Fángzi (House)

Chapter 8

In the end, because of miscellaneous doubts and concerns, Sehun has joined Luhan to stay at Tao's place. Tao has prepared a guest room for Luhan and Sehun next to his room. He was not afraid of living alone, in fact he had thought about living alone right the moment he bought the house. But that was before everything happened. Everything terrible happened. He hoped that nothing will happen as long as there were other people in the house. He had hoped.

**

It was the second day of Luhan-Sehun-stay at his place. Sometimes Sehun will go back to his house to do some laundry and brought clean clothes for Luhan and himself. His step-brother was indeed a quiet person, he rarely talked when they were together watching television or conversing with Kim's couple next door. Tao was questioning everything about which part of Luhan that makes him gifted or as what Sehun said; special when he was just sitting there without talking and looking like in a deep thought. Tao just didn't know.

Since Tao was still in his days-off term; privilege of a CEO, it will be only Sehun who will wake up early in the morning and get ready to work. As Tao heard Sehun's Rolls Royce glided on the street, he stretched up and washed up before going downstairs.

Luhan must be sleeping.

He is not a good cook. He has learnt how to cook from his mother and several cooking lessons but cooking was really not his style. He chuckled as he remembered his dad's words on guys' cooking where Mr Huang once said that it's fine as long as the food is edible and better not to burn your food. He gave out cheeky smile as he remembered Kyungsoo's little secret about Kai burnt the kitchen when he was about to serve Kyungsoo breakfast in bed.

Tao flipped the omelet on pan before moving to stir ramen on the other stove. Sehun has told Tao that Luhan won't be having breakfast without omelet and Tao surely would not want to disappoint Luhan as he agreed to stay with him. Unexpectedly brought Sehun together.

As the omelet and ramen beautifully -as Tao loved to address- cooked and served on the table, he jogged to the microwave as it ding-ed and carefully took out cooked bacon and placed them on the plate at the center of his dining table.

Perfect!

He took off his apron before washing his hands and slowly walking upstairs. He was so hungry and his short mind was telling him to shout for Luhan from downstairs while he dig in. But because of Luhan was physically special plus he was a guest, Tao decided to call Luhan with honor.

Tao knocked the door twice and he didn't get any respond from inside. Luhan is still sleeping. He turned the door knob carefully not to wake Luhan up. He didn't worry about the faint creaked-sound because the noise that he made while cooking a while ago was more disturbing.

"Luhan?" Tao looked into the room from the small opening and he found Luhan was sitting facing the window, sunlight illuminated his beautiful face, glimmering as it reflected on his skin. Luhan heard someone called for him and turned his head to Tao's direction and smile.

"He wants you to move out"

**

Sehun slowly walked downstairs only to meet Tao with few cans of beer on the table in the living room. It was so obvious probably on every spectator's eyes to see that even though Tao's eyes were directed on the television screen, his soul wasn't there. Sehun sighed. It has been two days since Tao had asked them to stay together but nothing happened. It's not that Sehun wanted to but the faster that thing; anything happened, the faster the problem can be solved; or as what Sehun thought.

"Hey", Sehun placed his palm on the other's shoulder. It felt tense. "What are you thinking about?"

He heard the other sighed and fixing his sitting position. Tao grab another can of beer and pulling the cap. The hissing sound echoing the silent environment.

"Here", Tao handed the opened can to Sehun and Sehun accepted it before taking a sip. As he gulped down a good amount of alcohol, he sat on the couch across Tao and grabbed the remote control before switched off the television. He knew that it was rude for someone to turn off the television while other is watching, ruder when the person who watched is the host. But that's not the point when it came to Tao.

"Did he tell you?" Tao sat body leaned forward and elbows rested on his knees. Hands fiddling with the metal tab of the empty can. His breathing was slow with hint of low grunt together as he was still in shock state from the event this morning. He ran to his room next to Luhan and Sehun's room and cry with all his might before Luhan came in and patted his back, saying that they will do everything to get this problem settled. Before he realized, he had drenched Luhan's sweatshirt from his tears but good guy Luhan didn't say anything.

"About this morning? Yea", Sehun replied. Eyes occasionally checked up the stairs, afraid that Luhan woke up and got panicked to find he wasn't there on bed. The fact that Sehun drove for two hours to-and-fro from his workplace to his other workplace today tire him up. It was fine before Luhan decided to come and stay with him as he can stay at the office for God knows how long but now it changed. Sehun came back early everyday sometimes at two in the afternoon as he worried about his stepbrother wellbeing at home. Today wasn't exclusion either. He returned home (Tao's home) at three o'clock just to find Luhan sitting in the living room, talking with himself.

Luhan stopped talking as Sehun hugged his shoulder and that was when he knew.

*

"Is Luhan always like that?" Tao asked carefully. He knew that Luhan being special was a sensitive topic for either Luhan himself or Sehun. He felt the urge to know about Luhan and he hoped that Sehun let him to. "I mean, I know he was born blind but", Tao licked his lips. Not sure about the cause but he tried arranging the words so they would be less offensing, "Why didn't you repair, I mean do operation, surgery", he can see the sharp face of the other man getting tensed and eyes pitch black, "For his sight?"

Tao swear he can hear the owl hoo-hooed from outside as the tense environment pent up. He was about to ask for forgiveness before Sehun heaved a deep sigh and nodded.

"Our parents love Luhan so much. Even he was half-child of my father, the love for him was no different from me", Sehun started to open the story he kept to himself and Luhan to outsider. "Our parents tried everything in order to fix Luhan's sight but nothing worked. In fact, Luhan's condition got worsen every time he get eyes treatment; we didn't know the cause"

Tao listened to Sehun's heart pouring with such interest. The benefit for engaging in such deep conversation was he can learn more about the siblings, he can learn more about their life peak and trough.

"Luhan knew that he was gifted after our parents passed away. He told me once that our parents visited our house and they talked. I was seriously considering sending Luhan to mental center but thank god I didn't", Sehun chuckled. Left hand ruffled his blonde hair while the other hand casually shaking the can of beer, confirming the amount of liquid left. "It took quite some period to make me believe though. Poor Luhan"

Sehun stopped talking in few good seconds before added, "Luhan can't do anything about the house. He can feel, he can talk but he can't make it go away"