He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the music and sang along to the lyrics under his breath, keeping his gaze trained on the road.  One hand rose to rub the sleep from his brown eyes as he struggled to wake up at the ungodly hour before school started, stifling a yawn in the process.  The rising sun shone brightly into the interior and he flinched when a beam glinted off the silver cross necklace resting on his chest, making him see spots for a second.  As the song wound down and the iPod switched to another one, he cringed when a voice from the back finally grumbled a sleepy complaint.

                “Jae…  That’s the third ballad in a row,” Namjoon groaned, the rolling eyes obvious in his tone.

                “And?” Jaejoong prompted, peering at his younger half-brother in the back seat with the rear view mirror.  Bleached hair contrasted well with his complexion, though he looked particularly derpy with the way his face was propped on his hand just then.  One side was squished, the skin of his cheeks pushed forward to shove his lips out at awkward angles, and he appeared to have a lazy eye due to a half-open eyelid.

                His appearance righted itself when Namjoon groaned loudly and slumped in the back instead.  “Can we listen to my music or something?!  How are you not falling asleep to this?”

                “I like ballads,” Jaejoong smirked in amusement, letting his gaze slide to their other brother in the backseat.  “So does Myungsoo.”  Not that either of them could tell at the moment since he was wearing his habitual blank look, almost perfect complexion devoid of expressive emotion – except perhaps a slight trace of irritation at having to go to school.  And his already narrow eyes were nearly closed under the fall of his black bangs as he looked out the window instead, content to pass the ride in silence.  “So you’re outnumbered,” Jaejoong teased, childishly sticking his tongue out at his youngest sibling.

                Glaring at the driver once more, Namjoon finally turned his attention to Myungsoo and shoved his shoulder half-heartedly.  “Why do you never back me up?  ,” he added with a snort and a half smile.  Myungsoo didn’t respond verbally but the corners of his mouth pulled up into the slightest of smiles and they knew he was trying hard not to laugh.  He might have looked like the ‘cool’ kid, which had netted him a strangely large following of fawning girls who were all vying for his attention – despite largely knowing where his personal preferences lay, but when he wasn’t at school, he was a total dork.

                “You never seem to need it,” Myungsoo responded with the hint of laughter in his tone, carefully keeping his gaze averted to avoid losing his cool.

                As Namjoon blustered in the back, Jaejoong watched them with crinkled eyes and genuine amusement.  He knew they didn’t like the fact they only had the one car to share – Jaejoong’s – because Myungsoo didn’t have enough money to start buying his own yet and Namjoon didn’t even have his permit, but it was infinitely better than them riding the bus.  And he rather liked the company most mornings.  They were annoying little s sometimes but his brothers were also a never ending source of entertainment.  Especially when they started acting up in the backseat.  Like now.

                He let them go on for a few more minutes, listening to his music in the brief lulls they managed, and then sighed as their final destination came into sight.  “Guys.”  No response as Namjoon overrode whatever Myungsoo was trying to say, fending off the younger man with his hands.  “Guys!” he tried again, tapping the brakes to get their attention.

                Both yelped at the unexpected pause, grabbing onto whatever they could to steady themselves.  “Jae!” the pair wailed in unison, turning their affronted faces on Jaejoong in the front.

                “We’re almost there,” he warned with a nod ahead where they could all see the high school rising up before them, a multistory building that was utterly drab and cloistered off like some mockery of a prison.  None of them liked it, but he was the only one almost done.  Just one more semester after this and he was golden.  Poor Myungsoo had two more years and Namjoon was only just getting started.  He didn’t envy either of them.

                “Man,” Myungsoo sighed, brushing his bangs out of his face while he fidgeted with his backpack, not looking up while Jaejoong searched for a spot to park, maneuvering around sleepy eyed students with a perturbed expression.  When would they learn to get out of the damned way when a car was coming?!

                “Oh!  There’s Yoongi!” Namjoon announced, reaching over the backseat to slap Jaejoong on the shoulder energetically.  “Stop the car!” he urged, already moving to open the passenger door.

                “Namjoon…” Jaejoong warned with a glance, one brow raised as he calmly continued driving, angling into a parking space that someone else had very nearly claimed first.  He hated having to take the crap spots and if his little brother had cost him the decent one he had just won, to the annoyance of the other driver, he would not have been happy.  Especially since he took a small amount of joy in the fact that the other driver was one Choi Siwon, a perpetual thorn in his and his brothers’ sides almost since day one.

                “You’re just lazy,” Namjoon taunted before he darted out of the car, rushing off to catch up with his shorter, paler friend who had paused to wait for him when he saw the familiar car.  Jaejoong hadn’t been able to afford what he really wanted but the red Nissan Maxima wasn’t bad and she’d hardly had more than a couple thousand on her when he got it.

                “Brat,” Jaejoong shook his head with pursed lips before shifting in his seat to get a look at his other brother who was still in the car, sitting glumly as if he didn’t want to get out.  “Come on, kiddo.  Our edumucation awaits!” he poked with false cheer, reaching between the seats to smack Myungsoo’s knee with an open palm.

                Myungsoo mustered up a wan smile for him and ran slender fingers through his hair before taking another deep breath.  “Yeah, yeah.  If you can do it, anyone can, right?” he smirked, meeting his older brother’s eyes for a brief second before he exited the car, familiar mask already falling back into place seamlessly.

                “Ungrateful brats,” Jaejoong laughed as he made sure he had everything and then slipped free, watching his brothers disappear inside first while he stood just outside his car.  It was a clear enough day with a bit of a chill as they headed into the late fall season, though not bad overall.  The weatherman predicted rain tomorrow but for now, that was a concern for another day.  “Let’s do this!” he pumped himself up, snagging his bag from the passenger seat and shutting his door while the warning bell rang in the building.  Right on time.

                Taking a moment to settle his blonde hair into a semblance of messily styled with his fingers, he waved off the monitor ushering the stragglers inside and strolled into the building.  He was sure it was going to be another riveting day in South Edington High.

                First period was a total bore, as usual.  He kept nodding off through the lecture and he was just lucky the teacher didn’t decide to call on him at all during the lesson.  One of his friends had to keep nudging him awake and even that was hardly enough to get him through history.  The small break between classes did wonders to rejuvenate him though and he briefly saw both Namjoon and Myungsoo in the halls as the former rushed for his next class with another of his friends in tow and the latter moseyed along, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets and gaze straight ahead.  Not surprisingly, he had a small pack of girls giggling after him, high pitched voices carrying through the throng effortlessly.

                “Ready for another day of philosophy and religion?” Yunho interrupted his observation by asking as he slung his arm over Jaejoong’s shoulder, an easy grin on his slightly pocked face.  Despite the characteristic, he was still a very handsome figure with light brown hair, a body to die for, and more than enough charisma to charm the spots off a leopard.

                “I always am when you’re there,” Jaejoong grinned back, easing his arm around the other man’s waist with a genuine smile that made his eyes light up.  He saw Myungsoo notice them with the slightest of smiles before the other man stiffened, his gaze trained over their shoulders.  With a very quick glance out of the corner of his eye, Jaejoong noticed Siwon coming up behind them and he nudged Yunho to get them moving.

                “Flattery will get you nowhere,” his friend snorted as he got them away from wall and started to lead them towards their classroom, still attached at the hip.  Their obvious closeness drew more than a couple looks, making the girls squeal when they weren’t able to contain themselves, and one particularly disdainful glance from just who they intended to annoy: Siwon.

                “Good morning, Siwon,” he practically purred with all the honey he could lather into his voice, waving at the other man suggestively.

                Siwon’s striking, handsome visage changed, almost as if he’d swallowed something unpleasant, and his lips curled up in disdain at the pair while he muttered something under his breath.  Very pointedly, he moved to avoid them as much as possible, one hand drifting to grab the finely polished, sandalwood cross he wore at all times.

                “Sorry about this morning,” Jaejoong added, not the slightest bit repentant.  “Maybe you’ll have better luck next time.”  His additional taunt failed to bring any significant reaction and he just shrugged when Siwon moved around them, heading for his class.

                Yunho’s arm around his shoulder tightened just a touch and he murmured, “Do you think you were laying it on a bit thick?”

                “Of course I was,” Jaejoong chuckled as he followed Siwon with his eyes, wondering if he would do anything in the meantime.  The man was unfortunately attractive, with the body of a god that he wasn’t shy about showing off, and he knew it.  He also had a severe stick up his , the combination of which made him particularly unpleasant to be around.  “Don’t you dare…” he trailed off as the other man got close to Myungsoo in the hallway.

                Almost as if he tripped on accident, Siwon lurched into Myungsoo with more force than had to be necessary.  His larger frame jostled the younger man backwards with a startled cry, backpack sliding down his arm to offset his balance further.  “I’m sorry,” Siwon muttered unapologetically, making a pretense of trying to steady Myungsoo before he looked over at where Jaejoong was fuming with Yunho keeping him in place.

                “Jae,” Yunho cautioned with a firm hand on his shoulder as Siwon slipped away and disappeared into the classroom, leaving Myungsoo to recover while a gaggle of girls clustered nearby to make sure he was alright.

                “Oh, that pompous, stuck up, ,” Jaejoong growled through his teeth, stiffly walking in the other man’s wake.

                “And he does it to get to you,” Yunho reminded him gently.

                “It worked,” he scowled in return, making sure that Myungsoo was alright, catching the younger man’s eyes briefly – a nod exchanged between them confirmed it, before allowing himself to be led into the classroom in turn.

                This class was always interesting, for lots of different reasons, but Jaejoong was more than ready to pick a fight today.  As they stepped in, the tension in the room seemed to rise a notch and the pair took their seats near the back as easily as possible, putting up the façade that everything was good.  Sitting in the middle front, Siwon didn’t even glance their direction as he spoke with one of his friends beside him, back stiff and posture unnaturally tense.  Jaejoong almost felt sorry for Mr. Dong today, but it wasn’t quite enough to temper his mood.

                They started easy enough with the review of the previous material and then shifted into new stuff, all of which was actually interesting, to be fair, but it felt as if everyone was holding out for the discussion part.  Curious glances kept traveling between him and Siwon before the onlookers tried to focus on the lesson at hand.  Jaejoong certainly wasn’t really focusing as he kept fiddling with his necklace.

                “Okay!” Mr. Dong grinned from the front, peering down at his book and the chapter they’d just gone over.  “Any questions?”  The room was dead silent for a few seconds, waiting it seemed for the hammer to fall.  “Nothing?  Really?” their instructor sighed, clearly disappointed by the lack of response.  He was about to move on before a lone hand rose into the air near the back.  “Ah!  Yes, Jaejoong.”

                Lounging comfortably in his desk with his eyes glued to the back of Siwon’s head, Jaejoong took a small breath and spoke, “Do you think that all religious texts are supposed to be just guidelines to live by or the law of the land?”  The last few words were spoken in an almost derogatory tone, but Mr. Dong didn’t seem to take offense, noticing the target of Jaejoong’s question as he quickly tried to diffuse the possible situation.

                “That’s a very good question, Jaejoong,” he nodded with his hands open as he gestured towards the rest of the class.  “And as you know, there are proponents on both sides who support either position very strongly.”  The instructor managed a forced laugh and let his gaze fall on the front row, searching for someone else to call on.  “What do we think class?” he gestured, hoping to prompt someone else.

                He winced when someone else spoke up without raising their hand.  “The Bible is the word of God and therefore infallible.”  Siwon sat up straight and didn’t look back but it was clear who the response was meant for.

                “Well, that is one opinion,” Mr. Dong tried to interject with a poorly concealed wince.

                “It’s a book that was written by a man thousands of years ago,” Jaejoong threw in, sitting up and ignoring the hand on his arm from Yunho.  “And we all know people aren’t perfect.”

                “No they’re not, but-”

                Again Mr. Dong was unable to take hold of the conversation.  “That doesn’t change the fact the rules were given by God and meant for everyone.  Especially those imperfect people,” Siwon challenged, finally turning back to give Jaejoong a scathing look as his eyes landed on the cross adorning his chest.

                “Like you’re perfect,” Jaejoong scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

                “God knows I’m not but at least I try to be better in His eyes,” Siwon snapped, hands balled into fists when he turned in his desk so he could better see Jaejoong.

                “Your god must be so proud of you,” Jaejoong taunted, leaning forward as he glared daggers at Siwon.  “Hating on all your fellow brothers and sisters,” he tsked with a shake of his head.

                “Alright guys.  That’s enough,” Mr. Dong interjected as he came around his desk to try and calm them down.

                Siwon rose to his feet quickly, making the desk scrape against the floor as he did so, and growled back, “God hates no one but he does condemn sinners!”

                “We’re all sinners!” Jaejoong barked a bitter laugh, declining to stand up in turn.

                “That’s enough!” Mr. Dong shouted while he moved to stand between Siwon and Jaejoong, the sight almost comical since he was significantly shorter than the former.

                “You and your brothers are all going to Hell!” Siwon growled through clenched teeth with his finger pointed stiffly at Jaejoong.  Beside him, his friend tried to calm him down but it was no use.

                “Then we’ll see you there, you self-righteous hypocrite!” Jaejoong snapped, finally getting to his feet as his face flushed with anger.

                “Enough!” Mr. Dong roared, cutting through the tension harshly.  “Jaejoong.  Siwon.  Outside!  Now!” he snapped icily, gesturing for Jaejoong to lead the way first as he maintained his vigil between him and Siwon.

                Jaejoong made a frustrated face and whipped around to walk out, pacing in front of the door without bothering to get his stuff in the process.  A few curious heads that had been sticking out immediately ducked back into their respective rooms and he took a small breath that did nothing to help calm him when Siwon joined him in the hallway, all icy stiffness and affronted pride.  Another teacher had to be called in to them to the principal’s office - again, just to make sure they wouldn’t pummel each other in the meantime.

                Sitting in the plush chairs with several spaces between them as they waited their turn during the lunch hour, Jaejoong and Siwon pretended to ignore each other.  There was no one else with them and most of the staff was gone for lunch, giving them plenty of time to stew while they sat.  With their arms crossed and heads turned away, they could almost pretend that neither was there.  Almost.

                “You’re an ,” Jaejoong finally muttered under his breath.

                He heard a soft snort in response and then a subsequent answer.  “And you’re a sinner who doesn’t deserve to wear that cross.”

                Jaejoong bit his tongue and took another deep breath.  “Just because you’re uncomfortable with the fact I like men and women doesn’t mean I’m going to Hell.”

                “Yes it does,” Siwon muttered darkly, still not looking at him.

                “Because that’s what the Bible says?” Jaejoong rolled his eyes, slouching further in his seat.

                “Yes.”

                “Yeah, well it also says we should still be stoning people to death and that’s just stupid,” he grumbled, hashing out the old argument once again.  Siwon didn’t have an answer for that and his silence spoke enough for him.  Their confrontations weren’t unheard of and they certainly weren’t anything new.  Ever since they’d started butting heads as freshmen when Siwon found out about Jaejoong’s preferences, it had gone downhill from there.  Especially when his brothers – one gay and the other born from an adulterous relationship – joined the scene.  But both seniors were equally popular so picking fights with each other in the open wasn’t exactly an option all the time and Jaejoong’s siblings made easier targets.  “Besides, what about His number one rule?  Love each other.”

                “That still doesn’t change the fact that sinners like you, your ing brother, and your bastard brother have been condemned by His words,” Siwon clung to his dogma with all the strength of a drowning man.

                “Narrow minded bigot,” Jaejoong spat with a dark look at the equally perturbed young man nearby.

                “Heathen,” Siwon retorted, locking eyes with the other for a long moment.

                Their stare down was interrupted though.  “You two again?” the principal managed a long suffering sigh, rubbing her forehead with slender fingers as she looked down.  “I had hoped we might be able to get past this at some point,” she murmured with a motion for them to stand, which both men did hastily.  “Alright.  Let’s get this over with again,” the principal gestured towards her office door as she led the way, opening the portal for them to file in.  “You’re both lucky it’s your senior year,” she added with a slightly bemused chuckle that didn’t quite convey the mirth it might have under other circumstances.

                The music grated on his nerves but it was nice to recline in the passenger seat while someone else drove for a change.  Even if it did feel like a betrayal for allowing Myungsoo to drive only to have him put on some sort of R&B music, much to Namjoon’s delight.  But… the driver got to pick the music.  Mostly.  He could have been an and gone with the ‘My car my rules’ motto but he wasn’t quite to that point yet.

                “Aw yeah!” Namjoon grinned from the back, bouncing along to the beat with all the energy of a child set loose in a candy store.  His actions prompted the car to move with him and Myungsoo’s grip tightened on the steering wheel with a nervous glance back at his younger brother.

                “Would you stop doing that?” he muttered under his breath, relaxing slightly when Namjoon grinned sheepishly and calmed his antics just a touch.

                “You’re missing out, man!” the younger boy grinned, singing along obnoxiously.

                “That’s your fault,” Jaejoong kindly pointed out with a raised brow and a smirk.

                “Yeah, yeah,” Myungsoo shrugged with a sidelong look at the reclining blonde beside him.  They listened to Namjoon for a few more seconds before he opted to speak.  “How many days did you get suspended for again?”

                “Eh.  Just three,” Jaejoong waved his concern off.  “It’ll be fine.”

                “Why didn’t Mrs. Kim just give you a warning?” he asked with a curious frown, a furrow forming between his eyes.

                Jaejoong laughed and ran his fingers through his hair while his other played with the cross around his neck.  “She’s been giving us warnings every couple weeks.  I was wondering when she was finally going to make it more severe.”  His lips quirked into a lopsided smile and he looked out the window, gaze trailing over the blue sky dotted with fluffy, white clouds.

                “I can take care of myself you know,” Myungsoo offered softly, so that his voice wouldn’t carry to the back unless Namjoon was paying attention.  He wasn’t.

                “I know,” Jaejoong smiled, giving his brother a sidelong look before he reached over to ruffle the straight, black strands, making Myungsoo groan.  “But you’re my brother and I’m the only one allowed to give you such a hard time,” he winked, reaching back to slap Namjoon on the knee.  “Isn’t that right?”

                “Hey!” Namjoon shouted when the slap stung and interrupted his singing.

                “Jerk,” Myungsoo laughed at their eldest brother.

                “Not to mention I just like pissing that prick off sometimes,” Jaejoong couldn’t help but add with a wink, ignoring the name calling.

                “Which you are really good at doing,” Namjoon finally added, leaning up to perch between the seats so he could hear the conversation better.

                “It’s even better that he got suspended too,” the blonde grinned gleefully, rubbing his hands together with almost childlike delight.

                “Seriously?!” Myungsoo and Namjoon blinked at the same time, exchanging incredulous looks.

                “Yep.”

                “He’s not gonna like that, Jae,” Myungsoo cringed with a hint of worry in his voice.  Siwon was known for having an almost perfect record in school, being one of their golden boys as it were.

                Jaejoong shrugged and quirked his mouth to the side.  “Eh.  He’ll get over it.”

                “I don’t know.  You may want to watch your back from now on,” Namjoon urged, partially joking and a teensy bit sincere.

                “You mean I can’t count on you guys to watch it for me?” Jaejoong scoffed with an incredulous look.  In tandem, they shook their heads with completely straight faces.  “I’m hurt!” he wailed plaintively, placing both hands over his heart as if they’d broken it.  “And surrounded by traitors,” he added when they chuckled at his reaction, high fiving each other.

                “We’ll think about it,” Myungsoo laughed at last, finally losing the mask he was wearing.

                “I get suspended for you guys and this is the thanks I get?!” Jaejoong railed, shaking his fist at them, sending Namjoon fleeing into the safety of the backseat and Myungsoo cringing away.  While Jaejoong wouldn’t hit the driver, as a matter of principle, his youngest brother was fair game.  Especially when he didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.

                “Better you than us!” Namjoon beamed impishly, though it was clear he didn’t honestly mean it.  Not completely anyway.  And it was true too.  Even if he got punished by their parents, it wouldn’t be as bad for him as for either Namjoon or Myungsoo.  At least that was the pattern in the past at any rate.

                Jaejoong turned around in the seat and then reached through to swat at his brother.  “You little .  Hold still.  Get back here!” he laughed when the younger man yelped and dodged animatedly, fending off the playful assault as best he could.

                “Guys!” Myungsoo called nervously, eyes darting between traffic and his fighting brothers.

                Jaejoong got one good smack in, satisfied by the pained yelp he earned, and sat back in his seat to Myungsoo’s evident relief.  While Namjoon nursed his stinging wound and bruised pride, Jaejoong was content to let Myungsoo get them home safely.  They were certainly a pain in the sometimes, but they were still family.  As such, he was the only one allowed to mess with them.

                For the time being, he was more than ready to enjoy three blissful days of peace before he had to return to school anyway.  It just happened that they would get to enjoy that benefit too.  Not that they’d thank him for it.

                Ungrateful brats.