My Baker's Dozen

62

Chan's POV

"Seungkwan hyung, are you okay?" I knocked on his door and all of my other brothers stood just around the corner so they could hear what was going on without being seen. I had been designated to go talk to him after he had been given some alone time since apparently they all agreed no one would ever flip out on me. I tried to argue that Sam would be even better, but they said just because he's the baby doesn't mean anything.

"I'm coming in, hyung." My words were met with silence on the other end, and I slowly opened the door. He was sitting curled up in the furthest corner of his bed staring off into space as a few tears trickled down his face. I eased the door shut since I was afraid any sudden noises would startle him like a deer.

"Hey." I whispered gently as I made my way across the room and curled up next to him on his bed. I thought he would move away from me, but instead he leaned his head against my shoulder and just sat there. I let us stay in silence for a bit longer while I tried to figure out what I wanted to say, and wondered why they sent the eleven year old in here.

"What did she do to you, hyung?" I could feel him flinch a bit, so I put my left arm around him shoulders to try and provide some comfort.

"I thought she was an angel. I thought she was kind and sweet and amazing." He paused and I could feel some tears start to dampen my shirt.

"But she was bitter and strange and cruel. She accused me of so many awful things when all I wanted to do was talk. I've never heard worse things come out of some one's mouth." I knew that said a lot considering the bullying I've heard Minghao hyung have to step in on.

"Like what, hyung?" He paused and I could feel his shoulders start to shake as he buried himself into me more. It was like my fifteen year old hyung had shrunk before my eyes.

"At first she started yelling that I was just trying to get her in bed with me and that I was nothing but a self centered player. Then she started saying I was an abomination to the world and I should just go die because she heard the rumor forever ago that I was gay. All I wanted was to talk." I knew they were all listening outside the door. Which meant Hansol hyung was feeling extreme guilt for making Seungkwan go up to her, and someone was stopping Minghao hyung from hunting down this girl.

"But hyung, you're so far away from any of those things. She obviously is not worth your time or thought if she can't even learn for herself if the rumors are true or not. You're a gift to this world and we all know that." This is why almost none of us have friends in school or out of school. No one ever cares enough to learn who we are because they already think they know us from their parent's whisperings. The hyungs must have thought it was a grand idea to have Seungkwan hyung go and try to make friends, but I think they forgot about all of the sharks in the water.

"She doesn't even know me yet she knows the rumors, is that what everyone else only knows?"

"In my experience, yeah. That's all they know and all they care to know. Trust me when I say I know what I'm talking about. But that rumor started when you stood up for Hansol hyung, that's huge. Not everyone would look at their sibling being bullied and stand up for them. But that's what we do." I let that sink into Seungkwan hyung's mind, and I could feel him starting to calm down.

"Now do you want all of us to go storm this girl's house? Because I know Minghao hyung is ready to go and I would love to go exchange some words with her." He laughed a little bit, but we both knew that wasn't a joke. I was dead serious.

"I think I just want a group hug." Just to prove they had all been standing outside the door, all eleven of them piled in and tackled Seungkwan hyung and I.

"This is why we sent you in here."