“Oemma!  Oemma!”  

 

You opened your eyes in the dark, but quickly closed them, mentally preparing yourself for the day.  Your stomach churned at the sound of your little brother’s voice, the reason for his chronic nightmares, but no--you couldn’t think about that right now.  To prevent any further thoughts in that direction, you heaved yourself out of bed, and shuffled to his room.  

 

Quietly opening the door, you saw him sleeping fitfully, the light from his Pikachu night light casting an incongruently warm glow on his distressed face.  A fierce wave of protectiveness welled inside of you, and you frowned in surprise.  He was your little brother, sure, but he had been an oops baby that your mother had had two years before you graduated high school, and left South Korea to attend school at an old western university, so you hadn’t exactly had a lot of time to bond with him.  Now, with your parents gone--

 

No.  You didn’t have time for that.  You were the only family he had left now, and you had to keep it together, for his sake.  Slipping quietly into the room, you sat on his bed, and leaned over, splaying your hand against his soft belly.  “Hamyungie!” you whispered, shaking him gently.  Nothing.  “Hamyungie,” you whispered a bit louder, shaking him again.  

 

“Mmmnnnn.”

 

Smiling, you watched him roll over.  “I know…I know, Hamyungah, but you have to wake up.  It’s your first day of school!  Aren’t you excited?”

 

Rolling back over, your little brother pouted.  “I don’t want to go…  I’m scared.”

 

For a moment, you were at a loss.  You weren’t a parent, and you had only been an active noona for a couple of years when he was preverbal.  Completely out of your depth, you had no idea what to do.  So, you opted for honesty.  “Hamyungah...can I tell you a secret?”

 

His eyes shone and his cheeks started to round in a repressed grin. “Mm.”

 

“Pinky swear you won’t tell anyone?”

 

Hamyung sat up, reached for your hand.  “Pinky swear, with a stamp on it,” he whispered, pressing his thumb to yours.

 

Nodding, you reached forward with your other hand to his hair.  “Noona...is scared, too…  So, please...we have to rely on each other.  Noona will take care of you, but please...take care of me too, okay?”

 

Squaring his shoulders, and clenching his round little jaw, your brother nodded solemnly.  “I promise, Noona.”

 

Ruffling his hair, you smiled.  “Ah, you’re such a good dongsaeng!”  Standing, you threw back his covers.  “Alright, it’s time to get up.  I made your favourite breakfast last night--I just have to heat it up.  Go wash up and get dressed, okay?”

 

With all of the solemnity of his six years, your little brother saluted.  “Loyalty!”  

 

Snorting, you gave him a half-hearted salute.  “At ease, soldier.”  Watching him as he sleepily stumbled to the bathroom, you heaved a deep sigh.  “Alright,” you said to yourself.  “Strength!”  With that encouragement, you headed to the kitchen to heat up your little brother’s breakfast.

***

Police are investigating two incidents of indecent exposure that occurred last week.  They are looking for a male between 25-35 years of age, approximately 5’10” tall, 175 pounds, with close-cropped blond hair. The first incident occurred at approximately 6:55 a.m. when the male was observed by a female adolescent, walking in front of a home in her neighbourhood. Shortly thereafter, the subject, now clothed in blue shorts and a gray t-shirt, was seen running from the area to a tan-colored sedan parked nearby.  During the second incident--occurring across town, about 35 minutes later--two female subjects observed a male with the same description as above, hiding in the bushes in the side yard of a residence. The subject dropped his pants, exposing his ia to the women, before fleeing the area on foot.  Police believe this may be the same flasher spotted running around in public either or in an otherwise indecent manner during at least five incidents last fall.

“Noona, what is “flasher”?”

“Hm?” You poured the last of the egg batter into the pan to complete the gaeran mari roll. 

Hamyung climbed into a seat, his feet dangling inches above the floor.  “The man on the television.  What does flasher mean?”

Feeling an impending sense of panic, you looked at the television where the news anchor was merrily chronicling the ert in question’s previous autumn flashing spree.  “Um,” you started, stalling for time, as you stealthily snatched the remote and changed to cartoons. “A flasher...is...well, a lot of English words have a lot of different meanings.  Flasher...is a noun based on the verb flash.  Flash can mean to shine briefly, or intermittently, or to move really quickly, or to appear suddenly--”

“So, which definition did he mean?”

“Hm?”

“Which definition did he mean, Noona?”

“Um...you know The Flash?”  You were desperate.  

“No?”

“Here, let me show you.”  Opening your laptop, you pulled up a Justice League cartoon on Youtube.  “There you go.  The Flash.”

“Daebak!” Hamyung breathed as he watched the superhero.

“Yeah.”  You heaved a sigh of relief.  “Um...breakfast is ready.”

***

You tried to keep from yawning in the cold grey pre-dawn light as you waited with Hamyung for the bus that would take him to his before school activities.  Still being in university was a great help--you were near the best schools for him, and there were plenty of services for students with children.  Once you had explained your predicament to the Dean of Students, they had moved you into family housing, and set you up as the RA, ensuring that your room and board would be covered.  Since your tuition was handled by a scholarship, you didn’t have to worry about loans, or working outside of the university to make ends meet.  

 

That didn’t mean that your life was easy.  Working toward your Ph.D. in architecture at one of the best universities in the country was hectic enough as it was, and put your position as a TA for the head of the department on top of that, and you barely had enough time to take care of yourself, let alone a whole other little person who was counting on you.  But, what else could you do?  Both of your parents had been only children, and your grandparents had long passed, and you weren’t about to abandon your brother to an orphanage, if there were anything that you could do to take care of him.  So, you set your jaw, invested in a bulk bottle of caffeine pills, and psyched yourself up for six hours of sleep per night, for the foreseeable future.

 

Once Hamyung was safely on the bus, you sleepily dragged yourself back to your apartment, to get a little studying in before your own school day began.

 

***

 

Three hours later the sun had risen properly, and you were heading out to your first class.  Sleepy-eyed parents in various states of dress yawned as they waited with their children for the school bus.  A small pang of envy stabbed you in the stomach, but you pushed it down.  So you lost your parents, so what?  You were hardly the first orphan in the world, nor would you be the last.  As it was, you had them for a good 22 years--you had no room to complain.  You were lucky.  It’s not like you were a small child, ripped from everything he knew--his parents, his home, his country--to fly across the world to begin a new life with a sister that he had only seen a few times a year since he could remember.  So deep were you in your non-pity pity party that you almost walked into someone.  Realizing your mistake just before you crashed into the tall man, you backpedaled quickly.  “I’m sorry,” you said.  “I was in my own head, I didn’t see you there.”

 

Eying you warily, he wrapped a protective arm around the shoulder of a little girl who only came up to his thigh.  “It’s alright,” he murmured, his voice pleasantly husky.  “Just be careful to watch where you’re going.  You could trip.”

 

Smiling, you were nodding when a flash of movement caught your eye.  Was that…  Upon realization, your eyes snapped to his, as your manners took over.  

 

Fortunately, he just looked amused.  Pulling the beanie off of his head, he freed a pair of large triangular ears.  “Savannah,” he said in answer to your unasked query.  His tail flashed lazily behind him.  

 

“Oh, I wasn’t--I didn’t--I mean, I wasn’t going to--”

 

“It’s fine, I don’t mind,” he grinned.  “I know I look good.”

 

Blushing, you dropped your eyes to his small charge.  He did, in fact, look pretty darn good, but you were not in a position to flirt.  “Well, uh, I should...get going.  It was nice meeting you…?”

 

“Tao,” he said, cocking his head to the side and smiling brightly.  

 

“Taotao,” the girl whined, tugging on his hand.  “You promised that you’d play I Spy with me before school!”

 

Crouching to her level, Tao took the little girl by the hands.  “I’m so sorry, Beibei, ge was distracted by the pretty, clumsy girl, but I’m here now.  Are you ready to play?”

 

“Yeah!” she crowed.

 

Tao smiled, then glanced up at you.  

 

Nodding to indicate that you understood, you slowly walked around them, and continued on your way to campus.  However, seeing Tao had sparked a flurry of thoughts.  

 

Yes, you had been overwhelmed by the prospect of raising your little brother alone, but now you realized that you didn’t have to do so.  Smiling genuinely for the first time in a long time, you skipped a little as you made plans.  If you needed help...then why not just go get help?

 

***

“We’re going to get another sibling?”

 

“Mm,” you answered distractedly as you filled out the shelter paperwork.  After a lot of research, you had decided on a young teenager.  You could help her continue the education that she would have obtained in the shelter, and if she wanted, when she came of age, you could help her enroll in university.  Or, if she preferred, she could stay with you and your brother, and you would take care of her.  Also, if she were between you and your brother’s ages, then she could relate better to Hamyung, while still being mature enough to act as a babysitter.  

 

After you had finally finished all of the paperwork, realizing that you could hardly hear your little brother’s piping voice, you looked up.  Hamyung had already made his way past the children’s section, and was now in the adult hybrids area.  .

 

“Do you tell good bedtime stories?”   “Would you try to make me clean behind my ears?” he asked, first one hybrid, then the next, wandering down the one dormitory hall of the small shelter, peering into the open doors. 

 

Huffing a little, you decided to let it go.  Maybe an adult hybrid would be better.  After all, you really had no idea what you were doing, and two adult minds would be better than one, or one and a half.  Opening your notes app, you started to make a list of what you would need.  If she were an adult, then she’d definitely need sanitary supplies.  Maybe two sets of pajamas, seven pairs of pants, and fourteen shirts to start, a couple of hoodies, a coat, hat, gloves, and scarf, sneakers, galoshes, and a couple of packages of socks and , to start.  She probably had her own toiletries already, and could use yours until you needed to buy more--the same with your clothes.  You’d also have to call the university to have another bed bunked over yours, as well as request another set of drawers, but until then, she could sleep with either you or Hamyung, whichever she preferred..

 

Lost in these thoughts, you weren’t paying attention when Hamyung made his choice, just barely clocking his sneakers as he approached, but realizing that he had chosen, you looked up your brother, only to grin at the beaming smile on his face.  Finally looking from your brother up to the hybrid beside him, you froze.- 

 

Hamyung...hadn’t chosen a female hybrid.  The hybrid that your little brother was assiduously pulling toward you was very male, and very gorgeous.  

 

Somewhere, in the back of your mind, you crossed and sanitary napkins off your shopping list.

 

Slender, he was not too tall, but still a head taller than you, with a plump, pensive mouth, an elegantly high nose, a full head of thick black, wavy hair, and a jawline sharp enough to use as a ruler for your draft work. Two fluffy, triangular grey and white ears rose tall from the top of his head, and a medium-length, but densely fluffy tail slowly rose behind him to curl at the base of his spine.  Despite this embarrassment of pulchritudinous riches, it was his eyes that arrested you.  Both heterochromatic, they were each half an icy, arctic blue, and half a warm, golden, melting honey brown.  

 

Turning to look up, Hamyung sweetly asked, “Do you think Noona is pretty?” 

 

The hybrid blushed, dimples bracketing the sides of his mouth, and every drop of spit in your mouth packed up and went on vacation.  “Yes,” he said softly, his voice a gentle, full-bodied tenor, like clear water running over rounded rocks in a forest stream.  

 

This seems to please your dongsaeng, whose smile was blinding as he nodded and told you he’d take this one. 

 

Despite your confusion over why he would want a grown man for a hybrid, you agreed because they both seemed so...happy.  Hamyung was smiling up at the man, who was smiling down at your little brother like...like...well, like you smiled at him.  The hybrid--oh, gosh, you had just been mentally calling him hybrid the entire time like he didn’t have a name, as well as staring at him like some sort of tourist at a museum.  “I’m so sorry,” you blurted, standing abruptly, and introducing yourself.  

 

“It’s alright,” he said lightly, in the most adorable little accent that you had ever heard.  “My name is Zhang Yixing.”  

 

“It’s...a pleasure to meet you, Zhang Yixingsshi,” you said awkwardly, noting that he did seem just a few years older than you.

 

“Please. Yixing is fine.”

 

“Ye-es….  Yixingsshi...”  Smooth.  Time to speak explicitly, so as to prevent any misunderstanding. “So, are you interested in being adopted?”

 

“I am,” he said easily, holding out his hand to indicate that you should sit.  Sitting beside you, he oofed playfully as Hamyung flung himself into his lap.  

 

“Would you mind telling me a bit about yourself?”

 

“Mmm,” he thought for a moment.  “I was raised by a retired couple that used to be high school teachers.  Due to their jobs, they never felt the need to have children, but apparently when they retired was when their biological clocks started ticking,” he chuckled.  “We lived in Changsha, but came here, when…” here his smile trembled.  “Mama got...sick, and…apparently there was a good experimental program at the university.  Baba was coming home from after Mama…left,” he cleared his throat, “ah...when he had a heart attack and...ran into a tree.  Technically, they left me everything in their wills, but their savings all went to hospital bills…”  He was silent for a bit.  Then, quietly, “I didn’t even care about the money--the shelter’s not so bad--I just...wanted..them back…”

 

Eyes feeling suspiciously hot, you put a hand on top of his, and gave him a small smile.  “I know.”  A long pause settled between you, but then you had to know.  “So, may I ask why you didn’t choose to be emancipated?”

 

Yixing shrugged, and pulled your brother a bit closer, nuzzling slightly against Hamyung’s neck, as if seeking comfort.  “I was pretty distraught at the time.  I couldn’t think...I couldn’t make any decisions…  Maybe in the future, but at the time I was placed...I couldn’t even eat, much less figure out how to start the paperwork for emancipation, and figure out how to support myself...”  

 

Clearing his throat in apparent embarrassment, he gave you a small, awkward smile.  “So,” he started, in the tone of someone who wanted to change the subject.  “Could you tell me a little more about why you want to adopt?”

 

Switching tracks along with him, you nodded.  “Well, to be honest, I was thinking that Hamyung would choose someone closer to his age--like a teenager, so you’ll have to forgive my shock--I was just a bit surprised.  Um…” You thought for a moment.  “Oh, yes, why I want to adopt, well...Hamyungie and I recently…” Your throat threatened to close, and you searched for a way to say the unsayable.

 

Yixing’s nose twitched, and his face filled with concern.  “Ah, it’s okay, he already told me...what happened.”

 

Relief flooded your body as you realized that you wouldn’t have to explain your situation, especially not in front of your little brother.  “Okay, yes, good, so, um...I’m still a student, and...even though there are a lot of social safety nets at my university...I need help.  Full disclosure, I would be adopting you as--”

 

“A nanny?” Yixing grinned.

 

“Yes, w-ell...yes,” you stuttered.  “If you agree to this adoption, then you would take him to the bus in the mornings, pick him up from the stop in the afternoons, watch him when I’m not around, and help him with his homework.  I can handle meal prep and washing laundry for all of us, but it would help if you fed him, and made sure that he washed up properly.”

 

“I can handle all that,” Yixing said with a decisive nod.  

 

“Yes, so…”  you trailed off, staring at his eyes.  

 

His tail wagged slightly.

 

“So...so...so...uh...I guess...if you’re interested, then just...tell the receptionist?” you hazarded.  

 

Dimpling dangerously, Yixing stood, lifting Hamyung with one arm, as the child giggled in delight.  “Stay here,” he said gently.  “I’ll take care of everything else.”  With that pronouncement, he strode toward the reception desk.

 

You tried not to stare at the lovely back view of him as he walked away.

 

He would definitely be rooming with Hamyung.

 

***

There were a few minor bumps along the way, but mostly, Yixing settled into the household just fine.  Sweet and easygoing, he never lost his temper with your little brother, but he also never let Hamyung overstep his boundaries, and with this help, you were free to study and work, without having to over-worry about the tiny human who had invaded your life.

“Appa!”

The shrill, piping voice of your little brother awoke you from a sound sleep.  Stumbling to your feet, you shuffled to his room, eyes still closed as you shambled.  Opening your mouth to mumble...something comforting--you were shocked by the sound of a man’s voice murmuring quietly.  

Oh.  Yes.  Right…  

Yixingsshi.   

“What’s wrong?”

“I had a bad dream…”

“Oh?  Do you want to talk about it?”

“....No…”

Peering around the corner, you found that Yixing had climbed down into Hamyung’s bed, and was now curled around him, his tail thumping gently against your little brother’s waist as he patted Hamyung’s chubby little belly.

“Would you like to hear a story?”

“Mm.”

“Alright, now, let me see…  Once upon a time, there was a boy named Aladdin.  His stepmother hated him so much that she sent a woodsman after him to cut out his heart, but he was taken in by seven dwarves.  Unfortunately, an evil fairy put him into hundred year sleep by pricking his finger on a spindle, and only a dragon could save him, but his evil stepsisters had taken his magic carpet, so he had no way to get to the ball and meet Ariel…”  Yixing’s voice grew quieter and more garbled as he continued, clearly falling back to sleep.

“No, no, no, that’s not how it goes!”

“It isn’t?”

“No!  You’re mixing it up!”

“Oh, I’m sorry.  Um...Aladdin was at the cave of Ali Baba and the forty thieves when he learned that his uncle was plotting to take over Pride Rock, but it was okay, because his uncle was afraid of fire, but not of hypnotizing snakes.  So, Aladdin took his Bagheera and with him and his merry men, made a plot to overthrow the Sheriff of Nottingham…”

“Hyung?”

“Mm?”

“You’re falling asleep again.”

“I’m sorry.  I’ll do it right; give me a moment.  Um… So...Aladdin...went to the cave of wonders to find the buried treasure, but he was betrayed.  Fortunately for him, while he was down there, he found the sword in the stone, but when he tried to remove it, the cave began to collapse, but it was okay, because he used his ice powers to create an underground palace.”

“His ice powers?” Hamyung repeated dubiously.

A long pause.  Then a snort.  “Hm?  Mm-hm.”

Turning in Yixing’s loose grasp, Hamyung stared up at the man.  Slowly, stealthily, he reached up a hand, and began softly petting Yixing’s fluffy ears.  “Hyung?”

“Hm?”

“Are you sleepy?”

“No...not at all...mtellin’ you a story…”

“Do you want me to tell you a story, Hyung?”

“Hm?  Do you…” A soft snore escaped, and then Yixing jerked slightly, waking himself just enough to ask…”You want to?”

“Mm,” Hamyung nodded, still scratching behind Yixing’s ears.  “Um...So, Barry Allen is The Flash, right?  And he can run really fast, but, um, in the beginning he--he--his hat made him go fast…”

Tip-toeing away with a smile, you quietly returned to bed, and went back to sleep.

***

Yixing was a coward.

Okay, maybe not really a proper coward, per se, but definitely...jumpy.  If you ran into him coming out of the bathroom in the middle of the night, he yelped.  If you opened a door whilst he was walking by, he jumped.  If you started to make popcorn without warning him, he involuntarily yipped, tail curling between his legs, looking over his shoulder like the popcorn was coming for him.  

At first, you were worried--was this a sign of past abuse?  But, no, from multiple deep, heart to heart talks, you came to learn that...being skittish was just his way.  He was easily surprised, and when surprised, his deadliest defense was...a short, high-pitched cry combined with a sudden leap backwards...sometimes into your arms.  

Concerned that he might not be able to protect Hamyungie when they were out, you invited yourself on a number of their excursions, but saw that, among strangers, he was on guard--aloof, if still polite--with his piercing eyes always either on your brother, or perusing the surroundings.  At the first sign of someone he didn’t trust, or a situation he felt was unsafe, he was bundling the both of you back into the car, much to your amusement.  Sometimes, if you didn’t remind him that you, too, were a capable adult, he started to treat you as if you were also his charge.

“I picked up some dinosaur chicken nuggets for you.”  “Here, put on my jacket, it’s chilly.”  “Do you need me to help you brush your hair?”  

It was cute.

***

Chaos.

 

You arrived home to pure chaos.

The scent of Yixing’s cologne hung chokingly in the air, and wails were coming from Hamyung’s room.  Tossing your backpack, you jogged to the room to find Hamyung sobbing in the middle of the floor while Yixing knelt in front of him, patting him gently around the head and shoulders in an entirely ineffective bid to comfort him.  “What’s wrong?!”

Yixing’s ears turned before he did, and he whipped around, his face almost as red and distressed as Hamyung’s.  “He thought that my cologne bottle looked interesting, but accidentally dropped it when he went to pick it up.  It broke, and I’ve spent the last five minutes trying to convince him that it’s okay.”

“I didn’t mean to!” Hamyung shrieked.  

“Oh, puppy, I know,” you crooned, coming to kneel beside Yixing, and take your little brother by the hands.  “Don’t cry, we’re not mad at you.”

“It was an accident!” he bawled, pulling his hands from yours to rub at his swollen red eyes.  

“I’m sure it was!”

He started to hyperventilate.  “I didn’t--I didn’t--I didn’t--”

Standing quickly, you hardened your voice.  “I don’t believe you!”

Shocked into silence, your brother stared up at you, his eyes wide with disbelief.  

Now that he was no longer in danger of passing out from hysteria, you smiled, and picked him up.  “Oof, you fat little noodle, Yixingsshi has been giving you extra snacks lately, I see.”

Hamyung sniffled, and wiped his nose.

You tried not to grimace.

“I like jelly…”

“That’s because jelly is good.  Now.  Now, that you have stopped crying, I want you to listen to me very carefully.  We know that you didn’t do it on purpose.  We know that it was an accident.  We believe you.  You’re not in trouble, okay?”

His lower lip wobbled.  “Really?”

“Really.”

Diving for your neck, he began to cry again, but this time it was quieter, less panicked.  

“Shhhh,” you said, bouncing him slightly and patting his .  “I know…  I know…  I tell you what…  Why don’t we have...pizza for dinner!?”

“Pizza?!”  

You had never seen tears dry faster in your life.  “Yep.  You can even choose the toppings.”

“Anchovies and pineapple?!”

You ignored Yixing’s expression of disgust.  “Yep.  Sounds delicious.  Come on, I’ll even let you order.”

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