I remember that one day he just came screaming into my room, showing off the laces atop his shoes.

"Gege! I did it! I did it!" He squealed.

For the past few years, I had been tyeing those shoes for him. At his school, they wouldn't allow sandals or velcro sneakers to class. My mom even tried to go in and change the stupid rule, but the principal wouldn't budge.

Needless to say, he felt accomplished. It was the first time he ever learned. We were happy that day.

But the next morning, he forgot again. And just as routine went, I tied his shoes that morning.

And as routine went, it never changed.

~

"Tao, start setting the table." My dad ordered.

"I will." Tao lazily replied, tapping the buttons on his PSP.

"Tao." He repeated, annoyed.

"I said I will!" My younger brother shrieked.

"Don't raise your voice at me, Tao! Set the damn table!" Dad shouted.

This was probably the worst scene I could walk into. At seven in the morning, I debated just laying under the covers and playing the death-by-laziness card. But Mom was so bent on me waking up early to take Tao to his martial arts, that she practically hit me with a shovel to get me up.

"The sun'll come out...tomorrow..." I sang while digging the milk carton out of the fridge.

"Hey, Banana-head. Set the ing table." I raised my eyebrow. My dad was in a really bad mood. I took the high road and ran quickly to get the plates.

Tao started crying at my Dad's profanity. He was never comfortable with those words ever since my mom brainwashed him as a kid. Watching my mouth around him wasn't easy.

"Stop crying and sit down. Oh my God. Honey, no more kids. Ever." My dad sighed.

"We decided that after Lu Han. Look where that got us." My mom retorted.

"Oh my God." The images were scarring.

"Get used to it, kid. You'll have babies sometime in your life."

"I'm going to adopt. I hate babies." I responded, setting up glasses to accompany the plates.

"You've got a good head on your shoulders. The color is horrible, but you're smart. Oh, don't set one up for your brother. Just bring him breakfast in bed."

"He's not going anywhere today?"

"No, I caught him up at four still up. He's going to be really tired today."

"Ah." I played dumb. Lu Han...his words rang in my head. But I wasn't him. I'd never be.

"Gege I want breakfast in bed too!" Tao whined.

"After you ignored dad? Hell no." Damn, I was sounding like Gege.

"I want breakfast in bed!" He screamed, furious.

My dad slammed the pan of eggs on the stove and spun around, ready to kill someone. I ran into the situation.

"Tao, breakfast at the table or none at all. And don't you ever raise your voice at me." I told him, my voice low and hard.

He stomped, tears falling on the kitchen tile. "I hate you!" He ran upstairs, leaving us all with headaches.

"Take him out to lunch after his class. I don't want to deal with him today." My dad went back to the eggs.

Another reason I didn't get along with my father. He said like that. I didn't bother to finish setting the table, and just walked upstairs, searching for the sad panda.

I heard muffled sobs coming from Tao's closet. "Tao? Why are you in there?" I asked, opening the door.

"Everyone hates me!" He sobbed, not bothering to wipe his tears.

"I don't hate you." I told him, grabbing a tissue and wiping his eyes.

"But I said I hate you!" He argued.

"Silly. Just 'cuz you said it doesn't mean you meant it." I reasoned.

"So...I don't hate you?" Tao second guessed.

"After all the love I shower you with, you better not." I pinched his nose and gave him a hug.

No, he couldn't have hated me.

~

"Hey Kris! Glad you could come by early. I want to talk to you." Xiumin smiled.

This man had been learning with and even taught Tao for a few years. He had only recently become a teacher, but he was Tao's friend first. Their old teacher passed away sometime last year, and Xiumin took on his role.

"Is something wrong?" I was instantly worried. This morning was not so great. What happened now?

"Quite the opposite. Kris, Tao is even better than me. I don't think I can teach him any more now. He should go to a more advanced-" I cut him off by shaking my head.

"Minseok, he's more comfortable with you than anyone else. It's either you or learning wushu stops forever. Those are the only two options Tao's mind will allow." I explained. "Reviewing is fine. He can even relearn everything taught to him. But please, don't kick him out."

He sighed. "I just don't want him to get bored. Of course I'd never kick him out. But you have to take in his intrests too."

"I know, I am."

He raised an eyebrow. "Without even talking to him about it?"

Later in the car, I finally asked Tao, "Hey, did you wanna look at other places to learn martial arts or did you wanna stick around here?"

"Hm...here." He decided, smiling.

See? I knew my brother pretty well.

"So where are we going today? The mexican place down the street or the new vietnamese place that just opened up?"

"Mexican place!" Tao said as he jumped inside me car.

Always the same place.

Tao never got sick of one thing. We could eat the same meals over and over but he wouldn't ever mind. I on the other hand, got sick of routines easily. I needed change to excite myself. This was why Lu Han usually took Tao to wushu.

"Next time, we should take Gege!" He bounced in the passenger's seat, happy at the thought of brotherly bonding.

"Next time. I can't come with you, so Mom or Dad have to take you to class."

"Why?" He asked, confused.

"I've gotten a job. Gege hooked me up."

"Hooked...you?" I mentally kicked myself, forgetting Tao couldn't understand phrases like this.

"His friend owns the ice cream shop, and Gege got me the job. I'm looking out for him. Helping him out, earning money for him going to school."

Tao tilted his head. "Gege is supposed to help us. Not the other way around. That's what Daddy says."

I snorted. "Dad doesn't know everything."

"Mommy says she knows everything!"

I rolled my eyes as we parked in front of the restaurant. "Yeah, whatever."

Inside, Tao ordered his usual of a giant steak burrito. I ordered some kind of nachos that had guacamole and melted cheese drenches over the chips. The taste overall was delicious and I was shocked to why I had never tried this place before.

"So did you know in Mexico, they have this giant monster that eats goats called a-a chupacabra? Some of my classmates were talking about it yesterday! It sounds so scary, do you think it could come over here?" Tao said, mouth full of steak and olives.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth. Remember the time you choked and Gege had to do CPR on you? Not something I want to relive."

He chewed the rest of the contents in his mouth. "That was scary! I'm not ready for God yet!"

I had to laugh at how cute he was being. But in the back of my mind, I hated the way he devoted himself to God. God didn't care about him. I did, Lu Han did, Chanyeol-

"Chanyeol!" Tao squealed, jumping from our booth and running to the front door, his hands up.

Chanyeol gasped and smiled, meeting the gesture with his own hands. "Hi Tao! What are you doing here?"

"Gege and I are here for lunch!" He clapped. "What about you?"

"I'm on a date with my boyfriend." He motioned to the short guy beside him. "So Kris is here? I don't see him..." He looked around before I slid beside Tao.

"Don't worry, I didn't get lost." I smirked. "What's up? How's it going?" I didn't know which to say, so I said both.

"We're on a date. But Yeollie, I don't feel very much like taquitos anymore. Let's go get some pho at that new Vietnamese place!" Baekhyun said from behind Chanyeol.

Chanyeol looked at him in confusion. "But you were so determined to come here-"

"I'll pay for the meal, let's just hurry before the lunch crowd storms in. Bye you two, hope you enjoy your enchiladas." Baekhyun flashed a not-so-friendly smile and  grabbed Chanyeol's arm, leading him out the door. Chanyeol barely got a chance to wave us goodbye.

"Ok let's go sit down." I told my brother, hoping the waitress didn't take away our food already.

As soon as we sat back down, our food just as we left it, Chanyeol came running back inside and came over to us. Thankfully, he was alone this time.

"You know how I helped you out with your hair and tat? Can I get a favor from you now?" He asked breathlessly.

"Uh, yeah sure." My heart pounded at the chance to do something for him.

"Ok Baekhyun's birthday is on Sunday and I haven't gotten him a present yet, so I need a shopping buddy. What day are you free?"

I thought for a moment, thinking of my work schedule. "Saturday morning I'm free. Any other time I have work."

"You work?" He smiled.

"Yeah, I just started at an ice cream shop. The one by the mall. You should stop by there some time." I grinned at the thought of flirting during work hours.

"I should. I'll put that on my to-do list. Oh-" He got cut off from a vibration in his pocket. "Here, put your number in so I can text you the time to pick me up."

My heart lept for joy at his words. I got even more giddy when I read Baekhyun's text message.

What's taking you so long? -_- I'm by myself here and it's awkward!!!!!!! This waitress probably thinks I'm a loser dining by myself. Dammit are you flirting with him or something??? x(

Kris: 1. Baekhyun: 0.

I quickly punched my phone number in the contacts and saved the name as "Kris: Hot-Dragon". I wanted him to laugh when he read it.

"There you go. Ok hurry up and get back to your boyfriend. He doesn't sound very happy." I winked.

He gasped and turned to Tao. "Right I'm in the way of your lunch. Bye Tao I'll see you tomorrow! Bye Kris I'll text you!" He ran out and I had to lean out of the booth to see hin disappear around the corner.

"You smile more when Chanyeol comes." Tao commented while sipping his drink.

"Do I?" I laughed, feeling so much better now.

"Yep. You look stupid!" He grinned at the remark.

"It's dorky, not stupid." I grumbled, taking the spoon and checking my smile at the back of it.

_______________________

Receiving so much love for this. Thank you all, so much!