~°~°~ Dongwoo ~°~°~

When Sunggyu-hyung and Hoya had got home with Dad, I immediatly noticed the awful smell of alcohol. The youngers wanted to enter in our parents bedroom but I didn't let them in. They could not see him in this state. I was relieve when Woohyun helped me to lead the three youngests to the living room. I saw in their eyes the concern about our Dad. I hates seeing them so sad, so I just felt the need to change the mood, to change their mind. 

“Hey guys, what about baking today? Let's make a cake for Dad okay?” I said gently, smiling to them.

Sungyeol and Sungjong were instantly on their feet, already following Woohyun in the kitchen while Myungsoo remained still on the couch.

“Come on, Myungie. I know you're tired but stay and watch us at least okay?”

He nodded and took my hand. Just before we reached the kitchen, he stopped in his track pulling me lightly back.

“Myungie?” I asked him, curious.

“Will you tell us a story today?”

I starred at him, surprised about his question. I was usually the one telling them a story before going to bed but with this … event, I did not do it for a while. I never knew how much Myungsoo cared about these moments, how much he loved cuddling with Sungyeol and Sungjong while my voice rocked them softly until they fell in dreamland. I only realised it at that moment when he looked at me expectinly and almost, pleading.

“Sur! I will do it after dinner before your nap, okay?”

“Thank you, hyung.”

I smiled widely and started dragging him in the kitchen but he held me back again. 

“And hyung … ”

“Yes?”

“Never stop smiling, please. Our Dino-hyung is the best when he smiles the brightest.”

I could only smile wider and nodded fervently before we finally entered the kitchen, finding that Sunggyu-hyung and Hoya had joined us too.

“Dino-hyung, tell Yeollie-hyung that we're going to make a lemon cake!!” Sungjong whined as soon as I was beside him.

“Ya Jongie, you can't plead Dino-hyung like that. We've already made lemon cake last time. Let's change to vanilla cake!!” Sungyeol replied.

“But I love lemon cake!!”

“And I love vanilla cake!!”

I chukled at their drama before patting both heads.

“Hey boys, don't fight about that. What about making vanilla cupcakes with lemon topping?” I suggested.

“That's a great idea, hyung!” Woohyun exclaimed and started putting happily the ingredients on the table.

The youngers were not fighting anymore and were helping Woohyun enthousiasmly. I smiled at the view and I felt thankful that I still had them with me, all of them. The mood was much lighter and it just felt good to be in this kitchen with them all.

Woohyun was teaching Sungjong how to break eggs shell correctly. The youngest was watching his brother doing it with his big shining and curious eyes. He even tried to do it. He failed twice but finally succeed at the third time. Despite laughing about wasting the food, Hyunie still let Jongie do it and was watching him with so much pride.

Next to them were Hoya and Myungsoo. The two boys were trying to take the right amount of sugar and it was so funny to watch their concentrated faces with their eyebrows frowned and their tongue sticking out. They were putting so much effort in this simple taste. I giggled softly at the view.

And at the end of the table were Sunggyu-hyung and Sungyeol who were taking care of the flour. Well … taking care is a big word, they were messing with it instead. Yeollie had a huge white mark on his cheek and some pouder were in his hair too. The younger was drawing some random pattern in the oldest's face.

“Hey guys! What do you think about Clown Gyu and his white nose?” Sungyeol asked, laughing hard at his artwork on Sunggyu-hyung.

“He looks more like a rabbit.” Myungsoo replied, looking curiously at them.

“I'm not a rabbit … ” The oldest whined, pouting.

“A hamster!!” Sungjong exclaimed proudly, almost making the eggs bowl falling.

We all laughed at the remark while our hyung was pouting even more but I saw this little smile that he was holding back.

After putting the cupcakes in the oven, I helped Woohyun to make lunch and we all ate it together around the table. It was still so empty without Mom and Dad, but the atmosphere was much better, much brighter. After eating, laughter came back again at the moment when we were putting the lemon topping on the cupcakes and when everything was finished, we all gathered in the living room.

It was warm and nice. I had missed this family affection. And when I saw their gazes, I just knew that I had to keep making them believe that there was still hope and love in this world. I just knew that I had to keep smiling, that I had to be their hope, my brothers hope, from now on. 

~°~°~ Myungsoo ~°~°~

It was good to be surrounded by them like this again. I was laying on the couch, my head on Dongwoo-hyung's lap. On his other side was Sungyeol-hyung sitting comfortably and leaning against Hoya's chest. On the armchair was Woohyun-hyung with Sungjong lovely wrapped in his arms while Sunggyu-hyung was in the other armchair, watching us tenderly. I saw their smiles and knew that they were all feeling great, right now, too.

When Dongwoo-hyung started his story, his delicate and amazing voice brought us immediately in another world, a magical world. It was far away from this one, it was only made with love and hope. It was a world where I wanted us to live in. 

“Once upon a star, there was a beautiful Moon shining bright in the night sky. Everyone and everything on earth could tell that the Moon was indecribly wonderful. They were all looking up to it, admiring it and claiming that it was only shining for them. “I love you” “Thank you for lighting up my night” were the words that the Moon heard the most.

The Moon was happy that it could help lives on earth. It was happy that it could enlight everything when it was dark. But the Moon never understand why they were all admiring it so much. After all, it was just a big rock in the endless space. He was just like his friends, the stars.

A winter night, while the the Moon was shining on the silence earth, it heard suddenly a song, lyrics coming from a tiny heart.

“I’m shouting to the night sky, I love you”

The Moon was curious, then it searched this little voice in the endless plain of snow underneath it. But everything was so small, so unreachable.

• Are you talking to me? Asked the Moon in the middle of the darkness.

Silence asnwered it and the Moon was feeling stupid. Maybe it was only its imagination. But then the voice echoed again and this time, it was clearly talking to the Moon.

• Yes, I was singing for you but I never thought that you would hear me.

• I do.

Silence took place again but the Moon was still curious about the owner of this voice.

• Where are you little voice? I want to meet you, to see you.

• Oh my dear beautiful Moon, you don't need to meet me. You will never be able to see me, anyway.

• Why?

• Our worlds are too different. You're shining up there in the night sky, while I'm down here.

• Then I will come down here and find you.

• Oh please no. You're perfect where you are. The earth needs you were you are, people need your light in their night. Don't give up on what your doing.

• I don't understand why everything and everyone are looking up at me like this. I'm just a rock in the space.

• Dear beautiful Moon, maybe you're seeing yourself as just a rock in the space but for us, on earth you're shining in the bright night sky. You give hope to the one who need it in the dark and you give light to the one who are lost.

• Thank you for your words but I'm not as confident as you on this point. You are looking at me as if I'm perfect but I'm not. I have cracks in me and bad sides. That's why I don't understand why you're all saying that you love me.

• Hey, no one is perfect. You can have your bad sides and your cracks, if they really love you then they will not care about it. Well, at least I can assure you that I don't care about it. When I'm telling you that I love you, it is that I love everything of you, since and until forever.

• But we are strangers and is it even real love?

• Yes, we are strangers for each other. I'm just a stranger among a billion of others who are looking up to you, but sometimes, you just feel that your heart is connected to someone, and my someone is you. I don't know if it's real love. To be honnest, who cares if it's real love or not. All you need to know is that this person is precious to you and you are certainly precious for me then I can only say that I love you.

The Moon seemed to think about what this stranger just tell. But then, the Sun started to rise so the voice suddenly interrupted the silence before the Moon went away.

• I don't ask you to return my love for you. I perfectly know that our world is completely different but please, don't be afraid of yourself, of who you really are. People who love you will always stand by your side and if one night you just feel alone then look at the snowy mountain. You will see a carpet of white edelweisses. I will be somewhere there, in the middle of them, looking at you, supporting you and loving you, since and until forever.

  And remember, my dear beautiful Moon, to always shine bright. The night sky is your stage and the sun is your spotlight. Sing, dance and smile. Your happiness is all I need.

And since that night, the Moon listened to these words and gave hope and light to the one who needed it. The Moon seemed to shine even brighter than before. And if one night, it would felt sad and alone, the Moon would simply turned its eyes to the snowy mountain and it would see there, a carpet of white edelweisses, sparkling under the light. And the Moon just knew that its stranger was among them and it would find its strength back.

Nothing and no one is perfect. Perfection does not exist, but love does. This little Edelweiss knew that the Moon would never see or meet it. Their different worlds were too far apart from each other. And despite knowing that, it had never stopped loving the Moon. It did not matter if they were strangers. The Edelweiss was just loving the Moon inconditionaly. As long as its lover was shining bright and smiling, then that was all that matter. And even if the Earth would stopped, the love of this little Edelweiss would never fade away, because it was true and pure love.”

Light snores were coming from Hoya-hyung and Yeollie-hyung and I chuckled quietly at the peaceful sound. The past few days were exhausted for everyone so that explained why they all felt asleep in the serene atmosphere producting by Dino-hyung's story.

“Aren't you asleep, Myungie?”

I turned my head to look up at the ceiling and met my brother's big and beautiful eyes instead.

“I wanted to hear the story until the end.”

“Well, now that you heard it all, what about taking a little nap?”

I smiled and nodded. Dino-hyung was gently my hair and I let myself drift to sleep. But just before losing consciousness, with my eyes closed and my head comfortably resting on my brother's lap, I spoke tiredly.

“Thank you for the beautiful story, Dino-hyung. I will always be this little Edelweiss which will keep supporting all of you, like it was supporting the Moon.”

“Aigoo, what are you talking about, Myungie. You should recover quickly from your heart disease and be this bright Moon. We will always have your back and support you. So don't give up, okay Myungie? It doesn't matter how hard it will be but you can't give up on your life, on us. We love you so you can't leave us.”

“I promise, hyung. I will fight and live. I will never leave you.”

~°~°~ Sungjong ~°~°~

When I opened my eyes, I only felt warmth surrounding me and recorgnised immediately the presences of Yeollie-hyung behind me and of Myungie-hyung just next to me. I looked around and noticed that Hyunie-hyung had put me on the couch and that the hyungs were already all up.

“Awake, Jongie?” Yeollie-hyung murmured.

I looked up and saw him staring at me. He seemed tired like the other hyungs but I could saw a tiny sparkle in his eyes, a sparkle that I had used to watch shining brightly in his gaze. I smiled at him and nodded happily. He returned my smile slightly and ruffled my hair.

“What about you go upstairs and take a good bath? Gyu-hyung is waiting for you.”

The idea was pleasant but just when I wanted to get up, Myungsoo-hyung tightened his arms around me. I watched him tenderly and gigled quietly. He really looked like a big baby. Sungyeol-hyung broke my thoughts by taking my other brother's arms and loosened the grip.

“Thank you, Yeollie-hyung. Take care of him.” I whispered before going upstairs.

“I will. Always.” I heard just before leaving the living room.

Just when I got to the first floor, I noticed Gyu-hyung, Dino-hyung and Hoya-hyung standing just in front of our parents door. They seemed seriously discussing about something. Was it about Dad? I was worried about him since this morning when I learned that he did not go home last night. I wanted to see him, to hug him and to tell him that he was not alone and that I will always be there for him. But the hyungs were keeping the door close and did not let us know more about him.

As soon as Hoya-hyung saw me, my three brothers stopped talking and Gyu-hyung came closer to me.

“How do you feel, Jongie?” He asked me with his caring voice.

“It's okay.”

“Good. Come on, you have to shower.”

I took his hands and he leaded me to the bathroom. My new clothes were ready on the side of the sink. I stood beside him and watched him carefully preparing the water.

“Do you need my help?” He suddenly broke the comforting silence.

I shook my head and he smiled at me. He then stopped the running water and stood up.

“Good boy. I won't be far if you need me.”

“I'm not a baby anymore, hyung. I can do it myself.” I whined.

He laughed and went out. It was so great to hear his laughter again. I missed it. I missed the happiness of this home. I missed Mom. I sighed and finally took off my clothes and slidded in the warm water. It was usually Mom who would stand behing the door and wait for me to finish. She would sometimes sing softly and I always loved relaxing in the cozy bath and listening to her sweet voice.

I finished quickly and put on my pajama before stepping out of the bathroom. I was surprised to find Dad just behind the door. He seemed even more tired than my hyungs. He just walked pass me but before he closed the door, I stopped him.

“Dad! Can … can I stay with you a little bit?”

He was silent for a moment. I was scared that he would say no, afraid of being pushing away. I did not want him to stay alone if he was so sad.

“Sur, Jongie.” He murmured and let the door slightly open for me to sneak in.

And while he was washing his face, I just sat on the edge of the bathtub, looking at him. He looked so cold, as if all of his joy had disappeared. He starred at his reflction in the mirror and I could only see empty eyes. That broke my heart. So I stood up and gave him the biggest and warmest hug that I could. And we just stayed like that, in the middle of the light coming from the sunset.

After what seemed like hours, he broke the embrace and patted my head gently.

“Be a good boy, Jongie. Always listen to your brothers, they will take good care of you.”

“Of course I do, Dad. Why are you saying me that? You will be here to take care of us too, right?”

He only smiled sadly and walked out of the bathroom. I did not understand what he was going to do. Why did he looked so sorrwoful, so lost?

I followed him in the stairs and saw that he was slidding in his shoes. Panic grew in me and I could not help myself to ask what he was doing. Why did not he stay and eat dinner with us? Why is he leaving us?

“Dad, where are you going?” I voiced out with a shaky voice.

He turned around and it was as if he did not see me. His eyes were starring in the empty space. There was no warmth in him anymore.

“Be a good boy and always listen to your brothers, Sungjong.”

And just like that, he walked away. The door closed loudly and painfully behind him and he just let me standing alone in the middle of the cold hall. Just when I felt on the floor, tears streaming on my cheeks, I heard my hyungs rushing by my side.

“Sungjong, what happened?”

“Why are you crying Jongie?”

“Was it Dad? Did he do something to you?”

“Did he just leave?”

But I could not answer them. My throat was burning because of my unstoppable sobbing. It hurt. It hurt so much. The pain was already unbearable when I had learnt about Mom but at that moment … it was just aweful. It was horrible to realise that not only Mom was gone but Dad too. And even if he would come back home later, it would not be him. It was not him anymore. And it just hurt so much to know that he just left us behind him, that he gave up on us.

~°~°~ Woohyun ~°~°~

After Sungjong had calmed down, we all sat around the table in the kitchen to eat dinner. The maknae had assured us that he was fine but I saw the sadness in his eyes and it was unbearable. We all eat in the silence. The depressing mood was sadly back.

When we all finished, Sunggyu-hyung and Hoya took the three youngests upstairs. Dongwoo-hyung helped me to clean the dishes and when everything was done, we went to the living room. Sunggyu-hyung and Hoya joined us a few minutes later.

“Are they asleep?” Dongwoo-hyung asked, making some place for Hoya on the couch.

“Yeah.” Hoya breathed while sitting down.

Sunggyu-hyung took a seat in the second armchair just in front of me. He sighed loudly and closed his eyes, his head leaning heavily against the back of the seat, in order to rest a little bit.

“Did he … go out to drink again?” Dongwoo-hyung demanded, doubtful.

“Guess so.” Sunggyu-hyung answered tiredly.

I was worried about the oldest. He was taking so much on him. I was afraid that he would withdrawn himself without telling me anything. 

“You guys should go to sleep too. You're all tired so just go and rest. I will wait for Dad.” I told them soflty.

“No Hyunie, you don't even know when … ” Sunggyu-hyung started to argue before I interrupted him.

“It's okay hyung. If it's too late I will go to bed too. But for now I will wait a little bit more. Just go and sleep.”

I smiled to them and after a few more seconds, they finally all agreed and headed upstairs quietly. I let my body relax in the comfortable armchair and starred up at the white ceiling.

Sunggyu-hyung tried so hard to be more responsible and to appear strong but I had seen him broken and the view was haunting me since. I could not let that happen again. I would not. Now that he knew that I would always be by his side, I hoped that he would be fine. He would.

Dongwoo-hyung and Hoya were strong too. They helped the youngests a lot and I was glad that they were doing so much for them, for us.

Yeollie and Jongie still had this emptiness and this sorrow in their heart but I knew that they would be fine. When I had seen their smiles and heard their laughter today, I knew that they would recover well. After all, their hyungs were their for them.

Myungsoo was the one that I was worried the most at the start. When he had stopped speaking, I was powerless and was afraid that he had completely lost his voice because of the shock. However, he had spoke again. He had spoke to me. And it was like a big weight being lifted from my shoulders. Everything should be fine for him too, I would make sur of that.

I did not know how long I stayed their, thinking about my brothers but at some point, I felt deeply asleep.

I was woken up by the sound of keys turning loudly and awkwardly in the lock. I instantly looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was indicating three in the morning. It seemed like hours before the door was pushed open and Dad stepped in. He was not walking straight and could barely put a foot in front of the other properly. He was totally drunk.

“Dad! Finally, you're home. Do you know how much we were worried about you? Sungjong even cried when you left. He wanted to wait for you but … ”

He ignored me and went directly to the kitchen before leaning above the sink and threw up. I reacted immediately and rushed by his side in order to pat his back and try to calm him but he just shoved me away violently.

“Don't try to fool me! You're not her!” He screamed suddenly at me.

I was confused and so scared. I had never seen him in this horrible and wild state. And I did not understand why he was shouting at me like that.

“I … I just wanted to help you, Dad.” I said, my voice and all of my body shaking from fear.

“If you want to help me then get me something to eat.” He ordered sharply before letting himself fall on one of the chair.

I nodded and went to the fridge. I had left some leftover and was about to put them in the microwave when a hand roughly snatched it from mine and trew it on the other side of the room.

Dad was just in front of me, eyes reflecting a incomprehensible wrath. He took me abruptly and painfully by the shoulders and shoved me, again, to the side, making me lose my balance and fall loudly against the table. My back was hurting and I was sur that some bruises would appeared there soon. Broken dishes were surrounding me and cutting into my hands. The cupcakes were smeared on the floor. The love that we had put in them had been destroyed in a blink of eye.

“Who do you think I am to make me eat some random leftovers?! I'm not a stupid dog!!” He shouted angrily, walking dangerously to me.

“P-Please Dad, I-I would never think at something like that. I-I just wanted to help. Don't be angry please. Y-you're drunk.”

“Drunk? Who are you insulting?!”

I was so scared. The fright paralyzed me on my spot, on the cold floor and my body could only shake more and more as he came closer. He was not himself. He was not my father.

As I saw him rising his fist, I knew what would happen. I closed firmly my eyes, waiting for the hit but it never came. Instead, when I opened slowly my eyes again, I discovered that Hoya had jumped between him and me, protecting me.

It was the first blow, the one sending us to hell. And Hoya took it. Like all of the others which would follow.

Hey guys!! 
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, drama and angst are ahead :P 

I'm so sorry for making you wait so long!! I was stuck with exams and I still have two more left >.< Thank you for your patience, I will try to update soon again^^ 

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