The day for the Kim family reunion finally came around. To say that JongHyun was nervous was an understatement. It was going to be a dinner party type thing so he would have to wear something formal… Not a suit but at least a button up shirt.

            “How about this?”  Onew asked, holding up a uniquely patterned tie that JongHyun hadn’t even known he owned. And by uniquely he meant unflattering and totally ugly.

            “Do you want me to reunite with my family or not?” JongHyun asked.

            “Sorry… I don’t have the fashion sense that Key has,” Onew apologized.

            “Where is Key? He promised to come help!” JongHyun exclaimed while collapsing on the bed.

            “He’s stuck at home, but he’s trying to get here just give him some more time.”

            “I don’t have time! I have to leave soon!”

            Onew let out a hefty sigh, not capable of dealing with the irregular emotions of the short boy. In his last ditch efforts to try and help he attacked the pile of ties and mismatching shirts once again. His fingers didn’t move with the haste they once had but he couldn’t abandon the boy in his current state.

            “JongHyun… Why don’t you go and do your hair? Or something?” Onew suggested when he grew sick of seeing him pace the length of the room.

            The other boy nodded, deciding to heed the order considering there was nothing else he could do. Just as soon as he had shut the door behind him the door to the apartment opened. A flustered Key flew through, carrying a bag in each hand. His usually pin neat blonde hair was set askew atop his head, poking out in a variety of different directions. There were wrinkles in his clothing as if he had picked something off the floor to wear instead of carefully picking out each article of clothing. It was totally uncharacteristic of Key.

            “Yah! Where have you been?!” Onew demanded, never having been happier than in that present moment.

            “Is that Key?” JongHyun asked from the bathroom.

            “I’m sorry I’m late!” Key apologized, dumping his bags on the bed. “My aunt and uncle just spontaneously came by and brought all my cousins with them and of course I get stuck taking care of them! I tried to get away as soon as I could but it was impossible! I’m sorry!” By the time Key had finished his speech JongHyun had the door opened. He launched himself into Key’s arms to embrace him in the warmest hug he could manage making it seem as if they hadn’t seen each other in years when the truth was they’d seen each other just the other day.

            “Why didn’t you call m?” JongHyun’s muffled demanded.

            Key clung to his boyfriend, hoping the action would help him in being forgiven. Their dramatic moment lasted a mere five seconds as they needed to start preparing the panicking puppy.

            “Okay! First things first: that shirt needs to go!” Key yelled. With those words spoken each boy got into action, ready to aid JongHyun in any way they could so he could finally mesh back in with his family.

~

            The Kim house towered above JongHyun in the most intimidating of ways. His knees wobbled a bit – nearly buckling down completely – as he looked at it. It was just the same as before with its pale bricks and sloped roof. He recalled playing in the winding driveway with his sister and his father teaching him how to ride a bike and letting him crash into the neighbour’s tree.

            There were many good and many bad memories in this home. He could not deny them, though, as every one of them shaped the man in which he was today.

            Nothing stirred behind the beige coloured curtains of the home. Had JongHyun not known any better he would have thought that no one was home. Unfortunately, he knew that his family was on the other side of the double French doors and he had to cross them.

            With nerves chewing his insides apart, the young boy trailed up the concrete steps. Uncertainty sullied his mind once he reached the top. He wasn’t sure whether or not he should ring the doorbell like a guest or walk in like he had the previous year. It took a lot of pondering and adjusting of his tie, but soon JongHyun decided to ring the door bell. What was the worst thing that could happen after all that their family had been through?

            Despite being quite a wealthy family, JongHyun’s mother liked doing all the house chores that regular rich people in their social class would usually leave to a house maid, so it wasn’t a surprise when his little sister answered the door and not a stranger in a uniform.

            “Oppa!” she exclaimed almost as soon as the door opened. Her thin arms flung themselves around the elder’s neck and squeezed with the strength of ten thousand men. She had probably missed JongHyun just as much as he had missed her.

            Everything about his little sister was familiar and alien to him, though. She’d matured over the time they’d been apart, blossoming from a girl to a young woman. Each one of her curves had filled out while her face seemed to have finally grown into itself. And the way she was clothed, too, gave her an all around more mature look. Albeit, she was dressed quite formally in a short dress patterned with a cornucopia of colours due to the occasion but she was flawlessly stylish nonetheless. The smell of her perfume hadn’t changed, however, making the guilt flaming in JongHyun’s gut dwindle the slightest bits.

            “HyunJae!” the elder shouted just as excitedly as the girl had. Keeping her firmly in his arms he spun her around, giddy at hearing her shrieks of laughter.

            Before they’d even been able to exchange a word their mother came strolling down the corridor, everyone of her limbs flowing gracefully along with each bouncing step she took.

            “JongHyun! You’re just on time!” she greeted, gently nudging aside HyunJae in order to hug her soon in a welcoming way. “Your father is waiting in the dining room.”

            At the mention of his father, JongHyun gulped. The two females around him didn’t seem to notice the bundle of nerves he was quickly becoming. Instead, HyunJae ended up grabbing his hand and leading him away from the outdoors. She rambled a mile a minute about everything that had happened during JongHyun’s absence. On his other side he was vaguely aware of his mother pointing out random things that had and hadn’t changed around the house in the past year.

            All conversation died down as soon as the burly man JongHyun called his father came into view. He was just as he had remembered but maybe a bit more aged around the eyes. He stood as regal as ever with his back stiff, hands clasped and chin tilted slightly upwards. The pose may have intimidated the average person (and JongHyun would be the first to admit that he was one of those persons) but the one sign he saw that put him at ease was the twinkle in his eyes. That little sparkly – the sheen of unshed tears – is what regulated his breathing and calmed the raging storms brewing in his cranium and behind his rib cage.

            “Dad…” he greeted cautiously.

            There was a pregnant pause in which the two men merely stared at each other. JongHyun began to wonder if he’d just imagined the glimmer in the other’s eyes. Everything depended on the old man’s approval. If he had to once again face his disapproval he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to take the steps needed to get back to this point again.

            Alas, when everything seemed to be lost, JongHyun’s father advanced a step closer. Then another. And then yet another one until he was nearly prancing across the room in his haste to reach his only son.

            “JongHyun,” he choked, choking him in a jumbo sized bear hug. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, running his hands all over the young boy in a way that would help him recognize him. He touched his hair, his neck, his shirt to try and confirm that it truly was his eldest child standing before him and not a mirage. For so long his mind had been fooling him into thinking what was not real, but finally, one of his – at the time – most absurd fantasies had finally materialized itself.

            When the moment of reuniting was finally fully lived out the two pulled apart and returned back to normal (besides the goofy grins on the faces).

            “Let’s eat, shall we?” JongHyun’s father invited, kick starting the old times again.

----

In honour of Sherlock audio coming out, I HAD to update today! I can't wait for the music video! It's been too long!

Also, there are only about 7-10 chapters left in this story before it is fully finished! I have about three chapters in my notebook left to write and then 7-10 to type up after that.

Enjoy reading!