ㅤᴅᴏᴏʀ ⋮ A15

@❛ naeun son。 his heart is springing out of his chest the moment the click of the lock could be heard, lower lip captured in anticipation as his gaze follows the widening of the door. “hyung!” honestly, the male couldn’t be less upset that she was still getting ready — that way, she wouldn’t be aware of his arrival time. well - she probably would, but they’re equal now so if didn’t matter too much. “i can wait, thanks.” taemin nods, advancing into the apartment, his heart continues to race. “youngha has a speech tomorrow, would you mind working on it with him a little?” raising a hand to shield his mouth from the younger, he continues. “he’s nervous.” gunhee sends an ‘ok sign’ towards him before diverting his attention back to youngha. allowing the backpack filled with the kids stuff, he sets it upon one of the seats before crouching down before his brother. “be good, okay? promise?” his pinky links with his own as he gives the smaller finger a squeeze, extending that hand shortly after to ruffle his hair. “don’t forget to show gunhee all of your stuff, okay? don’t forget it’s in this bag.” he instructs with a brow raised, only to shift his gaze to the opening door that begins to reveal naeun within her entire, complete beauty.

pushing himself to a stance, his jaw slacks the slightest. you know when you go to prom and there’s that first reveal of your date — a complete wow moment especially experienced within men— considering taemin was robbed of that moment (because of his date ditching him), this was his wow moment. “hi,” it’s barely audible as he looks over her frame in complete awe. “wow, you look — beautiful.” he’s pretty much deemed speechless. part of him would like to question how he’d deserved her, or her love; but the remainder of himself urges him to enjoy it. no questions asked. blinking away the initial shock, the male clears his throat before advancing towards naeun. taking her hand within his own, he bows forward with a playful simper to press a kiss upon the back of her knuckles. “ready to head out, m’lady?” taemin questions, leaning in afterwards to press a kiss upon her couplet pair.

@❛ taemin lee。 "gunhee, c'mon -- yein's busy with officer shim and johnny, you know that," her tone was that of a slight whine despite her older age, her shoulders slumping as she huffed. "just answer the question; does the black shoes match better than the red?" as if on command, her calf raised to showcase her left foot with the black heel, then shifting her frame to inspect that of her right foot's red heel. "sure, the black," her nose scrunched in distaste as gunhee took a quick, nonchalant glance and shrugged, acting as if his algebra homework suddenly had been made his priority. his gaze glued to his worksheet and she elicited a tired sigh, fed up with his cursory statements that had no sympathy attached to it, though condoning it as an abrupt knock was heard upon their door. on impulse, she shuffled, tripped, and trudged her way back into her room and shut the door, to which gunhee contently traipsed his way over to swing the door open, giving the two expectant men a smile. "she's still getting ready,"

she silently cursed her younger brother for that placid attitude of her's that well reciprocated from her's, especially for something so sporadic as a date for her. well, to an extent if she counted in that date she had with jongin ( that coincidentally turned into a random date with taemin ) that was left unredressed. she surmounted to the black heels and took a final scan of her dress of choice; a simple off-the-shoulder black dress that had tightly fitted around her physique, tendrils coiling at her ends as accessories adorned her slender digits. "don't worry, he loves you, we've already addressed that, now you just gotta ... wow him, woo him," her mini pep talk didn't help corner her anxiousness that was expressive all over her visage, though not wanting to keep him waiting, she opened her bedroom door, her eyes searching for his readily with a nervous simper. "hi."

@❛ naeun son。 "yes yes, youngha. i'm sure gunhee will help you with your speech -- do you have your shoes on? do you have what you wanted to bring? packed pjs? toothbrush?" he's stumbling over his own shoes as he tosses question after question to his younger brother, whom, was following close within his stride with confident (yet annoyed) "yep's" repetitively. "good, make sure to tie your shoelaces." his fingers fumble in attempt to tighten the tie around his neck just a bit more without looking sloppy, only to halt as his younger brother stubbornly stands ahead of him and points to his shoes. "i can't, you do it." "youngha, we're going to be late, just tie your shoes okay?" "i said i can't--" "how many times have i showed you? you just did it yesterday, please just tie the damn--" emitting a soft sigh at the sight of his watery gaze, taemin quickly bends forward to tie his brother's shoes, only to raise both hands to cup his cheeks. "i'm sorry, i shouldn't have been mean. i'm just nervous." smoothing his hair out of his face, he leans forward to press a kiss upon his forehead before straightening up. "it's okay, hyung! you can do it!" taemin leans in, attempting to straighten up his hair from its disheveled state before nodding at his reflection. "not bad. you're right buddy, i can do it." the male nods, teeth sinking into the flesh of his lower lip as he tugs on his suit coat. with the tips of his fingers curling around the expanse of his keys, he reaches down to grasp youngha's belongings before taking his hand. "ready?" he nods. "okay, let's go see noona and gunhee hyung."

arriving upon their destination a mere five minutes later (to which, her apartment wasn't even that far away, yet nerves definitely are apparent within the slow steps taemin began taking as youngha impatiently tugged upon his sleeve), his index and middle finger conjoin to gently knock twice upon the wooden door.

@❛ naeun son。 "it's alright, it happens. i got through it, surprisingly, so that's all that matters." taemin, if given the chance, could probably go on and on about his story if given the chance. especially if he's in this situation, where there's a lack of judgement and a presence of curiosity, the person completely intent on understand who /he/ was as a person. that feeling is also in the presence of naeun, and he's noting that perhaps it runs in the family. or, she's just done a /very/ good job raising gunhee. raising a brow as the young leans back once more, his free hand raises to gently rub upon the nape of his neck before releasing a softened chuckle. "alright then. here -" after nudging himself off of the bed, the male finds his wallet within his back pocket to pull out a twenty dollar bill to set upon the other's abdomen. "order food in tonight, if you'd like. or save it for a rainy day." now his hands dishevel the latter's locks with a growing simper before heading towards the door. "don't hesitate if you need anything." with that, he slips out and tugs the door shut behind him. walking back into the living room, taemin stops in place at the sight of naeun - indeed - munching upon the popsicle before releasing a chuckle. "you started it without me? rude. the beginning has one of the best action sequences in animation --" his arms extend upwards into that of a stretch, body soon relaxing upon the cushions of the couch with his head perched within her lap. "thanks for setting up all of the snacks, mm, it all looks so good."

@❛ taemin lee。 a sheepish grin made its way to that of gunhee's countenance at the unexpected compliment intended by the older male, undeniably curling his hand into that of a fist to give taemin a knuckle bump. he felt like the brother he never had. well wait, that was a lie. he felt like the brother he /used/ to have, and the one he wished that he grew up with. discussing personal 'male' things with naeun was definitely a point in time that he needed a brother, but not only that -- it was during times like these where he thought a mentor in his life was crucial, and as he gazed at taemin as he carefully spoke about his relationship with his sister and family, he thought that maybe ,,, taemin could be that for him. "i'm sorry that those people gave you a hard time, you were just trying your best and your parents just shamed your family name," gunhee frowned at the thought, soon making a grimace. "that's true, i'm glad you came to terms on that by your own and through the hardships you had to overcome". it made the latter all the more heroic in gunhee's eyes, definitely the man that he'd want his sister to have by his side. he leaned his back onto the mattress, while shaking his head. "i have an inkling that i sort of interrupted date night -- i have homework anyway, you can go ahead and head back to her. she's probably munching on the popsicle i put in the freezer". and sure she was, comfying herself on that of the couch cushion, letting the introduction of the incredibles two play.

@❛ naeun son。 the loud laugh that'd escaped from the latters' mouth cause a softened one of taemin's to follow suit, and there's a smile of triumph apparent amongst his tiers. he's glad, that in a time of a rough patch and insecurities, he's able to make him laugh. it's also the cause of a light epiphany, one where he realizes..... he love who he's become. that raising youngha has given him such an opportunity to learn how to be there for someone.. how to take care of someone. there's a heavy amount of fondness as he watches gunhee speak, following his movements as his head dips repetitively into that of a few nods. "and i mean -- don't tell your sister i said this -- but you beat up an upperclassman?" his tone dips into that of a whisper whilst leaning forward, acting as if the female were able to hear them from such a distance. "that's badass. you gotta give it to me." his hand clutches into a fist, holding it out to the other to bump with a growing simper. "exactly. that's the spirit. plus, it's really nice to have someone work through this with you. it's nice not being alone." the male nods, the tips of his fingers gliding over the thickened fabric of his jeans as a brow raises. "me?" he breathes out to say, 'here we go,' before emitting a low hum. "i was, yeah. naeun and i..... we're really alike, in a way. especially regarding family situations. my family has issues of their own, i took youngha when he was two and raised him on my own because the situation wasn't very good. i was -- 21? so it was my senior year of college. it wasn't necessarily bullying on the aspect of taking it upon myself to raise my brother, but that of my parent's wrong doings. what they've done, unfortunately, has carried onto my shoulder - as if i were the one that'd done them. so yeah, i was bullied. but by younger kids, aha. well, kids my age, too. the professor's weren't very fond of me either. but i guess that's the thing, right? you'll never be able to please everybody. the one's that you can, and stay by your side, are the one's that should matter the most." he's looking ahead, mindlessly rubbing upon his exposed ankle before raising one of his shoulders. "enough about me though -- you wanna come out with me? we can talk with her together, if you'd like."

@❛ taemin lee。 though gunhee took taemin as someone who didn't talk too much out of turn, someone that relayed information and responded accordingly in short terms but seeing how he was attempting to help him get into naeun's point of view, he found admiration in his prattle -- willing to understand both his older sister and him. eyes glued onto the latter in an ingenious manner, he realized as to why naeun would like him; he genuinely cared about her, and it was enough for him to care about gunhee also. he hadn't necessarily had anyone else to look after and give him advice other than his older sister, and it was a strange reassurance that built in his chest. he sighed, nodding his head. "i know, i let them win in that way, but she just does so much for me. she took care of me when she was sixteen, helping to put food on the table, even if there was no table!" a loud laugh escaped from his tiers, sufficiently ample for naeun to pause abruptly in place on her couch. a small smile crept onto her lips, looking down at her fiddled fingers. she could recognize that laugh anywhere and if she wasn't able to be the reason of it, she was glad that taemin was, that he was getting through to him effectively. panning to gunhee, he scratched his nape with an easy simper, voicing out, "i get it, really. i know that fighting them was stupid anyway, but in the moment, it seemed rational. i didn't mean to worry her more so, i just wanted to try to handle this on my own but i understand that confiding in her wouldn't hurt and that it'll help me mature if anything," his eyebrow cocked upwards as his attention turned towards the older once more. "what happened to you? if i could ask. you seem to really understand and it's just like ,,, did you get bullied too?"

[] IM SORRY FOR INTRUDING HAHA. DO WHAT U WANT NAEUNNN

[] OH GOD

// shE DOESN'T HAVE TO MIRROR SMH

[] MIRROR IT

[] LOOK AT HIM

[] ITS TAEMIN NOT ME

[] naeun how you gonna judge me for length when this straight up be novella-

@❛ naeun son。 "you can." taemin responds immediately, resting his own hands within his lap. "it may seem like you can't, but small things can go a long way." he's watching gunhee, observing, hoping that /at least/ it would be a reason that seemed somewhat rational. which it was, and the fury begins to build within his veins whilst his jaw clenches. considering how angry he was right now, he couldn't imagine how naeun's own younger brother felt. " hats." he's murmuring under his breath, eyes narrowing and his brows knitting together. "i mean, i completely understand why you'd -- start a fight with them, i don't blame you." he's beginning, tilting his head to the side as he releases a heavy sigh. "i'm sorry that you have to hear those kinds of things. but i think... this is something that you could talk to her about. i think she'd understand. but i think we both know how she feels about violence. she worries about you a lot, y'know. for more reasons than one. when you guys got into a fight, she was distraught. it's the little things, remember? i think she'd appreciate you standing up for her, and would be proud of you for standing up for yourself, but she wouldn't want you to fight over it. people like that anyway, they --" taemin sighs, remembering back to his own high school days when /he/ was the freak. "they're looking for a reaction, for you to be upset. that'll please them, and egg them on. so you fighting them, and getting in trouble with the school feeds into that. you need to show naeun that you're able to take care of yourself, take away her worries and let her entrust that you're able to be good. you're sixteen -- a grown man!" the male exclaims with a growing smile, moving an arm around his shoulders to gently pat upon his back. "i think this is a situation that you two should figure out together. don't take it upon yourself, she's always here for you. i know you think it might hurt her feelings, and it might, but i think you keeping it from her would do much more than hiding it away. you mean too much to her. and hey, there are always going to be people in this world that are like that, that have so many issues of their own that they aim to hurt for their own pleasure. it won't ever go away, as disappointing as it is. but after encounter and encounter, you learn that you'll learn about yourself, and you'll grow. i was in your shoes once, i get it."

@❛ taemin lee。 gunhee couldn't help himself but to shoot the other male yet another look at his prate of his older sister. sure, she's had boyfriends in the past, but they never stayed too long to bother gunhee, nonetheless gush about naeun in front of him. he clicked his tongue against the roof of his cavern and nodded to comply with his words. "yeah, it's sort of frustrating that i can't take care of her," he admitted, shifting his gaze down to his blanket that laid over the expanse of his bed. he shook his head and carefully chose his next set of sentences for the older one of them to understand his reasons. "in a way. they were talking about naeun … saying that she's a freak for being a psychic, that she got knocked up and had me, that she's a -" gunhee huffed, even hearing him say it from his own consciousness was disbelieving. "it's ridiculous."

@❛ naeun son。 "i know. i pointed out the same thing when we were at a party, she mentioned she'd watch over me but... i'd rather her have fun too. take some time off from caring for other people, you know? she deserves to be cared for just as much. maybe more." he's talking too much, a habit that he discovered that he'd picked up as he rambled to youngha once getting home. his gaze follows the younger male's movement, teeth sinking into the inside of his cheek. taemin can't help the surprised expression spreading upon his visage, because 1. he really didn't expect gunhee to open up to him, and 2. he started a fight? really? "what were they doing? were they bullying you?"

@❛ taemin lee。 the slight silence that blanketed the two had gunhee raise his head to peer over to taemin, catching his gaze towards his door. he felt relieved that even if he was unable to take care of his older sister, someone else was willing to take the challenge of her stubborn self. the thought had him smile to himself, just a small one though as he still held the cold towel to his cheek. "good. she tries to take care of everyone around her and forgets about herself," his tone lowered an octave, almost grimacing at the thought of burdening his older sister and thus he sat up, letting the soles of his feet graze above the floorboard of his bedroom. "i started a fight at school with these upperclassmen," he let his confession slip from the tip of his tongue and sighed as the scenes leading up the brawl replayed in his head, as well as the act of him throwing the first punch. "they deserved it, trust me."

@❛ naeun son。 taemin finds himself leaning upon the foot-board of the bed, one leg crossed over the other with his arms mirroring that same position. his brow raises upon the other's first question, though a look of slight amusement appears upon his visage. were they together? not quite. were they not together? not quite. "we...... something like that." he admits, turning his head to peer at the door he'd just previously entered - because naeun is in that direction. he can sense the light pitter patter of her feet, and his heart warms at the mere thought of her smile. "i think so." taemin responds, tilting his head to the side as he thinks back to her admittance of how he makes her feel. "i hope so." he clarifies, turning his attention back to the younger male with somewhat of a light smile. "there, i told you something. your turn. you can talk to me."

@❛ taemin lee。 she traipsed her way towards the kitchen pantry in search of some snacks, eyebrows forming a small frown at the thought of gunhee participating in violence - he was supposed to know how much she /hated/ it, she thought she engraved it into his head. her gaze fixated onto that of his door as it slowly shut, signifying taemin's presence in his room. before the younger could answer, taemin had already squeezed his way in, though he was going to accept his offer anyway. initially, gunhee's original plan was just to stay silent at any of his inquiries - that was until the mention of chanyeol's house party in which he tried downing alcohol, in which taemin covered his back from another string of lectures from naeun. "are you and my sister together now?" he mumbled, refusing to meet the older's eyes. he ran a rough hand through his hair and rested his back onto his bed to stare at the dainty ceiling, inspecting it as if that was the most concerning factor. "she looks happier nowadays. is that because of you?"

@❛ naeun son。 his eyes fleet closed to happily accept both kisses with a widening grin, only to press a hand against his chest dramatically moments later. "careful, you're gonna send me into cardiac arrest one day -- yes yes, okay, i'm going." the male waves his hand with a light chuckle, heading down the hallway until he reaches the same door that gunhee had gone through. he stares for a second, tips of his toes tapping upon the floor repetitively before reaching out with one hand to gently knock against the door. "gunhee? can i come in?" he barely awaits a response, guessing that it'd probably be 'no,' if he knew any teenage boy correctly. dipping his head in between the crack of the door and the door frame, he slips into the room moments later whilst nudging the door shut behind him. "hey." taemin begins, sauntering towards the edge of the bed. "what's going on? i know you don't want to talk about it but -- you can't come home looking like this and expect it to be ignored." his brow raises, teeth sinking into his lower lip. "plus, i never told naeun about the party incident. i think you owe me one."

@❛ taemin lee。 she relaxed in the sweet, almost burning warmth of his embrace, almost mind numbing to their situation that had taken place moments ago. she adored how he could make her forget all the pain and stressors she had in her life, how just with his voice, he was able to console her to no end. she needed that in life, she needed him. a cheeky smile was tugging at the ends of her roseate tiers as she tiptoed to plant a small kiss onto each corner of his lips in a teasing manner. "onwards you shall go, my strong soldier," she saluted at him with an inevitable laugh, nodding as she softly pushed him in the direction of their hallway. "you go be that brother he needs, i'll put on the movie and get some snacks prepared and everything, love."

@❛ naeun son。 taemin follows her gaze towards the door once more, pressing his lips into a thin line. the desperation radiates from the female, and he can tell how much she wanted - no, needed - to know what was going on. it was kind of a given, was it not? if there were anything going on with youngha, he'd need to know. so he understands. their entangled hands are raised, wrapping around her shoulders to pull her closer to him with a soft smile. "i could try, you might be right." he nods, his head tilted to the side as he emits a softened hum. "but before i go --" he tucks his chin out, head even tilted slightly to the side in order with a cheeky, boyish smile. "kiss? for the strength, y'know. gotta have strength, aha."

@❛ taemin lee。 "i -" her words seemingly fade though she musters a smile for the man before her with the much appreciated kiss to her shoulder, providing her with a sense of comfort that always seem to exude off from him. she reached to grasp onto his hand, lacing their fingers together gently as she glanced once more towards gunhee's door with a defeated sigh. "do you -- perhaps want to try talking to him again? maybe he thinks ,, only men understand his pain and i'm not, you know," she nudged his shoulder, in an attempt to bring her spirit up in a joke. she lifted her head to press a chaste kiss to the male's chin, seeking solace in that of a given, affectionate kiss as she applied a squeeze to his hand. "i'll give you another kiss if you agree".

@❛ naeun son。 "let us know if you need anything." he's calling out to the male as he follows him with his gaze, looking over his shoulder to him with his brows knitting together. "you don't have to thank me." his gaze shifts back to the female as the corners of his lips curl upwards. "i think he'll tell you when he's ready. i used to act like that, when i was his age." shifting to the side, he nudges his shoulder against her own. "it's just a matter of being ready to talk about it, not prying, y'know. but that's just what i'd say, you're the one in charge, so you should go about it how you believe would be fitting." leaning forward, he's pressing a kiss upon her shoulder. "he's lucky to have you."

@❛ taemin lee。 she watched as gunhee respectfully took the wrapped remedy, holding it against his bruise with a sigh. her eyes flickered back and forth towards taemin's and gunhee's, flecked with concern and worry as she reached for her brother's hand in hopes that it'd help him release somewhat tension, but she was wrong. he retracted his hand from her's and stood, still pressing the cold towel upon his countenance. "i'm alright. i'll be in my room". he sauntered his way through the confinements of both naeun and taemin, making a beeline towards his door and with that, the rough click was audible. she lifted her chin to stare at taemin with an empty gaze, speechless as to the plight that had taken place. "that was sweet, thank you."

@❛ naeun son。 he finds himself at a loss of words - mainly because he wasn't sure what to say. his head does, however, tilt to the side in order to see what'd gotten naeun so worried and when he sees it, his heart drops. if there's one thing that he see's within gunhee, it's himself. so he'll react in a way that he would wish others did within his situation. looking over his shoulder, taemin soon shifts towards the freezer, nudging through it in attempt to find a frozen bag of /something/. when he does, he surrounds it in a towel before returning to his previous stance - crouching down. his hand takes one of the others', placing the towel-wrapped, frozen object within his palm. "hold this against it. it'll help the swelling go down." he guides his hand up so that it's gently perched atop of the bruises, only to look at naeun then back to the younger male. "hey kid, if you tell us what's going on, we could help you. but we can't help you if we don't know." it's in a softer tone, teeth sinking within his lower tier before his brow raises and he continues. "who's do i have to kick? give me the name and i'll be on my merry way." it's all in attempt to add a comedic effect, and he's clearly joking.

@❛ taemin lee。 naeun was perturbed as to why the younger latter was ignoring the two, turning her head towards taemin as an apologetic expression for her brother's reaction. "i'm sorry, i don't know what's going on," she whispered. her heart began to drop as she alerted her attention towards gunhee once more, inching closer towards him. "did you walk home?" that was until she noticed the bruising upon his visage - her eyes widened and she was already crouching to reach his face. "what the hell happened? did you get into another fight?" he nudged away from her touch and mumbled under his breath. "nothing". forgetting her original plan with taemin, she found herself etching to scan his face once more. "you think this is nothing?"

[] teehee sorry, i know taemin can't do much here

@❛ naeun son。 "well, yes, it'll be good - it's always good, but i'm sleepy. i can't make any promises." he chuckles. his head tilts to the side as they're met with her younger brother, setting the female down as requested, with a brow raising. reaching out to nudge the door shut behind him, his tongue slips between his tiers as he softly clears his throat. "hey, kid. long time no see." he's advancing towards the couch, lips pursed. "what're you watching?"

@❛ chanyeol park。 [] LOL ITS OKAY, AND WE'LL JUST DROWN IT ITS ALRIGHT AHAHA