And there was Donghyuck, still sitting in front of the TV without it making any sound. Johnny and him might have selected a movie, but they hadn’t started it yet. Johnny wasn’t even in the room to begin with, he left with Taeil to help him get his injection and without the younger boy noticing it. Instead, Donghyuck had grabbed his phone again, staring intensely at the screen or, to be more concrete,  at the last text from his classmate.

 

[ShuaiShuai] Let’s hang out.

[ShuaiShuai] :D

 

Ignoring the ridiculous amount of smileys Lucas had been using throughout the entire conversation so far, everything he fabricated made no sense to Donghyuck. At all. How come the new boy suddenly reached out to him? The golden boy whom criticising seemed to equal some sort of blasphemy in the eyes of his schoolmates.

 

Silently blaming Renjun for this entire dilemma, Donghyuck chose to not decline the offer, but ignore it altogether.

 

With a dramatic sigh Donghyuck stood up and immediately regretted it when he felt dizzy. Was this karma for ignoring the text? Maybe. But maybe he just didn’t drink enough today. His mouth was rather dry now that he thought about it.

Donghyuck chose water as his remedy of choice for which he had to move to the kitchen. On the way he could pick up Johnny, who probably couldn’t get away from his crush again. Nothing Donghyuck wasn’t used to at this point.

So, he stepped into the hallway and immediately noticed that the door to Taeil’s room wasn’t closed. Quietly he moved towards it. Of course, he knew about the concept of privacy, but he was also aware of his own duties as professional annoyance and has always been too curious for his own good. Which meant that there was no other choice for him really, but to listen in on the pair.

 

“... of course it hurts. And it’ll keep on hurting until you return to give me the next shot.”

 

Taeil’s voice sounded rather irritated. It gave Donghyuck the impression eavesdropping might be interesting, so he inched closer to the door, not daring to peek inside yet.

 

“I already asked for something less… torturing. But nothing else’s effective and I can’t change your verdict, my moonlight.”

 

Donghyuck grimaced and had to swallow harshly, suddenly concerned Johnny’s pet names might make him vomit soon.

 

“And I embrace it, I’ve been playing my part for long enough, right?”

 

“You behaved, yes, but it is no play, honey. You’ve broken the rules and now you… oh hi Donghyuck.”

 

Donghyuck had tried to lean closer to peep and see both in a hopefully G-rated manner, but failed by moving the ajar door with his shoulder, making it squeak. Heck, even the damn door seemed to play him dirty today.

 

With an awkward cough the young boy entered the room, finding Taeil lying on the bed with Johnny sitting on the edge of it. Taeil had an empty syringe in his hand which he quickly pulled out his arm and tensed up after noticing Donghyuck.

 

“I thought you were helping him, how come you just sit there and watch him do it himself?”, Donghyuck asked to quickly change the fact he’d been eavesdropping too long to not be interested, yet too short to actually understand what’s going on.

 

“Johnny doesn’t trust me. Who knows, I might just throw everything away if there’s no one looking”, Taeil suddenly sounded amused, the bitterness still seeping through and Johnny was quick to protest.

 

“What? No, I’d trust you with my life, Taeil.”

 

“Then maybe just not with syringes.”

 

Shortly after this Taeil had thrown them both out after vehemently denying the goodnight kiss Johnny had tried to place on his cheek. The sight of them both was as tragic as it was entertaining, but Donghyuck’s amused expression quickly faltered after noticing the worried expression on Johnny’s face. The entire issue surrounding Taeil’s disease has always been a sensitive topic and most of Donghyuck’s questions were left unanswered. At a younger age, Donghyuck had simply assumed Taeil suffered from diabetes. While his not so secret admirer Johnny had always showered him with sickly sweet words, Taeil’s body might just have been in desperate need of some insulin. However, the man’s tendency for glucose overconsumption spoke against it, so Donghyuck ventured yet another uneducated guess rooted in the few hints intoxicated Johnny had dropped over the years.  Antipsychotics. It was never confirmed though, since everyone avoided the topic like the pest.

But it happened way too often that Donghyuck and Taeyong woke up from blood curdling screams coming from Taeils room and finding said man drenched in sweat and shaking from the aftermath of his nightmare. It was proof enough for Donghyuck to assume Taeil was suffering from things way worse than merely a pancreas dysfunction. 

 

“Let’s get this party started.” Johnny plopped down on the sofa and stretched out his long limbs. Donghyuck stepped over the other’s legs and settled down next to his self-proclaimed uncle. Johnny grabbed the remote and Donghyuck his smartphone. There it was again. This annoying text.

[ShuaiShuai] Let’s hang out

[ShuaiShuai] :D

 

Donghyuck stared at the display as if he could erase the texts by staring hard enough. The smiley seemed to mock him. It probably even did that, considering Donghyuck didn’t appear to be able to text a simple ‘no’ back. Sure, Lucas would maybe even try it again, but that wouldn’t help him in figuring out the others motivation behind the text. Maybe those fairies from Renjuns books had taken over Lucas and planned on leading him into a trap? Was he overthinking this? Yes definitely. But that was not going to make him stop.

 Suddenly the message disappeared. Not just like that, no, his smartphone disappeared with it. Johnny had snatched the phone from his hands and was now inspecting the messages.

 

“Euhm, excuse me?” Donghyuck immediately reached out to get it back. “Ever heard of privacy?”

“You’re one to talk.” Johnny said dryly and held the phone up, out of the shorter’s reach. Damn those long limbs. Johnny started typing something with his thumb and shortly before panicking Donghyuck could tackle him, Johnny dropped the phone and Donghyuck grabbed it with a huff.

“Is this the guy Renjun mentioned in the car?”

 

“Yup.” 

 

“Give the kid a chance.” Johnny started the movie and leaned backed, completely unaffected by the death glares Donghyuck was giving him.

 

Suddenly the phone in his hands buzzed and the younger averted his gaze, noticing what Johnny had done.

 

[FullSun] ok! 

[ShuaiShuai] Nice! 

[ShuaiShuai]  :) 

[ShuaiShuai] You go to choir practice tomorrow, right? 

[ShuaiShuai] Let’s meet after that!

[ShuaiShuai] :D

 

 

The next morning it wasn’t Taeil who woke Donghyuck up but instead his brother. However, it wasn’t on purpose. But who wouldn’t be annoyed if their best friend was not able to differentiate between salt and sugar?

“What maniac pours 100g of salt into their cupcake batter?!” Donghyuck’s room was right next to the kitchen and so he heard every single one of Taeyong’s angrily shouted words.

“Well, it would help if you’d label your ingredients and wouldn’t put them in identical looking containers?”

 

“Don’t tell me you can’t differentiate salt and sugar? You didn’t even try the batter before putting everything into the oven?”

 

“Well no? Looks pretty much the same to me.”

 

“So what’s next, Yuta Nakamoto? Do you also mix up flour with ?”

 

Yuta Nakamoto. That was the name of Taeyong's best friend, with whom he had gone clubbing yesterday. The two literally stuck together, when Taeyong wasn't hanging out in Yuta's apartment in his spare time, the Japanese was lying on their sofa. The condition for the latter was not even the presence of Taeyong himself, sometimes Yuta simply came by and lounged around with them until his best friend would come home from work. Johnny didn't think much of him, liked to call him a hobo, but since Johnny only came by so rarely, his opinion didn’t count. Everyone else in the household got along well with him.

 

Of Jungwoo, Taeyong's kindergarten colleague, Johnny thought similarly little. Jungwoo had introduced Taeyong and Yuta to each other and hence was responsible for the chaotic duo. And although Jungwoo shared a small apartment with the Japanese in order to save money, he didn't know much about Yuta's profession either. Yuta was a free spirit and seemed to emulate a new vision every month. In any case, he would not become a baker.

 

Donghyuck had gotten up by now, as had Johnny, since they met in the hallway and exchanged amused smiles. However, the younger one quickly noticed that Johnny was coming from Taeil's room. Donghyuck could hardly open his mouth before he already got his answer.

 

“He’s off to work already. Had nightmares all night through.” 

 

Donghyuck only nodded without questioning the older and both made their way into the kitchen to join the two squabblers. Yuta was standing in the kitchen, holding onto the frosting bowl and kept dipping his finger into the sweet mixture. By contrast, Taeyong still stared stunned at the sad thing his best friend had just pulled out of the oven. Knowing Taeyong, Donghyuck was sure his brother would hold a grudge against Yuta for quite a while.

 

"Maybe this is God giving you a sign?" Yuta began quietly, looking a little unsettled at Taeyong. And the caution was more than necessary, because Taeyong suddenly turned around, reached for the cooking spoon and raised it threateningly, looking ready to kill.

 

"Don't you dare!"

 

“Oh, these were supposed to be for Father Jaehyun?” Johnny approached Yuta and dipped his little finger into the frosting to taste it. “You’re so naughty Tae, thirsting for a man whose heart is already taken.”

 

Taeyong was quick to hold his wooden weapon in Johnny’s direction instead, obviously feeling called out by the latter's statement. “Don’t you think Jaehyun would be open for polygamy? Jesus shouldn’t have that fine man all for himself, damn.”

 

“... sounds like you already have a special place in hell reserved for you.” Yuta smiled only before he pushed Donghyuck's hand away as he tried to grab hold of the frosting.

 

Johnny crossed his arms. “I think you will join him down there, Yuta. You are only going to church to stalk that high-schooler.” 

 

Yuta snorted indignantly and Donghyuck used his carelessness to steal the bowl from him. Satisfied, he took the spoon and began shoveling the frosting into his mouth. What a healthy breakfast. "Let's just get ready, hm? We're running late for practice."

 

 

They were indeed running late and failed to arrive at church in time. The reason for this was, besides the Cupcake Disaster, which was not mentioned again at Taeyong's request, the battle for the seating arrangement in Johnny's Tesla. Normally, the troupe took the metro, but now that the rich swanky uncle was visiting with his expensive swanky car, this had to be exploited.

 

They arrived exactly ten minutes late and Taeyong stormed into the church, apologies pouring out of his mouth like waterfalls. The choir was already gathered in the altar area, all looking over as the other members rushed up the aisle. There was a tall man in a tracksuit slowly approaching them. He ran one hand through his messy black hair, the bright smile on his face brightened the hall. There were few people with an aura as strong as Father Jaehyun's, his presence alone made Donghyuck and the others feel instantly comfortable. As they stood in front of him, Taeyong fell silent, suddenly feeling silly for making a scene. 

 

“Where is Taeil?” was the first thing that left Jaehyun's lips, making Taeyong pout. Of course, the only one getting special attention is the priest’s best friend who wasn’t even present. Next time he really needed to step up his cupcake game.

"And thank you for coming, I am glad you all made it." Jaehyun didn't seem annoyed in the least when they returned to the rest of the choir together. He never did, and you felt rather bad that you didn't even have to bother to make up an excuse.

 

"Taeil is at work." Johnny responded in a similarly defiant manner as a kid whose GameBoy had just been taken away to send him out to play outside. He settled in the first row of seats, not being part of the choir after all. Donghyuck knew he was looking forward to hearing Taeil sing and so was Jaehyun, who suddenly looked a little distressed.

 

"Taeil is supposed to prepare for his solo tomorrow!" the priest said, looking back and forth between each of his sheep, throwing all plans for tomorrow's service overboard in his head.

 

"Euhm actually...", Donghyuck began confidently, but Father Jaehyun's big expectant eyes on him lowered his volume, "... Taeil wanted me to take over his part."

 

 

“But are you sure that you should?” Johnny wasn’t really questioning Donghyuck’s abilities, rather he was challenging them.

 

Donghyuck was still annoyed. "Silence on the cheap seats!"

 

“There is no such thing in our church, every seat is worth the same. God will find you in every corner of this building.” Jaehyun added disapprovingly. 

 

While Jaehyun might be right and to God it really made no difference, your seat was surely important when you wanted to see the priest himself in full glory. The priest attached himself as little as possible to the all-too seductive stimuli of our capitalist world and showed a very limited consumer behaviour. What ended up on his plate came mostly from his own cultivation, the clothes on his body were worn parts from the clothes container, of which he also did not own much. Accordingly, the slender man would look lost in his worn-out, bleached rags, if his outrageously handsome face wouldn't make up for everything. An exception were the Sunday services, when Father Jaehyun slipped on a wide-cut satin suit. Instead of a priest, he looked more like a catwalk model who had been on his way to Fashion Week. The fact that half of the churchgoers came for this sight alone was not a presumption but a fact.

 

"Jesus will probably find Johnny only thanks to his height." Yuta chuckled and approached the object of his desire sneakily by placing an arm around Donghyuck, who was heading towards his best friend Renjun. And who stood next to Renjun? Their classmate Sicheng, his face sour like a lemon. He immediately saw through the Japanese's plan.

 

"Might be true." Placing both of his feet on the kneelers before leaning back, Johnny suddenly noticed the priest looking at him with alert eyes.

 

"Height is no factor here. Jesus is always in your heart, Johnny." Jaehyun pulled up the zipper of his tracksuit and his heels to make his way towards the other in a painfully slow and graceful manner.

 

"I am pretty sure there is no space anymore." Donghyuck crossed his arms, watching the scene before him unfold. All eyes were on Jaehyun and Johnny. The latter showed off a smirk before answering. "Yeah, Taeil is quite thick."

 

Jaehyun smiled knowingly and placed a hand on Johnny's shoulder. While the other choir members suppressed laughter, the man on the bench gave in and immediately removed his feet from the kneelers.

 

The priest seemed content and patted the others shoulder gently. "You know, letting go just means to let God do his work. He will open new doors for you. Please consider this, Johnny."

 

Johnny received the broad hint, his playful expression faltering in an instant. Those could have been anyone else's words and he would have brushed them off. But it had been Father Jaehyun's. The man who was not only on good terms with the Lord but with Taeil as well. If Taeil felt the need to pour his heart out, it’d be to the priest, not to Johnny who only showed up once a month.

Sensing the sudden shift in atmosphere, the priest turned back to his sheep in front of the altar, clapping his hands together, smile bright as usual. "Let's start practice, shall we?"

 

"... yeah, but if I'd ask God to give me a bike, he wouldn't just give me one." Choir practice just ended five minutes ago and Renjun was already starting to shower Jaehyun with his questions. The initiator of such conversations was usually Taeil, but the rest always liked to get involved. And Jaehyun loved that. He always encouraged his sheep to ask critical questions. God was used to that, so they shouldn't be afraid to express doubt.

This was also the reason why the choir did not simply disperse at the end of the rehearsal but retreated to the adjacent garden behind the church for the rest of the morning to spend some time together.

 

"You could steal one and ask God for forgiveness, isn't this how things work?" Donghyuck suggested with a grin and Father Jaehyun simply smiled, always assuming Donghyuck little teases and silly comments were actually heartfelt approaches to the act of problem solving.

 

"God will send you his love instead...," the priest began, briefly stalling as the small gate to the garden didn’t open immediately. Barely a blink of an eye later, a circle had formed around Jaehyun unsolicited, quietly asking if he needed help. Jaehyun raised his head and looked wordless at everyone, the surprise in his face almost being as odd as his team acting so worried as if their leader just got shot in the chest. They couldn't help it of course, Jaehyun's attention simply felt like some sort of curse, wait no, a blessing, that would brighten up your world for the rest of the day. Taeyong used to rant about Jaehyun always looking up to Jesus, when the priest himself had the aura of a freaking saint himself. 

 

The silence after the countless offers of help continued to spread, as Jaehyun took time to give each of his protégés a warm smile individually. Not only would his eyes shrink into the form of two crescent moons, the dimples on each side of his cheek also made their appearance. His dimples themselves had a fanclub, with Taeyong being the self-named president. Did the priest know that he held everyone around him in the palm of his hand? Donghyuck had known Jaehyun for half of his life and could say with absolute certainty that he was not aware of the power he held.

 

"Besides..." Jaehyun spoke again as his attention returned to the garden gate. The first attempt to open it might have failed, but just a slightly stronger shove was enough to clear the way to potatoes, onions and carrots. The gate flew open and the priest entered as if nothing had happened. "With the Lords' love, you will find the strength to work hard and...”

 

"... and earn the money for the car yourself?" Yuta chimed in, his gaze was already resting on Sicheng, who had been consciously at Renjun's side all the time to start small talk in Chinese with him, in case the Japanese dared to approach him.

 

"... realize that you did not depend on such materialistic goods all along. We consume in sheer despair to fill that empty void in our hearts, when we carry the solution in us already at all times."

 

The conversation went on as the choir members all settled in the garden, sitting down on the neatly cut grass or on one of the few benches. For Donghyuck the talking all faded into mere background noise. He paused for a moment to admire the view around him, the priest really took good care of the garden.

 

"So..." Renjun interrupted the silence and waited until he had Donghyuck's attention, "when are you planning on breaking it to me?"

 

"What exactly?"

 

"Your date."

 

Renjun stared into Donghyuck’s confused face and added. "Sicheng told me."

 

Raising both of his eyebrows in realization. Ah right, the meeting. This morning he had decided to ignore it for as long as possible. Donghyuck looked over to said Chinese boy next to them who was stretching his limbs out like a cat. "It's no secret, is it?", Sicheng hummed and pulled out his phone to check the time. "By the way, you should leave now."

Donghyuck checked the time himself, also noticing the new texts he got.

 

[ShuaiShuai] Hi I arrived 

[ShuaiShuai] :D

[ShuaiShuai] I'll be waiting at the entrance

[ShuaiShuai] It's super hot tho :(

[ShuaiShuai] My hero come save meee

 

When Donghyuck looked up he noticed his best friend peeking at the screen. "This is all your fault!" Whiningly, he pushed Renjun away before he rose, more or less ready to set off. He might not have wanted to go, but ditching people was not his style either.

 

Renjun only laughed and looked up to him with wiggling eyebrows. It would be so easy to kick him in the face. "Get along well!"

 

Haechan sent him a death glare, using his middle finger to scratch his nose. "Consider yourself lucky that Father Jaehyun is watching... I hope your date Monday and your fantasy fairies come to abduct you before I'll kick your ." Next to Renjun, Sicheng appeared to be unable to hide a grin.

 

After a short farewell and the promise to Father Jaehyun to prepare well for his solo, Donghyuck left the garden. He had to force himself not to move forward in slow motion, even though Lucas had already been waiting for a few minutes and a few more wouldn’t hurt. Who knows, maybe he wasn't there. Maybe someone would jump out of the bushes and throw a cake in his face, like for a hidden camera. Maybe it wasn't even Lucas who wanted to make fun of him. The whole thing might as well be Renjun's diabolical plan.

 

"Donghyuck!"

 

Ok, no cake. Instead, Lucas sat in front of the church entrance, a smile just as sweet plastered on his face. Donghyuck raised only one hand to wave until he stood before the other. Lucas rose and immediately towered over the smaller boy.

 

"So, and now?" Donghyuck replied with all the bundled euphoria that God had just given him along the way. Which meant none. And Lucas’ broad grin wasn’t particularly contagious either, but that was because of Donghyuck's iron will to not the other's ego. Moreover, the chances of suffering from a stiff neck after the meeting were more than rosy. The size difference between the two was considerable, but it didn't take on the critical scale of Taeil and Johnny.

 "Do you like ice cream?" 

Donghyuck had just chosen the asphalt as a more exciting sight, so the question forced him to look up again with a frown. 

"Euhm, duh?" 

Did the school’s heartthrob really want to invite him to eat ice cream at their first meeting? Only cinema would be even less creative, and that would be tempting, since Donghyuck could evade any kind of conversation. But compared to two-week-old popcorn, ice cream sounded like a much better option in today’s hot weather... Especially if you don't have to pay for it...

"Cool, me too." Lucas grinned broadly, followed by silence.

 

The expectant silence spread like tough chewing gum, and with every moment as both continued to quietly walk along the main road towards the city centre, Donghyuck's thoughts became more colourful. He could suggest that they go to his favorite ice cream shop at the park. It was a tiny inconspicuous shop, quickly overlooked, if an endless queue did not form in front of the counter in the summer. At least that was the case in the past. Ice cream parlours were available in the area and the new, large chain stores generated more and more sales. But who needed 31 synthetic ice cream flavours if none of them could keep up with the natural taste of the small traditional shop? Donghyuck loved the combination of vanilla and green tea, preferably large with sprinkles.

 

"And pets? Are you a cat or dog person?"

"Excuse me?"

 

Lucas blinked bewildered and looked at Donghyuck, who was staring back slightly soured. Slowly he returned to the assessment that Lucas really just wanted to troll him. How could he dare to mention ice cream in this heat and change the subject in the next breath?

 

"Sorry, was that too personal? I'm just trying to break the ice..."

 

"I'd rather eat the ice, let's go get some."

"Oh, good idea! Your treat?"

 

"Wait what?"

 

Lucas looked down at the younger man with a cheeky grin and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm joking. I'll give you the chance to lose against me in rock-paper-scissors first."

 

Donghyuck rolled his eyes and started walking faster to speed up their snail's pace and set the direction. "The odds are not in your favor today, boy."

 

Half an hour and a good bunch of questions later, the two sat in front of the small ice cream shop, both quietly watching the children playing in the adjacent park for a moment. Donghyuck ate some of his vanilla and green tea ice cream, a combination that Lucas had adopted on recommendation. The smile on his face revealed that it couldn't taste too bad. The fact that he had lost and thus paid for Donghyuck did not seem to bother him either.

 

"So..." Lucas had practically inhaled his ice cream within a few minutes and was now curious about the other again; the interrogation was not yet complete. "... you're a wizard, right?"

 

"I'm a what?"

"A wizard. Those creeps that use wands to do magic and ride on broomsticks just to flex."

"Lucas, I know what a wizard is."

Donghyuck looked at the other, a deep frown on his face.  He wondered how quiet Sicheng was able to get along with all that nonsense the other fabricated. Then again, he was also friends with Renjun, so no surprise there. "If you meant to compliment me, wouldn't a comparison to a fairy be more fitting?"

 

 “A fairy?" Now wrinkles had formed on Lucas’ forehead, with sudden intrusiveness he looked at the other, whose ice cream was already melting over his fingers, whereupon Lucas handed him a napkin, but without turning off his gaze or even blinking.  "You're no manipulator. And I am pretty sure a fairy wouldn't be able to turn a few dozen math tests into a stack of blank paper."

“Well I didn’t do it either, so...”

“You didn’t?” Lucas' stern expression faltered quickly.

“As much as I’d like to take credit for yesterday… nope. Wasn’t me. No idea what happened.” Donghyuck shrugged, still busy freeing his fingers from the sticky leftovers while eating the ice cream. “Would be kinda neat to do magic, though…”

 

“It sure has it perks…”

 

"It's my turn now." Donghyuck announced out of nowhere.

"It's sure is."

 Lucas mimicked Donghyuck after noticing him standing up. "Euhm, turn to do what though?"

 

"Ask questions."

 

"Ah, oh, sure. I am super ready." As they both entered the park, Lucas cracked both his neck and knuckles, earning nothing but a glare from Donghyuck.

"That's gross."

"And that's not a question." Lucas grinned and flicked the others forehead. Or at least tried to before being shoved away harshly.

"Argh, could you not...? Ok, Chicken or Beef?"

"Both!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"That's not how it works, Lucas."

"I choose pork then."

"Where did you learn to be so annoying?"

Lucas snickered and hummed in response. "It's an innate skill. My brother only helped me to refine it."

"Oh no, there are two of your kind? Your parents must be going places..." Donghyuck slowly shook his head and tried to imagine a copy of Lucas at the dining table with the original and two desperate parents. One was enough to get on Donghyuck’s nerves but the double pack?  "Is he older than you?"

 

"Youn.. older. But I'm the more handsome one."

 

Donghyuck rolled his eyes. He did this so often in Lucas’ presence that he already feared that his eyes might take damage from it. Of course, there was absolutely nothing wrong with a healthy dose of self-confidence, but Donghyuck's new classmate was so shameless, so blunt and ruthlessly honest that it was almost impressive. But Donghyuck rather thought of it as the purest form of arrogance. That is precisely why he did not mention it and preferred to delve deeper into the real issue. "So, are you and your family settled in by now?"

 

Lucas stiffened immediately, and he dodged Donghyuck's gaze, who in return did not push back and waited for a long moment before the answer followed.

"Actually, I came to Korea by myself... and that's fine! I am fully capable of living on my own. My cooking skills even exceed instant ramen and fried eggs!" Lucas' reply sounded way too happy and thus failed to fully cover the sadness hidden underneath.

 

"You're all by yourself? But you aren't even legal yet..."

 

Lucas nodded quickly; his usual smiling appearance completely recovered. "I have a legal guardian checking in once in a while. Might be a good thing having someone to force me to do my laundry and the dishes."

 

Suddenly, Donghyuck felt bad for him. Bad, because he could relate all too well to having parents that were never there. He couldn't even remember his parents' faces properly and he really didn't feel the need to refresh his memory. There was no reason to dig out the few photos from the bottom drawer of Taeyong's night cabinet. They had been lying there untouched for years. The last time Donghyuck took them out was on his eighth birthday and he put them on the dining table, next to the cake he had baked with Taeyong and Taeil. Originally, his parents had announced that they would come visit them again for the first time in years. Donghyuck, who at that time was still holding on to the idea of an intact family, had been able to keep his anticipation weeks in advance and could even infect Taeyong with it. But when the three were still sitting in front of the untouched cake at midnight, the two places of honor decorated with garlands still empty, it was Taeil who was the first to say it.  "They're not going to come."

 

"I guess we have something in common. That's a first." Donghyuck showed off a little smile and Lucas soaked that small ray of positivity in to send back the doubled amount with a wide grin.

 

"There's far more, you know. We are both very handsome."

 

Lucas wiggled his eyebrows and earned himself a forehead flick he didn't even try to dodge.

 

"All this love for yourself and you still have some to share?"

 

"Well, if I'm gonna shine, others can do too, right? I'd rather be part of a bright night sky than a lonely polar star in a deep black night."

 

Surprised, Donghyuck looked at the other. Quite apart from how cheesy and slimy Lucas' comment was right now, Dongyhyuck did not expect to hear him from his mouth. And he wasn't sure if Lucas was still talking about his appearance.

 

 

Lucas may have picked him up, but when he suggested escorting Donghyuck to the front door, he refused. There was no need for him to do that and it was something that only Mark should have the privilege to do. "Do you have nothing better to do?" Donghyuck had asked him, less annoyed and instead a bit amused. Lucas had denied without flinching, and after a brief discussion, both of them had agreed that Lucas would take him to the metro station. He had to go there anyways, Lucas had claimed. But when Donghyuck waved at him and passed the ticket counter, he turned around again and saw the other heading to the exit through which both had come. What an idiot. 

Just as much of an idiot as Johnny, who besieged him in the hallway after his return home. "So? Details?"

Taeyong stretched his head out of the living room and looked at his little brother curiously. But he did not seem to be in a mood to share the meeting in its individual parts with the others and leaned only against the apartment door. He didn't bother to take off his shoes, knowing they had to leave for Wendy's soon.

"Let the kid breathe." Taeil came to Donghyuck's defense in his Bugs Bunny slippers, carrying fat Gilbert like a newborn in his arms. He looked fine, considering him not getting much sleep before working overtime early in the morning.

 

Donghyuck was glad at least one person in this household had the decency to give him some space.

Taeil let the cat down with a smirk. "We first need something to eat before serving the tea, right?"

Well, nevermind.

 

 

"So, now everything should be done!" Wendy once clapped her hands, the satisfied smile briefly overshadowed by indecision. She seemed to be unsure with herself, open, ready to give a long speech for the troupe gathered here. Wendy was very creative and very conscientious, every dinner she invited them to was a big project for her. First, a determined theme was picked, that decided what the served dishes and the room decoration were going to be. Donghyuck suspected that this was to distract from the fact that only vegan food was on the table. But for Wendy it was probably a kind of hobby besides gardening and no one had ever dared to criticize her for it. Or in general. Except when the lady's little speech dragged on for so long that the food had become cold and everything had to be brought back into the kitchen and reheated.

"Bon appetit, Wendy!" Donghyuck said with a smile, Wendy closed and nodded. Normally it was Wendy's husband Henry who slowed down his wife's efforts somewhat and saved the others from starvation. However, he was on a business trip that day, as he often was. Mark clearly had his workaholic mentality from his father.

And now the moment had come, Donghyuck and his dinner met. Carefully, he took the burger-like something off his plate and stared at it distrustingly. He didn't even know why he was so reluctant to give Wendy's creations a chance every time. Wendy wasn't a bad cook, but her love for beans was too much for the passionate carnivore Donghyuck.

A small kick from the person next to him was enough to remind him that he somehow had to get the thing in his hands into his digestive tract. Donghyuck glared at Taeyong, but then boldly took a bite. The bun was crisp, as was the salad and the pattie... was delicate and juicy at the same time. It was a poem, a pure explosion of taste, and Donghyuck immediately felt bad for ever questioning Wendy's cooking. Were they really normal beans? Or the result of crazy genetic manipulation?

"This is amazing..." Donghyuck muttered more to himself, but loud enough that the others could pick it up.

"Really? Oh, I am so glad you like it!" Wendy's face beamed with pride and she didn't notice the others at the table throwing incredulous glances at him. Not because they didn't like it themselves. But because Donghyuck had never praised Wendy's vegan cuisine without prompting.

Donghyuck looked at the others and huffed, suddenly feeling the need to defend himself. "I am serious!" He took another bite in defiance, again it felt like Heaven.  In disbelief, he picked up the burger, looked at it extensively. With the myriad bean variations he had already tried out of respect for Wendy...

Just that this burger wasn't made out of beans. A more intensive inspection of the pattie only made him more dumbfounded, but a glance at the plate of the others revealed to him that they had something different between their buns. But why would Wendy serve him meat? She wouldn't even touch it...

"So Donghyuck, tell us about your date!" Yuta had finished his burger first and was now leaning back with a broad, well-knowing grin. At home, he might have been able to dodge the curious questions, but here he wouldn’t stand a chance. Donghyuck knew this when he saw Wendy's eyes light up.

"A date!" Wendy spoke with an open mouth, noticing her carelessness and simply holding a napkin in front of as a solution. "Tell me about that lucky girl, I need details!"

"It wasn't a date! We only went for ice cream."

Taeil finished too, he placed his elbows on the table to support his head with his hands. "Ice cream! Ah, that melts my heart."

What followed was the usual teasing and bickering, Donghyuck shared only a few details, most of them including his classmate's stubbornness and stupidity. All while insisting on them just casually meeting up. Everyone was listening and smiling until Yuta's face darkened. The voice of the Japanese turned serious.

"... he sounds oddly familiar. Is he tall?"

"Quite, yes."

"And he just transferred here from England?"

"Euhm, yes. Yuta what are..."

"One a scale of 1 to 10, how much is he a pain in the ?"

Donghyuck didn't need to think much. "11."

"It's him then."

Wendy, like everyone else except Yuta, didn't seem to follow. "Him?"

"Is his name Lucas by the way?" Donghyuck looked a little unsettled to Yuta, who sat opposite him and nodded.

"It's Yukhei." Yuta lowered his head, but quickly eyed Taeil before lowering his gaze.

The name alone was enough for the atmosphere to turn sour. The youngest at the table had a big question mark written all over his face, yet no one bothered to continue the conversation. The others had all turned pale and exchanged looks. Donghyuck was used to the feeling of being left out, he knew the people in his life were full of secrets. But while isolation from information was something he was used to, it didn't mean Donghyuck would accept it. He opened his mouth to dig further into the matter, but Johnny was quicker.

"Did you know about it, Taeil?" Johnny spoke a little too calmly, his eyes were piercing. The man who was sitting in front of him at the other side of the table didn't feel intimidated. Taeil simply burst out a stunned and cold laugh. A sound that Donghyuck was not accustomed to. Taeil, calm and peaceful Taeil, never showed off more than subtle annoyance towards others.

"How would I know about it, if even Yuta himself did not? Don't start being ridiculous again, please."

"Well, you didn't bother telling me about that hobo going in and out of your house either. Or that Jungwoo guy working together with Taeyong. In a kindergarten, out of all places! I had no idea for how long… A year?" Now it was normally chill uncle Johnny’s turn to pass the boundary of passive aggression, raising his voice with each word.

"Hobo? Excuse me, that's my best friend you are talking about." Taeyong joined them, obviously ready to add more fuel to the fire that was about to spark. "And for your information, no one does his job better than Jungwoo."

"That doesn't make them less of a threat. I still can't believe you let this happen, Taeil. I warned you a thousand times, yet you never listen to me... you should know better." Johnny's voice was a mixture of disappointment, anger and sourness. While he was talking, Wendy placed a hand on Taeil's to calm him down, but it was too late.

"Why don't you move back in again, hm? You seem to know so well what's good for us. Maybe we could lock Donghyuck in his room to make sure he doesn't see Yukhei again? For his own sake, of course." Taeil's volume now matched Johnny's. And all Donghyuck could do was to look with big eyes from one to the other, firing words like tennis balls in a heated tournament.

 

"Just remove that Yukhei guy from school! What the hell is he even doing there, for 's sake."

Taeil jumped up, and he ripped off Wendy's grip around his wrist. "Oh, how bothersome. How about just tearing his head off? Quick and effective."

The suggestion made Johnny's eyes turn wide. He was already boiling with rage but took a deep breath to choose the following words very carefully.

"Would you prefer to cut out his heart?"

That was it, the last straw that broke the camel’s back. For a fraction of a second, pain flickered inside Taeil's eyes before he reached for his wine glass as if electrified and threw it across the table with full force, aiming at Johnny's face. Donghyuck's stomach turned, never before had it escalated so much between the two. His family often had quarrels, but no one ever intentionally uttered anything seriously hurtful. And never, never had anyone been violent before. Helplessly, Donghyuck fixed the glass, which flew over the heads of the others towards his victim. Donghyuck closed his eyes.

"No!"

Glass shattered. It splintered with a force that made everyone's blood in the room turn cold. The noise was so loud, so omnipresent, that no one knew where it came from at first. It was like a smooth cut in your ears and it forced you to turn away from instinct.  When the noise fell silent, time seemed to stand still. Everyone in the room held their breath, everyone stared at the boy, who had not even realized that it was him who had uttered the scream. 

"D-Donghyuck..." It was Taeyong, his voice failed before he could say another word.

Donghyuck, whose eyes were still closed shut, opened them very slowly, that's when he noticed his heart beating rapidly against his rib cage. The sight that presented itself robbed him of the last touch of color from his face, he felt dizzy.

The white tablecloth in front of him was bathed in deep red, Taeil's wine glass was laying there, in shards. Everything was in shards, to be precise. His own glass, the glasses of the others, the plates, the light bulb, even the window panes had cracked. They were all sitting there in an ocean of shattered glass, no one daring to move an inch.

It was Johnny who spoke up again after what felt like an eternity. Donghyuck's eyes had filled up with tears, both from fear and grand confusion.

"Donghyuck, you are... you are a wizard?"