My dearest Kibum,

How many weeks has it been since I’ve left? I’ve lost count with all the excitement going on here! Your father and I have been talking a lot and spending so much time together, it’s as if we’ve never been apart. It’s so good to hear his voice after three years, he hasn’t changed at all! After discussing this many times, he has agreed to come home to us. Isn’t this great? We can be a family again! He says he is so sorry for what happened, and has forgiven you for being gay and completely accepts who you are now. We’ll be coming home in s few days; neither of us can wait to see you! I hope you haven’t destroyed the house while we were gone!

                                                                Love, Umma

The boys read the email several times, shocked by its contents. They were all thinking the same thing, but there was no need to say it. What kind of mother leaves her only child for a man that abandoned them because he’s ashamed of his son? None the less, she can’t even remember how long it’s been since she’s seen Key! She was so ready to take back her husband, without even talking to Key about it or how he felt. And who is Key’s father to say he ‘forgives’ Key for being homoual? Key did nothing wrong, it’s who he is; his father was the one who should be begging for forgiveness for not loving his son. And they’re coming back, to be a family again, as if nothing happened; and Key is suppose to just accept that happily.

Minho shut the laptop and put it back on Key’s desk, never wanting to read that email again. He glanced over at Key who was sitting against the headboard staring straight ahead blankly. They all wanted to console him, but what could they say? Nothing could be said to change the situation. This wasn’t a happy moment, not at all. How could his mother do this? It was just about as bad a betrayal as when she had left him alone. Who does that? What mother says she needs a break from her child and leaves to go find the man who abandoned them? The boys would never forgive Key’s parents for what they put their friend through, not even if Key himself forgave them. This was just wrong, plain unacceptable. They didn’t even begin to wander how Key was feeling about this, but they could see it was taking its toll. They had never seen him so…empty; not even when Jonghyun had hurt him.

Taemin crawled over to Key and hugged him and didn’t let go. He knew a hug wouldn’t make anything better, but Key looked so unhappy right now. They all wanted to take away whatever pain he was feeling and divide it between their selves. Although it was a school night, they all wordlessly knew that they were staying with Key; there was no way they’d leave him alone in a time like this. With the news of his parents returning, it was as if the drama from the past few weeks disappeared from their lives, and a whole lot more was coming their way. Maybe for the better, but mostly for the worse. And Key was never one to handle family issues too well.

For several hours the group sat together on Key’s bed in silence until it got late. Taemin was the first to fall asleep, closely followed by Onew and Minho. Key scooted off the bed and gave it to them for the night since they were being such good friends to him right now by being there. He covered them with a blanket and turned off the lights, and he and Jonghyun left the room to go