two

brothers!au

It was late afternoon, and Kihyun was at the sink in the kitchen, washing dishes. He had just finished lunch, and he could have easily washed them at night, after dinner, but he was not someone who procrastinated. He was completely different from his younger brother, who always tried to avoid his chores. And now, with their parents having gone overseas for a week, he was in charge of the house. He hummed a tune under his breath while he worked, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.

His hand reached out shakily towards the doorknob, grasping it firmly as he felt the cool metal against his clammy palms. Taking a long, deep breath, he opened the door as noiselessly as he could, peeking inside, his pupils shaking as he looked around. Once he was sure that there was no one near the door, he sighed, stepping inside before closing the door behind him. He let out another breath when he thought he was safe, only to freeze in his tracks as he heard the other's voice.

"Changkyun?" Kihyun called out, wiping his hands dry as he walked out of the kitchen. "How do I understand that you've come back if you don't say anything?" He demanded, voice slightly stern.

"With your ears like a goddamn fox, I don't think I need to say anything," the younger boy muttered under his breath, flinching a little when his brother cleared his throat.

"Did I just hear you swear, young man?"

"N-no hyung, I'm sorry, I'll just... go to my room now," Changkyun uttered, trying to sound indifferent and casual as he began inching his way towards his room, all the while refusing to show his face to the other.

"You think I'm an idiot, that I won't notice the huge mud stain on the back of your shirt?" Kihyun asked, his voice rising with every word, and Changkyun whirled around to touch his back with a hand, forgetting all about not facing his older brother.

The older guy's eyes widened as he took in his kid brother's appearance, almost running forward in a hurry. "What's happened to you?!"

If Kihyun thought that the stain on the back was a big one, then the front of the shirt was even worse. His white uniform shirt was completely soiled, and no one would have been able to tell that Kihyun had ironed it for his brother that very morning. Apart from the mud splatter all over the front, there was also a dark red mark just below the collar. Changkyun's arms sported several red scratches and bruises, and his face was the worst of it all.

His brother had come back home with a split, slightly bleeding lip, the blood now dry around the corner of his mouth. Mud had stuck to his face as well, and one of his cheeks was swollen, a dark purple bruise clearly visible right under his left eye.

"What happened? Who did this to you? Are you being bullied?" Kihyun continued, grabbing his brother by both shoulders and shaking him lightly. "Jesus, Changkyun, I'm definitely going to speak to your teachers about-"

"Hyung," the younger one interrupted, placing a hand on his brother's wrist to calm the other down. Despite being so badly beat up, he was still smiling at the older guy.

"Yes, some bullies did this, but they don't bully me," he explained. "They were bullying the new kid, and I couldn't hold back." Changkyun shrugged, as if it was no big deal to him. Kihyun just stared at him in shock.

"Well... I- that is... I'm proud of you for standing up against them, but what if you were seriously hurt?"

Changkyun just shrugged again.

"You should have seen what I did to them, then."

"Who's this new kid, though?" Kihyun asked as he dabbed some antiseptic liquid on his younger brother's face with a cotton swab. His expression turned teasing, and he looked into Changkyun's eyes with a cheeky grin. "A girl? Is she pretty?"

Dark brown pools of eyes stared back at him, unamused. "It's a boy, hyung. Name's Lee Jooheon. They were picking on him because he's very shy and quiet."

"Like a certain someone I know," Kihyun mused, watching with a smile as Changkyun averted his gaze, flushing slightly.

. . . .

"Should I call him your future boyfriend, then?"

"Hyung!"

Word count: 726

Geez, I really need to work on making these shorter, they're drabbles for heaven's sake. This is not supposed to be Jookyun, express or implied. They will be just friends. (Dang, I feel a sequel in that sentence, nooooo.)

Would love it if you guys commented!