wanted, grandparents.” Sanggyun honestly replied, flinching at the guilt that flashed in the eyes of his parents.

“We can have him here though so you can meet him.” Taeyang quickly said.

“Would that be alright, Sanggyun?” Sanggyun didn’t miss the hopefulness in his mom’s eyes and decided that it might be okay if Jiwoo finally met the rest of his family.

“That’ll be fine, eomma.”

A/N Sorry it's a teeny bit late. I got my hair cut and needed a shower. Comments make me extremely happy!