Chapter 5: Fuller House

                To say Aiden was extremely nervous was an understatement. The impression Andy’s parents were to get of them was the most important thing in his mind. Not only that, but Aiden was worried about the impression that Andy was going to get of him now that they’ve met in person. Talking online is one thing, but meeting face to face and seeing exactly what the person they had been conversing with was actually stressful. What was he expecting about me? Is he disappointed?

                Aiden’s thoughts were shattered when Andy and his parents were inside and the door was shut behind them. So far, so good. They don’t look disgusted. He looked at Andy and gave him a smile, and felt a little relieved when he smiled back. “It’s...Well, it’s nice to finally meet you,” he said, putting his hand out for Andy to shake.

                “You too,” Andy replied. He took hold of Aiden’s extended hand and gave it a firm shake, and then let go. “Small world, huh? Online video game friends become college roommates!” He grinned, and took a look around, especially at the others that had been crowding over at the door to greet them.

 Aiden had to admit, Andy’s smile really helped break him out of the nervousness he had been feeling. Only slightly. “Definitely!” His next line of business: addressing the parents. “I’m glad you all made it alright. I’m very excited to have Andy as my roommate.”

Andy’s mother smiled in response to Aiden’s words. “We’re very happy that Andy is going to be with someone that he knows.” She also noticed the others, and observed them. She was pleased to find that none of them seemed to look like they could cause a lot of trouble.

Aiden glanced over at the others, half expecting them to take over their own introductions. When they didn’t speak up right away, he felt the need to jump in, but he was stopped by Andy’s father, who had spoken up before him.

“Don’t be shy,” he stated, giving them a grin. “We don’t bite. Names will suffice.”

Evan looked at Jin when Andy had first started to talk, a little taken aback by the fact that he didn’t sound like a southerner. Of course, he wasn’t very fond of stereotyping people, but he was expecting even a little bit of an accent. He then noticed that not only was Andy looking over at them, most probably expecting some sort of introduction from them, the parents were as well. His father was even asking them for their names. Seeing as no one else was making a move, he sighed quietly and took the lead. “I’m Evan,” he stated, and waved weakly.

Jin spoke next, a bit surprised that Evan had spoken first of the roommates. “I am Jin Kasey,” he said, offering a smile with his words. Andy seemed a bit more excited by the moment.

“Rhodon Hope!” Rhodon stated excitedly. His mood had been coasting on the fact that one of his good friends was going to be living with them, and he wasn’t going to let it die as they got in touch with their new roommate.

“I’m Hiroshi Nakamura.” Rapmon waved as well, though his enthusiasm wasn’t exactly glowing. He was beginning to feel the effects of his long flight, and he couldn’t help but think about what he was going to eat and when he would go to sleep while he was meeting the last roommate. It’s not that he didn’t care… it’s more like he was too worn out to have the proper attention span for something as important as this.

Damien, who hadn’t really been paying all that much attention while the whole thing was going on, suddenly realized that he was going to have to speak. There was a silence that followed Rapmon’s introduction, long enough to allow him to become even more nervous than he already was in the situation. The whole point of not paying attention in the first place was to keep his nerves in check. There were so many people! He looked up when Jin nudged his arm, indicating the silence was going on much too long. “S-sorry…I um...I’m Damien Kooke.”

 Andy’s smile never once faltered during all of the introductions. Aiden had given him as much background as he knew about their roommates, so he was excited to finally have faces, and voices, to match the personalities of the people he was going to be living with. And they all mostly seemed eager to welcome him into the home, as well! However, now that they had all given their names, it was his turn for introductions! “It’s nice to meet all of you. I’m Andy Cimabue (Chim-uh-boo-ay), and these are my parents, Simone Cimabue and Angie Cimabue.” He informed them as he gestured towards each.

“It’s nice to finally meet you in person.” Aiden smiled as he shook their hands. He was the one in charge of the house and had done a great deal of the work to getting his roommates all together, so it was only right for him to be the one to shake hands with them. “Do you all want to take a seat on the couch? I can get you drinks if you’re thirsty,” he suggested, trying his best to make his guests feel at home.

“Thank you for offering,” Angie stated. “But our flight was long and we haven’t eaten yet today. We were thinking of going to one of the local restaurants to get lunch. We’d like for you all to come along, and we have no problem with paying for everyone.”

Jin stared at the mother for a moment, surprised to be offered food in the first place, and he was quick to show his uncertainty on the matter just to keep things humble. “Uh… I don’t know, maybe--”

“Sure, we don’t mind. We’ve been excited to meet you all for a while now, so it would be nice to talk over a meal,” Evan jumped in with a smile of his own. Of course he wasn’t too thrilled about the social aspect of it all, and he was only trying to be nice. It wouldn’t be kind, or easy for that matter, to give up the offer of free food. Besides, what kind of college kid rejects food?? He looked back at Jin, and gave him a little smile of encouragement as if to say “it could be worse”. All of the local restaurants he could think of were relatively inexpensive, other than Boone Tavern, and they would be able to suggest a place since the Cimabue family had no familiarity with the area. “There’s a nice Italian-type restaurant on the strip by Boone Tavern. It’s called PapaLeno’s.”

“We did see that on our way over here,” Simone commented, looking at his wife. “I think that sounds like a great place to go. We can get a few pizzas, depending on the sizes.”

“Great idea,” Angie said with a smile and looked at Andy. “Does that sound okay with you, Andy? Did you see anything that you were interested in?” She didn’t want to make a final decision without his input, seeing as it was going to be something he should enjoy his first day in a new place.

“Nope. Pizza sounds okay to me. I can always try other places later on,” Andy stated, and looked to his roommates. “They probably know what’s best around here, anyway.” He was glad that a suggestion had been made, seeing as he knew his parents well enough to know they would have debated a while before a choice was made.

Aiden smiled and relaxed much more than he had been before. Everything was going well, and they were even going out to lunch with them now! “Do you need help bringing your things in?” he asked Andy enthusiastically. “We have plenty of manpower to get it done quicker!”

We have to move more things? Evan looked up at the ceiling and repressed a groan. If everything was going to work out between all of them, and somewhere within him he hoped it would, the moving in would be the one thing he would regret the most. He could have made an entire rant in his head about the century they live in, and why don’t we have hovercrafts yet?, but it seemed some of the others were moving in response to something he didn’t hear. He would save the rant for later.

Andy had agreed to have their help in moving his things inside, grateful to have so many “helpers” to assist him with his load. He didn’t know if he could consider all of them “friends” just yet, but he knew that would come in time. His housemates seemed friendly enough. “I don’t have a whole lot…Honestly, I only need one person to help me grab my other suitcase.”

“Just one?” Aiden repeated as he went ahead and followed his newest resident out of the home to retrieve his things from the rental car. Oh, right… I forgot they were on an airplane. Why do I always forget that people don’t really live around here? Aiden frowned at himself as he watched Andy unload his luggage from the car. “Hey, Andy… I noticed you don’t really have an accent. Are you originally from Texas?” He asked curiously as he reached over and grabbed the handle of one of the suitcases as well as one of his duffel bags.

“Originally? Yeah, but I’ve not lived there all my life. My father’s in the military, so we’ve sort of been a traveling family. I’ve lived so many places that I’ve lost count. Only two years ago or so did we actually start living in Texas again to take over the family farm my grandfather has owned for years.” Andy replied as he pulled out one more bag from the trunk, threw it over his shoulder, and then pulled a smaller suitcase behind him, “He may not look it now, but trust me, he’s a military man.” He laughed a little as he led the way back inside and held the door open for Aiden so he wouldn’t have any trouble entering the home.

Aiden had forgotten that Andy had previously told him that his father was in the military, and he felt guilty for forgetting… Hopefully Andy didn’t think he had forgotten because it wasn’t important! “Come on, I’ll show you to the room you’ll keep your things in for now.” He offered to Andy as he already walked the hallway to the master bedroom the entire group was staying in.

“Do you mind if we take him to lunch and meet the both of you there? I’ve found that in my experience, it is always very busy around this time so if you could reserve some seats upon arrival… I wouldn’t mind going with you so you don’t get lost.” Jin suggested. He was originally only going to ask if Andy could come with them, but then he realized that may be rude… So he offered himself up instead because he knew the others were very curious about their new housemate, just as he was.

Mrs. Cimabue watched as Andy and Aiden made their way down the hall until Jin posed his question, and a smile soon found its way to her lips in response, “I’m sure Andy would like that. There’s no need to come with us, though. I think we spotted the restaurant earlier, so we can find it ourselves.  I’m sure there won’t be a problem finding seats.” She remarked with a glance towards her husband who nodded in agreement. “Let Andy know that we’ll meet him there.” He asked of the boys before she her heel and left the home with Mr. Cimabue in tow.

                Once the two of them exited out the front door, Rhodon let out a loud sigh of relief as though their presence had been a complete struggle to endure, “Whew… I was so nervous being in front of them. Do you think they liked us? I’m not sure I can handle a lunch with them…” he remarked with a shake of his head as he placed his hands on his hips. He acted like an outgoing person, but inside there were many times he found himself to be more anxious than necessary in situations like this. Parents especially made him nervous… Rhodon was never certain how to act in front of them or what was considered unruly or unacceptable, and he most definitely did not know what to do when the parents suddenly broke out into arguments. He wasn’t nervous earlier because he could easily take his mind off of such things when they weren’t presently occurring, but when he was in their presence, he could feel the anxiety rising by the minute.

                “You’ll be fine. Besides, keep this in mind… if they don’t like you, they definitely won’t like me.” Rapmon joked as he nudged Rhodon’s arm with his elbow while he kept his hand in his pants’ pocket. He had never met anyone as cheerful as Rhodon; he was literally the ray of golden sun that pierced through anyone’s clouds of sadness. Rapmon had come to know him over the past semester of school, and he was aware of his tamed version of himself with first-meeting acquaintances. Rhodon didn’t fake interest in anyone because he was one of those rare honest individuals, but he did change, if only slightly, over the period of a few days until he was adjusted to people around him. Rapmon saw him as an exponential curve… The first day he showed only part of his cheerful side, but as the curve continued, his happiness, hyperness, and craziness increased over time until he leveled off to his true self.

                “There’s no need to be nervous. Andy’s already given me his word that he’ll be staying here for the year, and he can’t really change it now because the school year starts next week. So even if his parents didn’t like us, he’d be staying with us.” Aiden informed them with a smile upon joining the group with Andy, though he still hoped they would approve. He didn’t want to be disliked by anyone, especially relatives of his friends.

                “Aiden… sometimes parents just make people nervous.” Evan remarked with a yawn, simply to suggest to his housemate that it probably wasn’t because Andy’s living arrangement may be on the line that Rhodon was so nervous. He was sure that everyone here was aware Andy had a secure spot in the house.

                “I’m sorry if my parents make you feel uncomfortable. They can be a handful, but I hope you can eat a meal with them without any concerns.” Andy chimed in with uncertainty lacing his voice. He was so eager to become friends with all six of them, and he hoped to start befriending them over lunch… But what if they were too nervous to even hold a conversation with him?

                “Ah, no, that’s not it. I mean, it’s just how I am. It’s not your parents specifically that make me nervous…” Rhodon assured him, suddenly feeling guilty now that he was aware Andy had overheard them. He didn’t mean to be so negative about the matter, but it was difficult to control anxiety…

                “Well… I’m sure we’ll become more comfortable with your parents in no time. We should leave so that we don’t keep them waiting.” Jin remarked with a confident smile. He wasn’t surprised that so many of them felt awkward in such a situation, but he himself was as comfortable as can be. He had had enough social experiences to leave little room for interactions that cause anxiety. He did notice that of all five of the others, Rapmon was the only one that didn’t seem awkward and nervous, which was not how he had presented himself to his fellow housemates. This indicated to him that Rapmon was more comfortable with adults than others his age. Interesting…

                With Andy feeling more assured about the situation, the group left for the restaurant on foot, speaking back and forth as they began their walk. Evan was one of the least enthusiastic of them all, considering the amount of work he was having to do to reach Papaleno’s. Sure, it was free food, but did they really have to walk to get it? Ugh… As he lifted his green eyes from the sidewalk pavement and glanced left and right to observe his surroundings, he was reminded of the chase he was involved in with Damien the day before, and his mood became even more sour than before. He quickly checked to make sure Damien remained with the group, and as soon as his eyes fell upon that familiar backpack that was carried over Damien’s shoulders, he allowed himself to ease the tension in his body that he wasn’t aware of in the first place. He was right in front of him, walking alongside Jin, and hopefully that was where he would remain for the entire walk.

                With a pep in his step at the front of the group, Aiden turned to face them to finally pose a question he was practically dying to ask now that everyone was together. “Since we are going to be living together, I think it’s important to give some information about ourselves, especially to Andy. I don’t think we’ve addressed our ages yet, so I’ll go ahead and start! I am 18 years old.”

                “... Oh, me next?” Rhodon asked after a moment of silence, having assumed that the Chim Chim guy beside him would be next. “Uh, I’m… Geez, how can I forget something like this…” he laughed at himself as he ruffled his own hair with a tinge of embarrassment evident in his expression, “Ah! I’m 19, sorry. I was just thinking of something else…”

                Andy smiled at Rhodon’s response and even joined him in laughing at his mistake. To ensure that he didn’t think he was laughing at his momentarily broken memory, he tagged a comment along, “Don’t worry, I’m sure it happens to everyone.” He wanted to try and lessen Rhodon’s embarrassment before he addressed Aiden’s question. “I’m 18 years old.”

                “What? You’re 18?” Rapmon was surprised by Andy’s age, expecting him to be perhaps a year younger than that due to his facial structure. For an 18-year-old, Andy had such baby cheeks! Well, looks most certainly weren’t everything. “Interesting… I’m 19, but I’ll be 20 in September.”

                Jin listened intently to the others’ answers simply out of habit of gaining information, even though he was already aware of most of their ages. Once Rapmon finished, he took no time to give his answer, “I’m 21 years old.” He offered a smile and then looked to his right to await Damien’s answer.

                Damien was not aware of how much older Jin was compared to him, and considering the others were close together in age, he felt as though he was in quite the minority here… Was it not normal for people his age to go to college? He didn’t mean to keep everyone waiting for an answer for so long, but he was trying to decide whether or not he should actually tell them his real age… He didn’t want to be left out, and he didn’t want to be singled out as someone not worthy of befriending because of their age difference. And with this in mind, he spoke up quietly as he clasped his backpack straps in his hands as he usually did when he was nervous. “I’m 18.” His eyes only looked up to exchange glances with Andy for the length of those two words before he returned his glance to his feet. He had to make eye contact to try and show confidence in his answer, and thankfully with how nervous he had been thus far with the rest of the group, it wasn’t as suspicious as one might think.

                Evan walked in the back of the group and was the last to announce his age, but he was too busy thinking about Damien’s age! Was he really 18? There was no way he was that old! He could see Andy being 18, even with his chubby cheeks, but Damien? No way… He had many younger siblings, and he was positive he could tell whether or not someone could pass as an 18-year-old. Or… he was almost positive he could. Evan was beginning to question how certain he was that Damien wasn’t 18, but for now, he should probably answer the question. “I’m 20 years old… and Damien, did you say you were 18?” He received a quick nod and only a split-second of eye contact from him in response. Somehow… he still didn’t believe him, and he was sure Jin must be contemplating the truth as well.

                Aiden was the only one who actually knew Damien’s true age, and he was surprised when Damien claimed to be older. He was going to say something until he realized the probable reason as to why he lied about his age, and he decided to let it be. Why do people lie about the age? It’s always to participate in something… If Damien felt that lying about his age would allow him to participate in the group better, then he felt no need to correct him.  

                Andy was excited to be a part of a household with varying ages and personalities, and most of all, he was eager to become a part of this community. “So Aiden’s told me a lot about Berea and how he feels about the city… What do you guys think about Berea?” He asked with excitement and curiosity in his voice.

                A moment of silence ensued as the housemates looked from one to the other, uncertain as to who would be answering Andy’s question first. “I don’t know about everyone else, but… I like it. There’s not much to do around here, but we wouldn’t have enough time to explore the city even if there was more to do. This college is tough, but the key is not to worry.” Rhodon spoke up with a smile of encouragement. “It’s a beautiful campus, too. It’s great for lazing around in the sun.” he grinned.

                Jin stuffed his hands into his pants’ pockets and laughed slightly as he nodded in agreement with Rhodon, “He’s right. With everything this college asks of you, there isn’t much time to place towards activities outside school. That’s why I only set a certain amount of time aside for homework. It’s important to do well in class, but you shouldn’t spend all of your time working on assignments.” He remarked with a superiority about him. He really seemed to know what he was talking about, and being a junior, he definitely had the experience to justify his decision in only giving homework a certain allotted time.

                Rapmon didn’t seem to agree with the two that spoke before him. Well… not completely anyways. “It’s true that Berea assigns a lot of homework, but they’re making it sound like prison. Just go out and have fun and put the time into the assignments when necessary. Don’t take more than an hour on homework though. I’ve gotten by that way.” He said, simply to put his two cents in. He always made amazing scores, and he hardly put any work into his classes. When he didn’t understand classes, he’d study until he did, but that didn’t usually take much.

                Evan was uncertain of what to say at first… There were many times he couldn’t stand being here at this college, but he was also attached to it in a way. “Yeah, it’s an alright campus that throws a bunch of unnecessary work at you. But, you’re hardly paying anything for it, so… can’t complain too much I guess.” He remarked with a shrug when Andy looked to him for his answer. He was grateful that Andy was showing himself to be someone who allows everyone to have a voice, which was definitely an important quality to have, in his opinion.

                Andy could feel anxiety build up in his stomach as he listened to all of their comments, and he became quite conflicted by his feelings. He was worried about how studies would be, especially alongside the work he would be required to participate in on campus. At the same time, they all seemed to have found a way to cope with it, and some even liked the campus, so he hoped he would find himself in the same situation earlier on in the semester.

                At last, the group reached the restaurant and filed into the entrance, each of them glancing this way and that for Andy’s parents. It wasn’t long before they were beckoned to the far right of the restaurant where two tables were placed beside each other longways in order to fit the entire group. As they made their way in that direction, Rapmon tripped on the small step ramp he had failed to notice, but thankfully, he made it to the table in one piece. They were informed by Mrs. Cimabue that they ordered 5 pizzas, 3 pepperoni and 2 cheese. Each of the boys were given a cup and hurried along to the drink station to fill them with their preferred drinks. They had to maneuver around many individuals due to the lunch rush hour, and there was even a line for the drinks!

                Damien, who stood in the back of the line, was definitely feeling jittery due to all of this excitement buzzing around him. Everything he was seeing was exciting yet frightening at the same time… He completely spaced out as he waited in line because he was so occupied comparing what he was seeing to his home in England. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he was only slightly pushed forward by whoever was behind him. When he turned to see who had done so and why, he was shocked to see a red-haired girl so close. At the sight of her, his expression looked panicked, and he he immediately stumbled backwards, accidentally stepping on Rapmon’s heel as he did so. Quickly he braced himself with Rapmon’s help and was quick to cut in front of him as though it was vital to his life to be separated from her. That was a girl! A girl! She was so close! Why?!

                “What the--? Damien, what’s going on?” Rapmon asked instantly as he helped the boy try and regain himself and allowed him in front of him in the line. He looked pale and frightened! What could have scared him so bad?? “You alright?” He saw Damien look over his shoulder to look around him for only an instant before immediately turning back around only for him to face Rhodon, who was now questioning him. Rapmon had accidentally pushed him when his heel was stepped on, so naturally he was brought into it.

                “What’d you do? Show him your face?” Rhodon laughed at Rapmon jokingly once he noticed the look on Damien’s face. Oh… maybe it wasn’t the time to be joking, “Ah, sorry. What’s bothering you?” He asked as he cleared his throat and changed his demeanor altogether to acknowledge that the situation might be serious.

                “My face? What’s wrong with my face? Have you looked at yours lately? You know you bare a close resemblance to a horse, right?” Rapmon retorted in reference to Rhodon’s long facial structure, exchanging one insult for another. Unlike Rhodon, his facial expression showed no sign of joking, even though that was exactly what he was doing.

                “This guy, I swear..” Rhodon shook his head as a grin came across his face. He and Rapmon joked around like this quite often, so he didn’t mind the insults at all! Again, he had to shake off the fun interaction he was having with his friend in order to address whatever Damien was dealing with. Before he could ask again, though, another girl passed by and had to squeeze past them to return to her seat, and poor Damien had to resort to pressing his small body as close to the counter as possible while he simultaneously pulled Rhodon slightly in front of him to use him as a human shield. Of course Damien had encountered the opposite several times in his life, but that didn’t change the fact that he wanted nothing to do with them in close proximity. He’d rather just get to know them by watching from afar rather than being forced into a one-on-one kind of situation.

                “Whoa, hey, what’re you--” Rhodon cut himself off when he realized that Damien was only moving him in order to place some distance between himself and the passing girl, and he couldn’t help but grin at the thought. He was definitely tempted to laugh, but he didn’t want to embarrass Damien when he didn’t know him well enough to do so. Maybe he’d about it in the future, but for now, he probably should keep to himself on the matter. For the most part. Once the girl was out of sight, he turned to face Damien, whose deer-in-the-headlights expression reflected how he felt in the situation, “What’s that look? Haven’t you ever been around girls before?” He just enough before coming into eye contact with Evan, who had just finished pouring Dr. Pepper into his cup and noticed that Rhodon was no longer right behind him.

                “What’s the hold up?” Evan asked as he gestured for Rhodon to hurry up and get his drink. What was he grinning about? He didn’t understand why he was making everyone else wait behind him, considering this was quite the busy hour. He had heard some of the conversation he had held with Rapmon and even heard some of the commotion behind him, but he assumed they were just goofing off, which could be done in another time and place. Man, he felt like he was watching his siblings…

                “Right, sorry.” Rhodon apologized, understand that Evan’s gesture basically meant that he should get his drink and get out of the way. He didn’t mean to keep people waiting, but it was more Damien’s fault for holding everything up! Quickly, he pressed his cup against the lever that released the water, and once his cup was filled, he moved out of the way for Damien to fill his cup with water as well. As Rapmon grabbed himself a coke, Rhodon walked alongside Damien to lead him up the ramp to the main seating area where the rest of the group was, “You know, I don’t blame you for freaking out like that. The female species really can be quite terrifying.” He laughed a little as he sat down on the opposite end of the table from the parents. He knew they needed to be friendly with the parents, but he’d rather just do that from a distance to ease his nerves.

                Damien could feel heat rising into his cheeks as the embarrassment inside him grew. He couldn’t help that he was too shy for so many situations, but he wasn’t afraid of girls! Not really… Quietly, he sat down beside Rhodon and took a sip of his water as he watched Jin and Andy sit on either side of the parents. Aiden took a seat beside Andy, and Rapmon sat between Aiden and Rhodon, leaving the seat between Damien and Jin wide open for Evan to sit at. Damien watched Evan sit down in the corner of his eyes and nervously looked away when he was almost caught staring.

                “Damien, have I told you about how Berea doesn’t do background checks? I have, haven’t I? I think it’s great that we-- I mean criminals are given second chances.” Evan remarked without even looking his way. He couldn’t resist messing with him while he was still intimidated by him. He took a gulp of his Dr. Pepper not long after the question was posed to the poor boy, but his eyes soon drifted over to Jin when he realized the oldest was mentally throwing daggers at him, “...What?”

                Jin was so tempted to give Evan a good smack against the back of his head to knock some sense into him, but he kept his professionalism and instead scolded him in a whisper, “Stop telling him lies and putting things into his head. He’s got enough to worry about.”

                Evan pouted in response and again raised his glass to his lips, “Who says they're lies?” He then took a few more gulps and placed his cup back down, not daring to look in Damien’s direction. He knew the kid was at least a little concerned about his comments, and he would probably laugh if he saw his face.

                Sure enough, Damien’s wide eyes spoke for him. Was Evan really a criminal? Or, as Jin was saying, was he only lying? He couldn’t tell! But when he thought about it, after his experience with Evan last night, he was doubting that Evan was a criminal… He had somehow felt comforted and more at ease from his presence last night, so he wasn’t so gullible this time. In fact, he hoped that making a comment on the matter would give him the correct answer in return. So, he gathered the courage up inside of him to speak up and leaned forward to look over at Jin because Evan was in the way, “It’s all right Mr. Kasey. I know he’s just joking.” He assured him with as much confidence as he could muster. He didn’t call Jin by his first name because he had always been told that it was disrespectful to call someone by their first name if they were older.

                Evan was taken aback by Damien’s reaction. He had only just chased down Damien the day before, and yet this shy, gullible, and socially awkward kid was already beginning to adapt to him. He simply didn’t expect him to recognize his joking ways this soon, and he definitely didn’t think he would speak up in front of him on the matter. A grin found its way across his lips as his eyes fell upon Damien, “You know, you learn pretty quick, kid, I’ll give you that.”

                Rhodon allowed a laugh to escape his lips in response to Damien and Evan, also surprised by the fact that Damien didn’t take the comments as seriously as before. He just couldn’t help but find the whole situation funny! And the name Damien called Jin by just made it even better! “Mr. Kasey? Damien, you can call him Jin; he’s not as adult as you might think he is.” He laughed as he tried not to choke on the water he had been sipping.

                “I’m not entirely sure if that was meant to be an insult or not.” Jin chuckled as he cocked his head to the side at Rhodon’s comment, trying to figure out whether or not he should be insulted. He was definitely an adult! But… was he an /adult/? He then turned to look at Damien with an assuring smile, “He’s right, though. You don’t need to call me by my last name or Mr. Honestly I’m not so adjusted to the American last name I adopted because I don’t use it much…”

                “Well, if you don’t want to be called that, then what would you rather be called by those of us who are younger? I mean… I hear you’re 21 years old. Do we really call you by your first name if you’re our elder?” Andy pitched in, trying to figure out this name thing for himself. His parents seemed to be discussing a bit of business amongst themselves, so he didn’t care to be quite as involved with them as he did the other housemates.

                Jin listened to Andy for a moment as he crossed his arms with thought and leaned back in his chair. He didn’t quite like the sound of formalities in America, at least for his name. It just sounded weird coming from others who were close to his age. However, an idea soon popped into his head, and he glanced around the table to be able to catch any of their answers, “Are any of you taking a Korean language class this semester?”

                Each of the roommates exchanged glances as a sign of slight confusion, but each of them either voiced their response or used their body language to do so. The entire group gave a resounding ‘yes’! Jin’s eyes gleamed with delight, and he immediately smiled from ear to ear at the news. Even they seemed to be surprised by the fact they would all be sharing the class. “ALL of you? This has to be the biggest coincidence I have ever seen… Why did you all decide to take the class?”

                “Uh… I meant to choose Japanese as my language of interest, but I clicked on Korean instead, so… I decided it was my destiny to be in the Korean course instead.” Aiden responded with a nod as he pressed his lips together.

                “Well, I was hoping to at least share one class with Aiden, so after he told me about his mistake, I figured clicking on it might allow me a better chance to have that opportunity.” Andy answered honestly.

                “I’ve been wanting to learn Korean ever since I met this Korean guy in New York. He’s been a kind of mentor to me, so I thought it’d be cool.” Rhodon replied, “And then I suggested it to Rapmon. He wasn’t too interested, but I convinced him. Since he can already rap in Japanese and English, shouldn’t he also be able to rap in Korean? This was my thought, and so after too much consideration, he agreed to it.”

                “I can speak for ma’self, you know.” Rapmon commented in a slightly joking manner as he  turned his head to look at Rhodon with a serious glance.

                “Yeah, I know, but I wanted to be the one to tell the story. I tell them best, remember?” Rhodon returned the look for a mere second before he began to laugh and covered his mouth as he did so, simply out of habit. He couldn’t be serious for long at all!

                Evan allowed Rapmon and Rhodon to finish their bickering as a grin remained on his face, and then he nudged Jungkook to speak up, “How’d you get into Korean class? I myself just wanted to take a language that wasn’t as popular at this college.”

                Damien smiled nervously, merely because he was enjoying the atmosphere at the table but at the same time was unsure of what to do with himself, “My brother actually picked it for me because I couldn’t decide. But… What does this have to do with what we should call you?” He said, returning his eyes to Jin towards the end.

                Jin was not surprised by their reasons as to why they ended up in Korean class, but he was nonetheless pleased by the outcome. It wasn’t everyday that one’s housemates also happen to me learning the same language you’re fluent in! “I’m glad you asked that question… And because you are all going to be taken the Korean language course that I myself am the teacher’s assistant for, I don’t see why we shouldn’t start with a bit of Korean culture right now. So… In Korea, you refer to your older brother as ‘hyung’ or will add ‘hyung’ to the end of their first name as you would a suffix. Since we’re living in the same household and will be getting to know each other, I believe this term is fitting and will prove to make us closer as a household unit. For example, because I am older than all of you, I expect you each to refer to me from now on as either Jin-hyung or hyung. You should do the same for the rest of your housemates.”

                The entire group responded with a stare, uncertain as to how serious he was. Was he really already teaching them something when they weren’t even in school yet? Was he aware there were a few days left until class actually begins? Once Andy realized the seriousness of his comment, he piped up to question the pronunciation of the word,”Hyong?”

                “Hyong?” Aiden repeated Andy’s pronunciation.

                “Hyun.” Damien piped in, but then realized he was actually uncertain, “Hyun? Hyon?” He became quieter the more he dragged it on and thought about it.

                “No, no, no. It’s Hyungu.” Rapmon spoke up to correct the others in a purposely over exaggerated,  Japanese-like pronunciation just for a reaction from Jin. This was obvious only because he flashed a grin in Jin’s direction.

                “This is not Japanese. This is Korean. It’s Hyung. Not Hyungu.” Jin insisted as he pointed at Rapmon and narrowed his eyes at him to show he would not be stepping down from this rivalry. He then cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the group in general, “Also, the youngest of you is referred to as the maknae, though this term is not necessary to use all the time. So… which one of you is the youngest?” he asked, though he did have his suspicions. Damien /had/ to be the youngest!

                Aiden glanced over at Damien and then turned his head to look at Andy, “Uh… I turn 19 on December 30th.” he spoke up before awaiting answers from the other two 18-year-olds.

                “Yes! I’m older!” Andy exclaimed excitedly with both fists raised to nose-height to show his enthusiasm. He laughed as he received a nudge from Aiden and then returned his eyes to Jin, “My birthday is on October 13th.”

                Damien’s lips curved into a frown as he listened to the others’ birthdays, coming to the realization that he would be considered older than both of them because he had told them he was already 18. Well… here it goes. “My birthday is September 1st.” he said with as much confidence as possible.

                Jin raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn’t expect Aiden to be the youngest of the three of them, and obviously neither did the others, considering the shocked looks upon their faces. How was Damien /not/ the youngest?! Unsatisfied by the answer, he still accepted it and glanced over at Aiden to address him, “So if you’re the youngest, everyone is allowed to address you as ‘maknae’, and I hope to hear it now and then so I know that all of you are practicing.”

                Of the entire group, Andy and Rhodon seemed to be the most excited about already learning Korean terms. Andy had even pulled out a small notepad and a pen last-minute in order to write these terms down so he wouldn’t forget. He couldn’t wait to finally start college for many reasons, and learning a different language other than English and Spanish was one of them. Something that particularly hit chords with him was what Jin had mentioned about the term ‘hyung’. He hoped more than anything that he and the other housemates would become close enough to see each other as brothers, and he wasn’t the only one who hoped for this.

                With many siblings of his own, Evan wasn’t quite looking for the ‘brother’ relationship. He didn’t want to be burdened with the responsibilities and the blame that came along with being the older brother of his household. He never really considered any of his previous friends as brothers, so he didn’t see why this group should be any different. They were just people he would be living with, and he probably wouldn’t get much out of it besides a roof to sleep under and an everyday headache. Of course, this was just his pessimistic thought-process for the moment…

                “It’s good to know you’ll be living with someone who will encourage you to work on your studies.” Andy’s mother piped in with a smile, finally joining the conversation now that she had spoken enough with her husband. It had seemed as though they were discussing something serious up until now, so it was understandable.

                Andy couldn’t help but to nod in response, even though he wasn’t honestly very thrilled to have someone pushing him around to do his studies. He’d rather be motivated to do so by himself… Hopefully Jin wasn’t the kind of person to push him around; he didn’t really get that vibe from him in the first place. His mother was probably looking too much into it… Before anyone else could speak up, however, his mother continued.

                “Are you all involved in any extracurricular activities?” Mrs. Cimabue was hoping that her son would be very involved at school, especially in sports that mattered. He had to be well recognized for the talents she knew he had!

                “Mom, I’m not really interested in---” Andy began, but he soon became quiet when she signaled for him not to interrupt with a finger raised. He knew what she was doing… She was attempting to make him interested in joining some team so that he would actually enjoy something that both parents felt a guy should enjoy. He was aware they didn’t like what he was actually interested in, but they had never even seen what he was capable of! He only wished they would give him a chance to make them proud in a talent he actually enjoyed…

                Jin noticed the slightest frown tugging at Andy’s lips when he was hushed by his mother, and he himself couldn’t help but to feel concerned. He kept a smile on his face for the time-being, just so he could remain friendly with the parents. “Well, I’m interested in joining intramural soccer and volleyball, but I plan on joining track and field.”

                Damien was surprised to hear Jin’s interest in track and field, and he immediately spoke up with excitement laced in his voice, “You’re joining the track and field team as well?! Are you a runner?” he asked as he grinned from ear to ear. He was worried he wouldn’t even have a familiar face to be with on the team, but if Jin was on the team, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad!

                The housemates each glanced at each other, exchanging looks of awe before some of them just burst out laughing. “OOOOH!!” Rhodon exclaimed as he nearly stood from his seat because of how surprised he was. He grabbed hold of Rapmon’s shoulder and gave it a small shake as if to make him join in on the excitement, though he was already laughing.

                Evan knit his eyebrows together and offered Damien a look of confusion. He was so quiet all the time, and yet here he is being the loudest at the table in this single moment! This was his second random bout of courage today; he was on a roll! “Look, Damien, we all know you can run, or at least I do, so why don’t you just stop yelling about it?” he said as seriously as possible before he himself began to laugh. It actually was an unexpected moment, and he was glad to see that after speaking with his twin, he was beginning to be a little more social.

                Rapmon shook his head as a grin remained on his lips and then waved his right hand as a gesture towards the parents, “Don’t mind us; we’re still warming up to each other. Some things are still catching us all off guard. I’m sure y'all are confused as to why everyone got so excited all of a sudden over what Damien over here said, and to clarify, here’s what I know so far: Damien has been almost completely silently ever since I arrived this morning, and all I received was some creepy smile from him earlier. Apparently the silence is rather normal for him according to the others as well, and yet here he is speaking back to Evan and getting all pumped about track and field. We all just got a bit excited.” he said in an attempt to give an excuse as to why the group was being so rowdy all of a sudden. He even chuckled at the end of his comment.

                Jin chuckled as he leaned over to respond to Damien, “I am not a runner, but I’m sure I’ll see you more frequently than not. I’m actually a javelin thrower. I’ve done shotput a few times, but I really just do whatever the coach asks of me. The track team is really good though; you’ll probably enjoy your time there.” he added in with a smile.

                Damien was caught off guard by the response he received from his excitement, especially by Rhodon’s response. He didn’t understand why they all became so noisy all of a sudden! The confusion was evident in his face, even with the nervous smile that lay across his lips. It wasn’t until Rapmon explained to Andy’s parents what was going on that he actually understood and laughed as well, though he was more embarrassed than anything.

                “Anyways…” Aiden calmed his laughing to continue the conversation, “I’m not really into any sports or anything like that, but I’m kind of interested in choir. My parents had me taking piano lessons for a while, and my grandmother even gave me the piano we have in the basement. Thing is… I never could figure the instrument out and ended up quitting it. So… I think singing may be the only thing I have going for me extracurricular-wise.” he replied with a slight frown.

Evan’s jaw dropped after Aiden’s comment, and he stared at the boy with obvious excitement, “You have a piano, and you didn’t tell me?! You could have listed that on the roommate ad you had, too!” he exclaimed as his expression changed to one of disappointed. He leaned back in his chair with a cross of his arms and a shake of his head. He couldn’t believe there was a piano in the basement; this whole living situation just got even better! Oh, and add in the small detail that Aiden sings… that was pretty cool, too. He wondered what he sounded like… He was probably a tenor or something-- maybe he even had a falsetto. 

“Whoa, now look who’s getting all excited! I don’t think I’ve seen you expend this much energy even when I saw you walking to class all of last year.” Rapmon joked before Aiden responded once more.

“How was I even suppose to know---” Aiden cut himself off as he tried to subdue his laughter when he realized what Rapmon had said, “Did you really just say that?” His stomach was beginning to hurt from all of this! He returned his eyes to Evan and continued on with his sentence, “Sorry, but again, how was I supposed to know that you were interested in a piano? You said you were a rapper-- I don’t exactly connect the two.” he clarified.

“Wow… That’s offensive, and Hiroshi, your comment was uncalled for.” Evan commented briefly as he turned his head to the side to avoid looking at him. His head continued to shake in disapproval, even though he actually was just messing with Aiden and Rapmon, “Wow... “ he pursed his lips together and exhaled deeply through his nose. “Rappers can play piano, too, you know.”

Aiden frowned at Evan’s remark, believing that he really was offended by what he had said. He didn’t mean to say anything rude; he only meant to say he hadn’t expected it. Of course, perhaps that’s still stereotyping, but he didn’t really know anything about rappers! “I’m really sorry… I just didn’t know.” he pouted.

An awkward silence came over the boys at the table, that is until Evan’s snickering broke it. “Aiden, I’m not offended; I was just joking around.” he informed him only to receive a relieved sigh from his housemate as well as laughter around the table. Evan wasn’t even aware of how easy it was for him to participate in the group discussion all of a sudden… He wasn’t even thinking about how easy it was to actually talk to this group of strangers, at least compared to other individuals. Somehow, he found himself strangely involved with the conversations at the table.

“I knew that…” Aiden hadn’t expected Evan of all people to be the one joking around, considering his past couple of days with him, but he was grateful that his new friend was beginning to loosen up a little for once. “But hey, seriously if you want to use the piano, go right ahead.” he added in.

Andy’s mother was delighted to hear there were athletes among the housemates, but she was a little uncertain about the whole rapping thing… She only hoped he didn’t do any of that vulgar stuff! “So how about you? Any extracurricular activities?” she asked Rhodon this time.

Rhodon, who was distracted by Rapmon at the time, awkwardly glanced left and right when he was nudged on the shoulder, only to realize she was directing the question at him, “Oh, me? I’m on the baseball team, that’s about it.” he shrugged, “By the way… you said you were taking choir?” he asked Aiden curiously.

With a nod and a gulp of his Dr. Pepper, Aiden placed his cup back on the table and flashed a smile in his direction, “That’s right. I enjoy music, so I decided I should give it a shot.”

                “Don’t do concert choir.” Evan interrupted seriously, “I was in that class for two days, saw the musical selection, and then ditched the class for good. Seriously, you don’t sing anything except--” he cut himself off when he realized Andy’s parents may be offended if he said something about not liking the amount of spirituals performed by the choir, “... Except the same genre for the entire performance. Don’t get me wrong, they sound amazing. But, it’s hard to stay awake through two hours of the same old stuff.”

Jin nodded in agreement, “He’s right. I was in the concert choir last year as well, though I stuck with it for two whole semester. That class takes a lot of outside time, and the music does get a little tiring… I would suggest BME, the Black Music Ensemble. The choir is amazing, the class time is manageable, and the energy in the group is better than I’ve seen in any of the choirs on campus. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like that choir.” he suggested.

“Really? It sounds great! I’m interested in music myself, so maybe I’ll join you.” Andy piped up as he nudged Aiden with his elbow and a grin upon his face. He was excited to hear that there was such a good choir on campus, and if so many people liked it, he was sure he would as well. It would be even better if Aiden was there with him.

Aiden was thrilled to be suggested a choir with a good reputation, but he was even more excited that Andy was interested in the music area as well. It seemed as though many of the housemates were music-affiliated in some way… huh…

The group remained talkative throughout the lunch period, though they still found it difficult to speak with the parents all the time. They did try to be social with them, but because they were still getting to know each other, they were more interested in talking amongst themselves, especially Andy. He was already enjoying his time here! After approximately 45 minutes had passed, all of them had finished their meal and even goodbyes had already been said between Andy and his parents. All of the housemates thanked the parents for the food and bid them farewell at last before departing for the house with their newest housemate amongst them.

“Man, I feel kind of bad… We should have spoken to your parents more. I think we were just too busy talking to each other. Do you think you can apologize for us?” Aiden asked Andy as he scuffed his shoes along the pavement just enough to kick a couple of rocks that lay in his way on the sidewalk.

“Are you kidding? I think my parents were just fine listening to us and discussing their own business between themselves. Honestly, my mom looked happy about me staying with you guys after lunch was over. I think she saw that you were all pretty cool people.” Andy laughed as he turned his head to watch his parents’ truck drive off into the distance. He wasn’t exactly positive about how he felt in that moment, but perhaps he had a mixture of emotions welled up inside of him. With a deep breath, he turned to face the direction he was headed once more, only to let out something he had been holding for a while, “Whoo~! Freedom!” he shouted with his fists raised to the sky in triumph, “It’s like I’m breathing new air being in another state, being at college, living without my parents-- it’s great!”

Aiden laughed and couldn’t help but to celebrate with his friend, whooping and hollering with him as they even began a light jog due to all of their excitement. The two soon calmed themselves down when Jin cupped his hands around his mouth to project his voice and tell them what he had to say about the matter,”Stop running before you hurt someone! And don’t run in the streets!” The two slowed down, waited for the rest of the group, apologized with smiles on their faces, and continued walking alongside Rapmon this time.

“Ya’ll are really that excited to be joining college and to be getting out of the house? I tell you what, ya’ll think you’re ready for all of the responsibility you’re about to get yourselves into, but you really ain’t. Just wait, sooner or later you’ll be wishing you never came to college. Unless you’re like me and the rest of us here; we really love to be tortured and deprived of all of the fun we could be having while we are studying 24/7.” Rapmon commented towards the two so-called youngest of the housemates. He chuckled and patted Andy’s shoulder, “Ah, who am I kidding... I hardly study anything. It really depends on your major and what kind of person you are.” he assured him before stuffing his hands into his pants’ pockets. “Man, I can’t wait til I can finally change out of these clothes. Evan’s been complaining about wearing a polo shirt while I’m over here wearing slacks and a button-up shirt. Tell me that’s reasonable.”

Andy and Aiden grinned in response to Rapmon’s comments, but instead of continuing the conversation, an idea popped into Aiden’s head, and he was quick to bring it up, “Hey, why don’t we all play a game when we get back to the house? Have any of you ever played Headbands? I have a Disney one we can play!”

                “But we just had two hours of social interaction…” Evan mumbled to himself with a groan as he scratched the back of head and brushed his hair away from his eyes,

                “Headbands? I’ve not heard of the game, but I do know Disney. I wouldn’t mind playing something of the sort.” Jin replied as he considered the idea. He actually knew more about Disney than most people could probably guess…

                “Um… Disney is an entertainment company, right? I believe I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know much about it.” Damien spoke up. He had seen posters about movies and animated films, but he couldn’t recall ever seeing one. He and his brother were firmly restricted to studies and other things that would assist them in their future, and everything that did not benefit their future would not be worth their time apparently.

                “What? You’re telling me you don’t know DISNEY? Please tell me you’re joking right now! Damien, prepare to be cultured. You’re about to be introduced to many amazing movies and the like!” Aiden exclaimed with a sense of authority about him. He could not allow this to go without resolve!

“But what would we show him first? You have to introduce him properly.” Andy insisted as he pondered what would be a good introduction to Disney. He didn’t know anyone who didn’t know this company…

“Oh, we’ve /got/ to show him The Lion King.” Rapmon suggested enthusiastically before quoting the movie in a weird voice change to mock it, “ ‘MuFASA.’ ‘Oooh’” he even shivered like one of the hyenas and then laughed it off.

The group roared with laughter as they approached the house, coming upon the unanimous decision that they should watch the movie to show Damien just how good a Disney movie can be. Immediately after entering the home, all of them went their separate ways to change into comfortable clothing and within 10 minutes, gathered into the living room and onto the couch as Aiden prepared the movie. The entire group had made sure that Damien sat in the center to get the best viewing as possible. Sitting to his right were Rapmon, Rhodon, and Evan, and to his left were Jin, Andy, and Aiden.

As the movie began, the familiar African tune sounded from the speakers with the view of an orange sunrise bursting from the screen. “NANTS INGONYA~ma bagithi Baba!” All of the boys immediately began the movie right on time, though they may not have all said the exact lyrics… In fact, instead of actually trying to sound good while the introduction began, many of them were merely shouting obnoxiously until it continued on and they began to sing passionately instead.

“Ooh, I love this part!” Rhodon commented to himself before shouting out again when the next phrase was to be sung, “WHAAAAT’S ON THE MENUUUU, Iiiit could be a piece of meat, stinky you, it’s PUMBAAAA~!”

“Bro, that’s Lion King 1 ½!” Rapmon exclaimed as he whacked him with a pillow across his chest. He shook his head in disappointment. How could he mix the two movies up? The first was so much better!

Damien was more than confused about what was going on, but it was most certainly entertaining for him to listen to all of them and watch the movie at the same time. All of this was so new to him, but he was beginning to understand how Andy had felt when he was celebrating his parting from his parents. He was excited to be spending time with people he had never met before, especially when they seemed to hold no shame as to what they did when a Disney movie was showing.

As the movie continued, the boys became quiet for a while to give Damien a bit of peace so he could actually take the movie in. Even though six of them had seen the movie many times, they still looked as though they were entranced by it, not even once taking their eyes off of the screen-- except for when they wanted to see Damien’s reaction to something. This continued for a while with the boys watching intently and singing songs when they came up.

However, after Mufasa’s singing scene with the Hyenas, Rhodon’s phone rang, and he had to leave the room and hide himself in the master bedroom in order to speak. He was attempting to stifle his laughter when he answered, “Hey, Dad.” He listened to what his father had to say for a moment and immediately his face contorted into a concerned expression, “What..? Dad, no. You can’t…” He bent his knees and eased himself down into a sitting position with his back against the wall as he ran his free hand through his semi-thick, brown locks. “What about the others? Don’t you know this will affect them, too? You just can’t… Mom needs you. /We/ need you.” he insisted as the stress increased in his voice. “ … What do you mean it won’t change anything? Of course it will..! Dad, you can’t do this… Mom needs you, and you know it. She’s just struggling… She can’t get past something like this on her own. It’s been 2 years since he died; she just needs time to recover… What? No. No, that’s not long enough. I told both of you that she needed to go to counseling, but she never went and you never took her..! … I don’t care if she insisted she didn’t want it, you should have done it, and you still can. Please… don’t give up on her. We moved to the United States to have a new life, so… so, why don’t we actually start a new life? I don’t see how that’s so unreasonable…”

Rhodon couldn’t help but feel partly responsible for the mess his family was in right now… He may be the youngest, but he still felt that he could have done something more. He wondered many times if going to college was the right choice, but every time he reminded himself that this was why he was going to college… He wanted to become a counselor, a psychiatrist, someone who could pick up the pieces and reassemble the lives of those who couldn’t pull themselves back together. Rhodon hated that he couldn’t help his mom just yet, but if he could only convince his father it wasn’t too late, maybe he wouldn’t have to blame himself so much for having not been born sooner to be able to do something now. “Dad, promise me… Promise me you won’t leave. Promise me you’ll keep looking after her… Yeah… Okay. Thanks, Dad… Stay strong; everything will turn out for the better one day… Yeah. Je t'aime.”

Rhodon hung up the phone and tossed it onto the floor before he released a heavy sigh and briefly brushed his hands across his face as if this action would assist him in relieving the stress he felt. He should have gone home for the entire summer instead of just for a couple weeks even though he had to work… He should have checked in more often to make sure everything was okay. He became aware of the inevitable tears that began swelling in his eyes as soon as he felt the heat rising in his face, but instead of allowing them to fall, he quickly shook his head, stood up, and slapped his cheeks a few times to perk himself up. “Shake it off, Rhodon. You can’t keep blaming yourself; it’s bad for your health. You don’t have control over everything, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get through it. Don’t worry everything will be fine.” he talked to himself as he entered the master bedroom’s bathroom and checked the mirror only to point at himself, “Now pull yourself together and worry about this when you call him back another time.” he insisted. He promptly left the bathroom, picked up his phone and slipped it into his right shorts pocket, and then left the room altogether to rejoin the others with that usual smile upon his lips.

“What took you so long? You missed ‘Hakuna Matata’, you know… And here I thought that was your favorite song.” Rapmon whispered to his friend once he had sat down. Rhodon had to be particularly careful because Evan had fallen asleep while he was gone. How did he fall asleep so fast anyway?

“Did I really? That …” Rhodon pouted as he turned his attention to the screen to see grown-up Simba leaving Pumba and Timon in the grass to be by himself. He didn’t exactly answer Rapmon’s question, but he did sort of feel as though the question was rhetorical. “How’s Damien liking it so far?”

                “Huh? Oh, I think he likes it a lot. I mean, his eyes have been completely glued to the screen. I’m pretty sure he almost cried when Mufasa died, but Aiden nearly cried too, so I’m not sure how surprising that is.” he whispered with a grin.

Rhodon chuckled a bit and finally dedicated all of his attention back onto the movie so he wouldn’t be interrupting the movie any further. He was at least grateful for the distraction the movie provided for him, even though the mood that encompassed the room was the exact opposite of how he was feeling inside. He knew very well that it was up to him to change how he felt in order for him to enjoy the moment, so he was trying his best to forget the call at least for now.

It wasn’t long before Simba and Nala were reunited  and the infamous love song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” began to play, which was Rhodon and Rapmon’s que to take on Timon and Pumba’s parts consecutively.

“I can see what’s happening.” “What?” “And they don’t have a clue!” “Who?” “They’ll fall in love, and here’s the bottom line… Our trio’s down to two!” “Oh…” “Ze sweet caress of twilight… There’s magic everywhere. And with all this romaaaantic atomosphere… DISASTER’S IN THE AIR~” Of course, Evan’s sleep was completely disturbed by this point and all he could do was offer up a small glare to Rhodon because he was the one  who awoke him.

When it was Simba and Nala’s part, Aiden immediately stood from his seat to take part in the sing-along. Instead of singing obnoxiously this time, however, he sang in a deep, clear tone and matched the style Simba’s voice was singing in, “So many things to tell her, but how to make her see… the truth about my past? Impossible! She’d turn away from me…” He was very dramatic with his piece, especially in his motions.

“Oooh!” Andy was surprised by Aiden’s actual singing talented, but he was busy trying to sing Nala’s part while trying not to laugh from all of the excitement! “He’s holding back, he’s hiding. Ahem.. But what, I can’t decide. Why won’t he be the king I know he is, the king I see insiiiide?” He broke off in laughter while all of the others began to clap for their performance.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it!” Evan called out over the music as he reached over to grab the remote and pause the movie and look over at the two of them, “Are you serious right now? Of all of the interesting things to say about yourself earlier today, you tell us about a cereal horror story and not the fact that you can sing that well? Here I was, thinking you were joking about the choir thing since the movie started and all of a sudden you’re belting a voice like that out! Also, where did YOUR voice come from Andy? Can you normally sing that high?” he said in awe of their singing talents.

“Uh... Yeah, I can. I guess my range is pretty okay.” Andy replied as he averted his eyes to the floor and and rubbed his arm, revealing how shy he was now that he was being complimented. He promptly sat down to relieve himself of a bit of the spotlight.

Aiden merely flashed a grin at Evan, extremely proud that he was able to shock him as much as he did. Sometimes he liked to remind people that there is always more to someone that who they appear to be, and his singing voice was always his favorite way of doing just that.

The others seemed to be just as shocked as Evan about the whole thing, except Damien was merely smiling at them as he clapped. He had no prior assumptions about their voices, so all he thought was how amazing they sounded-- they were even able to make it comical at the same time! Jin couldn’t deny that he was surprised by their voices, but he at least believed that because they were considering choir, they were more than likely to have good voices… Rapmon and Rhodon were too busy laughing about the roles the two of them were playing to be as surprised as the others.

Evan shook his head and played the movie once more, suddenly more awake now that he was aware of two singers in the household. He didn’t know why, but he was much more excited about days to come now that he knew this… Was it possible they could do something musical together?

The movie didn’t last much longer after that, and at the end the group was clapping to show their appreciation for the beloved Disney film, “Ahhh, so goooood~!” Rhodon commented as he stood up to stretch and looked over at Damien, just as everyone else did, “How’d you like it?”

                Damien happily nodded and gave a thumbs up, “It was brilliant. I liked the baboon.” he replied as he stood to stretch just as Rhodon had. “Does Disney have many movies like this?”

“Well, obviously not exactly like this, but Disney has plenty of movies that have a great song selection and likable characters.” Jin replied cheerfully, glad to see he had enjoyed the movie. “I’m sure Aiden has more movies somewhere in this house that we can watch in the future. Anyways, are you hungry? You didn’t eat much at lunch…” he asked him, having been concerned for a short while now. Damien had only eaten two slices of pizza when everyone else had eaten more! How does he get full off of that?

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. I ate enough.” Damien replied simply with a smile as he stepped aside to allow Jin to stand as well, He tried his best to eat as much as he could, but he honestly just didn’t like the amount of cheese the pizza had on it. Of course, he ate it anyways because it was the polite thing to do.

“Are you making dinner again tonight?” Aiden asked hopefully when he heard the topic of food being brought up. He wasn’t hungry just yet, but he was definitely eager to have Jin cook food again!

“Sure, I don’t mind. As long as you all agree on something you want to eat that we have ingredients for.” Jin replied as he patted Damien on the shoulder and moved past him to make his way to the bathroom. He was definitely more than happy to eat more Korean-oriented food!