Fei rely two days later, walking in once more as the four were eating breakfast. She resolutely didn't even look in LuHan's direction, instead directing a smile in Vinson's direction. “Hey there, did you think I would forget?” She said, pulling a small box from her bag to hand to the handicapped man. A dark flush passed over his face as he took the gift and set it beside his plate.

“Hoped you would forget,” he said quietly, and she let out a soft laugh that was tinged with sadness.

“Yes, well,” she shrugged. “We’re still family, whether it’s actual or not. So happy birthday, V.” She smiled at Mrs. Luo and Grandfather Tzu before shouldering her bag again. “I need to get to work, okay? I’ll see you guys.”

As the door closed behind her, Mrs. Luo turned to her son with a smile and a nudge. “Open it!” She said, and though he looked like he’d rather do anything but, Vinson unwrapped the gift. It turned out to be a new watch, not too expensive, but nice, and as he fastened it on his wrist LuHan quietly stood and took his plate to the kitchen.

Setting it into the sink, he grabbed a dishcloth and began to wash the few dishes that had gathered there, his mind full of questions and considerations. The biggest one was why he hadn’t been told that it was Vinson’s birthday. Of course, he wasn’t family by any means, but he did live there and had a right to know. 

Well, maybe not a ‘right’… he more just wished he had known. But on the other hand, he had no money to get Vinson a present, and no skill to make him anything, and he was technically ‘the hired hand’. The omission about the birthday only made it crystal clear that while he was an accepted part of their restaurant, he was nothing more than that. 

Finishing the dishes quickly, he set to work on the vegetables that needed to be chopped for the day; when Grandfather Tzu came in, the tall young man didn’t say a word and simply continued his work. The older man glanced at him, but said nothing, and they worked in a slightly awkward silence. When the restaurant opened LuHan took his apron and set to work with his best fake smile, doing his best to pretend that the whole situation wasn’t grating on him. 

Vinson seemed to notice his irritation, though he didn’t comment on it as usual. LuHan did notice that he had taken the watch off of his wrist, tucking it into a pocket as soon as the restaurant opened. He wondered a bit over the actions but since the stocky man wasn’t taking about his own awkwardness of the day, he decided not to mention it.

The day ended late as usual, the restaurant closing at nine but the last customers not leaving until almost ten, so LuHan ended up getting to bed a little after one in the morning. He woke a little late the next morning as a consequence and pulled himself in time to get downstairs on time to help start breakfast.

Grandfather Tzu was already there when he stepped foot into the kitchen, but he was only just grabbing the pan from where it hung on the wall and so LuHan didn’t feel late at all. The old man was humming a tune from years long passed, but the younger recognized it and as Grandfather Tzu reached what would be the chorus, LuHan mumbled along with the words. The elder’s eyes met his for a moment, then he smiled and began to hum the tune a little louder, an encouragement to him to sing louder. LuHan complied with a smile, and they made the modest breakfast in a merry mood fueled by music.

As they carried the plates out into the dining room, Mrs. Luo looked up and smiled at the tall young man. “You have a beautiful voice, LuHan,” she said, and he ducked his head in thanks as his face flushed with embarrassment. 

“Don’t forget that the bus leaves in twenty minutes, Mom,” Vinson said, his tone coming as if he had been reminding her of something for a while now, and she waved a hand in his direction.

“Yes, yes, I know,” she said, and that was when LuHan noticed that she was dressed up nicely, a skirt and high heeled shoes a big change from her usual pants and tennies. He opened his mouth to ask where she was going but then remembered yesterday’s lesson; nothing they did was his business. He closed his mouth and looked down at his food, but it seemed she had noticed his discomfort and reached a hand over to touch his gently.

“My father and I are going into the main city for the day, hun. Do you need anything while we’re out?” 

The surprise must have shown on his face, but he coughed to try and hide it before shaking his head. “Ah, no, thanks.”

“Okay,” she said with a smile, and then Vinson cleared his throat with a pointed look at the clock on the wall by the cashier’s counter. “I know, I know!” She said chidingly, but she did stand and grab her purse from where it hung on her chair. 

The two left, leaving LuHan and Vinson sitting awkwardly across from each other as they finished their breakfast. The tall man cleared his plate then stood to take the dishes to the kitchen, putting them in the sink and turning on the water to begin cleaning the dishes. He could hear Vinson grumbling to himself as usual in the dining room, and just as LuHan was finishing drying the dishes to put them away, the handicapped man passed him and went down the ramp into their basement home.

“Oh yay, a day to myself,” the tall man muttered sarcastically, stacking the last plate and closing the cabinet door with a huff. He tossed the towel into the hamper and shot a glare down the stairs, then turned to go into the dining room. Taking a seat at one of the tables, he crossed his arms over the top and let his head fall down onto them with a sigh of frustration. 

He was honestly getting used to the work; he actually found himself wel