Guess What? We’re brothers!

5. Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero - Marc Brown

The unfortunate car surprisingly manages to arrive in Arizona without facing major problems anymore. 

Except for Tao peeing in his pants and wetting his entire seat at the fright caused by Chanyeol suddenly braking because of a deer appearing from nowhere on the highway. The rent car stinks so bad the brothers has to change it to another one spending a good amount of money but still, nothing bad like the first two days happens. 

“I’m pretty much sure he was all calm and relaxed when the plane shook.” Baekhyun observes with annoyance as soon as they start going again with the new car “And yet he pees in his pants for just a braking.”

Although Luhan gestures him to be quiet and stop mortifying the young nephew, Baekhyun rolls his eyes and Tao of course hears his words.

“I was afraid for the deer!” the kid protests, livid “I thought uncle Chanyeol could kill him!”

“Please.” Baekhyun insists, receiving a smack on his head from Kyungsoo and one on his arm from Luhan. Tao crosses his arms offendedly and Baekhyun imitates him immediately, bringing the entire car to sigh. No one can really tell who the real kid is.

“It just happened, okay, let’s stop thinking about it.” Junmyeon says supportively while patting his son’s cheek, a big smile gracing his face. Even though Luhan’s previous words have managed to soften Tao down a lot about his relationship with his father, the kid still likes to mock him so he smirks.

“We didn’t need you to solve the issue, dad.”

“Tao.” Luhan warns, not even sparing the kid a glance, and Tao shivers because he was sure to have whispered carefully. Junmyeon smiles triumphantly and the car falls silent again, except for the radio playing five different stations in quick alternation because of the horrible signal in the deserted hallway. 

Sehun, still sit on the front passenger seat besides his boyfriend who, defeated, is still driving them all around nonstop since the very first day, turns it off when his head starts flashing with pain and nuisance. He glares when Tao beams and then announces he will choose music from his iPhone now, which pretty much means Cartoon’s OSTs and Girls’ Group songs, but none of his brothers seems to notice. 

Baekhyun is checking out the H&M site from his iPad, one of the two Junmyeon and him have bought still back in Nevada with a special offer, while Junmyeon is facing a bad headache while reading his own iPad’s instructions trying to get a clue of what is staying in his hands. In the very back of the car, sharing double earphones bought appositely for the travel, Luhan and Kyungsoo relax/sleep to the note of TVXQ’s latest album, Kyungsoo’s head resting on Luhan’s shoulder and their expressions blissful. 

With a snort, the younger brother goes back looking at Chanyeol and his boyfriend nods without needing to hear anything.

“I know you’re tired, but we’re almost there and I’d pretty much stop at some hotel near the Grand Canyon. We will waste less time this way, don’t you agree?”

Sehun stares for a minute or so, SNSD’s Gee echoing in the car and it wouldn’t have bothered him if Tao hadn’t started singing - yelling - along while also dancing between Baekhyun and Junmyeon. “Fine.” he hisses “But I warn you I’m gonna be in a very bad mood until we arrive.”

The shiver of horror running down Chanyeol’s spine makes the tall boy swallow. “You can have my earphones, baby, there’s nothi-“

“Shut up.”

“Yes, sir.”

-

Their trip to the Grand Canyon is more exciting and touching than any of them could expect. 

After another one of their dinners all together, after having arrived to the beautiful, breath-taking place with real conscience of what is waiting for them back in Korea, the five brothers face the immense beauty standing in front of their eyes with their father’s urn in hands and it feels magic. 

Back in the first days, which aren’t even that far after all, none of them would have thought to feel so unexplainably sensible once the moment arrived. Kyungsoo and Baekhyun especially, not to mention the cold-hearted Sehun, were sure they would have arrived there with the only motivation of money moving them.

Still, now that Chanyeol gets ready to snap a photo of them all freeing Son Eric’s ashes in the place of his dreams, money is sure something they can’t help thinking about, but it stays in the corner of their minds. 

Baekhyun watches Junmyeon bravely trying to take a handful of the ashes to begin the little ceremony, and wonders when it has happened that he has started finding his elder brother so cute. He feels the urge to mock him a bit, but instead everything he does is wrapping a supportive arm around his shoulders, whispering a “Let’s do it together, hyung.” that makes Junmyeon sweetness.

Sehun joins them, a hand resting on Junmyeon’s back and the other taking a bit of the ashes himself. 

Luhan takes the urn next, offering Kyungsoo to di it together and forcing silly tears back when Sehun and Baekhyun whistles behind them, saying “Hyung is doing it with his favorite brother, of course.” 

He doesn’t know when it will stop giving him a heart-attack each time, but yes, Kyungsoo is his brother, they all are. 

Kyungsoo giggles, smiling at his own favorite brother as they free the last ashes of their gone father.

Chanyeol cries out happily as all the photos are done, Tao rushes to his father for a long hug, and everyone just can’t help hugging each other after having closed the urn again. 

“You know,” Luhan says as celebrations are over, hands tangled with Sehun and Kyungsoo’s ones and a tone that sounds peaceful  “I think this man.. Son Eric, really cared about us after all. He has realized it too late, probably, but look at what he has done for us. He has brought us together, and I think this is why he asked us to do this.. to let us meet, know each other and never let go again.” 

Chanyeol, who has waited for such a moment to happen since the first day, smiles softly as he sees the five brothers humming to Luhan’s words like he has just voiced everyone’s thoughts.

It has been the weirdest thing that could have ever happened to them, or to anyone, but it has been for the best. 

They all know that after having met and gone through this adventure, they could never let go of this new, unusual family ever again.  

“Family,” Baekhyun calls then, a mischievous grin plastered on his face even though his voice is sweet “You know what time it is now?”

As everyone, Tao included, lifts expectant eyes on him well knowing he is about to destroy the atmosphere, he continues:

“Time for us to get our inheritance!” 

And yes it kind of destroys the atmosphere Luhan has created but it can’t be helped. It’s Baekhyun, after all, and no one can deny how much they have waited for this moment to finally come anyway. 

-

Notary Cha states he is deeply proud of them, as soon as they meet the man in his office two days later. 

After having given a careful look to all the photos of that fatal moment at the Grand Canyon, the small man beams at the five brothers like a proud, happy father and from now on, their lives really change. 

The inheritance is sent to their bank accounts as promised, and it is so life-changing and still a bit unbelievable each of them, together with their mothers and family or friends, can’t help plenty tears. They don’t even know where to start, nothing is blocking them from fulfilling their dreams anymore while their entire lives, they have always had to struggle.

Sehun is not forced to listen to his grandfather’s sermons about his future anymore and can now walk his path thoughtlessly, without having to see his family struggling to give him everything without letting him know how hard it is.

Baekhyun can buy himself and his beloved mother everything now, but he also promises to become mature and use his money with intelligence because he is proud of his brothers doing so, and he wants them to be proud of him, too.

Junmyeon picks up his life again, with little steps, and can now afford the divorce from his ex-wife without having to hear the woman calling him a “loser” at least once a day. 

Kyungsoo cries when he goes back home, cries as he meets his mother after those long days and they both know nothing is going to be the same. They hug each other tight, letting out happy tears as they face their new reality because from now on, they won’t have to struggle to survive the month anymore.

Luhan.. Luhan knows money is not going to change his life as much. He is rich already, he is a big name, but what this experience has given him is something all the money he has earned in the past seven years couldn’t give him, something he has missed deeply since the day his mother has left him alone. 

A family, way more precious than any of the banknote kept in his bank account. 

-

Christmas sees Baekhyun, Sehun, Junmyeon, Kyungsoo and Luhan reuniting for their first Holiday together as a family. 

The five brothers, together with Chanyeol and Tao and new but not very new entry Kris, spend their first Chirstmas Eve together in Luhan’s luxurious penthouse, the beautiful, huge apartment he lives in all alone that has given everyone quite a shock the first time they payed him a visit. 

Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Sehun, Junmyeon and Tao still find themselves mouth-gaping whenever they enter the modern space, Luhan’s exquisite taste for class glowing from each object in the penthouse. Kyungsoo, on the other hand, has been spending more days there than at home in the last months, so he’s pretty much used to it by now. 

The tiny brother had received the surprising offer to work for Vogue Korea as a business consultant from Luhan a few week later their return from America, and it changed lots of things. “I don’t care about the fact that you don’t have a Major, Kyungsoo, you are brilliant and I want you to work with me.” Luhan told him that day, explaining that he could now attend University but meanwhile, he wanted them both to collaborate as brothers and as co-workers because Kyungsoo deserved it, and his brilliant mind couldn’t go wasted a second more.

Kyungsoo misses his hair shop sometimes, his old, dear boss, his affectionate customers, but Luhan and the magazine make him feel proud, happy, like he has found his place in a world where he had always just hid from before. 

Luhan is his favorite brother, after all, and working with him is as beautiful as spending nights at the older’s apartment cooking dinner or baking cakes together. 

The two of them are not the only brothers to have joined hands, though. 

After having received his part of the inheritance, Junmyeon had re-opened his old restaurant as he had promised himself to, and immediately did his best to survive the competition in the field successfully this time. Baekhyun and Sehun, who had taken the brave but genial decision to collaborate and find a new PR agency instead of pleading other ones to hire them, had immediately taken their eldest brother’s business in hands and since then, the three have been working together and both the restaurant and the agency have people talking about them a lot now.

Junmyeon feels glad everyday, thinking that Baekhyun has sincerely done his best to keep his promise, the one made that night in Las Vegas. 

Money has helped them fulfilling themselves, no one can deny it, but it’s nothing compared to what the new family has given them and slowly, everyone understands what Luhan has always known already. 

They are now spending the lovely snowy evening while eating the huge dinner Kyungsoo and Chanyeol have prepared and admiring the beauty of the snow falling down outside from the huge windows of Luhan’s penthouse. The atmosphere is magic, both figuratively and literally.

Tao has found his new victim, the never so embarrassed Kris, who still had to meet the kid, while Junmyeon disparately tries to hold him in place and stop him from jumping on Kris’ unreachable shoulders whenever the tall boy stands up.

“But dad!” Tao protests each time “He’s taller than uncle Chanyeol, you can’t stop me!”

Kris smiles an unsure smile as Chanyeol sighs and pouts at those words, Sehun mocking him with some pats on his back, then ends up picking Tao up to spin him around anyway. 

When Baekhyun starts telling them he may have met someone he really likes - he pretty much does this every time they dine all together - Kyungsoo buries his face in palms and Luhan gives him a massage on his neck in understanding. The older still listens to Baekhyun though because who knows, one of those endless times could really be the fatal one, but he’s pretty much the only one since Chanyeol and Sehun have gotten used to ignore whatever comes out of Baekhyun’s mouth no matter what, Junmyeon has Tao telling him he may even prefer Kris over uncle Luhan and Kris.. Kris overhears the kid’s words and starts panicking because well.. he hates kids. At least, he hate kids who talk and don’t just stand still smiling cutely so he pretty much hates kids, yes. 

The situation goes pretty much unchanged until time to unpack gifts comes, and Tao screams out in joy as soon as severe uncle Kyungsoo gives him permission to start unpacking his own. 

“Okay, I’ll open them in order.” the kids announce as they all move from the table to the huge couches in Luhan’s dining room, eyes already glittering at the sight of all the presents resting under the Christmas Tree.

“He’s been studying this ‘Unpacking gifts’ plan since the last days of November.” Junmyeon informs with an amused smile “Tell them about it, Tao.”

Everyone looks at the kid, who is beaming with excitement, with sweet expectance. Tao nods and starts explaining his plan like he was in school.

“I open dad’s one first because he’s my ‘Santa’ and I know what it is.” he begins knowingly “Then I open silly uncle Baekhyun’s one because I’d normally open severe uncle Kyungsoo’s one first but uncle Luhan has surely helped him so yours will be uglier, Baekhyun-hyung.” he finishes, flashing the shocked Baekhyun a chic look that makes everyone burst out laughing. 

Kris leans over to whisper in Luhan’s ear, “Does he have an adjective reserved for each of you?”

“He has one for you, too.” Luhan informs nonchalantly “He created it after you stumbled down on your own feet after turkey. He was unsure at first, between ‘tall uncle’ and ‘dumb uncle’, so he came out with this ’tamb uncle’ thing which should be a mix of the two things and he’s really proud of it, so hold his game.”

Kris stares at him, speechless. “You must be kidding.” But Luhan shakes his head with firmness, although the laugh which obviously presses to burst out from his mouth makes his face look strangely twisted, and Kris face-palms. 

While Tao goes on unpacking ‘flat uncle Sehun’ and ‘lovely uncle Chanyeol’ s present, saving ‘pretty uncle Luhan’ as the last one because Luhan is his favorite uncle and he is sure he will love everything the man has bought him, Sehun and Baekhyun suddenly share a pointed look and Kyungsoo notices it, the sight making him shiver in horror already.

Fifteen minutes later, when Tao is suffocating Luhan with a hug because his beautiful bicycle is the prettiest present he has ever received, Kyungsoo finds the reason to his fear out.

Sehun and Baekhyun, in fact, come out informing everyone they have a present for Luhan-hyung, as a special thank you for having given them hospitality for their first Christmas as a family. 

Luhan is, of course, touched at impossible levels, his eyes becoming glassy and the hug he gives his two younger brothers being tight. None of Kyungsoo’s attempts to warn him about the fact that there’s surely a trick are successful, and eventually the entire room bursts out laughing way too hard as Luhan discovers his present and loses all his colors at the sight. 

“You gifted us with one of the most beautiful sights ever, hyung.” Baekhyun begins.

“So we thought we had to immortalize it.”

And so a pretty frame with a photo of Luhan in the infamous red dress in Las Vegas stands under the man’s flaming eyes, making his blood boil in his vein and awaking instincts he hasn’t felt since that very unique night months before. 

That was also a part of having a family, Luhan realizes with time: It’s not just marshmallows and happy smiles and brothers make you want to kill someone on daily bases. 

“Come one, Lu, you were gorgeous.” Kris tries to help when his boss is attempting to choke Baekhyun once again, but his laugh is loud and his tone unconvincing.

“Shut up! I’ll fire you, you bastard.”

As Sehun carefully hides behind Chanyeol, Kyungsoo slaps his head because it’s not fair Baekhyun gets punished alone. Kris, meanwhile, picks Luhan up and drags him away from Baekhyun’s smirking self effortlessly, his expression unperturbed even though the small boy in his arms is moving like a fish out of the water. 

The scene is so epic Tao uses his iPhone to film it and even Junmyeon, who has learnt to use his iPad by now, does the same.

“Kris! Let me go!” Luhan starts yelling in Chinese “Stop ignoring me or I'm really going to fire you!”

“Calm down, Lulu, your weird nephew is filming you.” Kris replies, also in Chinese. 

“I don’t care! I’m going to kick your as soon as you let me go, so hard you won’t be able to come to work for a week.”

“As I’m ever letting you go.” 

Luhan groans, giving up and finding himself trapped in Kris’ arms like powerless doll. 

“What did you guys say?” Baekhyun protests then “I couldn’t catch a damn word.” 

“You can let me go now.” Luhan ignores him pointedly, speaking Chinese just to annoy him, and Kris smirks.

“Nice try.”

Everyone stares at the two arguing men with confusion, although the hilarity of the scene goes pretty much unchanged. Luhan is still struggling in Kris’ arms.

“Kris.”

“Luhan.”

“Let me go.”

“Will you kick my ?”

“Sure I will.”

“Then shut up and enjoy the sight from up here, baby.”

Luhan kicks his leg, whatever part he has caught, he doesn’t mind. As he crosses his arms with childish offense, his brothers, Chanyeol and Tao laugh again, making him become of a deep red all over his body. 

“Kris.” he tries again, also trying to sound as threatening as he can, but in vain of course. Kris has stared to like that all a bit too much and even Kyungsoo is miming him not to let Luhan go so, yeah. 

“Why are you angry, anyway?” the tall man asks in Korean this time, nonchalant “You were such a pretty girl.”

“I’m not a girl, I’m manly as hell!” Luhan protests, making everyone laugh at him shamelessly “You ing idiots, I hate you all.”

“Language, Luhan.” Junmyeon scolds, trying to really sound like the eldest for once.

Luhan face-palms, eyes Kyungsoo for help but the younger is also smiling and laughing so joyfully and amusedly the rare sight makes his heart miss a pond beat. Just like that, Luhan gives up.

A few days later the second most embarrassing day of his life - the first one being the one in Las Vegas, of course - Luhan changes the photo in Sehun and Baekhyun’s frame to a photo they all snap together that night, with his pretty Christmas Tree in the background, and sure enough he draws a pair of horns on Sehun and Baekhyun’s heads and some silly mustache on Kris’ face, but that changes nothing.

He still falls in love with that photo, as deeply as he has fallen in love with each of the people surrounding him in it.