Little Dreamies

Two by Two

"Why this car?" Haechan threw the basket in the backseat, opening the door and helping Jisung in even though the maknae didn't need help. Though technically Jisung isn't the maknae anymore since Ha-Yun was born.

"The vibe. Don't worry, I only rented it" Mark opened the drivers side and got in. The roof was completely off and there was only two rows. It was one of those old cars that are seen a lot in movies when someone is taking a road trip. Renjun got in the passengers seat, leaving the back for the other five. It was kind of a tight squeeze but they made it work. 

"Where are we going?" Chenle wondered, leaning forward. 

"The beach" Mark started driving and soon, they were at the beach. They had fun, chasing each other. Renjun painted the sunset hitting the water and then fell asleep and of course the others took this chance to bury him in sand. 

"Let's play volleyball!" Jisung grabbed the beach ball and tossed it to Jeno, who hit it back. They made up teams, Jisung along with Chenle and Haechan against Jaemin, Jeno and Mark. Renjun was the referee. Which really just meant that he yelled at whoever hit the ball too hard. soon they tired of the game after Mark's team won for the fourth time in a row. Jisung blamed it on Jeno being so tall that he could block the ball from getting over and no one argued with their baby brother. As it was getting dark, they settled down and got out some smores with marshmallows that had been melted beforehand. 

"This was fun. We should do this again sometime" Chenle didn't know it but he just told the future. The boys packed up after finishing their snacks and Mark drove them back. Most of the boys were tired out or asleep when they got back so getting the youngest two inside was a bit of a struggle, but the older boys managed. 

Four years later
Just as they had four years before, the seven brothers were gathered on the beach. They had played volleyball already and Renjun had painted another picture, this time one that he would not show to his brothers no matter how much they asked. But there was something different about this trip, Mark and Renjun seemed sadder. Like they were hiding something that was going to upset their brothers. 

"Why are we out here?" Haechan was getting a little tired of the secrecy. He wanted to know why Mark and Renjun suddenly dragged the rest of them out to the beach without warning. 

"Yeah. What are you two hiding?" Jaemin agreed with Haechan. He was tired of Mark and Renjun keeping secrets. The oldest two just looked at each other, gave the other a sad smile and stood up in front of their brothers. They stood up so straight with their arms by their side. Mark led Renjun in raising their hands to their hats in a perfect salute. Jaemin caught on first and his mouth dropped open, tears filling his eyes. Haechan and Jeno realized it a moment later and their reactions were almost the same. But Chenle and Jisung didn't know what their brothers meant until Jeno stood up and slowly took his older brothers' hats off. They had been wearing hats all day, refusing to take them off even in the heat. Jisung couldn't see his brothers faces, Jeno was blocking them from sight, until the tallest boy bent down and hugged Mark and Renjun. That was when Jisung saw it; their hair was gone. They had both gotten a buzzcut.

"no..." Chenle shook his head. He had known this was coming but he was still not prepared to actually see it right in front of him. 

"When...? When did that happen?" Haechan choked on his words, trying not to start crying. 

"Dad took us this morning. It was time" Renjun answered, feeling the cold breeze over his head. Chenle walked over and enveloped him in a hug. There had been a time when neither of them were sure if they would have to do this but now it was real. They were Korean citizens even if they had Chinese blood. 

"Dad knows?" Jisung tried to convince himself this was not real. It was Mark's turn to answer.

"We told him and eomma last week. They cried but they both understood that its our duty. And we'll be back" Mark answered. Renjun held his arms open for the rest of his brothers and they all took the opportunity.

"We'll be back, we promise. This isn't goodbye" Renjun answered. 

"When do you leave?" Jaemin looked up at the two of them, crying. He had tried not to but he couldn't help it. He hadn't cried since Jeno left for college. 

"We said goodbye to Jessica and Hee-Rin already so we're spending the night at home. We'll leave in the morning, probably before any of you are awake" Mark explained.

"You don't want us to go with you?" Jeno guessed. 

"No, I think it would be best if we just did this quietly. We're telling you all now so that you aren't taken by surprise when we leave but we're going alone, with dad. He's going to drive us and then come back after we're gone" Mark shook his head, putting an arm around Renjun. Another group hug was initiated, lasting longer than the first one. Once it ended, everyone headed home with heavy hearts. Just as Mark had said, when the younger boys woke up the next morning, Mark and Renjun were not there.

They had left for the military already. 

________________________
How are we feeling after this chapter? 

Mark-19
Renjun-18
Jeno-17
Haechan-16
Jaemin-15
Chenle-14
Jisung-13

Second part
Mark-23
Renjun-22
Jeno-21
Haechan-20
Jaemin-19
Chenle-18
Jisung-17