Henry badmouthed his brother countless of times. The silence spreading its tentacles between them and at their worries made both of them nervous children awaiting their punishment.

The blond left in a hurry. He shoved whatever he could in his bag, rushed to take another shower – how he loathed them – and before he’d forget, he took back the silver bracelet and the book Daniel so carefully hid away from him. Not to inflict suspicion, he also took the gift without giving it a second look and abandoned it in his brother’s car when they parked at the airport. Somebody would retrieve and keep it until they’d return – details Henry didn’t care about. Instead, he looked around the airplane before he boringly stared at the bracelet.

Eyes closed and a heavy chest, his thoughts trailed back to Daniel. They were empty, for when he remembered his smile, Henry’s mind could only go blank and enjoy the sensation it gave. It was warm and soothingly whispered of mysterious roads filled with honey and fresh milk meant to turn any frustrated traveler in a lazy commoner. Henry would gladly sacrifice all of that if he’d have more and more of Daniel.

Not long after he woke up that very morning, the brunet wrapped his arms around his body and begged for a second round. Any other day, Henry said no and got ready for his travels. The way Daniel moaned “ me” in his ears without shame made the blond reconsider and let his body take over.

“Stop smirking,” his brother’s voice interrupted the memory Henry so gladly feasted on. The corners of his mouth dropped as he blinked in confusion. His brother kept his index connected to his temple and his eyelids shut.

“Eh?”

“I don’t need to see, I know you are smirking like an idiot. Stop it.”

Henry muttered under his breath, wrapped his arms over his chest and further sank inside his seat.

He wanted seats at second class, the cheapest of the cheapest if possible. His brother went ahead and booked the business class instead. The blond wasn’t complaining at all because travelling in style proved to be much better once the first two hours passed, he was only stating the way his brother never ever listened to him. Henry squinted at the way his brother tried to look cool with his deep musings and the way he frowned ever so slightly when he reached an indefinite conclusion. At least he wasn’t wearing any of his perfectly fit suits or any of his fancy shoes. He loved it when his brother decided to step off his VVIB (Very, Very Important Bastard) of an act and become the laidback guy he used to be during Henry’s childhood.

“Hyung,”

“Shut up.”

“But,”

“Shut. It.”

Henry pouted and poked his brother’s side.

“Come on, what got up your ?”

“Whose were you busy with when I came after you?” he snapped back with his deep voice in a rather linear tone. It irked Henry since he never knew if he was joking around on good terms or if he was trying to be serious.

“Is this because we’re going home?”

His brother finally decided to leave his analytical world in order to face the worried slash about to grin his face off musician. Stoic gaze on place, Henry felt that his brother really didn’t want him there and maybe their mother forced him to take the blond along, despite his constant protests on how babysitting his adult brother was becoming an annoying habit he'd be better off without.

“I’m tired,” he finally replied and closed back his eyes. A long sigh further exhausted the man. “I envy you,” he mumbled “...envy that you can do whatever you want. I wish you’d thank me from time to time.”

Henry caught bits and pieces, enough to make him scoot closer and lean against his brother’s seat.

“What do you mean?” Henry poked him again “Soohyun?”

The man jumped slightly at the mention of his name. Henry rarely used it. It was always ‘brother’ or other nicknames meant to tick him off. Truthfully, Soohyun did often bark back and mostly reminded Henry why it wasn’t the best decision to play tongue twisters with his older brother.

They weren't like that from the start. There was a time when the brothers could tell each other anything and everything without being judged or mocked upon. Their relationship became colder when they found out the woman who they called mother was actually only Henry’s blood mother and the twin’s step-mother.

Henry remembered that evening well. They had dinner and shared stories as always, when their father suddenly said he had to make an important announcement. Henry was just entering his teenager years and even he was the one filled with hormones, he was calmer than Soohyun after their father carefully explained of their mother’s death during childbirth and how her pregnancy had been a difficult one from the beginning.

It was the first and last time his brother went against their father and that part, Henry didn't particularly want to bring back.

He watched Soohyun almost drift to sleep with the same frown on his face.

Maybe things could have gone easier if their father hadn’t so blatantly expressed his desire to give up the kids rather than his wife. And how he still regrets the decision he had taken, how his wife would have still been then with them and how his late wife's cooking wasn’t as dry as their mothers.

They were sure the old man drank something before. They were also sure their family was never going to be the same again.

Amongst everything that happened, Soohyun was still the heir, Soohyun was still the only one that could take over when their father could no longer rule. Because what happens in the family stays in the family and there was absolutely not a chance for their father to give up their sole pride to other relatives. Soohyun was his card for success and for another strong generation to keep their name where it belonged.

Henry didn’t know that.

He didn’t know the sacrifices his brother had to make. He didn’t know that every single time he called to check on the blond, he was actually making sure that nothing would stop Henry from fulfilling his dreams – the same dreams he could never have, not even in the deepest slumber during the darkest nights.

Henry didn’t know that the man scoffing and shuffling in his chair would give anything for one second of the same love Henry had found, one second to be lost in the embrace of that one person who’d never leave his side, no matter what. Man or woman, it didn’t matter. Anything was better than the bitter tears he had to fight back countless of times and stand tall in front of blazing storms choking and burning him at the same time.

 “You take everything for granted,” the man spoke after minutes of silence “you’re too busy chasing petals in the wind to see the tree they came off.”

“What is it with flower metaphors these days?” Henry snorted and wrapped the blanket they were given around him.

“Shut up.”

The blond rolled his eyes and decided there was no point in arguing with his brother. Instead, he opened the book Daniel hid away from him and felt his blood boil once more at the dedication. He flipped the page and with nothing else to do until they’d land, he decided to give the book a try.

“...the ?”

Henry couldn’t believe it. He read the first sentence again.

‘They say there’s a world filled with smoke that chokes anyone who dared pass its rose borders.’

Was that the story Daniel told him about?

---

Dongwoo woke up in what he thought was the middle of the night. Only after he had taken the incoming call and carried the conversation with a half-asleep brain did he realize it was daylight and a headache partied on top of his skull. Stumbling through the living room, he desperately wanted to find the bathroom.

“Niel!” he whined when his brother got out of a room with towels in hands. “Bathroom!” the brunet pointed to the door next to them. Dongwoo excused himself and dashed inside, did his job and when he got out, Daniel was still waiting by the door with the towels. “Oh, are you taking a shower?”

“Bath,” he smiled softly and scrutinized his brother’s shabby appearance “Aren’t you going home?”

“Ahhh,” row of teeth beamed “do you want to get rid of me so fast?”

“No, but you need to change clothes.” His brother had a point. Since Dongwoo wasn’t ready to tell Daniel the truth, he thought lying would be his best option. He never lied before to Daniel. It felt extremely weird when his brain used all of his remaining energy to come up with something coherent without a loop in logic or stuttering mid-sentence.

“Ahhh, I will, but before that,” Dongwoo leaned against the wall and hid his hands in his jeans’ pockets “do you still have that song... how was it?”

Daniel knew that discussion was going to become way too long too early. He gave Dongwoo the towels and rushed inside the bedroom. After, he exchanged his phone for the towels.

“All the songs are there. Find it yourself.” The door slammed shut behind him. Dongwoo thanked the spirits Daniel hadn’t seen his panicking state and that his cranky mood returned with full force.

Not really in the best condition to listen to anything louder than a cat walking around the house, Dongwoo straddled back the sofa and browsed through Daniel’s phone. His brother trusted him enough and Dongwoo wasn’t that curious to read his text messages or check his last calls. He was mostly interested in his music collection. Unlocking the screen, he giggled that Daniel still hadn’t changed his password. The wallpaper was a photo of his brother which gave a few problems to Dongwoo since he didn’t recognize him at first from the angle and make-up. He figured it was an old one, probably from his drama class. Yawning, he decided the best medicine for a headache could be another headache. Headphones in on both sides, his thumb brushed over a couple of old songs until he finally decided to leave one playing.

He never heard it before. He went through Daniel’s playlist on a daily basis, but that one song never caught his attention before.

Dongwoo never felt nostalgia. Blue days didn’t exist in his dictionary. Sure, there were the occasional moments when he wanted to shout and spit his heart out. There were those hours when nothing went right, those small details that ruined a perfectly scheduled date or made him lose his temper despite his positive personality.

He didn’t yearn after the past and didn’t fear the future. Dongwoo’s friendship with the present wasn’t something easily breakable.

Yet, listening to that song and to those lyrics, Dongwoo became uneasy.

He had the weird sensation that something bad was bound to happen. Something awful was right around the corner and every fiber of his body dictated his loss.

Dongwoo ripped the headphones off and tried hard not to let that sensation take him over. He wanted to speak with Daniel, he wanted to confront him, he wanted to finally tell him about the apartment and the fire and how it might take a while until he’d be able to change clothes for he no longer had any. With each step closer to the bathroom, his breathing grew heavier until he banged at the door.

“Niel?”

There was no answer. He could hear the water running, distorting every other sound. He knocked again, harder and longer.

“NIEL!”

It was strange. It made him uneasy again. With both hands banging at the door and his desperate cries, Dongwoo finally tried the handle after minutes of no reply. His brother never locked the bathroom door, no matter how much of his privacy was at stake. It confused Dongwoo on why Daniel had done so.

“YA, DANIEL, OPEN THE DOOR!”

He kicked and punched. Dongwoo was growing more and more desperate with tears pilling up at the corner of his eyes.

“Goddamnit, open up,” he tried the handle over and over again. He pushed onto the door and gasped when he almost dislocated his shoulder from ramming into it. “Open up I said!” he cried and clawed at its surface, hyperventilating. Daniel was on the other side and he couldn’t do a thing about it. He might lose the only reason Dongwoo never gave up. He might lose the only person in the entire world he’d fight for until every single one of his bones crumbled and turned to dust. Even then he'd pray to swirl around his brother's side.

Dongwoo kicked and kicked at that door until his foot bled. Finally, the door weakened under the rain of hits, enough for him to tear his way inside. Limping, he saw Daniel safe in the bathtub. He saw him tremble under icy cold droplets, crying and crying like there was no tomorrow. 

Dongwoo grabbed one of the towels and ignored the pain surging through his leg.

Pulling the brunet from the water and wrapping the towel around him, Dongwoo finally collapsed on the bathroom floor with Daniel safely in his arms, safely crying at his chest, with his fingers clutching at his clothes and Dongwoo's chin rested on top of Daniel's head.

And he couldn't understand why Daniel called after Henry’s name over and over again.

What had that punk done to his brother?

---

“Hey...” the blond violently shook his brother.

“I’m awake, damnit!” Soohyun rubbed his left eye and gaped when he saw they hadn’t arrived. Henry had some guts to wake his brother from his sleep. “What the heck do you want?”

“Okay, if I don’t have a name or a title or even a plot, how do I find a book?”

“What are...”

“Can I find at least the author if I have the ISBN?”

“You woke me up just for this?!”

Yey, new subs~ did I thank everybody that doesn't have a friends only profile or wall? If not, sorry OTL thank you for reading (are you guys still here? I never know orz)

I've been pondering ever since Freesia if I should put Kim Soo Hyun as Henry's brother, but I was never sure about it (Kyuhyun would have been a better choice, but nah). After a You who came from the stars marathon, my love for him came back and... yeah.

Anyway, next chapters will focus on Niel's past and some bits and pieces of Henry's family need to update 23:30 first We're finally in the middle, I guess it's time some questions are answered... yep...

Tho, wtf Dongwoo, overly dramatic bromance?