Come Morning Light

Three.

The scent of freshly cooked breakfast drifted toward his nose as he exited the bedroom he shared with Changkyun. He was excited to eat with his family. Saturday morning breakfast was the only time they all sat down together. During the week they were all busy with work or extracurricular activities.

Jooheon took a seat at the kitchen table. "Morning, dad."

His father smiled, eyes twinkling. "Morning."

"Honey bee," his mother called, holding a plate of rice. "Mind giving me a hand?"

Jooheon got up, pushing his chair back. He took some dishes from his mother and delivered them to the table. His mother gave him a warm smile and returned to the other dishes on the kitchen counter. On his left, Kihyun mixed a sauce in a small pot. He turned the knob on the stove to the right, increasing the temperature. Of all his brothers, Shownu and Kihyun were the only ones that took their mother's cooking lessons seriously. He rested his chin on his brother's shoulder, eyes fixed on the mixture in the pot.

"Oh? JooJoobee. You scared me," Kihyun said, startled. "Morning, did you sleep well?"

Jooheon sighed. He didn't know why Kihyun started to call him a different nickname than his family. He preferred Honeybee. Although the new nickname was odd, he smiled. He loved Kihyun, so he let him call him whatever he liked.

The sound of feet pattering against the floor caught his attention. He guessed his brothers were finally awake. He expected their peaceful Saturday to descend into chaos. Others would be annoyed by all the noise, but he didn't mind it. He liked all the noise. It was one of the many things he loved about his family.

"Min! Hey! Give me back my phone!" Changkyun shouted.

Kihyun shook his head. "Can't we have a quiet morning for once?"

Jooheon shook his head and left Kihyun's side. He traveled toward the kitchen entrance, ready to participate in teasing their brother Changkyun. As Minhyuk moved past him, he plucked the cellphone from his grasp. Minhyuk frowned, arms crossed. Jooheon gave him a dimpled grin and then looked at the phone screen. Before he could read the message, Hyunwoo removed the phone from his hands.

"Okay, the teasing is over," Hyunwoo said.

Hyunwoo glanced at the screen, smiled, and then handed the cellphone back to an annoyed Changkyun. Jooheon smiled, eyes focused on the amused look in Hyunwoo's eyes. He would wait till later to ask about what his brother had seen. Hyunwoo made eye contact with him and ruffled his hair as he walked past. Hyungwon arrived before Hoseok, rubbing at his sleepy eyes.

Once Hoseok entered the kitchen, they all started to eat. Hoseok waved a single chopstick in the air as he thanked his mother for the food. Soon they all thanked their mother and Kihyun for helping with breakfast. Hyunwoo leant forward. Jooheon tilted his head, curious.

"I'm sorry I didn't help out this morning," Hyunwoo said. "I overslept, but I will next time."

"Don't worry, dear," their mother said.

"Don't worry, hyung," Kihyun said. "Besides, everyone knows I cook a little better than you, so—"

Hyunwoo reclined in his seat, eyebrows raised. "Is that so? You cook better than me?"

Kihyun shrugged, pointing at the sauce and meat on his plate. "You are enjoying what I made, aren't you? Didn't you just take a second helping?"

Jooheon snorted at Kihyun's comment. His older brother was proud of his cooking skills. He couldn't deny how much his brother improved over the years. They used to run at the sight of Kihyun cooking in the kitchen, but times had changed. His new favorite dessert was something Kihyun whipped up from scratch one day. Their brother was a master chef.