Disclaimer: After missing for God knows how long, I still own nothing. The long absence made me quite rusty and stupid so pardon for any grammar mistakes and whatnot.

…

"It's like coming home after a long trip.

That's what love is like. It's like coming home."

— Piper Chapman - What is love?

…

"He's awake."

Tyki almost sputtered his coffee.

He looked at his brother with wide-eyed eyes.

"He's what?"

"The young man is awake," his brother repeated with a hint of amusement on his voice. "And he's looking for you."

"Bullshit, Sheril."

"I'm telling the truth. The nurses said the first thing he did when he woke up this morning was to look for someone named 'Michael'."

Tyki couldn't move. He couldn't breathe either.

Obviously, his brother was toying with him. And why not? Sheril knew his little brother's daily escapades in the hospital.

"Seriously, you told him your English name?" Sheril said, smirking annoyingly. "Seriously?"

Tyki glared at Sheril as he pulled his coat at resting at the nearby chair. "Michael sounds more familiar," he said. It was not as if he hated his real name or anything.

"And Tyki is not?"

"I'm going now, Brother," he said, not answering the question and leaving the still smirking Sheril behind.

"Careful, Tyki. We don't want the boy falling for you, alright?"

Tyki just muttered a silent 'shut up' as he opened the door to their garage.

...

Tyki would have never thought the stranger whom he brought from the mountains was now wide awake.

He was looking at him with his half-lidded yet curious eyes. As if he knew him.

Did he know that he was the one who kept on talking to him while he's asleep?

Tyki looked at the doctor inside the room. The silent question he was dying to ask was shown on his face.

Does he remember anything?

Unfortunately, the doctor just shook his head.

He didn't know which nurse Sheril was referring to but he was itching to ask the entire hospital staff if what his freaky brother had said to him was true.

Did he really call his name?

Tyki looked at the pale young man on the bed again. "I'm Michael. I'm glad you're finally awake," he said, hopeful.

But the young man remained silent for the rest of his visit. His beautiful eyes never wandered too far away from him, though and Tyki couldn't help but fidget like a goddamn little girl in front of his first crush.

Maybe Sheril was just messing with him. Or maybe he was told wrong by the nurses. Or the nurses were just toying with him.

Even so, he was glad that the young man was finally awake.

It was when he was about to leave when he finally heard it. He looked back and he saw the young man staring at him again, his mouth slightly opened.

Tyki's eyes widened. His mouth quivered.

He heard it.

He really heard his name.

It was very faint but he definitely heard it.

Was it really possible?

Did the young man really hear him all those time he was patiently talking to him while he's asleep?

Was he aware that he was the one who rescued him from the mountains?

He had so many questions he wanted to be answered but he knew that awake as he was, the young man still needed time to recuperate properly given his injuries.

The questions would have to wait.

He would have to wait.

As Tyki exited the room, the faint voice who called his name a while ago rung persistently in his ears.

Michael.

Michael.

Well, who would have thought Sheril was really telling the truth?

...

"How's the patient?" Sheril asked Tyki. He was standing outside of the opened door of his room. It had only been a few minutes since Tyki arrived home from the hospital.

Tyki threw his jacket on the bed and sat in a swivel chair near his computer table. "He's fine."

"Did he talk to you?"

There was a pause before Tyki answered as he recalled the ash-colored eyes that were watching him a few hours ago. "...He called my name."

Astonishment passed on Sheril's face before he masked it with a joyful smirk again. "So she wasn't really kidding, huh."

Tyki looked at his brother. "Who?"

Sheril smirked. "The beautiful nurse who... never mind. And then? What happened next?"

Tyki almost rolled his eyes.

"Are you courting a nurse now? Really?"

Sheril's eyes widened for a second, "Courting?" he said, his deep voice a little higher than usual. "Heavens, no! She was flirting with me and – waitagoddamnminute. We are talking about you and the boy here–"

"He's not a boy."

"He's so small. He's obviously just a boy. No more than fifteen years old and –"

"He's at least eighteen years old."

"Hah. You're just guessing and we know it –"

"And you're just guessing, too."

Sheril raised his eyebrows. "Well, I guess we are just both guessing."

A few moments of silence between them before Tyki broke it off.

"He stared at me, Sheril," Tyki said, his head looking up on the ceiling.

This obviously got his brother's attention. "Did he talk to you?"

"He—" Tyki was torn between saying 'yes' and 'no'. Because the young man didn't really talk to him but then he called his name—twice—and… that was it. He didn't know what to say to his brother.

It was quite complicated.

"He just stared at me," he finally said, sighing.

"And you just stared at him, too?" Sheril said, exasperated. "You could have at least asked his name or where he came from or about what the heck happened to him–"

"The doctors tried asking him, alright? But he said couldn't remember anything about the accident. Or if it is really an accident. They said he couldn't even remember his name... his age... where he lived before," Tyki looked at his brother; his eyes were muddled with so many different emotions. "He doesn't know who he is, Sheril."

Sheril stopped, contemplating about the information he just heard.

"Amnesia, huh."

Tyki sighed, confirming Sheril's assumption.

"What are you going to do now?" Sheril asked his voice low.

Tyki looked at his brother. He knew what he was going to do was kind of weird but he already decided. And whether he liked it or not, his brother should also know about his plans. He was about to say it but Sheril just had to ruin the mood.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do you want a candy?"

Tyki just rolled his eyes.

Sheril was really a big idiot in a big body.

"But you're looking at me like you want something. Just like when we were just kids. Remember how you used to hold my hand whenever there was a thunder and—"

"SHUT UP!"

Sheril almost bursted into laughter. "I was just telling the truth, Bro!"

Tyki gritted his teeth in annoyance. That wasn't even the truth. Yeah, he was kind of afraid of thunder when he was still young but he never remembered holding his brother's hands whenever he was having an episode.

This fucking old man was fucking with him again.

And here he was, (slightly) worried what this big idiot was going to think if he told him he was planning on bringing home the young man for recuperation.

"Can we just talk seriously for a moment, please?"

Sheril faked a gasp, "What are you saying? I am always serious."

Tyki was so closed in banging his head on a nearby wall.

"I'm planning on bringing him home."

"Okay then. Bring him home."

Tyki almost rolled his eyes.

"I know you're going to say that. But listen to me first. I want to help him. I don't know how but I just couldn't leave him like that. I-I mean, I—" he stopped.

Tyki closed his mouth for like an eternity, trying to remember what he thought he just heard from his brother.

Did Sheril say what Tyki though he said?

He looked at him, the question he was dying to ask was clearly showing on his face.

Sheril looked amused. Again.

How he hated that expression. An amused Sheril always meant trouble.

And headaches.

"I said, okay. Bring him home," Sheril slowly said each word.

"Are you sure?" Tyki hesitantly asked.

"What, you think I am that inconsiderate?"

"You are always inconsiderate."

"Well, it never stopped you before." Sheril chuckled. "Besides, this is your house. You can do whatever you damn please in here. Bring a pet, bring a friend, bring a boyfriend—"

"HEY!"

"—I wouldn't care. Or I would—but only when I know it would be bad for you."

Tyki swallowed.

Something swelled inside of him. It had been so long since Tyki felt it. This was what it meant to have a family.

"Thanks, Sheril," he lowly said.

"Anytime, Bro. Now, when will we fetch your boyfriend?"

This was what it meant to have a brother—kind of a loose kind of brother, yes, but a brother nevertheless.

"One of these days, I promise you I will smack you so hard you're going to forget we are even related."

"Oh. That sounds very exciting. I love smacking! I didn't know you're into it, too, Bro."

A horrible cold suddenly enveloped Tyki's body as he stared at his brother's wiggling eyebrows. "Seriously, stop," he said fairly horrified as he walked away. "I couldn't even think for the life of me why I am still listening to you."

Sheril laughed his ass off at the retreating figure of his baby brother.

"You started it!"

Tyki did what he thought he should do.

He raised his middle finger.

…

The transfer was easier than Tyki expected. Since the young man had no memory whatsoever, Tyki was automatically given the right to be young lad's guardian. The hospital said that he could be taken home after a few weeks. Or at least until all lab tests were complete.

On the other hand, the staring got more intense. Funnily, Tyki knew deep down inside him that he didn't mind—at all. He just wished that the white haired lad would talk to him, too.

"Uhm, hi. I'm here again," he slowly said as he watched those gray orbs followed him as he walked towards the bed and sat at one of the chairs beside it. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

There was no reply.

But the young lad blinked.

Twice.

Tyki smiled, taking that as a 'yes'.

"The doctors said that you are doing great and uhm, you could be released later this week."

Tyki adjusted the chair he was sitting on and heaved a deep sigh.

"Uhm, I was thinking if you want to… uhm, I mean since you don't have anywhere to go, that is…"

Tyki looked down and stared at those ashened orbs staring directly at him, too.

It made him more scared than ever. He didn't want to admit it to Sheril but yes, he was afraid this young lad was going to reject his help.

But the doctors said that he would be released a few days earlier than expected so…

It was now or never.

Tyki had to try if he really wanted to help.

"Uh, do you want to come home with me?"

…

"That is Sheril," Tyki coughed as he pointed out the burly man standing not too far away from the white hairedd lad.

"Hi! I'm his brother!" Sheril shouted, his face was jovially shining as he bounced like a freaking ten-year-old boy who just seen his parents again after a long separation.

Tyki wanted to cover Neah's eyes.

That thing was definitely not good for his eyesight.

"I'm so glad we've finally met, Neah. My brother has been talking about you for weeks!"

Neah looked curious. This man… he had never seen him before and he looked so… fun. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something and Tyki unconsciously held his breath, itching to hear what he was going to say.

Well, it turned out that Neah was having quite a problem speaking. He could whisper words like, 'yes', 'no', 'hi', 'hello', but you really had to listen very well or wouldn't hear it. Since he woke up, he hadn't said anything longer than three words. The doctors didn't know exactly what was wrong with the white haired lad's vocal chords but they said it would be better after a few weeks. They just had to get him used to talking again.

"Hi," Neah said, his voice still kind of constrained.

Tyki swore he saw his brother's eyes twinkled upon hearing Neah's word.

"He's talking to me! He's so cute Tyki!"

Here we go again.

It also turned out that Sheril was an undiagnosed pervert and pedophile.

"Hands off!" Tyki growled as he swatted the big arms of his brother getting closer to Neah.

"I just want to hug him, Tyki! You're no fair!"

"I told you, it's Michael, you idiot. And you can't hug him."

"Whatever. And you're no fair! I wanna hug him!"

"You'll going to choke him to death, you buffoon!"

"I'll gonna be gentle, c'mon!"

"You officially sound like a pedo, Brother."

"I don't care. S'long I got to hug Neah."

"No one's hugging anyone, Sheril."

"You're no fair!"

"Stop acting like a kid, Sheril!"

"Then stop acting like a jealous lover, Michael!"

Tyki stopped, his jaw clenched and unclenched. He was about to smack the living daylights out of his idiot brother when he heard a low chuckle.

Neah, who was sitting on a wheelchair, was laughing.

Tyki knew he stopped breathing for a few seconds.

Sheril looked very much flabbergasted, too.

…

"You made me nostalgic
for a love that hasn't
even happened yet."

— Iain Thomas, I Wrote This For You

Author's notes: Wondering when Tyki/Michael decided to call Neah, Neah? Well, that would be included in the next chapter. So, see you next chapter! (If you are still interested in this story, that is…)

To you reading this: *bowing deeply* I know you want to wring my beautiful neck but please, hold your horses. I'm back to writing again and I am truly so sorry for the unscheduled hiatus. Hopefully, it won't happen again. Thank you so much for sticking around.