They arrived at the building where Zhou Mi was working - a skyscraper, of course! - and the Chinaman didn't hesitate even once on his way through the main hall. When others greeted him, he would greet back, nothing else. Henry felt the strange glances he got and tried to stay as close to Zhou Mi as he could without running into the other. In the elevator - where else - Zhou Mi looked at him with raised eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

Henry shrugged as if it was nothing. "I should be, shouldn't I?"

"Yes, I guess that would be better."

"How many floors?"

"Five."

Five. That wasn't all that much, regarding Zhou Mi lived on the eleventh floor. But of course they weren't the only ones who took the elevator. Which meant that every floor in between got pressed, too. Henry already started to cling to the Chinaman, feeling that sickness already at just the thought of having to halt everywhere. Another guy entered the elevator the second the doors started to close. "Good morning, Zhou Mi-ah! It's good to see you like that again!"

A smile appeared on the Chinese man's lips. "Hyung! How are you? I haven't seen you in a while!"

"Of course not. Because I've been doing my job while you haven't."

"I was just asked to do Siwon's job. And you know that he's pretty nice."

Pretty nice...

"How have you been, lost in another world?" The other's tone was clearly teasing.

"Maybe better than you have been? How are things going with-"

"If you say that name aloud I am going to kill you!"

Zhou Mi laughed and it could have been a beautiful sound, if it hadn't been because of that other guy. They arrived at the first floor and some people got out, some got into the elevator. That guy stayed.

"Besides dance practise, do the boys have anything else to do?"

Zhou Mi shook his head. "No, not really. But tomorrow they will also have singing lessons and afterwards we will have to start practising for their next concert..."

"When will that be?"

"In two and a half months."

The other laughed. "They will be in their best shape until then. Trust me, their dancing is great already again! Taemin even seems to have practised while they were off..."

Now Zhou Mi laughed again. "Somehow I can imagine that when it's about him."

They arrived at the second floor. It was the same like on the first. Only that Henry started to get sick.

"And I bet Jonghyun has been singing in his holidays!" Zhou Mi added when the doors had closed. He didn't even seem to notice Henry...

"Yes, I think so, too! Do you already have an idea for the highlight of the evening?"

"Not quite. But I thought about a new song they could perferm as well... I know that two and a half months aren't a lot but for one song it should be enough, shouldn't it?"

"It should be... At least when they go at it with the same enthusiasm they have until now."

Zhou Mi nodded.

Henry had closed his eyes and only tried to concentrate on his breath, to keep it normal. But his legs felt like they would give in any moment. Why was this elevator so crowded?! Why couldn't it be as empty as the one at Zhou Mi's?

He had the feeling as if the air suddenly started to become less and his legs were giving in eventually while he felt his vision almost blackening.

"Henry!" Zhou Mi went down with him. "Henry, what is it?"

"His name's Henry?" That other voice. Then a short silence before the other spoke up again. "Henry-sshi, try to breathe normally. It's okay. We're almost there."

Henry shook his head. "We're... not..." So many people. And Zhou Mi had only been looking at that guy! Hadn't even noticed that he felt uncomfortable!

"Henry-sshi, can you see me?"

His eyes were open? He could see nothing. In his head everything was spinning.

"Hey! Try to breathe more slowly or you are going to pass out! C'mon, try it."

He didn't need the other's instructions that followed. He knew what to do! Damn, he was 20 years old!!!

"Henry, it's okay." Zhou Mi's voice. And his arm around his shoulders that slightly pressed him against the other's chest. That scent again... that scent that was unmistakably Zhou Mi's. It somehow helped him calm down. The other's hand was gently his arm.

"Zhou Mi... I wanna get out of here." Henry whispered.

"We're almost there, Henry. This was the fourth floor." Was? "C'mon, can you stand up again?"

Why couldn't Zhou Mi carry him again like he did that first time when they had gone to his place? Just because this was his work? Then he hated it!

Zhou Mi helped him stand up again but his legs still felt all wobbly. He just wanted to sit down in one corner like he had done that first time... But that was kinda impossibly with no corner even being free!

The doors opened again and that guy Zhou Mi had been talking with stepped out of the doors - and Zhou Mi guided him out, too. Why?! he thought in annoyance.

Besides his will to stand and walk properly, his steps were insecure and he had to use Zhou Mi for support.

After a short while of going, they reached a door through which Henry could quietly hear music. The other man winked once, then he opened the door. "Hey, you all practising already?"

"Eunhyuk!" Five screams were heard and that man laughed.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down! I found someone on my way whom you might like as well." It sounded like he was teasing the others that were in the room.

Zhou Mi smiled at Henry. "Are you okay?"

The Canadian nodded but still held on to the other's hand. Zhou Mi smiled at him and then led him into the room. He had been right, there were five boys, all younger than he was, at least they looked like that.

"Zhou Mi!!!!" They all screamed and came towards them, one of them even hugging the Chinaman. Henry backed away a little, feeling a little irritated by those guys.

The Chinaman just laughed. "Hey, calm down! Can I introduce someone to you all?" The boys nodded eagerly and Zhou Mi pulled a little at his hand, getting Henry back to his side. The younger looked down for a second, then he met five curious stares. "Boys, this is Henry. Henry, these are Minho, Key, Jonghyun, Taemin and Onew."

The one being introduced as Taemin - the one who had hugged Zhou Mi - took a step towards him and smiled brightly. "Hello, Henry-sshi!" he said and stretched a hand out for him.

"Hello," he replied and grasped the hand, shaking it. The others did the same, then the other man, Eunhyuk got their attention again. He asked them if they had done their warming up already and then started a dancing lesson with them. So, that was what he was doing? He was a teacher here? For the group Zhou Mi was managing?

After a little more than an hour - he knew because of the watch Zhou Mi wore - the Chinaman had to say goodbye because he had to go to a meeting in which things about this band would be discussed, as he said. Eunhyuk nodded and just continued teaching the boys, letting them go through a couple of songs which Henry could identify as theirs after some time.

After what felt like another hour, they made a break. All five boys lay on the ground, sweaty, when Zhou Mi entered the room again. He chuckled when he saw them. And he had something in his hand...

"No!" he said even before the other had revealed what that something was. He knew that object well enough after years of practising with it.

Zhou Mi smiled. "If you don't mind, then yes. I bet those boys would love you if you did that."

"No!" Henry said again, looking at the violin case in the other's hands.

One of the boys popped himself up onto his elbows. "What yes or no?" When Henry looked at him, he could identify him as Onew.

"Not 'yes or no', no!!!" he replied but Zhou Mi just smiled.

"My friend here can play the violin and he's pretty good at it."

Henry blushed at the compliment, but it also got the intrest from the other four boys. "Really?" Minho asked and sat up. Zhou Mi smiled and Henry diverted his eyes.

One of them, Taemin, still lay on his back while the others had all sat up by then. "Are you really as good as he says you are?" Jonghyun continued asking.

Henry kept on looking to the ground while Zhou Mi smiled. "Minnie loves him for his skills at the violin," he added.

That got an attention from the youngest. He got onto all fours and then crawled over to Henry. Everyone else just watched him. Then Taemin looked at him with puppy eyes. "Henry~!" He left the '-sshi' away, as the other noticed. "Can you please play something for us?" He blinked a couple of times pleadingly and Henry tried to back away. But that little boy already had him.

In the end, he gave in. "Okay, okay. I'll play something for you guys..." He got up and hurried to his boyfriend, sending him an offended look and a pout, then he took the violin case out of the other's hands and the older sat down together with the others, Taemin crawling back to them. 

Henry softly bowed over the chords and first tuned the instrument. Then he lowered the bow one last time and looked at the seven guys sitting in front of him, waiting for him to play. Taemin had his head in Key's lap while the other was over his hair, the rest was sitting normally, some with crossed legs, some kneeling in front of him. He took one last deep breath, then he lifted the violin and the bow and started with the melody Sungmin had picked for him on his birthday. The tunes worked perfectly by that day and a slight smile appeared on his lips while he concentrated on the instrument and the melody, not on the people in front of him.

When he had finished, only the clapping sounds the others made got him back into reality. He looked up from the violin and saw the other guys smiling. Especially Taemin seemed to be happy. "More, more, more!" he cheered and smiled brightly at him. The others nodded as well.

Henry bit his lip, then closed his eyes and started to play another melody. This melody wasn't planned anymore. It was just there. In his heart. And from there it now got the chance to break free and be heard. This melody was soft, caring. There wasn't anything harsh in it because he felt somehow calm. RIght then he didn't play to have a possibility to let out his feelings but to make others happy. In his judgement it sounded quite mundane but the others were still happy.

A couple of hours and a lot of practicing and some intermissions during which Henry was asked to play later, Sungmin suddenly stood in the door, first noticed by a squealing boy who, as he had learned, was the youngest among the whole band. "MINNIE!!!!!" Taemin screamed and ran to the door before any of the others even had time to react.

Sungmin laughed and spread his arms for Taemin when the little boy threw himself into the elder's arms. "Ew, Min-ah, you smell!"

Taemin giggled. "I've had practise today, what did you expect? But look who's here, look who's here! Zhou Mi-hyung's back and he brought Henry-hyung with him and Henry's totally cute and he can play the violin like a god!" He was about to say more when Sungmin started laughing. Henry merely looked to the ground, surely having turned a bright red. Zhou Mi placed an arm around his shoulders.

"But it's true, Henry's really fantastic! Hyung, you have to drag him here more often!" That was Key's voice. When Henry looked up, the diva among the ba