Aiden

Noah finally moved from where he stood near the sink and took a seat across the dining table.

Reo eyed him with a frown. "Why are you still in your running gear?"

Reaching out for a slice of toast, Noah said, "Haru's in the bathroom."

Reo smirked. "How considerate of you. You should have gone in first and made him late for work."

At this comment, Aiden chimed in. "Maybe we should find another apartment. One with at least two bathrooms."

"And six bedrooms?" Noah asked with raised brows. "That's not going to be easy to find."

Mason nodded in agreement. "It's going to be very expensive. Do we even need to move? We're doing fine living here, aren't we?"

Reo felt the need to add, "Rightly so. And can we actually afford to do that, anyway? I know we're far better off than we used to be, but you're the only one with a stable income. And besides, do you actually want to sell this apartment? It's Mom and Stepdad's legacy, you know. They worked really hard on the renovation to fit everyone in."

Aiden glanced around the open plan kitchen-dining-sitting area. This had been the first and only home their father, Michael Davis, and stepmother, Sana Ono, had bought for the whole family to live in after their marriage ten years ago.

He remembered the good old days when all six brothers used to sleep in the living room while both parents worked tirelessly renovating; knocking down walls, putting them up again, and then painting and decorating, which all had been done after their full-time jobs, from evening to the early hours of the morning and throughout the weekends. Once it had finally been completed six months later, the three-bedroom apartment had turned into a four-bedroom, large living room and an open plan kitchen-dining room apartment, where it was always noisy and lively.

At the time, apart from the master bedroom that their parents occupied, Aiden himself had shared a room with Haru while Noah shared with Reo and Mason with Isaac.

Thinking back to those days made Aiden's chest ache with nostalgia. Sharing a room with Haru had been so much fun. In winter when it had been too cold, little Haru would crawl into his bed and snuggle into his arms. Then when their parents passed away, Haru had refused to sleep in his own bed. Aiden had known the boy had been afraid to lose another member of his big family and had clung on to all of them, especially Aiden. Of course, Aiden himself had found having Haru close helped him ease the pain and sorrow he had felt during the difficult time.

He was the eldest of the family and had to be strong to support his younger siblings, since they had no relatives to speak of to rely on. Their dad, Michael Davis, and dead biological mother, Annie Davis, had both been only children. As for Reo and Haru, their only uncle was in Japan and therefore couldn't do much to help.

To be strong and offer his strength selflessly to his brothers at the age of twenty-one had been truly tiring. So, Aiden had secretly leaned on Haru for comfort in those small, dark hours, which had truly been a blessing.

That blessing didn't last long, however, because when Haru had turned fifteen years old, he announced that he'd turn the walk-in closet into his bedroom, any protestation from the brothers be damned.

It had been then that Aiden decided a rearrangement was necessary so the brothers could all have their own bedrooms. Hence, Aiden had turned the living room into his own sanctuary while Noah, Reo, Mason, and Isaac picked their desired bedrooms. Haru had still stubbornly wanted the walk-in closet as his bedroom even after Aiden suggested they share the living room since it was the largest, thinking space was the problem.

"There's no way I'm sharing a room with you, Aiden," Haru had said. "If you guys aren't going to help me take down the shelves, then that's fine. I'll do it by myself."

Of course, in the end, they all worked together and managed to turn the walk-in closet into a decent-sized room, which had just enough space to fit in a single bed, a study desk and chair, and a set of drawers for Haru's clothes.

This apartment had been their home for ten years now, and they had been through a lot while living in it, experiencing the good, the fun, and the sad, painful times. The thought of selling it just didn't sit right with any of them.

"No," Aiden said. "I don't want to sell it. It has too many memories." He chuckled. "Although I do have enough savings for a deposit, if we're going to buy a new apartment."

Reo said, "That savings is yours, Aiden. We have been leeching off you enough, already. Besides, it won't be long until some of us will be moving out."

Aiden frowned over this and said firmly, "Nobody is moving out anytime soon."

Shit! He knew he was acting unreasonable when it came to his brothers' parting, but he couldn't help himself. The thought of any one of them leaving just made him feel sick to his stomach.

Noah said, "Well, I certainly won't be moving out any time soon. Also, newly graduated here. About to start full-time work next week at one of the biggest gaming companies in New York. So technically, that's going to be two stable incomes."

Reo said, "Hmm... Does that mean we'll be able to afford a vacation soon?"

Noah said, "Maybe?"

It was then Isaac came in, whistling a happy tune. "Morning all bros," he greeted. "What's for breakfast? And what are you all chattin' about? I heard vacation? Where are we going? When? Can I bring my friends along?"

Mason said, "Breakfast is same old. Toast and scrambled eggs. No vacation just yet."

Rubbing his hands together, Isaac said, "Toast and scrambled eggs are good enough for me." He took a seat beside Aiden and started gathering his morning meal onto a large plate. "No vacation is fine, too."

He was just popping a forkful of creamy scrambled eggs into his mouth when Haru finally appeared.

Dressed in a pair of jeans and a light gray T-shirt, his dark hair wet from his recent shower, he looked fresh and alert.

He said, "I'm off now. See you guys later."

He was just turning around and about to leave again when Noah said, "Breakfast, Haru. Breakfast."

Aiden got up from his seat and came to stand behind him. "I'll drop you off. Now have some breakfast," he said, wrapping his hand around Haru's arm.