No, it couldn't be true. Donghae was just ill, he would be able to talk again.

That doctor was insane, Eunhyuk thought. Have you seen the way his eyebrows moved?

Still, the reflective sound in his tone and the way Eunhyuk observed Donghae for himself...it had to be true.

He didn't need any test results to prove it, the evidence was right in front of him. 

Hyukjae felt a pang of guilt and protectiveness hit his chest.

Donghae was so sweet and innocent, why would something like this happen to him?

He sat in the kitchen and watched the latter slurp up his homemade noodles, enjoying the taste.

Sometimes he would look up and smile at Eunhyuk.

It was heartbreaking really, how someone so harmless had to go through something as irreversible and permanent as this.

The older though, refused to give up.

There had to be a way for him to communicate with the younger, he knew it. Maybe not with words, but they can figure something else out. 

Hyukjae stared at those brown orbs, trying to read Donghae's true expression.

He was mild and content, completely oblivious at how his condition had very well affected his experiences in life.

The boy had to have parents right? What happened to them? Did they drop him off at a random stranger's doorstep hoping to get rid of him?

That thought was too horrible for Eunhyuk to bear.

Donghae was clearly very intelligent, to dispose of such a person would be a great sin. 

He decided not to think about it much as he grabbed the younger's bowl and chopsticks, placing them inside the sink before washing them thoroughly.

He came back to the dining table and found Donghae resting his head on the surface, arms wrapped around his face hiding his eyes.

Eunhyuk carefully approached him and gently moved his hands away exposing the younger's sealed eyelids.

The latter's eyes fluttered open and he extended his arms as if waiting for Hyukjae to hug him. 

"You're tired aren't you?" the older of the two asked, slowly placing a hand on Donghae's soft chestnut hair.

The younger nodded his head drowsily before closing his eyes again.

Eunhyuk cautiously wrapped his arms around the other and carried him up the stairs. 

He opened the door to his bedroom silently and placed the male down on his bed, trying his hardest not to wake him.

Donghae started trembling, enclosing his arms around his chest.

Eunhyuk spread a blanket over the younger and considered him, trying to watch for any sudden indicators of his friend needing something else.

He became still and silent after a few minutes and his face became overridden with an undisturbed expression.

Hyukjae stared at him the whole time, watching until he fell deeply asleep.

He couldn't help but marvel at that beautiful face, sculpted by the angels themselves; his hair was tousled perfectly, giving the younger an exhausted look, yet he still appeared amazingly stunning in Eunhyuk's eyes.

The older sat down in front of his personal computer and started searching information that could help them both communicate.

He didn't know if it would work or not, but it was worth a shot.

He found something that he should've known all along but was too busy drenched in different thoughts.

He printed the images and placed the papers on his desk, organizing them, before stapling them together. 

Suddenly, his cell phone rang from inside his back pocket and he abruptly hit the 'answer call' button without even looking at the caller's name, slightly annoyed at the person that could've well disrupted Donghae's sleep.

"Hello?" Eunhyuk answered, blankly looking over at the male on the bed who was gratefully, still floating in dreamland.

"Hyukjae, honey?" he recognized his mother's voice instantly before she continued, "It's almost your father's birthday...have you forgotten?"

Eunhyuk didn't respond.

Not knowing what to say he sat there awkwardly, staring at the ceiling, hoping the conversation would end soon.

"Me and your father want you to come home this year to celebrate his birthday together as a family. He misses you and wishes to see you."

Great.

What perfect timing.

He couldn't just leave Donghae alone when he could barely get around town. He would most likely get himself hurt in the time being that the older was away.

Eunhyuk didn't have any friends to contact to ask if they can watch Donghae for a few days.

He was completely screwed. 

He didn't know how to explain to his parents about taking this male home.

Before he could think, the words slipped out of his mouth in a jumbled string, wanting to get out as fast as they possibly can, "CANITAKEAFRIENDHOMEWITHME?"

Eunhyuk rested his head in his hands, feeling irritated with himself. 

"What was that honey?"

"Mom..." he sighed heavily before continuing, "Can I...bring a friend? Just...just this once?" he asked nervously. 

In all truth, his mother knew how alone her son was and how hard it is for him to make new friends or even friends at that. The few friends he had back home were the only ones Eunhyuk had ever had, they were fairly sociable people that understood how shy the older was. 

She was elated at the fact that her Hyukjae had finally met someone, so she answered "Of course you can! Love you!" before hanging up the telephone on the other end of the line.

The long, vibrating ring of a dead phone call sounded in Eunhyuk's ears before he put the phone down and looked over at Donghae who was attentively listening to the conversation on the phone the entire time.

"Donghae...I'm sorry...aish, my mother. How would you...like to meet my family this weekend?" the younger's face lit up into a huge smile after that question, so Hyuk took it as a 'yes'.

"I can't take this anymore...you're so cute!" the older one of them both voiced before running up to Donghae and wrapping his arms around him.

Eunhyuk was extremely worried about how the outcome of the whole situation might be, but he couldn't help but at least once just state his opinion about the younger and hug him.

It was close to impossible to ever say no to this male or even think of trying to get rid of him.

Whoever tried to though, had made a huge mistake. 

There was an aura of happiness around Donghae, something that was rare and extremely difficult to come by.

Donghae appreciated all the small things in life and that's what made him so special, so unique to Hyukjae.

The younger can stay at ease through any situation, and from all the negativity and stillness in Eunhyuk's life, he felt grateful to have someone like this other male who was beginning to light up this one day with a single smile.

Donghae was locked in a state of shock before slowly pulling his hands up and embracing Eunhyuk.

The younger was also grateful to have someone like Hyukjae; he could sense that the older honestly believed in him and wouldn't give up so easily.

Something caught Donghae's attention from the corner of the room as his eyes fell on the collage of hands on different pieces of paper that had  been stapled, sitting on Eunhyuk's desk.

The older quickly noticed this this before pulling away and grabbing the stack of compiled notes.

"I studied sign language in college, I hope this would help us communicate a little more. Here." he handed Donghae the pile of notes before the younger quickly flipped through the pages, attentive, as if looking for something. He stopped at a page in the middle of the compilation before copying the hand sign for the words , 'older brother'.

Hyung.

He skimmed through again rapidly, eyeing every page ferociously, trying to find the right words.

Eunhyuk was nearly driven to the edge, dying to know what Donghae wanted to say so badly before the younger held up his hands and imitated a sign that Hyukjae knew well;

Thank you.

Donghae felt a deep rush of gratification over the older for taking care of him, for not just leaving him out to die.

He had no idea what happened to him, it was like his memory had been washed away.

He couldn't remember even a single thing before meeting Eunhyuk.

It was strange, but maybe it was meant to be this way because all he could remember was being thrown away, being left alone.

It was ironic, how the happy memories seemed to just disappear while he was only left with the ones that hurt the most.