Stardust || seongjoong

4. Spilled Milk

Mingi watches brown droplets of coffee slowly plunk into his mug, the mug Hongjoong had gotten him in highschool.

It makes him smile. A cutsie girl running around under the cutsie sun with a cutsie kitten. Hongjoong gifted it around the first time he had suggested Mingi dye his hair red, red for fire, for confidence! he said. Plunk, plunk. And then Hongjoong had dyed it for him. He dyed it every time.

Yesterday, for Mingi, was off, and was that sense of not-quite-settled still present? Leaving bed was a desire for an hour before he actually did. But it's okay, he says, breath.

- - Ring.

Mingi walks to the front door and opens it for the nurse. A burst of air and sun enters his tired surroundings. "Good morning, Yunho-ssi."

"Good morning, Mingi! Did your parents make it safely?" Yunho slips off his tennis shoes to replace them with white crocks.

"Yes they did... Did you have an okay drive this morning, Yunho-ssi?" The older's lips curl the littlest bit as he replies, "Mhmm, I did, thank you. You know, Mingi, you can just call me hyung if you'd like."

"O-oh, okay." Mingi touches the tips of his fire hair, and now Yunho smiles. "Your hair is getting a little more faded; are you planning to dye it again or let it go back to natural?"

"I really like the red. Hongjoong and I have done it since highschool, and so he always dyed it for me... I'm not sure I can do it myself." Mingi's low laughs travel up the stairs, and Hongjoong smiles; they'll be up soon.

When Mingi looks back at the man in front of him, there is a sad tint to his eyes, a not-quite-as-bright smile on his lips.

"It's okay, though." Mingi looks into Yunho's level eyes, not wanting him to worry.

"Yes it is; you look good with any hair, I'm sure."

"Oh," Mingi laughs a little again, much quieter, "thank you. Well... Hongjoong hyung is upstairs."

"Wait Mingi!" There's a teasing glint to Yunho's voice, and the younger looks up. "You mean to tell me you didn't get Hongjoong-ssi up, to the bathroom, dressed, and downstairs all by yourself?? Ahh, what a shame. This means I have to do my job."

Crescents form from Mingi's eyes as a true smile enters his lips. "Ya! I'll help you, though, Yun- Hyung."

"I know, Mingi. The routine would be so convoluted without your help." Yunho motions for Mingi to go first up the stairs, but the fire-head just stood in place, looking at him. Yunho's quiet laugh, however, reminds Mingi of his surroundings, of his self, and how they really do need to go upstairs.

"Oh sorry, yes. Let's go."

Reaching Hongjoong's door, Mingi knocks to announce his nurse, and he thinks he hears his brother speaking, in aegyo, to... someone; something?

"Come in." Hongjoong invites, sounding a little more awake than usual. And curled up on the bed next to him is a cat.

"Ah Hongjoong-ssi! Cat came back?"

Mingi hears this call from beside him as Yunho walks to the bed and kneels as to gently pet the cat's black fur. This "Cat" doesn't seem to be the biggest fan of petting, however, since he soon jumps down from the bed and walks to sit in the hallway.

°°°

The next morning a new nurse comes, then San the next day, and San again.

Hongjoong and Mingi, with their parents under one roof, sleep and wake and sleep and wake.

Seonghwa comes at night to the window- always open- on four paws and covered in silken fur. And at night, Hongjoong tells him about his day.