Jaerim had an amazing morning which went by rather fast. He was given the prestigious congratulatory pat from the head of his department and a couple of nurses flirted with him the moment he stepped inside the hospital. If not for his beautiful fiancee, he would have taken the opportunity long time ago, winking and giving away charismatic smiles as he strolled down the hallway with one cup of coffee in hand and the patient’s clipboard in the other. Yet, the moment he wanted to enjoy a peaceful afternoon, he got a strange call from his brother. Not only had Jaerim concluded he was the perfect target for mockery whenever Donghae felt like, people around also took him for granted.

Slipping away unnoticed, he rushed to the mentioned place with panicking thoughts and the worse picture he could muster between curses, for his brother’s attics got him in trouble too often for Jaerim to count. Only after he’d seen the scene before him with the broken bathroom door, blood, Dongwoo’s bleeding foot and his brother’s amused expression, had Jaerim closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and when the number five became visible in his head, he inspected the damages and had done what he knows best: scold the Hell out of people.

Dongwoo felt like Jaerim came along with a barrel filled with icy water and every time he opened his mouth, the young doctor grabbed a bucket nearby and splashed Dongwoo with the barrel water. He’d scratch the back of his head and nod at the doctor, forever torn between a half-shy smile filled with his shame and a terrified grimace that pulled at the corner of his eyes. He wanted to cry badly and explain the situation, explain why he had to do what he had done and that he’d pay for everything, including the medical expenses, even if Jaerim assured him from the beginning it was nothing to worry about.

After a few more minutes, Dongwoo was relieved to find out his foot was alright and that it could have been much, much worse. At that moment, he didn’t really care about it - twisted ankle, broken toes or fractured bones, none mattered in Dongwoo’s eyes. They shall heal with time if given the right treatment and even if he had become a reckless fool because of his brother, he would never-ever skip those and never-ever regret it.

Dongwoo was glad Daniel was alive and breathing, kicking somewhere in one of the bedrooms, with his hand clutched to his heart and the blankets wrapped tightly around his shivering body. He was glad there was nothing wrong on the outside, glad if he wouldn’t catch a cold and most importantly, he was ecstatic to find out that Daniel never intended to do anything stupid in the first place.

Right after Dongwoo smashed his way inside and dragged Daniel out of the bathtub, after he let him pour all of his dark thoughts through crystalline tears and sure he knew the heart beating violently at Dongwoo’s chest and under Daniel’s ear was because of his act, the brunet calmed down and softly spoke of forgiveness.

The brothers panicked only after they spotted the bloody trail and called the first person they trusted their lives with.

And that is how Donghae watched the way Jaerim took care of Dongwoo, the way Dongwoo squirmed after his every touch and listened to the way Daniel shifted in his bed. It amused him more than cartoons, more than Jinyoung’s ridiculous sparks of jealousy or his parents’ constant fights on how they should protect their children in the face of danger.

With Jaerim’s death glare, he used the cane to move forward and have a little chit-chat with the annoyed man.

“He’s either very fit or very lucky,” he exploded without caring that Dongwoo could hear him. Taking a seat at the bar counter, he ruffled his hair and gave his brother a brief presentation of what could have happened. Only after Donghae slammed a glass of water in front of the doctor had Jaerim shut up and enjoyed the liquid tickling his throat. “He’s Ahn’s brother, right?” Donghae nodded and saw Dongwoo become smaller and smaller, sinking embarrassed in the sofa. “I swear, is their whole family accident prone or simply stupid?!”

“They’re stupid and you’re a genius, now get back to work.” Donghae scolded the brunet, slapped his back which resulted in Jaerim spitting back the water in the glass. Some more glares shared between the two, he left some last instructions on a piece of paper - including some pain medication - and swiftly returned to the hospital, hoping that afternoon wasn’t going to continue with household visits. He’d rather stay in that white building than be stuck in traffic every time someone woke up with a mild excuse. It’s the same reason he didn’t want to work as a paramedic.

And as Dongwoo sank again, he ignored it when Donghae slipped the piece of paper on the coffee table and then proceeded on the hallway and in Henry’s bedroom. Well, he thought it was Daniel’s. Either way, his gaze was too glued to a blank spot to perceive his surroundings

He wanted to sleep the incident away, as much as he wished to go and check on Daniel, pat his head, hug him tight again to his chest and remind him they had been through a lot and deserved to enjoy their future together. Problem was that Dongwoo wasn’t so sure about it anymore.

He wasn’t so sure about Daniel’s state of mind, wasn’t so sure anymore if he was truly happy every time he smiled and winked and punched him light and every time they’d have dinner together and joke around the table.

Dongwoo couldn’t understand his brother anymore and he certainly had no clue on why he kept on calling Henry’s name, even after corrected him and told the brunet straight who he was: his brother and best friend.

Even then, Daniel’s cat eyes kept shut tight and whispered Henry’s name over and over again.

Dongwoo felt betrayed.

---

Donghae slipped in bed near Daniel.

It felt cozy compared to the mattress he had home. A fragrance familiar to him grew in intensity when he turned around and watched Daniel’s back. He wanted to straightened the wrinkles in his T-shirt and wanted to comb his gorgeous hair, but out of all, he wanted to see his face crested with another one of his infamous smiles.

He had none and he knew it was impossible to get them from the way things evolved that day.

“Chipmunk,” he said softly and scooted closer. He kicked Daniel’s leg lightly as he repeated the nickname “Chipmunk, stop pretending. You aren’t sleeping, are you?”

The brunet flinched slightly, making the one staring at him grin.

“No,” he admitted and changed positions on his back. Donghae didn’t move from his spot, attentive to Daniel’s lips and the way they opened and closed whenever he drew in large quantities of air.

“What happened?”

Donghae was never the type to beat around the bush. He talked straight and gave honest answers, which earned him more enemies than one person should have. It was also the single quality that made those two friends under stranger circumstance. Even to that day, they never spoke of how they met, for it was a subject too painful for Daniel. His fingers grabbed a hold of the blanket, sick with himself and sick that Donghae had to see his miserable self for the second time.

“You know,” he inhaled as he searched for the right words “yesterday, I wanted to die.”

“Chipmunk…” Donghae wanted to start his monologue on why that was selfish, only for Daniel to finally meet his eyes.

“Yesterday, I wanted everything to end. And then Dongwoo drunk drove here just to see me.”

He glanced back at the ceiling with is various spots and various memories impregnated in its sturdy walls. He wondered how it would be if he got crushed right there and then.

“Man, you really are a bunch of idiots.”

Daniel cracked a smile and nodded in his pillow.

“But Dongwoo can take care of himself. Yesterday I wished to be my last night. Yesterday, I wished to do all the crazy things I never dared before, so I can die peacefully at dawn.”

He sighed and closed back his eyes.

“So why aren’t you dead?”

Daniel glanced surprised at Donghae. Avoiding him again, he wasn’t sure if what he was about to say made any sense at all. But he knew from the way it hurt him and forced his fingers to tug at his chest, he knew it was the only reasonable explanation. Also, it was better than the cliche ‘I am dead inside’.

“I love him,” the brunet hiccuped and inhaled some more, his fingers desperately clinging to his chest “I love Henry. I wasn’t sure before, but after we… after… I’m sure now.”

“That’s why you couldn’t do it?”

Donghae caught his hand and firmly kept it between his palms. He blew hot air and leaned forward when Daniel tried to pull it away.

“I shouldn’t,” he cried out and tried to pull again and again. Donghae wouldn’t let go of his hand “I shouldn’t love him, I’m not allowed. I can’t love anybody else. Donghae, please tell me, why do I love him?!”

“Do you hear yourself?” he calmed down and watched the elder gently rub his hand and give it a light peck “You’re acting like a lunatic over what? Huh?”

“But…”

“No buts, you ,” he tapped his forehead while their hands remained connected “I can’t answer you that, but if you do love him, then stop with the nonsense.”

“But…”

“Look,” he lifted their hands “I’m not the one studying psychology, though I know that keeping your hand warm gives you a nice feeling, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Daniel gulped and watched their fingers brush under the dim light.

“Some things don’t need to be explained. They are there and that’s all you need to know.”

“But it’s all related to the cortex---”

“Oh, shut it up Chipmunk!” the elder whined and finally let go. Crawling at the edge of the bed, took back his cane and slowly got up. “You only took that major to understand him better, you’ll never agree with that view.”

Daniel slowly got in a sitting position with the pillow in his embrace and the blanket loosely hanging from his shoulders. Donghae couldn’t help it when he leaned against the bed and placed a long kiss over his exposed forehead. Henry’s cologne was all over the room and all over Daniel.

It made him quiver with anger.

“Mo--o… s-se…” Daniel stuttered and leapt from bed “don’t leave me. Please.”

“I’m not,” he pointed to the exit with another amused expression “but your brother might get funny ideas.”

“...,” Daniel dashed ahead, suddenly remembering what happened earlier.

Once in the living room, Donghae watched as Daniel kneeled before Dongwoo and made up excuses, watched as they both bursted in another round of bitter tears. He watched as Daniel’s head rested on Dongwoo’s knees and Dongwoo’s head rested over Daniel’s head, comforting him.

Donghae could only continue watching.

And as he watched, he saw a small object. He recognized it as the bag he gave Daniel not long before that dreadful evening.

He also wondered if he could snatch it away and let the two brothers deal with their differences.

“Ya, you,” Dongwoo suddenly shouted and wiped his nose with his sleeve “what does that bastard Henry had done to you?”

“He’s not a---”

“Are you sure you two are brothers?”

Donghae pointed at the two puffy red eyed men. Blinking and sniffing, they shrugged.

“Are we…?” Dongwoo timidly asked. Daniel shrugged again.

“You guys sort it out, I’ll be out~” Donghae announced as he passed by the paper bag, subtly grabbed it and held it close as he left the garage.

If Jaerim’s afternoon hadn’t started that well, Donghae’s was glorious.

---

“Aren’t you gonna complain about it?”

“About what?”

“Oh, you know, look at that brother of mine! He hired a driver when we could have taken a bus or some !”

Henry rolled his eyes. He wasn’t in the mood for Soohyun’s mood and especially not in the mood to insult his sorry for yes, they could have taken a cab or the bus or some other vehicle and not hire a drive just for them to get out of the airport and back home. It was going to be a fairly long road for the blond as he was too busy exercising his deaf character in a play written by him for him in these kind of situations.

He wanted to call Daniel first thing after landing. Only after he calculated the time difference had he slowly put the mobile phone away and considered it was rude for him to disturb his lover at that hour.

The silver bracelet trembled as Henry watched the scenery rush in front of the windows, never stopping enough to admire it.

“I’m glad,” he mustered the courage to reply politely “for once, I’m good with it.”

“Why? Don’t tell me that roommate of yours experimented on your brain!”

“He’s studying psychology, for Christ’s sake!”

Henry was ready to bash Soohyun’s skull with the novel in his hand. It was thick enough for that bloody job.

At the same time, he didn’t want to stain that precious story with its angsty end he had not reached. He wished for the two protagonists to get together and live happily ever after and have beautiful summer bicycle trips under the kind sun.

If only Henry stopped imagining them as Daniel and him.

He mumbled something only for his ears and prayed nothing happened in his absence. He would never forgive himself if Daniel got hurt while he was on another continent.

“Henry,” the blond didn’t move “everything good?”

“Yeah. I’m just thinking.”

Oh how much he wanted to fly back.

It was going to be one stressful week.  

“Does he know?”

“Know what?”

“That you love him.”

Henry gave his brother a disgusted look. Since when had he known about that?

Then again, it would have been better to question back with ‘he who’ and avoid his brother’s trap.

I can't believe Heniel is separated in both stories OTL should write a drabble or something these days... I hate typing at the PC OTL /sighs/ Too tired to fix the grammar OTL

Later~