Dropping his backpack with a loud resounding clash on the floor, Heechul took a moment to lean against the wall, resting his hand upon his forehead as he gazed into the room.

It had been a long day of work, teaching a full 7 blocks worth of multiple orchestra, full orchestra, music theory, and music history classes. Wrinkling his brows from exhaustion, Heechul nearly snarled as he thought about the unfairness of it all. If he had his way, that lazy good for nothing band director would be joining him in his jam packed day, but no, Mr. Yoochun was close with Principal BoA and was allowed to have “conference” periods where he just sat in his office and played Farmville.

Farmville, of all things.

Heechul sighed. He’ll never understand the man. If he had the free time that idiot did, he’d be chasing after the hot new music department head. Hankyung or something? Whatever his name was, Heechul liked it.

Noticing sounds of the TV being emitted from the living room, he angrily stalked in, ready to yell at his Minnie to turn it down for goodness sake, and not damage his ears more than his students already did on a daily basis with their awful playing. The conductor had no mercy when he was in a bad mood; cute Sungmin or not, someone was going to get hurt.

Claws extended, the man was ready to pounce on his unfortunate victim but was halted by the sight of a sleeping Donghae and Hyukjae, cuddled up together on the small sofa like two baby kittens.  

The movie had been long forgotten by the two of them, the remote abandoned on the coffee table and the DVD cover haphazardly discarded on the floor. Donghae was clinging onto the other’s shirt like a newborn and Hyukjae was curled around him protectively, arms curving around the boy’s torso. The violinist had his head tucked under his best friend’s chin, nose warmly nuzzled in Hyukjae’s neck. The violist had evidently placed his warm varsity jacket over the boy on his chest before falling asleep himself, Donghae curled up underneath the thick piece of clothing contentedly while Hyukjae’s longer limbs stuck out.

Heechul smiled. The sight was enough to make him smile at the innocent love on display in his living room but not enough for him to let the two sleep a while longer. Deciding to wake up Hyukjae first  (the man, though he’d never admit it, had a soft spot for the adorable bumbling childlike violinist), the conductor rested his palm on the high school student’s forehead before lifting up a finger, flicking it down with a decisive smack. Immediately the Hyukjae shot up with a start, the red imprint of a finger already visible on the boy’s poor bare forehead.

“Ouch director. What was that for?” The man pouted at the adult, rubbing his head while groaning in pain.

“Ngnn Hyukkie. Stop moving. I still want to sleep.” Donghae mumbled, rubbing his face tiredly on Hyukjae’s chest.

Face warming in a soft pink blush, Hyukjae held the boy close to him as he kindly rubbed his friend’s back in an effort to wake him up as gently as possible, unlike the harsh smack he had received as a wakeup call.

“Hae-ah. We need to get up now. Director needs to rest and we should get home soon.”

Heechul watched the two with amusement.

Whenever the boy was around Donghae, Hyukjae was always the epitome of kind and caring, always attending to the violinist’s every need and whim and babying him as if he was still five. It was obvious that Hyukjae liked Donghae, but the childish teenager seemed to be the only one to not realize it. The elder was clearly patient though, willing to be satisfied with simply being the boy’s best friend for the present. Hyukjae never tried to rush things, always placing Donghae’s needs before his own.

First love… Heechul thought pensively, a nostalgic smile on his face when he thought back to his high school days.

He never really had time for a love like theirs when he was a teenager.

His family would have never approved of him dating and as a simple precaution to that, had packed his schedule with all the classes and extra tutoring one could humanely handle.

And that’s why he escaped.

That’s why he was where he was today.

Taking out the container of spaghetti and meatballs he had bought for his dinner on the way home, Heechul settled down on the couch that had just been vacated by the two boys who had politely shown themselves out, knowing not to bother the director when he’s in one of his moods.

He really wasn’t a mean or a bad person to be honest, but with all the stress of life and supporting Sungmin pressed on his shoulder alone, one couldn’t blame the man for being cranky sometimes. There was only so much someone could handle before cracking a bit.

Shifting around the kitchen, Heechul let out a soft “Aha!” as he found the fork he kept around the box of chopsticks for the rare occasions they ate Western food, the piece of cutlery still shiny from the lack of use. Moving back to the comfortable embrace of the couch, he propped up the take out container on his knee and the TV, switching over to Animal Planet, lazily watching the feature on “Big Cats of Africa”. Hearing a soft purr, he turned to glance over his shoulder, closing his eyes in contentment as he felt a brush of warm fur slip across his legs.

Heebum, the one thing besides Sungmin and his TV that made this small apartment bearable for the man, was his cat. The feline was a gorgeous silver blue color and had large expressive eyes, the round orbs making the cat look like an innocent kitten even when he was committing the vilest of crimes. Sungmin, whenever he had friends over, always attempted to shut the cat in Heechul’s bedroom, preventing the animal from causing destruction. While the conductor would never approve of this act of cruelty towards his darling baby, the blonde had always managed to escape unscathed from his wrath, the man never catching him in the act of imprisoning the feline.

Scratching the cat lightly behind his perky ears, both the owner and the pet let out a sigh of contentment. Elegantly raising a forkful of spaghetti to his mouth, Heechul was about to eagerly chow down on his meal when the doorbell rang, the ding echoing loudly across the tiny apartment. Letting out a growl of exasperation, the man slammed down his meal and got up, his cat scampering off his body as he stalked angrily towards the door. He didn’t know who it could be at this hour, not expecting Sungmin to be back so early nor expecting any other company tonight.

Maybe it was Hyukjae and Donghae coming to retrieve something they had left? Those two kids would get it for interrupting his peace and relaxation!

Without looking at who had rang the bell, Heechul swung the door open angrily, ready to yell a plethora of colorful words at whoever had come to disturb him at his own apartment. He opened his mouth and stopped, no sound coming out as he observed the men before him.

It was a scene very familiar to him, two suited body guards in the front, buff and imposingly tall, creating an intimidating presence for the much shorter conductor. Behind them stood a man clothed in a simple black suit, crisply ironed and tailored to fit perfectly, the style oozing the latest trend filtered through classic moderation.

It was a man he hasn’t seen face to face in nearly 16 years.

Of course, Kim Jaejoong was all over the newspaper and TV now a days, his upcoming presidential election the hottest topic as the voting date drew closer and closer. Heechul tried hard to not keep up with those news, choosing to switch the channel or simply avoiding the newspaper when such articles popped up. But he had no such luck. The man he had worked so hard to never see again was standing in front of him again, in almost the same way he had been standing when he watched Heechul leave them those many years ago.

“Hello dongsaeng.”

Heechul’s lips curled.

“We stopped being brothers the moment I left the house remember? Dongsaeng… you call me that again after all those years. Did father send you to patch up things now? Are you still playing the favorite son as perfectly as you were 18 years ago?”

Jaejoong remained as unfazed as ever, the cool distant expression never fading from his features.

“And Heechul, you are just as stubborn as you were back then. I’m just here by my own free will with a proposition for you. Now why don’t we be civilized and you invite me in like the good respectable dongsaeng you are?”

Heechul gave a strangled laugh.

“And why should I? You’re no longer my hyung. I have every right to slam the door shut in your face right now.”

Jaejoong gave a confident tilt of the head, a bemused smile on his face.

“Do I really have to do this the hard way then? I could have my body guards go get Sungmin from his little date with that musician toy of his. Would you rather have me do that? We could avoid this conversation all together. After all, I only came here for your sake you know.”

Gritting his teeth, Heechul reluctantly slid the door open, stepping aside stiffly to let the suited men into his apartment. Turning his nose up at the limited space, Jaejoong haughtily walked over to the dining table and sat down, looking at the sparse and simple furnishing with disdain.

“Well then. Let’s not waste our time on chit chat shall we? What have you told Sungmin about me? Does he know about his parents?”

Sitting on the couch not looking at the man, Heechul replied tersely.

“He knows you’re his father. I told him his mother died during childbirth.”

Jaejoong nodded.

“Ah… does he know that you’re his uncle then?”

Heechul flinched.

“No, I told him I was his older cousin on his mother's side who was contacted to adopt him through the orphanage after he was taken out of the hospital when no one came for him.”

Raising his eyebrows, Jaejoong voiced aloud his question.

“And why did you lie to him in that particular matter.”

Heechul’s voice took on a bitter edge.

“Because I didn’t want him to know I was related to the bastard of a father he has like you.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Jaejoong didn’t seem offended by the name he was called, instead looking almost cheerful at his newfound information.

“Well then, this all works well and very according to plan. Soon you’ll no longer have to worry about Sungmin my dear dongsaeng. You don’t have to pay for his living expenses or take care of him. I’ll take over from here and you can just worry about yourself now. Though I do have to say that is quite still a lot of work”

Glancing around the cramped apartment, Jaejoong pointed out its flaws with a distinctly superior air.

“Look at this place. One would never expect a child of mine to live in such a dirty hole. The Kim fam-“

Heechul had stood up, hands clenched tightly by his side as he glared at the man, biting his lips in nervousness as well as anger.

“What do you want with him. I know you didn’t come back for a son you abandoned 16 years ago without a reason. What does it benefit you now if you had a child?”

Chuckling, Jaejoong motioned with his hand for the conductor to sit down like a human would to its pet, condescending in manner.

“You always assume the worst of me don’t you. Even back then you blamed me for Yoona leaving as soon as she could even when it was that woman’s own choice. Very well dongsaeng, I’ll tell you what I want from our dear little Sungmin. You see, I’ve had my opponents in the election call me a frivolous young playboy, a man without family values. And that wouldn’t sit well for the majority of Korea would it? But think about it, if I had a son, with the perfect grades and manners, why, then I could add the title of father to everything else that I own. And the nation will fall in love with me even more, the most eligible bachelor who’s kind enough to adopt a teenager in need. Except thanks to Sungmin, I don’t need to adopt some kid of the street who’s probably uncultured without proper breeding. With my actual son, all those things are guaranteed, despite him living under such awful conditions for most of his life. But I can change that. Within a few days he’ll know what living life is truly like when you have it all. When the world is at your feet.”

Smirking in satisfaction as he finished his speech, Jaejoong looked expectantly at Heechul, awaiting his response.

What he got though, wasn’t what he expected.

“Do you really think I’ll let you take Sungmin away that easily? Who took care of him for the past 16 years? Who was with him when he spoke his first word, when he first could walk by himself, when he first went to school? You have no right to him as a father.”

Shaking his finger in front of Heechul’s face, Jaejoong laughed infuriatingly.

“But dongsaeng, I have all the rights to him I need. One simple DNA test. My claim to him is in my blood. The court will grant me guardianship without batting an eyelash. What can you do about the law Heechul? Do you really think you can keep my own son away from me that easily?”

Before Heechul could reply, both men stilled as the sound of a door knob turning could be heard, the soft sound of the grating door stopping any movement inside.

“Well then my dear little brother, let’s hear it from Sungmin himself.”

AN: AHHH first of all apologies because I know I promised fluff T__T" but logically and chronologically, I feel like an explanation on Heechul's past and connection to the family was needed for everyone to better understand Sungmin's life and where the story will go. BUT next chapter will definitely have happiness and Kyumin <3 Thanks for everyone's sweet comments and please keep commenting because they really do encourage me so much :D

Also, I started a new fanfic and this time, it is Yewook! It's my new pet project along with this one but it is a lot darker and more angst filled than this story. I think you guys will still enjoy it though so here's a link and please check it out! http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/418073/the-price-of-perfection-kyuhyun-ryeowook-sungmin-superjunior-yesung-yewook

later guys! <3