He should have known. Of course nothing works once driven by hormones, but it was beginning to form a pattern.

First, Jinyoung cries his heart out the first time Henry decided to lose it all. If something sharp had been nearby, the violinist would have slit his throat out of agony. The second time, Daniel ended up with a fever so high, Henry panicked and rushed him to the hospital. Not before dressing the boy back up and yelling a couple of times at his brother to drive faster while cuddling the burning blond closer to his chest.

For some reason, Henry wasn’t allowed to love. Every time he’d grab his heart and serve it on a golden plate to the person he wants to keep near, they’d faint from the sight. It was a normal reaction when there’s a bloody organ, still working, being presented to someone as an offering of peace. But Henry always made sure his heart stayed inside his chest while it still made its presence known through each beat. Maybe because he had never really given a lot to be considered, to shock, he became some kind of joke to the gods. His eyes contoured Daniel’s strands with dark roots which lightly touched his parted lips. Enough air made his chest rise from beneath the blanket.

“That’s not a cute girl...” the grave tone mocked him profoundly. “You had a guy as a roommate all this time? You son of a...” Henry glared at the fool before he’d end the insult, softly reminding him not to speak ill of their mother. “Oh yeah, sorry,” the same voice continued its sarcastic adventure through Henry’s patience “I sometimes forget we’re related.”

Henry ignored his last remark. Somehow, deep inside, he wished they weren’t and that his mother cheated with some handsome man and he popped out. Though, that was impossible – she could never do that. Despite his father’s cold attitude and harsh comments, she’d silently bear it all and deep inside understand it wasn’t his fault. Society, mostly work, turned him that way and the same applied to Henry – he loathed people so much sometimes, it was hard not to have murderous intentions. Yet, there was one human which taught him those negative emotions shall only corrupt his innocence.

And Henry barely saved him.

His fingertips traced the lines which slashed Daniel’s palm. It’s weird how he looked fragile from a distance. Only after a better look could one see Daniel’s scars pulsate from under his skin, yearning to escape and create a monster for the world to feed their hate upon. Only after Henry returned the smile, could he see just how broken the corners of Daniel’s mouth were. Only after he had drenched its thirst in Daniel’s arms and had almost took away his breath, had Henry seen how blind he could be.

He couldn’t explain why he hadn’t known of Daniel’s condition.

“Him again?” a second voice turned heads. Henry loosened his grip and sprinted from his chair. The man in lab coat had his shoulder length hair tied behind and an exasperated expression. He checked the clipboard before Henry assaulted him with questions.

“What is it?!” the younger held onto the doctor’s arm, only to be pulled away by his brother.

“Chill,” he murmured at Henry’s ear before he turned to the doctor and posed with a professional façade “What do you mean by 'him again'?”

Jae Rim hadn’t been tricked. He’d known both for a while and it was hard for him not to see the difference in the brothers. One didn’t care about a single thing other than himself while the other had been traumatized by everything. It didn’t take a genius to understand there was absolutely nothing which portraited them as a family. One such group cannot be established only through shared DNA – family means soul and Jae Rim knew that best.

“It’s just fatigue,” he announced with the same bland voice. He flipped the clipboard and shook his head. “This is the third time Ahn came here because of that.”

“Third time...?” Henry trailed off, unsure if Jae Rim had been telling the truth. Doctors had a way to make things pretty. Daniel always made sure they ate together, always made sure they’d get plenty of sleep and none of them would collapse from too much work. So how could he be animated only by sheer will if there hadn’t been a single sign of exhaustion?

“Yes,” Jae Rim stepped forward to Daniel. “Is he still taking his vitamins and all? I always tell him not to skip them.”

Henry became silent as he took back his seat by the bed. His hands fell between his knees as his head hung low. He’d never heard him complain, never gave him a second glance when he’d try to say something. Henry felt horrible for not asking Daniel more often something simple as ‘how have you been lately?’ and actually insisting on that subject. He sighed and let Jae Rim complete his fast check-up. As he was about to exit the room, he stopped in his tracks and waved his hands towards the man in a suit.

“I know,” Henry’s brother rolled his eyes. “I’ll be there, don’t worry.”

With that, the doctor left the two alone. The dark haired man wanted to cheer his brother up, but it was of no use. He knew Henry more than Henry knew himself and something like that would only further depress him. Instead, he left in silence with big steps and didn’t once look behind.

After ten more minutes in which Henry lashed all of his thoughts upon his sanity, he grabbed Daniel’s hand again. His thumb gently caressed his fingers. A smile crept in the hope that it wasn’t something worse.

“Everything will be fine...” he mused out loud. It was something his lover would always say – no matter how horrible things look, they’d soon melt somewhere in a distant island surrounded by murky waters, too far and dangerous for them to reach it again. “...a land filled with smoke, huh?”

The scent of roses choked him to tears he’d forgotten about.

---

Donghae thought he’d stay away from hospitals for a while. What he didn’t expect was Jae Rim’s sudden call and his curiosity spread all over like colors through a finger-painting child. Between the rapid succession of advices and reminders, Donghae’s brother casually told him about Daniel. Moreover, he inquired about his relationship with those bastard brothers. He had to think hard for a second since Donghae was unsure of which brothers he spoke of. Only after Jae Rim mentioned their family name had it clicked in his drugged mind. The younger tensed in a cheerful word of ‘goodbye’ as he abandoned the temporary mobile phone in his bedroom and tried to escape the house. What stopped him from successfully leaving the building was Jinyoung’s infectious smirk.

“I knew it,” he declared while approaching Donghae “you’re back to being a troublemaker.”

The elder leaned on his walking cane and pretended not to have heard that. He fixed his hair and grinned back in response.

“Of course not!” he moved around until he finally headed to the kitchen. “I came for some water, that’s all.”

“You have water back there,” Jinyoung pressed as he followed the other. “And you could have just asked for help.”

“Please,” Donghae collapsed on one of the many chairs residing around the table “why should I bother you guys?”

“Why shouldn’t you?” Jinyoung sat opposite of the other and narrowed his eyes at Donghae.

Whatever plan he had in mind, it failed the moment Jinyoung decided to play mother dearest with him. He couldn’t escape his gaze, no matter what he tried. Donghae could go along with Jinyoung’s game and run when he’d be distracted, but he knew that was impossible. Jinyoung had orbs peeking somewhere from the back of his head and double sets of ears.

“Well, you know...” and Donghae had to call it a day and give that round to Jinyoung “...argh, I’m so sleepy~” he heavily got up, steadied his steps with the cane and made his way back to the bedroom.

“Ya! You slept for months already!” Jinyoung called without success. His nose curled at the elder’s attitude, but he couldn’t do a thing about it.

He was glad Donghae hadn’t pushed him away like everybody else. That alone made him chuckle and return to guarding the restless guy.

---

Daniel hadn’t slept that well in a while.

Light slipped between curtains and tinted his flushed cheeks. A single dream repeated its track upon the scratched vinyl record with the intensity of a hurricane. Cells flowed effortlessly with each distorted sound. And one name came again and again after each skipped beat – “Dani,” he’d whisper through the moonless night “my Dani.”

His fingers curled with each shiver. The way he’d nuzzle at his neck, the way he’d taste every fiber of his body and moisten his skin with saliva, made Daniel go crazy. Involuntarily, a moan unlocked every single vibration. Notes over notes subdued him. So when an uninvited guest plastered its lips upon Daniel’s, he abruptly ended the clouded moment. It took the blond a couple of more minutes before he’d finally awaken and flutter his eyelashes.

One of his arms wrapped around Henry and he kissed him back. Soft turbulences cut them before Henry pressed back again and again. He would have crawled on top of the other if them kissing wasn’t enough of a risk with an unlocked door.  

“Hey...”

“...sorry.”

“But...”

“I’m really sorry. It will never happen again. I swear.”

“Henry...”

“I’m really... really...” the violinist unlaced Daniel’s arm and sank back in his seat “...sorry.”

Daniel smiled.

“You’ve been apologizing too many times these days...” Henry grabbed his head and kissed him. He breathed over his lips and went in for another round before Daniel pushed him away. The blond slowly got in a better position before Henry launched himself again on top of the other. Daniel wrapped back his arms around him and enjoyed the way Henry desperately clung into him.

If only the shadows hadn’t returned to torment him. Why did he dream with another?

Oh flower, you are so sweet, sweet, sweet~~~


 

Quick update because I’ll be in Hell starting tomorrow n___n /I hate exam month/

Also, I send everything I write here to a close friend that indirectly made me ship Heniel and she told me she wants more Donghae x Jinyoung... now I’m thinking if I should really write some more with them without getting a "YA, WHAT ABOUT HENIEL?" message or something... I don't like leaving even the most minor character out of the spotlight xD; /coughs

Oh and Junhyung’s Flower is totally their theme song *nod nod* Except the chocolate and lollipop part, I’ll never get that.