Umma… Hongbin looked into the screen on his phone with tears in his eyes. It was Monday and Hongbin was home alone because everyone else chose to stay after school to study for their finals.

“Aigoo. I heard you had a nightmare the other day.” Mei cooed at her brother through the phone.

How?

“Taekwoon told me you were sleeping when he picked up the phone the other day and you only sleep during the day if you’ve had a nightmare, sweetie.” Mei gave Bin a sweet smile. “It’s been a while since you’ve had a nightmare. What happened?”

Taekwoonie hyung and I went out to eat the other day and the waitresses said some things that reminded me of those people. Ever since Hongbin started to live with Mei and Lyn, he never referred to his birth parents as his parents; they were always called “those people.”

Mei merely sighed from her side of the phone. “Lyn and I were worried something like this was going to happen. Are you okay?” Hongbin nodded. “Do you need anything?”

Hongbin shook his head before blushing and signing at his noona. Taekwoonie cuddled with me all day yesterday, so I feel a lot better.

Mei smirked at her adorable brother. “Oh really. Is there something you need to tell me, Hongbin?” Mei teased. She already knew they were dating despite never having been told. She could tell from the way Taekwoon was concerned on the phone and from the blush that dusted Hongbin’s cheeks a moment ago. “You know Lyn is going to treat him like a convict when she meets him now that you two are dating.”

Hongbin slumped his shoulders in a gesture of defeat. I know.

“ That reminds me. Are all six of you free in two weeks?” Hongbin thought for a moment about everyone’s upcoming schedule.

I believe so, N hyung is the last one to have exams and he takes them in exactly two weeks. Why?

“Well two weeks from tomorrow, I planned on taking the six of you out for a fun day. You get to choose where, of course. Lyn is coming and you’ll be able to meet my boyfriend.” It was Mei’s turn to blush. “Run it by everyone for me please.”

Ne, Umma. The two talked for a bit more before Hongbin hung up to prepare dinner fore his housemates. He made a lot of food because the other five boys needed plenty of energy to study for or practice for their finals. N and Leo also had interviews to attend for jobs at entertainment companies. Ken had long rehearsals for the musical he’s performing as his final and Hyuk took a lot of sciences this semester so he was burying himself in his textbooks for his exams.

Hongbin had just finished the last dish when the door opened and footsteps echoed through the house paired with four voices all talking at once. He didn’t have a chance to turn around and see if Taekwoon was home or not before he felt long arms wrapping around his waist and a soft voice was in his ear.

“They’re loud.” Taekwoon pecked Hongbin on the cheek, then took the food from the younger’s hands and moved to place it on the table.

“Oh! Our Hongbinnie cooked us dinner.” N shouted gratefully as he sat down and started eating before the others could join him. Dancing all day ensured that the eldest of the house would be starving by the time he got home. Jaehwan was right behind him because he was dancing and singing all day. Hongbin was the last to sit and he didn’t eat much. He wasn’t that hungry, but he knew he had to eat something to appease Leo. Once finished, he signed at Leo, who translated for everyone else.

“Hongbin wants to know how our days were.” He then stuffed more food into his mouth until he looked like a chipmunk with his puffy cheeks, which Hongbin thought was adorable.

“Exhausting.” The second maknae giggled silently as N, Ken, Ravi and Hyuk all said the same thing at the same time.

“I don’t know why I decided it would be a good idea to take a whole bunch of sciences at once. So much regret…” Hyuk hung his head.

“Our bodies are going to be so sore for the next two weeks with all the practice we have to do.” Ravi spoke for himself and N as they would be dancing for most of the day for the next two weeks in order for N to deliver a near perfect performance.

“I know what you mean. I need to memorize my lines, learn my dances, and I’m worried my voice may tire out from all the songs I have to sing.” Hongbin pouted at Ken’s words before moving to the kitchen, gesturing for them to continue speaking because he was still paying attention.

“Aren’t there supposed to be important people coming to see the play?” N asked, remembering that Ken said something about it before.

“Yeah, some people from Julliard will be there.”

“I thought that they would only try to recruit people who were in high school?” For the first time in days, Hyuk spoke to Jaehwan. Even if he was hurt, he wasn’t sure if he would want his hyung to leave for a school on the other side of the world.

“Typically they do, but sometimes they have people go to various schools of various levels around the world to observe what everyone is doing and to see if anyone seems to be an ‘unpolished diamond’ or something like that.” Ken refused to make eye contact with Hyuk as he spoke. “They usually don’t scout anyone, though. It’s more a way for them to keep up with what is going on internationally.”

Hongbin returned just as Ken finished explaining and placed a cup of tea with honey before his roommate and gave him a smile. When he looked over at his boyfriend, he saw that he was done eating, but had an almost pouty expression on his face. Bin was confused for a moment as to why Leo would have such an expression, but then guessed that it might be because he has been taking care of the others.

Smiling at how adorably jealous his boyfriend is, Hongbin moved sit in Leo’s lap and give him a kiss on the cheek. Taekwoonie. He has never signed Taekwoon’s name at him, so expected what Taekwoon signed at him.

What does that mean? This was the first thing Taekwoon learned to sign because he needs to say it so often. He had a slight blush dusting his face. It had not escaped his attention that the others were still in the room and all of them were currently looking his and Hongbin’s way.

Hongbin didn’t have his whiteboard, so he settled with grabbing Taekwoon’s hand and writing what he signed into his arm.

“That’s what my name looks like?” Hongbin nodded happily from his spot, only to freeze and blush furiously when N cleared his throat from the other end of the table.

“Is there something you two would like to share with the rest of us?” There were raised eyebrows on all four of their housemates’ faces.

“We’re dating.” Leo mumbled. If the others had not spent as much time with Leo as they had, his response would have gone unheard. Unfortunately, for Leo, that was not the case and his response was met with dropped jaws from Hyuken, a chuckle from Ravi, and squeals from N.

“Omo, omo! I KNEW you would like him Leo-ah!” Hakyeon was happily shouting and Hongbin buried his face in Leo’s neck, completely embarrassed.

“Calm down N-jumma! You’re embarrassing Hongbin hyung.” Hyuk snapped out of his shock and fussed at Hakyeon.

“Yah! Don’t get sassy with me maknae!” N turned and glared at the youngest. Ravi chuckled at the pair and redirected his attention to watch Hongbin both sign at Leo and write what he wanted to say in his arm. Leo sometimes signed back or he spoke softly.

“Yah. Hongbin just told me that Mei noona, his sister, wants to take us all out the day after Hakyeon’s last final. His other noona, Lyn, will be there too. He wants to know if you’ll all come.” Taekwoon didn’t raise his voice much but he got their attention.

“Really? Where would we be going?” Ravi inquired. Leo turned to Hongbin and they conversed a bit like they were a moment ago.

“Mei noona and Lyn-shi want to get to know us better and he hasn’t decided where we would go yet. He wants to get input from the rest of us.” Leo explained.

“I’m free, so I’ll be there.” Ravi agreed.

“Me too. It’ll be nice to have some fun after all my testing.” N was the second to join the party.

“I’ll be there.” Hyuk easily joined in. Everyone turned to look at Ken who seemed to be deep in thought.

“I’m in too. Sorry, I just had to remember which day that was, I have to meet with my teacher that week as well, but not that day, so WHOOO FUN DAY!!” Ken cheered.

~ ~ ~

The next day, Hongbin was preparing lunch for Taekwoon and him to share while he visited his campus. He carefully made Leo’s lunch look like a cat and made his own plain. It didn’t matter what his looked like, but he wanted Taekwoon’s to be special.

“Hyung, I’m going to the library now.” Hyuk spoke as he walked into the kitchen where Hongbin was working. “Are you going to be able to get to Leo hyung’s school on your own?”

Bin looked up from his work to nod at the younger.

“Alright. Just don’t forget your whiteboard. I’ll be back for dinner.” With that Hyuk was off to study.

Hongbin carefully packed up the food and left the house, making sure that everything was off and the door was locked. It wasn’t far to the university so Hongbin walked. The weather was warming up and the sun was shining, causing a smile on his face. When he arrived on campus, he realized that he didn’t know where he was going, so he pulled out his whiteboard that was in his bag. Leo told him which building and room he would be in, but he didn’t tell him how to get there. Hongbin was a bit hesitant to ask anyone for help after the restaurant episode. Luckily for him, he found a campus map and made it to the music building without help.

As usual, he bowed at people who bowed to him and smiled at everyone making quite a few of the female students blush. The closer he got tot the room the more nervous he got. He wasn’t sure if Taekwoon would be alone and he was a bit unsettled being in such a foreign environment. Right outside the door of the room, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves and quietly knocked on the door.

“Come in.” The voice was foreign and Hongbin frowned a bit before opening the door and poking his head in. It was a small recording studio. Taekwoon was sitting in the chair before a lot of buttons, someone he has never met before was sitting next to him and another unknown person was standing in the recording booth. “Can I help you?” The man sitting next to Hongbin asked.

Hongbin merely bowed before moving to Taekwoon, who stood up when he saw it was Hongbin, and hugging the elder. Smiling up at him, he signed. Taekwoonie hyung.

“You made it.” A small smile was given to the younger before he turned to his companions. “Seungho, Kiseop this is my boyfriend Hongbin. Hongbin these are my friends from class and are helping me with my final.” Bin’s eyes lit up and he bowed at them, writing on his whiteboard.

Hello. It’s nice to meet you both.

“It’s nice to meet you as well.” Kiseop didn’t think much of Hongbin not speaking and immediately replied.

“Yes. Nice to meet you.” Seungho was slower to reply and eyed Hongbin in a way that unnerved him.

“Binnie, we have a bit more to do before we can eat lunch. You can sit on the chair over there while you wait if you want to.” Leo spoke to him again. Hongbin smiled and obediently moved over to the chair and sat down quietly.

“Taekwoon-ah, I need to go work on another final now that I’ve finished my part. I’ll see you both later. Once again, it was nice to meet you Hongbin-shi.” Kiseop smiled at everyone before rushing out of the room.

“I’m going in.” Taekwoon made his way into the recording booth and Seungho returned to his seat in front of the window.

“Ready?” Seungho asked and received a thumb up in return. He then pressed the start button. The second Hongbin heard Leo’s voice, he was mesmerized. It was soft and beautiful and perfect. The world fell away as he was drawn into his boyfriend’s voice. As he watched the elder sing, he could see that this is what he is meant to do.

“Are you retarded or something?” Hongbin blinked rapidly at the question that brought him out of his fawning over Taekwoon. “I know you heard me. So are you too stupid to talk or something?”

The words struck Hongbin in his heart as they reminded him of his birth parents. They were cruel and his eyes started to water. He didn’t understand why everyone thought he was stupid. People who are mute or deaf or anything aren’t stupid. It just means that they’ve been injured or they were meant to bless the world in other ways that their ‘disability’ let them.

“Do not speak to my boyfriend like that.” Both men in the room whipped their heads towards the sound of the voice. Taekwoon was standing in the door to the recording booth with a glare that could kill aimed at Seungho. His voice was cold as ice. “There is nothing wrong with Hongbin and there never was. You will not disrespect him that way.”

“It’s not that big a deal. It was just a question.” Seungho murmured.

Leo narrowed his eyes even further before speaking in an icy voice with the edge of a sword. “I think it would be best if you left now.” Seungho looked as if he was going to protest, but the expression on Leo’s face had him quietly gathering his things and leaving.

Taekwoon pulled Hongbin into his arms once he was gone. “Are you okay Binnie?” Hongbin nodded and smiled up at Leo. What he just did reminded him of his adopted umma, so he knew that he chose a very special person to go out with.

“Are you going to have another nightmare tonight?” Leo remembered that the last time Hongbin had the expression he saw a few moments ago, he had a nightmare. He prayed that it would not be a repeat of that time. Hongbin crying was a great sin in his eyes and should never happen. He felt the younger shrug in his arms. The response was not what he was hoping for, but there was nothing he could do about it but sigh. “I’m hungry. Want to get something to eat?”

Hongbin shook his head before pulling away and moving to where he had laid his bag. He turned around holding the lunch bag towards Leo. Taekwoon merely smiled in response and gestured for Hongbin to come over to the little table against one of the walls in the room. Hongbin placed Leo’s box in front of him and bit his lip slightly out of shyness.

Taekwoon removed the top from the container and looked down at the food. Everything was still for a moment before Leo turned to Hongbin, amusement and affection dancing in his eyes. “Hongbin, why does my lunch box look like a cat?” Hongbin pointed at his boyfriend then the food, hoping to convey what he wanted.

“Are you saying I look like a cat?” Bin flashed his biggest, most dimpled smile before stuffing food into Leo’s mouth before he could protest further. Leo merely rolled his eyes and continued to eat; secretly elated at the adorableness that was his love. 

Literally me at this point. I'M BACK! Sorry about the long wait but I needed to pass my classes. And now that I have and I am on break...and update!....yay.........

If you follow me on twitter I know I said I would update by this weekend, but I ended up doing stuff Friday and Saturday and I don't update on Sundays SO! here it is. It isn't edited and it's kinda filler-ish, but I hope you like it. I don't think that there will be more than three more chapters, but we'll see. I have no idea when i will update next, but thank you to all you LOVELY, WONDERFUL people who have stayed with this story even though I .....

 THANK YOU!

I'm sure you're tired of me talking now, so imma go to sleep now. Leave me a comment....okay, bye.

(Dr. Spencer Reid because I love him and I love Criminal Minds!)

 (cuz I can)