Donghae was in the lead. He was about a good 10 feet ahead of Hyukjae and he could see his house in the distance. He was almost there and since he had some extra energy left, he decided to sprint the last few yards. But when Donghae started to sprint, so did Hyukjae. Donghae didn’t know how, but Hyukjae sprinted way faster than he did. There was a hidden burst of energy that just ignited Hyukjae to run full speed, passing Donghae.

Hyukjae touched Donghae’s garage door, panting.

“Hah…Hah… I… Won…” The breathless Monkey panted, too tired to celebrate his victory.

Several seconds later, Donghae caught up and touched his garage door, too. Panting hard, he managed to say, “No… Hah…Fair… Hah…How… Hah … The hell… Hah… Did you… Hah… Catch up… Hah… So fast… Hah?” Donghae was speaking in between breathes and Hyukjae couldn’t help but giggle at the exhausted teen.

When Hyukjae had finally caught his breathe, he began to speak properly again. “I did track for one season.”

“Just one season?!” Donghae blurted out, astonished.

“It was just for fun, but I found out that I was surprisingly good at the mile runs and hurdles.”

“Wow…”

Donghae finally caught his breathe as well and both boys headed inside. Fishy rang the doorbell and receive a strangling hug from his mother. Hyukjae shook her hand and they were welcomed inside. Donghae noticed his mom’s discreet wink and finger held up to her lips when Hyukjae wasn’t looking. He knew what she meant.

“Where’s Henry?” Donghae’s mother asked, realizing that there were only two boys in her house when there should be three.

“Henry? Oh, he’ll be here soon.” Donghae told her mom.

“WHAT!? YOU LEFT HIM WALKING HOME ALONE?!” The women screeched.

“No no no no no no no!” Donghae answered quickly. “He’s not alone! He’s walking home with someone.”

“WHAT?! YOU LEFT HIM WITH A STRANGER?!” Donghae’s mom shouted.

“No that’s not it, Om-”

“No Ma’am,” Hyukjae spoke up. “He’s a close friend of mine. He won’t do any harm to your son.”

The tense women relaxed and she escorted Hyukjae and her son to living room to watch some TV while she attended to her cookies. The two teens sat on the same couch and slouched back lazily as they chit-chatted.

“Why don’t you take off your coat, Hyukjae?” Donghae said as he noticed that the older’s coat was still on.

Hyukjae turned his head to look over at Donghae. “Will you take it off for me?” He asked.

“Why?”

“I’m kinda tired…”

“Are you that lazy?”

“Yes… Please?” Hyukjae almost sounded like he was begging. It did look like he was hot in there since inside was much warmer than outside.

“Well I can’t take it off if you’re sitting down, can I?” Donghae pointed out. Hyukjae’s face brightened up. He stood up and waited for Donghae to come over and strip his jacket off. Donghae lazily got up and stood in front of the Monkey so that he could have a better angle to the jacket.

“The cookies are ready!” They heard Donghae’s mom shout from the kitchen.

Donghae took his time and swiftly undid each button. He started to slide the jacket down and his eyes met once with Hyukjae’s and Hyukjae smiled softly at him. They both looked down shyly. His mom entered the room, and what she said caused her son’s face to heat up even more than it already was. He knew what was coming and he regretted having Hyukjae come in his house to witness this.

“Awh, look at my baby taking off our guest’s coat. You guys look really close.”

The younger quickly hung the coat on the coat rack and sat down next to Hyukjae, praying that his mom wouldn’t say too much.

“So, Hyukjae,” the mother said in a serious tone. “How is Donghae doing in school?”

“He’s doing fine from what I know. He excels in each class that we share with each other.”

“Is Donghae doing well in math?”

“Omma, what does that-”

“I’m sorry, it just that Donghae has never been good math. It’s his worst subject and he’s already failing the class.”

“Omma, how did-”

“I got a call from his math teacher not too long ago and she told me that he had been struggling in class lately which makes me worried.” Fishy took a deep breath before he spoke again.

“Omma, why-”

“Would you like a cookie, Hyukjae?” Donghae slapped his own thigh and bit his bottom lip looking elsewhere.

“Yes, please.” Hyukjae grabbed two and gave one to Donghae, looking at him sincerely. Fishy looked at the Monkey with his big, round eyes begging him silently to say something that wouldn’t make him look bad. He had already been cut off three times and figured that he probably be cut off again if he tried to say anything.

“The math teacher for 12^th grade does have a rather fast teaching style. I think Donghae will grasp the concepts easily if he is just taught at his own pace. Not many students can keep up and take notes as fast as the teacher talks.” Hyukjae said.

Donghae smiled at Hyukjae’s answer. It wasn’t exactly the teacher fault, but his. He really was terrible at math, no doubt, but the latter still defended him even if they didn’t have math class together.

“Is that so? Well, how are your grades, Hyukjae?” The mom asked, reversing the question.

“Mine? I’m doing-”

“Oh, I was talking to your mom yesterday, Hyukjae. She told me that you have always been in the top 3 in your grade level. So you must be doing really well, right?”

“You can say th-”

“Hyukjae, I have a question to ask you.”

Hyukjae couldn't stop himself from grinning because he thought it was funny how Donghae’s mom was so talkative and how she wouldn’t let either one of them finish their sentences. He looked at the younger who looked at him apologetically. Hyukjae patted Donghae on the back just to encourage him.

“What is it, Mrs. Lee?”

“I’m not forcing you to do this, but if you can, will you tutor my son?”

“Omma-”

“You said that Donghae will easily understand the concepts if he is taught at his own pace, right? If you could teach him and help him with math, I’d be very grateful, Hyukjae. I can even pay you if you’d like.” Donghae’s mother said, in the sweetest and gentlest tone she could pull off. Hyukjae was actually down with the idea, he was totally fine doing it for free, too. But he didn’t want to take the money since he didn’t really need it. However, he didn’t want to say ‘yes’ until there was one thing sorted out before he answered.

“Is that okay with you, Donghae?” Hyukjae asked, shifting his eyes towards the Fishy.

Donghae shrugged. “If you're fine with it then I don’t mind being tutored.”

Hyukjae smiled as the decision was decided. He shifted his gaze back to Donghae’s mom. “I’ll do it, but I’ll do it for free. I’ll help your son. His grades will improve in no time.” It sounded like a promise he was making.

“Thank you! I am very-”

Ding Dong.

Please be Henry, please be Henry, please be Henry, please be Henry… Donghae chanted in his head as he got up to answer the door. He opened the door and just as he hoped, he saw his adorable, little brother standing at the doorstep. Zhou Mi was also standing next to Henry. Donghae sprung forward and wrapped his arms around his brother.

“Aish… Don’t ever make me worry like that ever again.” He said in a low voice. He held Henry tightly because he felt sorry. Henry hugged Donghae back, but only with one arm since the other one was holding his new violin.

“I’m sorry, Donghae,” Henry whispered so that only his Hyung could hear. “I’m sorry I ran away.” The brothers hugged for a little bit longer and until their mother soon came and joined in.

“Oh, Henry! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry! Forgive me please, my baby. I’m sorry…” She hugged Henry even harder than she hugged Donghae. Donghae could’ve sworn he saw Henry turning purple. Mochi gasped as he was released from his mother’s death hug.

“Oh hey, Zhou Mi. What are you doing here?” Hyukjae asked, trying to act surprised.

“Oh, I was just walking Henry home. He came by my house, by the way. It’s alright, he isn’t hurt or anything.” Zhou Mi said, politely.

“Ah, you must be Zhou Mi, nice to meet you. I’m Henry and Donghae’s Omma. Thank you for taking care of my baby boy.”

Henry blushed and Zhou Mi grinned. He properly introduced himself and bowed.

“Would you like to sit down for some tea and cookies, Zhou Mi?”

“YES!” Donghae shouted. “I think he’d love to, and so would Henry.” He began to guide his brother towards the living room. Henry quickly realized what his Hyung was trying to do and he didn’t want any part of it. Not when Zhou Mi was around to witness this.

“No, I’m not hungry. I’m going upstairs,” Henry said. “Come on, Zhou Mi.”

“I don’t care, you’re going to eat cookies and you’re going to like it. Omma is going to make Zhou Mi feel welcomed and you’re going to be there, too.” Donghae whispered in Henry's ear, almost sounding like a threat.

“Why not, Henry? I’d love to have some tea. You can play your new violin for them, too.” Zhou Mi suggested.

“Noooooooo, trust me. Let’s not have tea with my Omma. Why don’t we just go upstairs?” Henry kept on fidgeting and squirming, but Donghae finally got Henry to sit down on the couch, next to Zhou Mi. Henry placed the white violin and its case somewhere safe and sat down cautiously looking at Donghae.

Hell yeah I’m not going to suffer alone! Donghae screamed in his head.

I’m going to kill you if you mention anything embarrassing about me to Omma. Henry threatened in his mind.

The two brothers sat there in silence as their mom carried out the conversations with their two guests. It was like a staring contest and neither looked like they were blinking. The conversation somehow flowed into a topic of Donghae being a naughty little boy and always getting spanked by his mom, while his father would give him candy afterwards to cheer him up.

Henry laughed at his brother’s embarrassing stories, but right after his brother got teased, the topic then switched to him and how he would cry if he didn’t get what his brother got. Everyone laughed and Henry covered his face as he turned a crimson red.

“Oooooooh, but Henry wasn’t the only one who cried a lot. Donghae cried every time he would wet his bed at night and come in my room and tell me about his dreams and how he wet his undies, oh he was so cute!”

“Haha! Undies wetter!” Henry cried.

“Shut up, dirt eater!” Donghae back lashed.

“Oh! That reminds me! Henry was such a messy child. He’d make cakes out of dirt and then he would actually eat them because he thought they were real cakes. Good thing I was there. He would’ve consumed all that dirt if I wasn’t watching him. But Donghae ate grass because he thought they were seaweed, oh my children are silly!” The mother laughed.

Hyukjae and Zhou Mi were barely breathing. It was hysterical to think that the two boys sitting beside them were such kids. The mom went on and the brothers kept on reminding their mom of more embarrassing stories to tell of the other. In the end, they both suffered a great amount of embarrassment. It was an hour past midnight and all the cookies and tea were gone. Hyukjae offered to drive Zhou Mi home but Zhou Mi declined. Hyukjae kept on insisting, but Zhou Mi insisted that he would be fine. The argument lasted for about 5 minutes until Henry told Zhou Mi, “You should get a ride home, you never know what might happen at this hour.” The taller finally gave in and proceeded to follow Hyukjae outside.

“Don’t forget about the tutor thing!” The mom reminded.

“Right!” Hyukjae replied. “I won’t!”

After the door had been shut, a huge sigh was released from the mom. Her lively imaged faded back into a weary woman and she turned to face her sons. She looked at Henry with sorrowful eyes. She hugged him with all her love.

“Henry, don’t ever do anything like that ever again,” she wept. “We were so worried.”

After taking showers and brushing their teeth, each person was in their own separate rooms doing their own things. Dinner was never finished and Donghae didn’t feel hungry, nor did Henry. Donghae wanted to give Henry some time to adjust before he went in for the talk. So he just stared at unpacked boxes that were still stacked in his room as time passed by. He still didn't feel like opening them, but he was only procrastinating longer. After a long while, he felt that it was time and got up.

Donghae knocked on his brother’s door quietly so that his mother wouldn’t hear, but loud enough for Henry to pick up the sounds. Henry opened the door.

“Hey, Henry. Ummm… Can we have a talk?” Donghae said, scratching the nape of his neck.

“What kind of talk?” The young one asked.

“You know… A talk.”

“You mean about puberty and ?”

“What? NO! A talk about family! Why would I give you that talk?”

“I don’t know. ‘Cause I’m getting to that age where I’m becoming a man and I’m growing hair on my body and my voice is getting deeper?”

“You’re at that stage already? Nothing’s changed, though. You look and sound completely the same.”

Henry sighed. “Never mind, what do you want to talk about?”

“I want to talk to you about dad.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Too bad ‘cause we are and I’m comin’ in.” Donghae pushed his way into Henry’s bedroom and sat himself on the bed. He patted the empty space beside him and Henry sat down, too, having no choice. There was a silence before Donghae spoke up.

“You miss Appa, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“I miss him, too.”

“…”

“A lot.”

“…”

“Before Appa passed away. He told me ‘No matter where you guys are, Appa will always be there, but you won’t see me because Appa is a ninja.’”

“When did he tell you that?”

“When I was 15.”

 “I see.”

“You know what that means, right Henry? Dad is still here. He’s here in Seoul. We just can’t see him.”

“Really?”

“Do you know what it’s like to die?” Donghae suddenly asked.

“No.”

“Me neither, but that’s not the point,” Donghae returned back on topic.

“The point is that he’s here watching over us and making sure we’re not alone. No matter where you are, Appa is still very much alive.” Donghae was speaking in his original dialect and accent. He felt more comfortable speaking with it to his brother anyway.

“…”

“I heard that people were bullying you, too.” Donghae brought up.

“Where did you hear that from?”

“Zhou Mi told me.”

Henry was silent.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Henry didn’t answer. He didn’t want to.

“Why?” Donghae asked again.

There was still no answer from Henry, but Donghae kept on talking.

“I’m sorry,” Donghae sighed. “I’m sorry for being a bad hyung. I’m sorry for not taking care of this matter earlier. I’m sorry for not being there for you when you needed someone. I’m sorry…”  Donghae looked like he was about to cry, but Henry didn’t interrupt or even say a word.

“I know you might still be angry, but don’t blame Omma, please. She’s really doing this for the best of our futures. She may not be doing it in the best way, but her heart is in the right place.” Henry was feeling calmer, but he kept a poker face on.

“I just…” Donghae choked on his own words. Little by little tears were streaming down his face. “I just don’t want you to be so sad anymore. I promise I’ll always be there for you, so you can always count on me when you don’t have anyone else to turn to. I’ll even buy you your favorite ice cream so I can see you smile. So cheer up will you?” Donghae wiped away the tears and he couldn’t make eye contacts with his little brother. Henry’s heart began to ache once he realized how much he had unintentionally hurt his hyung. He felt a deep guilt inside of him. Seeing his brother cry from sadness was one of the most heartbreaking things to him. Instinctively, the younger wrapped his arms around the crying older.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Hyung. I promise I’ll tell you everything now." Henry said in his most sincere voice. They had a moment of silence and then Henry spoke up again. "Now, up those tears because you’re getting my bed wet.”

Henry saw a smile tug on Donghae’s mouth. His brother pushed him away and he landed backwards on his mattress.

“Way to ruin the moment.” Donghae chuckled.

“They say that laughter can stop someone from crying. It can also make someone feel happier.” Henry said laughing along.

“Is that so?” A sneaky smirk appeared on Donghae’s lips. He sprung forward towards Henry and began to tickle him.

“Buhahahahahahaha!” Mochi laughed.

“Do you feel happier?”

“I- I feel like I’m gonna pee myself. Hahahahahaha!!!”

“And you said I’m the one who’s going to make your bed wet.”

“S-Stop! P-Please!” Henry begged. Donghae finally took his hands away from Henry’s ticklish spots and let the younger breathe. Henry was panting heavily with a smile on his face. He looked over to Donghae when he finally caught his breath and brought up something he had wanted to ask before he got tickled.

“Sooooo, about you buying me ice cream.” Henry said with a devilish smile.

“I-I said it out of impulse. I didn’t really mean it.”

Donghae could see a pout flash on his little brother’s face. He tried to look away but Henry continued to pout, opening his eyes as big as he could. He even made whimpering sounds.

“Fine,” Donghae sighed, giving in. “I’ll buy you some ice cream when I have money. Right now I need to find a job, so you’ll have to wait, alright?”

Henry threw his arms around his generous older brother and kissed him on the cheek.

“Yaaaaay! You’re the best!”

Donghae let out a laugh and hugged his brother back.

“You better be grateful, you little baby.” He teased.

On that same night, Donghae ended up sleeping in Henry’s room.

Yup, Donghae and Henry's mom has quite a loose mouth when it comes to embarrassing her children! ^^ The talk between the brothers was supposed to be serious, but I feel like if it's Henry and Donghae, how is it supposed to be serious when you have such childish kids? I know I'm not posting very often, but I never realized how busy I've been lately, so I apologize for that. I also finished my first one-shot of Eunhae, so you guys can check that out, too! It's called "Eternity" and that was kinda part of the reason I took so long to update, but yeah~ Thank you~