Donghae and Eunhyuk stepped off of the plane onto the attached walkway and made their way inside the airport, allowing the cool feel of  the artificial breeze from the air conditioning system to wash over them. 

A twist of writsts and fingers came from the younger, Hyukjae recognized it clearly. 

"Starberry milk..." the older trailed off before quickly responding, "Hae, how did you learn that?"

Donghae lifted his hand and stabbed one finger on Eunhyuk's chest briskly before he flashed another one of his sweet smiles. 

Hyukjae loved the fact that he was teaching his Hae something.

Little did he know, Donghae had been searching up and studying hand movements from the computer in the room whenever the former went off for work.

Seeing that smile and how the light flashed in Donghae's eyes, Eunhyuk felt proud that they were bonding more as friends.

He truly cared about the latter, there was no denying it.

Just the way Donghae was like, it made him happy, even for just a little while. 

"Donghae...hyungie likes you a lot, you know?" the older said caringly, before lifting his left hand and cupping the younger's cheek gently. 

He needed Donghae to know that someone would always be there for him; to hold him up when he was weak, to care for him when he needed it, to be a friend when he longed for someone to be around. 

"So Donghae," Eunhyuk started, staring right into the younger's crystal clear brown eyes, "don't ever pay any attention to what any of those people said about you, okay?" 

Donghae nodded his head in agreement, bringing his hand up and placing it on top of Eunhyuk's. The older swiftly moved his arm upward, playfully ruffling the younger's soft chestnut hair. 

"Great," Hyukjae said, briskly lightening the mood, "now, time to get you that strawberry milk." he concluded with a smile. 

The two walked across the cold vicinity together, stepping into a smoothie restaurant with a logo of a giant strawberry as the sign. 

◊

Eunhyuk rang the doorbell, anxiously awaiting for which one of his parents would open the door first, and what their reaction might be. 

He hadn't forgotten to tell his family about Donghae's overall condition, along with the mere fact that the younger simply couldn't talk; but that still didn't help his rapidly beating heart and mindset filled with doubt. 

After a few seconds of standing and waiting, the fron door was unlocked and swung open, revealing Hyukjae's mother. 

She screamed. 

Toppling over, she wound her arms around Donghae's form.

The younger was stunned at first but then returned the hug out of instinct.

After all, they invited him to stay in their own home when they barely even knew him; it was the least he could do in return. 

"He is so cute!" Hyukjae's mother squaled through her tight grip, practically crushing the air out of Donghae. 

"Mom, you're going to suffocate him!" Eunhyuk exclaimed, gently prying the brunette male away from her compact embrace.

Donghae managed to slip away, quickly making his way behind Hyukjae and gripping onto the back of his shirt. 

"Aish...you're scaring him already." The blonde said, taking notice of the boy behind him.

Hyukjae's mother suddenly looked down, embarassed at her rash actions. 

"Umm...Donghae, if you want...I could show you around the house." Mrs. Lee said awkwardly, smiling lightly and extending an arm out toward the younger. 

Donghae instantly perked up, grabbing her hand. 

Hyukjae watched, chuckling as the two disappeared throughout the corners of the house.

His mother never did loose her childish spirit. 

Stepping inside the house, the other male shut and locked the door behind him.

"Dad?" Eunhyuk called out, the walls of the open foyer echoing his voice dimly.

"Hyukjae!" his father said aloud, getting up from his position on the couch and capturing his son in a bear hug. 

The two stayed locked in that embrace for a minute or so before his father pulled away, eyeing his son up and down. 

"You and Donghae must be tired. Go upstairs and take a rest, okay?" the elder said carefully.

"Alright dad, and hey...I missed you!" Eunhyuk smiled at his parent before climbing his way up the stairs. 

He opened the door to his bedroom, stepping inside and hearing his mother's sentence trail off,

"...and this is our son's bedroom. There's two beds and spare blankets if you need-

-oh hey honey!" Eunhyuk's mom affirmed, looking to the doorway and walking towards it. "Dinner will be ready in a bit, you two rest up okay?" and with that, she closed the door behind her, leaving the two males in silence. 

Hyukjae looked over to Donghae who seemed to be busy taking in his entire surroundings. 

"Well...I see you've grown quite fond of my mom." the older guessed, earning a quick smile from the younger. 

Donghae still couldn't believe what he was seeing. The house looked like it was from a movie set; way too perfect to actually be true. 

Sky blue curtains made of silk draped over the door-sized windows that seemed to surround the room in elegance and class. Eunhyuk even had his own balcony, led out by two large double glass doors, the space opening up to a beautiful garden; all sorts of greenery and flowers painting and weaving their way around the scene.

It was absolutely amazing.

Donghae was lost in a wistful trance, eyes darting around, taking every majestic area of the room in, until they landed on a picture frame sitting on Eunhyuk's nightstand. 

He strode over, gingerly picking the frame up, examining the young woman standing next to the older in the clear photograph.

She looked a lot like Hyukjae, Donghae had concluded. 

They both shared similar characteristics; the same same eye shape, the same nosebridge, that same slender body frame that seemed to run in the family. 
 

He set the picture down, not once tearing his gaze from it.

Who is she? Donghae signed, intrigued by the startling resemblances the two obviously shared. 

Hyukjae stepped closer to the younger, noting his sudden interest before clearing his throat, "That's Hyoyeon. She's my sister." the older smiled at Donghae lightly. 

The younger studied the photograph a second time; the woman didn't look so far off from both his and Hyukjae's age, maybe a year or so younger. He figured she was studying in university somewhere.

Donghae didn't even have to ask, Hyukjae already knew what he was thinking.

The sudden curiousity made the older want to open up to him.

He figured, maybe it was time for him and Donghae to share a personal moment together, judging by how close they already were and how developed their friendship was in such a short amound of time. 

"She's...not around anymore....she's gone." Eunhyuk expressed, a slight crack in his voice, alerting the younger that something definitely emotional was troubling Hyukjae.

"She...she died in an accident...while walking back from a party, she got hit by a van. By the time anyone called us...she was pretty much already gone." the blonde male audibly sniffled. 

By this time, Donghae had already wrapped his arms around the older in hopes of bringing comfort and calmness in this moment of disress. 

"No one could save her at that point...her heart gave out before the operation even started...I blame myself somtimes. If I was there sooner...it would've all been okay. She still would be here..." a single tear fell from the corner of Hyukjae's eye as he reminisced on the night his only sibling had passed on. 

Donghae began to form tears in his own eyes, falling freely down his cheeks. 

He wanted to make the pain stop for Hyukjae; to make it all go away, to tell him that it's all okay, but he couldn't.

All he could do was hug him, in hopes that his message would get through to the other clearly.
 

The were both locked in each other's warm embrace, crying and somehow finding solace in the other's arms. 

"It's alright Donghae...please don't cry..." the older tried to soothe through his own sobs, gently carassing the younger's back. 

"Donghae...please...when you fall in love with someone...I hope they make you happy, because when you're happy...I am too. So please don't cry Hae." Hyukjae said warmly, continuing to run his hand down Donghae's back lovingly.

Hyukjae didn't know it at first, but slowly, he was beginning to see the younger for more than what meets the eye.