By Any Other Name Chapter 1 (Part B)
Title: By Any Other Name
Chapter: 1B/?
Author: Michikachan101
Genre: Au, High School, Romance
Story Rating: PG-13 (might increase in future)
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Story Warnings: slight angst, supernatural/sci-fi, BoyxBoy, swearing (mild), abandonment
Chapter warning: abandonment, slight angst, mild swearing
Summary: Four brothers were living the life, good in studies, awesome friends, life seemed perfect. Until one day they came home to find it empty; no pictures, no food, no memories. All that was there was their clothes, two beds and a note left on the kitchen counter-top. At the threat of being separated, they managed to lie their way into staying together, sacrificing their high school reputation to do so. So with great courage, the boys moved from their state to a small suburb in Northern Illinois and this is where their life began.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the idols I have used as characters in the story. However, the story line and plot is mine.
The drive from New Jersey to Chicago the next day was long, but uneventful. The boys had managed to wake up on time and had left the house at three o’clock in the morning hoping to get the Leeteuk’s house before sundown. They had take turns driving as well as navigating, stopping every once in a while at the rest-stops for food and fuel. They stopped at some places outside the rest-stops as well pulling over the car to take a picture if the place was especially picturesque.
The boys carried a small trash bag for the car so that they had someplace to throw wrappers, bags of chips and soda cans without ruining the car. They had managed, somehow, to fit all their clothes into boxes that were stacked in the trunk as well as the last two seats of Jaejoong’s Innova. Eunhyuk and Henry spent a good amount of time singing and laughing in the backseats, pausing whenever Jaejoong sang to let their ‘angelic voice’ brother take the spotlight.
Somewhere in between, Eunhyuk started singing ‘I’m Yours’ when the silence in the car had stretched quite a bit causing Henry and Jaejoong to laugh and Heechul to chuckle from his position behind the wheel. Soon enough, Henry joined him before freaking off to sing ‘The Lazy Song’.
The car ride was fun, though tiring and it was only when they entered the traffic that marked the beginning of Chicago that the boys sobered up and remembered the reason for the trip in the first place. They drove for an hour North of Chicago through the traffic before reaching Leeteuk’s apartment complex.
It was almost sundown when they reached so they all quickly clambered out of the car and stretched their limbs before walking up the stops to the front door. Heechul pulled out his phone to check Leeteuk’s apartment before buzzing the intercom.
“Hello?” A questioning voice called from the other side.
“Hyung? It’s Eunhyuk!” Eunhyuk responded his voice light as he smiled at his brothers. They themselves were chuckling and it turned into full blown laughter when Leeteuk’s unique laughter was heard through the intercom. The door buzzed signaling that it had been opened and Henry quickly yanked it open muttering something about the stupid wind as he ran up the stairs causing his brothers to continue laughing as they followed him in.
They climbed the two floors to Leeteuk’s apartment before opening the second door and entering the hallway of apartments. Turning to the left and walking to the end of the hallway, they knocked on apartment 201 and stood waiting, although they didn’t have to for long. The door was thrown open a couple seconds later by a grinning Leeteuk who had his sandy brown hair tied in a pony-tail at the nape of his neck. He rolled up the sleeves of his white sweatshirt and moved away from the door, waving the boys in.
All the boys could notice the difference in their friend and honorary brother. Gone were the glasses, his light brown eyes were now clear to all the looked at him and his baggy clothes were gone, even the sweatshirt he wore for slightly form fitting. Most importantly, despite being twenty-seven, he didn’t look a day over twenty and coupled with his dimpled smile, his confidence shown through.
Once they were inside, Leeteuk’s grin widened and he grabbed the closest two, Henry and Jaejoong into a hug before pulling Eunhyuk and Heechul as well forming a giant group hug. They laughed and hugged him back before stepping away and following him as he walked into the living room and told them where to keep their bags. Eunhyuk noticed extra shoes and coats in the closet but chose not to comment despite being curious as to what they meant.
The boys soon found themselves sitting on an off white couch with a glass of water in each of their hands and an excited Leeteuk standing in front of them.
“Now boys, before I tell you about your apartment, school and other such things, I have an announcement to make.” Leeteuk said clapping his hands and looking like a teenager once again. Eunhyuk and Jaejoong giggled at their childish hyung while Henry was bouncing in his seat and Heechul was smiling.
“Hyung~ don’t make us wait…tell us!” Eunhyuk and Heechul exclaimed while Henry puffed his cheeks and Jaejoong struck a cute pose. Leeteuk laughed at how the four ‘mature’ boys became the little kids he knew at the orphanage when he had something to tell them.
“Well…I’ve found a partner!” Leeteuk announced while carefully looking at the boys reaction. Eunhyuk was smirking, Jaejoong looked affronted, and Henry was looking surprised while Heechul offered a genuine smile.
“Can we meet this partner of yours?” Eunhyuk asked, his smirk being replaced by a mischievous smile and Jaejoong huffed before turning slightly away from Leeteuk.
“What makes you think my partner is here right now?” Leeteuk ask, looking slightly amused.
“The extra coats and shoes in your closet as well as shoes…and before you ask how I know they aren’t yours hyung…one they are way too big for you and two, they have nothing white on them, not even the shoelaces or the buttons.” Eunhyuk replied his eyes holding a teasing glint as the smirk returned. Leeteuk sighed and gave in to the playful brother before walking down the hallway, going to get his partner.
The boys waited impatiently, squirming in their seats the longer Leeteuk was gone. Soon the sounds two footsteps were heard coming down the hall and the four boys sat up a little straighter in anticipation for the big reveal.
Leeteuk emerged from the hallway with a nervous smile on his lips and from behind him came a man. The new guy was taller and broader than Leeteuk with a slightly rounder face. The fact that his black hair was in an army-cut simply added to the aura of intimidation that he sent out. Fortunately, that aura only lasted until he smiled though then he seemed playful and fun enough to relax the boys.
“Hi, I’m Kangin. It’s nice to meet you guys. I’ve heard of you before as well, but for the past two days, you’re all Teukie talked about.” He said with a wave, his voice loud and pretty cheerful. Three of the boys smiled back, becoming immediately comfortable and seeing how this guy complimented their gentle Leeteuk-hyung. However, Heechul looked slightly uncomfortable.
“Hyungs*, can we see your soul tattoos then?” Henry asked looking excited. Leeteuk blushed lightly before nodding and rolling back the sleeve of his sweatshirt to reveal a small golden bear with raccoon eyes on his forearm while Kangin pulled down the neck of his blue and red polo shirt to show two golden wings at the base of his neck.
Heechul, Henry and Eunhyuk cooed over the tattoos while Jaejoong sat at his place on the couch. After his initial greeting to Kangin, he had resumes his position of sulking with his arms crossed over his chest, body twisted towards the wall and a pout on his lips. Kangin noticed and tipped his head in Jaejoong’s direction slightly so that Leeteuk looked. Once Leeteuk saw, a smile formed on his lips.
“Jaejoong, you don’t want to see?” Leeteuk asked quietly. Jaejoong looked at him from the corner of his eyes before turning back to the wall with a glare as a huff of frustration escaped his lips. Leeteuk smiled wider and the other occupants of the room looked between the two of them in thinly veiled amusement.
“Joongie~” Leeteuk whined and pouted pulling cute faces causing the other to giggle at their childish hyung and Kangin to chuckle at his partners behavior.
“You were supposed to update your progress on the project website hyung! If both of you are already this comfortable with each other AND living together- don’t you dare deny it hyung! - Then the tattoos must have appeared a while back! I am in charge of Project DBSJ’s participants’ communication and it makes me look bad if I am not up-to-date!” Jaejoong whined the pout reappeared on his lips.
“I’m sorry Joongie~ I’ll post my updates tonight ok? I promise!” Leeteuk cooed leaving Heechul, who was standing next to him and making his way over to Jaejoong to pull him into a hug. Jaejoong sighed and hugged back before getting up and joining his brothers to examine the tattoos.
Leeteuk and Youngwoon (Henry and Eunhyuk had fun teasing him about his actual name-until they had to run to save themselves from his wrath) soon took the four brothers to their apartment which was in the same neighborhood and barely three blocks away from Leeteuk’s apartment. The boys were surprised to find that it was furnished and despite their loud protests, Leeteuk and Youngwoon Kangin refused to take back all the furniture arguing that it was the basic necessities and the boys needed them before their first paychecks came. The two older ones also refused to leave the boys just like that and stayed to help the boys unpack.
It wasn’t long before everyone was hungry and with a surprising lack of protests, Kangin treated everyone to a pizza dinner. It wasn’t long before the first person began yawning. Incidentally, that person was Leeteuk which lead Henry to tease him about growing old, much to the others amusement. It became even funnier when Henry let out a loud yawn in between his jokes as the day’s activities caught up to him…Leeteuk enjoyed having a laugh at his expense as well. Leeteuk and Kangin decided to leave then to allow the boys to settle into their home. Eunhyuk volunteered to walk them to the main door.
“Hyung!” Eunhyuk called out just as Leeteuk and Kangin reached the sidewalk. Leeteuk turned around with a small smile and placed a hand on Kangin’s shoulder before walking back to where Eunhyuk stood at the door of the door of the apartment building. Kangin waited for Leeteuk with his hands in his pocket and a small smile on his face as he watched his angel talk to someone he, himself had already started considering family.
Leeteuk had reached the shivering Eunhyuk who stood at the door wearing grey sweatpants and a plain white shirt that was constantly falling of his shoulders as the cold December winds blew. Leeteuk reached out and rubbed Eunhyuk’s shoulders with his gloved hands in an attempt to bring the shivering boy some warmth.
“Hyung, I’m glad you were volunteering at the orphanage when all four of us were there and that you took four…scared boys who were ten-twelve years younger than you under your wing. I’m thankful that you volunteered to participate in Project DBSJ just to ensure that the four of us were safe after we came to know that we were chosen. And I’m thankful, that you went and stood up to the orphanage head about volunteering us just to get the orphanage some money. A-and now…you’ve d-done all th-this; an apartment, o-our school, a j-job…Hyung…I-I…thank you...so, so much. You’ve p-probably spent m-more on us th-than we could ever r-repay and cared f-for us m-more than our pa-rents…I ju-just…” Eunhyuk, who had started his speech with a smile, but by the end he was barely coherent as tears flowed freely from his eyes. Leeteuk smiled sweetly and hugged Eunhyuk tightly. He knew that despite the ‘devil-may-care’ attitude he showed the world, Eunhyuk was just as sensitive if not more, than Jaejoong and as vulnerable as Heechul.
“I do it because, when I was twelve, and volunteering at the orphanage for the first time, I met two two-year olds who were scared of the world and then two more boys a year later and I couldn’t help but consider them as mine.” Leeteuk whispered as a couple tears slipped past his closed eyelids as well and he tightened his arms around Eunhyuk’s waist. He let a small smile come on his face despite the occasional tear that fell from his eyes when he felt two arms fist the back of his jacket. For a couple seconds before letting go. He stepped back and offered a smile while brushing his gloved knuckles against a flustered Eunhyuk’s flushed cheeks before turning around and stepping back outside.
“Now go upstairs and sleep, we have to go around town tomorrow don’t we?” Leeteuk yelled as he headed back towards Kangin. Eunhyuk wiped his tears before smiling and waving at the disappearing couple one last time before closing the door and walking up a floor back to their apartment, sighing as the air became warmer in the hallway.
The next few days went by in a blur as Leeteuk and Kangin showed the four boys around town. It wasn’t hard for the boys to consider Kangin as family since he was able to easily get along with them without pushing any of their -specific- personal boundaries. The only one still a little wary was Heechul. He found himself torn between religion and his hyung’s happiness. The worst was that he had no one to talk to about his thoughts on this. Seeing his hyung happy with someone with someone his own gender made him wonder about other things he had read and thoroughly confused him. So the Sunday before school reopened, Heechul found himself walking around their new neighborhood hugging his jacket tighter as the snow fell lightly, completely lost in his own thoughts.
Suddenly, he bumped into someone causing him to fall backwards and lose his train of thought. He blinked a couple times at the unexpected change in position and was surprised when a hand was held in front of his face. He followed it with his eyes, wondering whom it leads to.
The man standing in front of him was well built and had very sharp features. He smiled seeing the confusion in Heechul’s eyes revealing a dimple that changed his entire countenance into one more boyish.
“Are you alright? You must have been deep into your thoughts if you didn’t see me.” He said with a laugh. Heechul used the proffered hand to stand up before muttering a thanks and starting to walk away. The stranger quickly stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulders. Heechul turned around to find the guy still giving him a small smile.
“Penny for your thoughts I promise not to tell or judge…” The guy offered.
“I’m not good at talking to strangers. And my thoughts can be considered controversial so…” Heechul almost whispered as he started walking away once again. The stranger pulled him back once more.
“Strangers usually make good listeners so try me. And as I said earlier, I promise not to judge. Besides which, we are talking right now and you seem to be doing fine. I’m sorry if I seem insistent, it’s just that you seemed troubled as you were walking that it makes me feel bad if I went on my way without at the very least offering my help.” The stranger said as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Heechul searched his eyes and found genuine curiosity there and decided to take a leap of fate to trust this man. He nodded his head in assent and gave a small smile as the stranger lead him to a bench that was off to the side and facing a small garden. Heechul settled down and took a deep breath as the stranger waited and he began talking about his confusion.
It was two hours later that Heechul walked back into the apartment feeling much more at peace with himself and much better than he had all week. He walked into their apartment to find his brothers cuddled on the couch with Eunhyuk sitting in the middle with a bowl of popcorn on his lap. They all looked up at him and he grinned causing the three of them to laugh and cheer.
“Alright! Hyung is feeling normal again.” Henry cheered almost upsetting the bowl of popcorn which caused Eunhyuk- Mr. clean freak 2- to whack him on his shoulder. Heechul giggled and hung up his jacket and took off his boots after shaking off the excess snow before walking into his room. He quickly took off his pants and wore a pair of warm sweats before taking off his shirt and searching for his favorite Cinderella nightshirt when he heard the footsteps.
“Hyung, Joongie-hyung sent me to ask…” Eunhyuk stopped dead in his tracks with his mouth open wide causing Heechul, who had turned upon hearing him, to stare at him in confusion. Eunhyuk then smiled widely, showing his gums before running off. Heechul could hear him scream in the hallway.
“Joongie hyung…Henry…Heechul hyung got it! He has the mark!” Heechul’s eyes widened when he heard that and he ran up to the full length mirror attached to the closets door only to see a small lion- suspiciously shaped like Simba- printed across the left side of his chest, dangerously close to his heart. The tattoo was still shimmering lightly to show that it was only a few hours old.
The other three came running in and crowded around him as Jaejoong inspected the tattoo closely.
“Choi Siwon-Andrew. Do you know this name or…?” Jaejoong trailed off seeing the thoughtful expression on Heechul’s face.
“I have been out walking for almost three hours and walked by at least twenty people, this name could be anyone’s!” Heechul exclaimed while Jaejoong nodded in understanding. Eunhyuk on the other hand, began chuckling.
“Hyung, it’s a good thing you’ve calmed down about Leeteuk and Kangin hyung.” He said in between his laughter causing the others to look at him in confusion.
“While Siwon is definitely a Korean name, it’s a guy’s name hyung.” Eunhyuk explained. Heechul’s eyes widened as did the other two’s. Jaejoong started chuckling while Henry patted a stunned Heechul.
“Come on hyung, let’s go and eat dinner before heading off to bed we have to get up early for school tomorrow.” Henry said pushing the frozen Heechul and laughing Eunhyuk and Jaejoong out of the room and into the dining nook.
-------------------------------------------------------------------The next day rose surprisingly colorful although the clouds that appeared on the horizon foretold that the day was going to be cold, even if it was sunny. The four brothers were awake with the sun and eating the breakfast that Jaejoong had prepared. They were all nervous and their faces showed it. At six forty-five, the buzzer rang and Eunhyuk answered it before opening the door to allow Leeteuk and Kangin, all dressed for the day, to come inside.
“Hey boys, are you ready…we have to leave now. So for daily transportation, there is a bus, but I’m guessing that you’ll be taking Jaejoong’s car. So I went and talked to the principal when I was transferring you and I have news. Heechul and Henry, both of you are in the orchestra! Jaejoong and Eunhyuk, you have to audition to join the choir and dance clubs, they separate them into different levels so the audition will help them decide where to put you. And that’s all I can remember…let’s go now since you have to collect your schedules and get at least a little tour of the school before it starts.” Leeteuk rambled before taking a deep breath and smacking a snickering Kangin’s shoulder. The four boys smiled as they collected their bags from their rooms and burst into laughter when they heard Kangin’s next line.
“Teukie, if you are this nervous sending them off to school, what will you be like if we adopted a child?” Heechul, the first to make it back to the living room covered his mouth with his hands before holding back his laughter long enough to speak.
“Teukie hyung, I think you are more nervous than I am.” Heechul’s small joke made even Leeteuk crack into a smile as they all trooped out. Jaejoong stayed behind for a couple minutes as he turned off all the lights and ensured the front door was properly locked. He then quickly exited the hallway, down the stairs and out the door to where the others were waiting for him next to Leeteuk’s car. Once he reached them, they all entered and quickly buckled up and faced the front where Kangin was smirking in the driver’s seat while Leeteuk was sulking right next to him. Kangin turned around to talk to boys with the smirk still in place.
“You guys can decide have a choice in how you get back home today. Either we can pick you guys up after school or you can take the bus.” Kangin stated, turning back to the front to start the car. The boys looked at each other for confirmation before saying ‘bus’ simultaneously. Leeteuk looked back at them and smiled before turning back to the front muttering something about them not being burdens either way.
Eunhyuk looked around the car and smiled at his excited brothers before looking outside the window at the passing trees and brownstones in between wishing his parents were still there so they could be living in one of them as a proper, happy family.
Soon enough, Kangin was pulling into the school’s circular driveway. The car stopped at the entrance and Eunhyuk unbuckled his seatbelt and waited for Henry to step out before following him. Once out, all four boys waved goodbye to a worried Leeteuk and a calm Kangin. Kangin in gave them one last assuring smile before driving off to work. Eunhyuk flicked his wine red hair out of his eyes and adjusted his figure hugging blue trench coat before slinging his backpack onto his shoulder and walking next to a nervous Heechul. He looked up at the bronzed board attached to the entrance archway proudly proclaiming De Geer High School. He turned and smiled at Heechul as he mid-back length black hair into a high ponytail allowing the fringes in the front to frame his face. Eunhyuk was well aware that his brother disliked being told this, but his brother really was pretty and good at making people question his gender. He felt Henry tug his hand on his other side and found his baby-faced, chestnut haired, taller younger brother shifting from foot to foot while Jaejoong stood on Henry’s other side nervously fixing the zipper on his black jacket before adjusting his dirty blonde hair so that the fringes fell across his face perfectly.
Eunhyuk took a deep breath to settle his own nerves and then walked into the school, smiling when he heard his brothers following behind him. He walked into the office and up to the secretary, but before he could start talking, he felt his nerves catch up to him. So he stood a couple steps in front of her desk, frozen and turned to Jaejoong and Henry, his eyes widening in panic. Jaejoong sent him a wavering smile before quietly clearing his throat and stepping up to the desk and introducing the four of them. She smiled at them, although she seemed confused at how they were brothers despite the different last names and handed them their schedules. When Eunhyuk, the last one, grabbed his schedule, she offered a warm smile and a map both which helped ease his nerves. He offered her a shy smile as he took the offered map and went to his brothers, who were standing near the door comparing schedules. They all smiled when they noticed that they had lunched together and with a thank you and goodbye, stepped outside to go to their lockers.
They were fortunate enough to get lockers near each other and walked to them. Jaejoong and Eunhyuk had lockers next to each other while Henry and Heechul had the two lockers directly opposite to theirs. They opened it up and quickly put up a couple pictures and -in Eunhyuk and Jaejoong’s case- locker organizers. The boys quickly hung their bags and coats straightening out their outfits before continuing their job. Putting away their stationary and notebook, they closed their lockers once again and regrouped near Henry’s locker to look over the map. Quickly, they located their hallway and mapped out the routes to their classes. Each of them traced their route with a pencil and clicked a picture on their phones before erasing the route and allowing the next to do the same. Once that was done, the boys put the map in Henry’s locker before he closed it. Hearing the sounds of footsteps and laughter, the boys looked up to see students walking in. They shared a look before taking a deep breath and smiling at one another. They all had to head in the same initial direction for the first class and so took off down the hallway, hoping to introduce themselves to the teacher and get the textbook before class started. That didn’t happen as planned however.
As the four boys rounded a corner, Eunhyuk bumped into a well muscled body and fell down cursing on the way to the floor, by the sounds coming from the other person; they had gotten jostled as well. Standing up Eunhyuk quickly brushed himself of before looking at the other person, planning on apologizing…but that didn’t happen either.
“Why the Fuck can’t you watch where you’re going…there is enough space so no need to run someone down! Crazy asshole!” The guy sneered as he looked at Eunhyuk with a glare. Eunhyuk’s eyes widened for a split second before narrowing down again. How dare this guy accuse him like that, it hadn’t been his fault in any way!
“Do you have a problem? It’s not like I’m the one who decided to stand hugging the wall at a bloody corner! All I did was turn around the fucking corner you chose to stand at a place where people was obviously run into you dumbass! Besides which, is this how you treat people you’ve never met before…god, I think you need an attitude adjustment!” Eunhyuk fired back; his lips turning down disdainfully as he put all his weight on one foot and cocked his hips to the side. The other guy looked shocked and seemed to be gearing for a response. Heechul, Jaejoong and Henry stood to the side, noticing the attention Eunhyuk was drawing and were attempting to find a way to pull Eunhyuk away without turning Eunhyuk’s anger towards them, but it seemed they needed have interfered since someone did anyway.
“What exactly is going on here?”
Chapter: 1B/?
Author: Michikachan101
Genre: Au, High School, Romance
Story Rating: PG-13 (might increase in future)
Chapter Rating: PG-13
Story Warnings: slight angst, supernatural/sci-fi, BoyxBoy, swearing (mild), abandonment
Chapter warning: abandonment, slight angst, mild swearing
Summary: Four brothers were living the life, good in studies, awesome friends, life seemed perfect. Until one day they came home to find it empty; no pictures, no food, no memories. All that was there was their clothes, two beds and a note left on the kitchen counter-top. At the threat of being separated, they managed to lie their way into staying together, sacrificing their high school reputation to do so. So with great courage, the boys moved from their state to a small suburb in Northern Illinois and this is where their life began.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the idols I have used as characters in the story. However, the story line and plot is mine.
The drive from New Jersey to Chicago the next day was long, but uneventful. The boys had managed to wake up on time and had left the house at three o’clock in the morning hoping to get the Leeteuk’s house before sundown. They had take turns driving as well as navigating, stopping every once in a while at the rest-stops for food and fuel. They stopped at some places outside the rest-stops as well pulling over the car to take a picture if the place was especially picturesque.
The boys carried a small trash bag for the car so that they had someplace to throw wrappers, bags of chips and soda cans without ruining the car. They had managed, somehow, to fit all their clothes into boxes that were stacked in the trunk as well as the last two seats of Jaejoong’s Innova. Eunhyuk and Henry spent a good amount of time singing and laughing in the backseats, pausing whenever Jaejoong sang to let their ‘angelic voice’ brother take the spotlight.
Somewhere in between, Eunhyuk started singing ‘I’m Yours’ when the silence in the car had stretched quite a bit causing Henry and Jaejoong to laugh and Heechul to chuckle from his position behind the wheel. Soon enough, Henry joined him before freaking off to sing ‘The Lazy Song’.
The car ride was fun, though tiring and it was only when they entered the traffic that marked the beginning of Chicago that the boys sobered up and remembered the reason for the trip in the first place. They drove for an hour North of Chicago through the traffic before reaching Leeteuk’s apartment complex.
It was almost sundown when they reached so they all quickly clambered out of the car and stretched their limbs before walking up the stops to the front door. Heechul pulled out his phone to check Leeteuk’s apartment before buzzing the intercom.
“Hello?” A questioning voice called from the other side.
“Hyung? It’s Eunhyuk!” Eunhyuk responded his voice light as he smiled at his brothers. They themselves were chuckling and it turned into full blown laughter when Leeteuk’s unique laughter was heard through the intercom. The door buzzed signaling that it had been opened and Henry quickly yanked it open muttering something about the stupid wind as he ran up the stairs causing his brothers to continue laughing as they followed him in.
They climbed the two floors to Leeteuk’s apartment before opening the second door and entering the hallway of apartments. Turning to the left and walking to the end of the hallway, they knocked on apartment 201 and stood waiting, although they didn’t have to for long. The door was thrown open a couple seconds later by a grinning Leeteuk who had his sandy brown hair tied in a pony-tail at the nape of his neck. He rolled up the sleeves of his white sweatshirt and moved away from the door, waving the boys in.
All the boys could notice the difference in their friend and honorary brother. Gone were the glasses, his light brown eyes were now clear to all the looked at him and his baggy clothes were gone, even the sweatshirt he wore for slightly form fitting. Most importantly, despite being twenty-seven, he didn’t look a day over twenty and coupled with his dimpled smile, his confidence shown through.
Once they were inside, Leeteuk’s grin widened and he grabbed the closest two, Henry and Jaejoong into a hug before pulling Eunhyuk and Heechul as well forming a giant group hug. They laughed and hugged him back before stepping away and following him as he walked into the living room and told them where to keep their bags. Eunhyuk noticed extra shoes and coats in the closet but chose not to comment despite being curious as to what they meant.
The boys soon found themselves sitting on an off white couch with a glass of water in each of their hands and an excited Leeteuk standing in front of them.
“Now boys, before I tell you about your apartment, school and other such things, I have an announcement to make.” Leeteuk said clapping his hands and looking like a teenager once again. Eunhyuk and Jaejoong giggled at their childish hyung while Henry was bouncing in his seat and Heechul was smiling.
“Hyung~ don’t make us wait…tell us!” Eunhyuk and Heechul exclaimed while Henry puffed his cheeks and Jaejoong struck a cute pose. Leeteuk laughed at how the four ‘mature’ boys became the little kids he knew at the orphanage when he had something to tell them.
“Well…I’ve found a partner!” Leeteuk announced while carefully looking at the boys reaction. Eunhyuk was smirking, Jaejoong looked affronted, and Henry was looking surprised while Heechul offered a genuine smile.
“Can we meet this partner of yours?” Eunhyuk asked, his smirk being replaced by a mischievous smile and Jaejoong huffed before turning slightly away from Leeteuk.
“What makes you think my partner is here right now?” Leeteuk ask, looking slightly amused.
“The extra coats and shoes in your closet as well as shoes…and before you ask how I know they aren’t yours hyung…one they are way too big for you and two, they have nothing white on them, not even the shoelaces or the buttons.” Eunhyuk replied his eyes holding a teasing glint as the smirk returned. Leeteuk sighed and gave in to the playful brother before walking down the hallway, going to get his partner.
The boys waited impatiently, squirming in their seats the longer Leeteuk was gone. Soon the sounds two footsteps were heard coming down the hall and the four boys sat up a little straighter in anticipation for the big reveal.
Leeteuk emerged from the hallway with a nervous smile on his lips and from behind him came a man. The new guy was taller and broader than Leeteuk with a slightly rounder face. The fact that his black hair was in an army-cut simply added to the aura of intimidation that he sent out. Fortunately, that aura only lasted until he smiled though then he seemed playful and fun enough to relax the boys.
“Hi, I’m Kangin. It’s nice to meet you guys. I’ve heard of you before as well, but for the past two days, you’re all Teukie talked about.” He said with a wave, his voice loud and pretty cheerful. Three of the boys smiled back, becoming immediately comfortable and seeing how this guy complimented their gentle Leeteuk-hyung. However, Heechul looked slightly uncomfortable.
“Hyungs*, can we see your soul tattoos then?” Henry asked looking excited. Leeteuk blushed lightly before nodding and rolling back the sleeve of his sweatshirt to reveal a small golden bear with raccoon eyes on his forearm while Kangin pulled down the neck of his blue and red polo shirt to show two golden wings at the base of his neck.
Heechul, Henry and Eunhyuk cooed over the tattoos while Jaejoong sat at his place on the couch. After his initial greeting to Kangin, he had resumes his position of sulking with his arms crossed over his chest, body twisted towards the wall and a pout on his lips. Kangin noticed and tipped his head in Jaejoong’s direction slightly so that Leeteuk looked. Once Leeteuk saw, a smile formed on his lips.
“Jaejoong, you don’t want to see?” Leeteuk asked quietly. Jaejoong looked at him from the corner of his eyes before turning back to the wall with a glare as a huff of frustration escaped his lips. Leeteuk smiled wider and the other occupants of the room looked between the two of them in thinly veiled amusement.
“Joongie~” Leeteuk whined and pouted pulling cute faces causing the other to giggle at their childish hyung and Kangin to chuckle at his partners behavior.
“You were supposed to update your progress on the project website hyung! If both of you are already this comfortable with each other AND living together- don’t you dare deny it hyung! - Then the tattoos must have appeared a while back! I am in charge of Project DBSJ’s participants’ communication and it makes me look bad if I am not up-to-date!” Jaejoong whined the pout reappeared on his lips.
“I’m sorry Joongie~ I’ll post my updates tonight ok? I promise!” Leeteuk cooed leaving Heechul, who was standing next to him and making his way over to Jaejoong to pull him into a hug. Jaejoong sighed and hugged back before getting up and joining his brothers to examine the tattoos.
Leeteuk and Youngwoon (Henry and Eunhyuk had fun teasing him about his actual name-until they had to run to save themselves from his wrath) soon took the four brothers to their apartment which was in the same neighborhood and barely three blocks away from Leeteuk’s apartment. The boys were surprised to find that it was furnished and despite their loud protests, Leeteuk and Youngwoon Kangin refused to take back all the furniture arguing that it was the basic necessities and the boys needed them before their first paychecks came. The two older ones also refused to leave the boys just like that and stayed to help the boys unpack.
It wasn’t long before everyone was hungry and with a surprising lack of protests, Kangin treated everyone to a pizza dinner. It wasn’t long before the first person began yawning. Incidentally, that person was Leeteuk which lead Henry to tease him about growing old, much to the others amusement. It became even funnier when Henry let out a loud yawn in between his jokes as the day’s activities caught up to him…Leeteuk enjoyed having a laugh at his expense as well. Leeteuk and Kangin decided to leave then to allow the boys to settle into their home. Eunhyuk volunteered to walk them to the main door.
“Hyung!” Eunhyuk called out just as Leeteuk and Kangin reached the sidewalk. Leeteuk turned around with a small smile and placed a hand on Kangin’s shoulder before walking back to where Eunhyuk stood at the door of the door of the apartment building. Kangin waited for Leeteuk with his hands in his pocket and a small smile on his face as he watched his angel talk to someone he, himself had already started considering family.
Leeteuk had reached the shivering Eunhyuk who stood at the door wearing grey sweatpants and a plain white shirt that was constantly falling of his shoulders as the cold December winds blew. Leeteuk reached out and rubbed Eunhyuk’s shoulders with his gloved hands in an attempt to bring the shivering boy some warmth.
“Hyung, I’m glad you were volunteering at the orphanage when all four of us were there and that you took four…scared boys who were ten-twelve years younger than you under your wing. I’m thankful that you volunteered to participate in Project DBSJ just to ensure that the four of us were safe after we came to know that we were chosen. And I’m thankful, that you went and stood up to the orphanage head about volunteering us just to get the orphanage some money. A-and now…you’ve d-done all th-this; an apartment, o-our school, a j-job…Hyung…I-I…thank you...so, so much. You’ve p-probably spent m-more on us th-than we could ever r-repay and cared f-for us m-more than our pa-rents…I ju-just…” Eunhyuk, who had started his speech with a smile, but by the end he was barely coherent as tears flowed freely from his eyes. Leeteuk smiled sweetly and hugged Eunhyuk tightly. He knew that despite the ‘devil-may-care’ attitude he showed the world, Eunhyuk was just as sensitive if not more, than Jaejoong and as vulnerable as Heechul.
“I do it because, when I was twelve, and volunteering at the orphanage for the first time, I met two two-year olds who were scared of the world and then two more boys a year later and I couldn’t help but consider them as mine.” Leeteuk whispered as a couple tears slipped past his closed eyelids as well and he tightened his arms around Eunhyuk’s waist. He let a small smile come on his face despite the occasional tear that fell from his eyes when he felt two arms fist the back of his jacket. For a couple seconds before letting go. He stepped back and offered a smile while brushing his gloved knuckles against a flustered Eunhyuk’s flushed cheeks before turning around and stepping back outside.
“Now go upstairs and sleep, we have to go around town tomorrow don’t we?” Leeteuk yelled as he headed back towards Kangin. Eunhyuk wiped his tears before smiling and waving at the disappearing couple one last time before closing the door and walking up a floor back to their apartment, sighing as the air became warmer in the hallway.
The next few days went by in a blur as Leeteuk and Kangin showed the four boys around town. It wasn’t hard for the boys to consider Kangin as family since he was able to easily get along with them without pushing any of their -specific- personal boundaries. The only one still a little wary was Heechul. He found himself torn between religion and his hyung’s happiness. The worst was that he had no one to talk to about his thoughts on this. Seeing his hyung happy with someone with someone his own gender made him wonder about other things he had read and thoroughly confused him. So the Sunday before school reopened, Heechul found himself walking around their new neighborhood hugging his jacket tighter as the snow fell lightly, completely lost in his own thoughts.
Suddenly, he bumped into someone causing him to fall backwards and lose his train of thought. He blinked a couple times at the unexpected change in position and was surprised when a hand was held in front of his face. He followed it with his eyes, wondering whom it leads to.
The man standing in front of him was well built and had very sharp features. He smiled seeing the confusion in Heechul’s eyes revealing a dimple that changed his entire countenance into one more boyish.
“Are you alright? You must have been deep into your thoughts if you didn’t see me.” He said with a laugh. Heechul used the proffered hand to stand up before muttering a thanks and starting to walk away. The stranger quickly stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulders. Heechul turned around to find the guy still giving him a small smile.
“Penny for your thoughts I promise not to tell or judge…” The guy offered.
“I’m not good at talking to strangers. And my thoughts can be considered controversial so…” Heechul almost whispered as he started walking away once again. The stranger pulled him back once more.
“Strangers usually make good listeners so try me. And as I said earlier, I promise not to judge. Besides which, we are talking right now and you seem to be doing fine. I’m sorry if I seem insistent, it’s just that you seemed troubled as you were walking that it makes me feel bad if I went on my way without at the very least offering my help.” The stranger said as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Heechul searched his eyes and found genuine curiosity there and decided to take a leap of fate to trust this man. He nodded his head in assent and gave a small smile as the stranger lead him to a bench that was off to the side and facing a small garden. Heechul settled down and took a deep breath as the stranger waited and he began talking about his confusion.
It was two hours later that Heechul walked back into the apartment feeling much more at peace with himself and much better than he had all week. He walked into their apartment to find his brothers cuddled on the couch with Eunhyuk sitting in the middle with a bowl of popcorn on his lap. They all looked up at him and he grinned causing the three of them to laugh and cheer.
“Alright! Hyung is feeling normal again.” Henry cheered almost upsetting the bowl of popcorn which caused Eunhyuk- Mr. clean freak 2- to whack him on his shoulder. Heechul giggled and hung up his jacket and took off his boots after shaking off the excess snow before walking into his room. He quickly took off his pants and wore a pair of warm sweats before taking off his shirt and searching for his favorite Cinderella nightshirt when he heard the footsteps.
“Hyung, Joongie-hyung sent me to ask…” Eunhyuk stopped dead in his tracks with his mouth open wide causing Heechul, who had turned upon hearing him, to stare at him in confusion. Eunhyuk then smiled widely, showing his gums before running off. Heechul could hear him scream in the hallway.
“Joongie hyung…Henry…Heechul hyung got it! He has the mark!” Heechul’s eyes widened when he heard that and he ran up to the full length mirror attached to the closets door only to see a small lion- suspiciously shaped like Simba- printed across the left side of his chest, dangerously close to his heart. The tattoo was still shimmering lightly to show that it was only a few hours old.
The other three came running in and crowded around him as Jaejoong inspected the tattoo closely.
“Choi Siwon-Andrew. Do you know this name or…?” Jaejoong trailed off seeing the thoughtful expression on Heechul’s face.
“I have been out walking for almost three hours and walked by at least twenty people, this name could be anyone’s!” Heechul exclaimed while Jaejoong nodded in understanding. Eunhyuk on the other hand, began chuckling.
“Hyung, it’s a good thing you’ve calmed down about Leeteuk and Kangin hyung.” He said in between his laughter causing the others to look at him in confusion.
“While Siwon is definitely a Korean name, it’s a guy’s name hyung.” Eunhyuk explained. Heechul’s eyes widened as did the other two’s. Jaejoong started chuckling while Henry patted a stunned Heechul.
“Come on hyung, let’s go and eat dinner before heading off to bed we have to get up early for school tomorrow.” Henry said pushing the frozen Heechul and laughing Eunhyuk and Jaejoong out of the room and into the dining nook.
-------------------------------------------------------------------The next day rose surprisingly colorful although the clouds that appeared on the horizon foretold that the day was going to be cold, even if it was sunny. The four brothers were awake with the sun and eating the breakfast that Jaejoong had prepared. They were all nervous and their faces showed it. At six forty-five, the buzzer rang and Eunhyuk answered it before opening the door to allow Leeteuk and Kangin, all dressed for the day, to come inside.
“Hey boys, are you ready…we have to leave now. So for daily transportation, there is a bus, but I’m guessing that you’ll be taking Jaejoong’s car. So I went and talked to the principal when I was transferring you and I have news. Heechul and Henry, both of you are in the orchestra! Jaejoong and Eunhyuk, you have to audition to join the choir and dance clubs, they separate them into different levels so the audition will help them decide where to put you. And that’s all I can remember…let’s go now since you have to collect your schedules and get at least a little tour of the school before it starts.” Leeteuk rambled before taking a deep breath and smacking a snickering Kangin’s shoulder. The four boys smiled as they collected their bags from their rooms and burst into laughter when they heard Kangin’s next line.
“Teukie, if you are this nervous sending them off to school, what will you be like if we adopted a child?” Heechul, the first to make it back to the living room covered his mouth with his hands before holding back his laughter long enough to speak.
“Teukie hyung, I think you are more nervous than I am.” Heechul’s small joke made even Leeteuk crack into a smile as they all trooped out. Jaejoong stayed behind for a couple minutes as he turned off all the lights and ensured the front door was properly locked. He then quickly exited the hallway, down the stairs and out the door to where the others were waiting for him next to Leeteuk’s car. Once he reached them, they all entered and quickly buckled up and faced the front where Kangin was smirking in the driver’s seat while Leeteuk was sulking right next to him. Kangin turned around to talk to boys with the smirk still in place.
“You guys can decide have a choice in how you get back home today. Either we can pick you guys up after school or you can take the bus.” Kangin stated, turning back to the front to start the car. The boys looked at each other for confirmation before saying ‘bus’ simultaneously. Leeteuk looked back at them and smiled before turning back to the front muttering something about them not being burdens either way.
Eunhyuk looked around the car and smiled at his excited brothers before looking outside the window at the passing trees and brownstones in between wishing his parents were still there so they could be living in one of them as a proper, happy family.
Soon enough, Kangin was pulling into the school’s circular driveway. The car stopped at the entrance and Eunhyuk unbuckled his seatbelt and waited for Henry to step out before following him. Once out, all four boys waved goodbye to a worried Leeteuk and a calm Kangin. Kangin in gave them one last assuring smile before driving off to work. Eunhyuk flicked his wine red hair out of his eyes and adjusted his figure hugging blue trench coat before slinging his backpack onto his shoulder and walking next to a nervous Heechul. He looked up at the bronzed board attached to the entrance archway proudly proclaiming De Geer High School. He turned and smiled at Heechul as he mid-back length black hair into a high ponytail allowing the fringes in the front to frame his face. Eunhyuk was well aware that his brother disliked being told this, but his brother really was pretty and good at making people question his gender. He felt Henry tug his hand on his other side and found his baby-faced, chestnut haired, taller younger brother shifting from foot to foot while Jaejoong stood on Henry’s other side nervously fixing the zipper on his black jacket before adjusting his dirty blonde hair so that the fringes fell across his face perfectly.
Eunhyuk took a deep breath to settle his own nerves and then walked into the school, smiling when he heard his brothers following behind him. He walked into the office and up to the secretary, but before he could start talking, he felt his nerves catch up to him. So he stood a couple steps in front of her desk, frozen and turned to Jaejoong and Henry, his eyes widening in panic. Jaejoong sent him a wavering smile before quietly clearing his throat and stepping up to the desk and introducing the four of them. She smiled at them, although she seemed confused at how they were brothers despite the different last names and handed them their schedules. When Eunhyuk, the last one, grabbed his schedule, she offered a warm smile and a map both which helped ease his nerves. He offered her a shy smile as he took the offered map and went to his brothers, who were standing near the door comparing schedules. They all smiled when they noticed that they had lunched together and with a thank you and goodbye, stepped outside to go to their lockers.
They were fortunate enough to get lockers near each other and walked to them. Jaejoong and Eunhyuk had lockers next to each other while Henry and Heechul had the two lockers directly opposite to theirs. They opened it up and quickly put up a couple pictures and -in Eunhyuk and Jaejoong’s case- locker organizers. The boys quickly hung their bags and coats straightening out their outfits before continuing their job. Putting away their stationary and notebook, they closed their lockers once again and regrouped near Henry’s locker to look over the map. Quickly, they located their hallway and mapped out the routes to their classes. Each of them traced their route with a pencil and clicked a picture on their phones before erasing the route and allowing the next to do the same. Once that was done, the boys put the map in Henry’s locker before he closed it. Hearing the sounds of footsteps and laughter, the boys looked up to see students walking in. They shared a look before taking a deep breath and smiling at one another. They all had to head in the same initial direction for the first class and so took off down the hallway, hoping to introduce themselves to the teacher and get the textbook before class started. That didn’t happen as planned however.
As the four boys rounded a corner, Eunhyuk bumped into a well muscled body and fell down cursing on the way to the floor, by the sounds coming from the other person; they had gotten jostled as well. Standing up Eunhyuk quickly brushed himself of before looking at the other person, planning on apologizing…but that didn’t happen either.
“Why the Fuck can’t you watch where you’re going…there is enough space so no need to run someone down! Crazy asshole!” The guy sneered as he looked at Eunhyuk with a glare. Eunhyuk’s eyes widened for a split second before narrowing down again. How dare this guy accuse him like that, it hadn’t been his fault in any way!
“Do you have a problem? It’s not like I’m the one who decided to stand hugging the wall at a bloody corner! All I did was turn around the fucking corner you chose to stand at a place where people was obviously run into you dumbass! Besides which, is this how you treat people you’ve never met before…god, I think you need an attitude adjustment!” Eunhyuk fired back; his lips turning down disdainfully as he put all his weight on one foot and cocked his hips to the side. The other guy looked shocked and seemed to be gearing for a response. Heechul, Jaejoong and Henry stood to the side, noticing the attention Eunhyuk was drawing and were attempting to find a way to pull Eunhyuk away without turning Eunhyuk’s anger towards them, but it seemed they needed have interfered since someone did anyway.
“What exactly is going on here?”