For once, Jongdae is the first person to class.  Eyes burning from exhaustion, he folds his arms on top of his desk, pulling his hood up and resting his head against them.  He had just begun to doze off, sounds becoming muffled and confused in a sleep-filled haze, when Joonmyun sits down beside him.

"Hey," Joonmyun says softly. Jongdae pretends to be asleep and ignores the other's voice.

"Are you sleeping? Can you hear me?"

Jongdae continues his charade.

"You left your backpack at my house yesterday."

No response.

"I brought it with me. I'll just put it under your desk, then."

Jongdae can hear him shifting around as he slides the bag under his desk as he had promised.  Assuming that Joonmyn was done with whatever he had to say, Jongdae began to drift off to sleep once more.

"I'm sorry."

Jongdae almost thought that he had imagined those words, but when he hears Joonmyun clear his throat in what is clearly embarrassment, he realizes that he had heard correctly.  Smiling quietly to himself, Jongdae at last falls into a peaceful slumber.

"Hey, Jongdae," Joonmyun awkwardly approaches him at the end of the day, after the last bell has rung and he's on his way out the gate to pick up his sister.

"What's up, Buttercup?" Jongdae smiles at him brightly, slowing his steps to the allow the elder to catch up.

"Are you on your way to pick up your sister?" Joonmyun looks uncomfortable with their interaction, but Jongdae appreciates the effort nonetheless.

"Yeah, I pick MinDae up from school every day," Jongdae resumes walking, expecting Joonmyun to follow.

"Oh, that's, uh, sweet.  Why are you the one to pick them up?"

"Mom and dad have to work, so it's my job to pick Minnie Me up after school."

Joonmyun didn't answer, but when Jongdae glances at him, he can see that he is not being judgmental, but his expression is instead contemplative.  Soon, the two of them arrive at the elementary school. 

MinDae, upon seeing them, cries out, "Joonmyun Oppa!" and hurtles herself into his leg, wrapping her tiny arms around it and giving the unsuspecting boy a hug.

"Pick me up, Oppa!" she calls, reaching her arms up to Joonmyun, waiting for him to lift her up. He looks towards Jongdae with a startled and pleading look in his eyes, but Jongdae just chuckles at his look of hopelessness and gestures to him to pick her up.

At last complying, Joonmyun bends down and scoops her up into his arms. MinDae wiggles her little body around until she's worked herself into a comfortable position.  Once she has settled, she plants a slobbery kiss right onto Joonmyun's cheek, giggling as she watches his face turn bright red.

Jongdae can no longer contain his laughter.  Seeing the look of complete shock on the other's face, he squats down in the middle of the street and just allows all of his amusement to escape. 

Straightening up, he catches up to Joonmyun who had kept walking, embarrassment clear on all of his features.

"You make a cute couple," Jongdae sniggers. "But I don't think your mother would approve of the relationship."  Jongdae is just trying to joke around, but at the mention of his mother, Joonmyun's shoulders tense and the atmosphere becomes a lot less light hearted.

"My mother doesn't approve of much." Joonmyun stares straight ahead, but Jongdae notices the way his arms tighten around MinDae.

Jongdae, unsure of how to answer, tries joking again to lighten the mood.  "Yeah, she certainly didn't approve of me," he elbows him gently.

He had thought that making a dig at himself would cheer Joonmyun up, but it seems that he is wrong.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. She can be a real ."

"Hey man, don't say those things about you mother. I'm sure she loves you, she just might not be the best at expressing it. Besides, it's nothing to get upset about, I've had worse thing said to me."

"Yeah, maybe..." Joonmyun mutters it under his breath, but Jongdae manages to hear it anyway.

The rest of the walk to where they part ways is spent in silence between the two, the MinDae has no qualms about speaking; chattering nonstop about the other kids in her class and everything she learned that day.

When they reach the point where they must separate, Jongdae leans in to take MinDae into his arms, but she refuses and burrows herself deeper into Joonmyun's embrace.

"No! I want Joonmyun Oppa to carry me!" she pouts, forcing her eyes to go as big and as round as they can go.

"Minnie Me, this behavior is unacceptable. What do you think is going to happen when I tell mommy and daddy that you threw a temper tantrum today?"

"But I want to play with Joonmyun Oppa!"

"MinDae-yah! Haven't I told you - "

"It's okay," Joonmyun cuts in. "I don't mind carrying her the rest of the way back to your house."

Jongdae is about to object, but then he really takes a look at Joonmyun and sees that he's shaking slightly. His arms are tight around her again, just as they were when they were talking about his mother, and his jaw is set in a hard line.

"Okay, if you're sure."

Joonmyun nods his head, MinDae squeals in delight, and the three of them turn in the direction of Jongdae's house, air once more filled with the meaningless babble of his baby sister.