Hello and Goodbye

Legacy

 

Christmas dinner in Luhan's house was cancelled and nobody thought about lights or presents anymore.

 

Sehun arrived the following week as planned, but with a one way ticket and along with his father’s coffin. His mother hugged him tightly when he arrived at the airport, around the waist for she no longer reached higher. Sehun reciprocated weakly, partly because he felt he no longer knew much about the woman, partly out of sheer apathy. His eyes - as clear as his mother’s but now completely blank - sparkled just a little when he saw the one who had been his older brother and was now able to look him in the eye without tilting his head back.

 

“You grew up,” he stated, giving Luhan's arm a friendly slap.

 

“Well, I tried hard to remain six forever, but I really couldn’t manage it,” Luhan jested, in an attempt to lift the heavy mood, which he thought was actually good for nothing.

 

Sehun gave him a weak smile that made Luhan deeply sad. Here was his brother, a twenty-four-year-old young man who had always looked happy in the computer monitor. It wasn’t fair that he had been brought down like that, his father taken away in such a sudden and random way by some stupid food poisoning.

 

The brothers walked together to one of the many airport cafés after their mother insisted on taking care of everything regarding the coffin’s transportation. Her husband had offered to accompany her, leaving the boys alone.

 

“What do you want to eat?” Luhan asked, opening the small menu in front of him.

 

“I’m not hungry.” .

 

Luhan raised his brows. “Have you eaten in the plane?”

 

Sehun shook his head.

 

“But it’s been so many hours! You gotta eat, even if just a caffe latte or something,“ Luhan argued.

 

Once again he managed to bring a smile to his younger brother’s face. “I see why mom left me with you. You’re really good at replacing her,” Sehun said.

 

Luhan slightly blushed, but didn’t give in. “I’m going to ask for a latte for you, is that ok?"

 

“Go ahead, then.”

 

Near the counter, while waiting for their two lattes, Luhan discretely observed his brother. He was sitting in his chair in a very straight posture, but with his head tilting down so that one or two locks of delicate pink hair were hanging over his pale forehead. His eyes stared at the table like he was lost in some deep thought, that clearly could not be very happy. With a sigh, Luhan picked up the drinks and went back to Sehun, putting the paper cups down on the table.

 

Sehun looked up to him, took a sip of his cup and winced. “Maybe coffee on an empty stomach is not such a great idea.”

 

“Want me to ask for a tea?”

 

Sehun gave his brother an amused look. “How old are you? Twenty four?”

 

“Almost. Why?”

 

“You don't look like it, you even sound more like a teenager. Shouldn’t you be… I don’t know, being an annoying young adult, raging against the world, instead of politely taking care of people?”

 

Luhan gave him a malicious grin. “What about a beer and a joint, then?”

 

His younger brother surprised him with a laugh. “You’re funny. Better not, though. I tend to depress with those kinds of stuff,” Sehun said, grimacing.

 

When their mother came back, she had the pleasant surprise of seeing both her sons smiling.

 

 

 

At the funeral, no one smiled. Miyoung, the deceased’s mother, cried rivers of tears and her sobs echoed throughout the cold cemetery. Sehun, who had managed to contain himself so far, joined his cries with hers in this very last goodbye, before closing the casket forever. Lan could not bear her son’s tears without spilling her own, grabbing his hand and Luhan's in hers. The older one also ended up letting his sadness flow freely and silently down his face, more for his family’s mourning than for the man who had been his absent father and was now being laid down to the earth.

 

No one spoke in the car while the family was heading home. Although Sehun now had the money to stay pretty much wherever he wanted, Lan insisted that he lived with them, at least until he recovered from this difficult time. He spent the whole trip back staring through the window at the street running fast in the opposite direction, with Luhan looking at him, almost feeling his anguish as his own.

 

 

~~~

 

 

“I'm going to the bedroom,” Sehun said, as soon as they arrived home although still six pm.

 

Lan nodded but he didn't see her because he was already headed to the stairs. She sighed. “I don't really know what to with him,” she confessed.

 

“Well it was completely unexpected, must have been quite a shock to him. But Sehun is still young. He will get better, just give him time,” her husband reassured with an affectionate hug.

 

Luhan felt a sudden urge to climb up the stairs after his brother, but he didn't. Instead he got a leash from a drawer and said, “I'm going to walk Jjanggu”

 

He headed for the backyard for their little black dig, went outside and started roaming around the block. Jjanggu, at least, seemed to be happy all the time, totting around with his tongue hanging out in a huge doggy smile. It would be good if people could be like that.

 

Turning the last corner before going back, Luhan noticed someone leaning against a tree on the opposite side of the road, someone who seemed to be staring directly at his house. This person was not very tall and wore a black hoodie with the hood pulled up and cargo pants hanging loosely about the tip. Through all those layers of clothing, Luhan could discern nothing about the individual, even gender. As Luhan approached, the figure stepped away from the tree and hurried in the opposite direction. Creepy guy, the boy thought, frowning. Right before entering his house, he watched into the distance until he was no longer able to see the person.

 

Inside, he found his mother staring absentminded at the TV while Zhoumi finished preparing the evening meal.

 

“Luhan, go call your brother for dinner, would you?” he asked.

 

Luhan nodded, heading up to his room which they would to share for some days, until they could turn their large attic into a proper bedroom. When he got it, Sehun was laying on the inflatable bed, despite Luhan had told his brother to take his bed. He was asleep, but his face showed he had been crying.

 

“Sehun..”

 

The younger boy's awakening was surprisingly quick. He raised his swollen eyes to his older brother.

 

“Dinner time,” Luhan announced. Sehun mumbled and buried his face back on the pillow.

 

“Want me to bring a tray for you?”

 

The younger one glared at him, a bit aggravated.

 

“Seriously? Really, I'm not sure if you do that 'cause you're really nice' or because you want other people to feel guilty enough to give in to you.”

 

“I'm just nice,” Luhan stated, nonchalantly “It's not such a big deal bringing the tray up, you know?” 

 

Sighing, Sehun jumped out the bed, but Luhan could see he was still annoyed.

 

“Well, I'm sorry. From now on I'll just rage against the world”

 

His brother rolled his eyes but a draft of a smile appeared on his face and he put one of his hands lightly over Luhan's back for a moment, in a silent apology. Luhan smiled back, feeling as though he had achieved some small accomplishment. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~

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Isalovestaemin #1
Chapter 8: OMO!! I LOVE THIS!! *・゜゚・*:.。..。.:*・'(*゚▽゚*)'・*:.。. .。.:*・゜゚・* FEELS!!! UPDATE SOON AUTHORNIM!! & DANG PERSON!! WHO IS THAT?!?!?! URG!! LUHAN COULD'VE DIED!!!!!!!!!
CookiezDoe
#2
Chapter 8: Dang... ftw with that person!?!
sehaaaannnnnnnn
#3
Chapter 8: stupid dog ruined everything
Biancer #4
Chapter 8: Oh my gosh!!! :o
This chapter was beyond thrilling!! Amazing!
Isalovestaemin #5
Chapter 7: OOHH!! I LOVE THE UPDATE!!!!! ☆*:.。. o(≧▽≦)o .。.:*☆
CookiezDoe
#6
Chapter 7: Nice and light chapter with some humor touches here and there. I like it x3
KpopSumii
#7
Chapter 7: Mmm I wonder which stuff Luhan have to do... XD
Biancer #8
Chapter 7: Finally, it worked :D
Awww Hunhan are so cuuuute!! *-*
Biancer #9
Omg I wanted to read the update but AFF said that the page wasn't found :oo
CookiezDoe
#10
Chapter 6: BROTHERLY LOVE!!! FEELS FLYING EVERYWHERE!!! SEHUN YOU BETTER CLAIM THAT TONGUE AS YOURS *wiggles eyebrows*!!! DAFUQ WITH THE CRAZY AZZ DRIVER!!! K,RDJIF,SHRIFHRSI,HFRISRKHFKEISHFIKESHF TOO MUCH GOING ON TO HANDLE!! ANGER, FEELS, GLITTER AND RAINBOWS!!!!!! x3