The walk from their dorm rooms to the school's main office building had never felt longer. The eleven of them, bundled up in their heaviest jackets to face the winter air, walked closely together. It was silent; not a word was spoken. None of them knew quite what to say. 

It was hard to be optomistic when it felt like everything would be over. All of the fun of their gay dorm would just end next semester. Honestly, Taeil wasn't sure what would happen. He knew for a fact that their dorm would be split up, but would they all be forced into other dorms? Would they be kicked out from the dorms? Would they be kicked out from the school entirely? Taeil didn't know the school policy on LGBT relationships, but as this was South Korea, he didn't think things could be too good for them. 

The secretary hustled them inside as soon as they arrived. There weren't enough seats for all of them so some had to stand, Johnny of course sacrificing his seat for a trembling Taeil. Everyone else was whispering to their boyfriends too, except for Kun, who was on the phone with Vivi. Honestly Taeil felt the most bad for him. If they got kicked out for being gay, it would be the worst for Kun, since he wasn't even gay in the first place. Hyungil would obviously give his name too, even though Kun was clearly straight, he had even met his girlfriend! But he would have to deal with the fallout of all of that when it didn't apply to him. Kun would be gentlemanly about it all, of course, but just thinking about that happening to his friend made the weight of the guilt in Taeil's stomach feel even heavier.

"It's gonna be okay," Johnny mumbled so just Taeil could hear. 

"You don't have to be strong for me," Taeil answered. "I know you're worried too." 

Johnny sighed. "I sure as hell don't wanna go back to America, at least not without you. But I know one of our parents would sue the hell out of the school if they tried anything. Think about the uproar it would cause in America if word spread." 

Taeil hummed. "I guess that's true." 

"Who are we meeting with exactly?" Ten asked the secretary suddenly. 

She looked up from her computer. "The school president." 

The mumbling of low voices carried over the office lobby and nobody could think of anything to say back. Taeil saw Ten surreptitiously reach for Taeyong's hand. 

Taeil winced and looked down at the ground. Really, this was all his fault. He should have been more careful, should have just placated his brother for a little while longer. He should have made sure that the door was locked tight at all times; his guard had fallen a bit from not having to deal with Hyungil for a little while. It was his fault his friends were in this mess. It was his fault that all of the fun might now be over. 

"Taeil," Johnny spoke softly. "I can tell where your brain is going. Don't let it go there." 

Taeil sighed; it was a blessing and a curse that Johnny had become practically psychic when it came to his emotions. "But...but I should have..." 

"Didn't Hyungil say he was going to do something to us anyways, before you two even had your fight? He was going to do it no matter what, it's just a matter of sooner rather than later." 

"But if I'd closed the door...he wouldn't have had any ammo." 

"Darling, that's just as much my fault as yours. We share that room, don't we? Anyways, it's completely random that it's us that got caught. Half the time, Taeyong and Ten don't even close the door at all. And Yukhei and Jungwoo forget constantly." 

"And Yuta and Sicheng sometimes don't even keep it to their room," Taeil added, a slight smile coming back on his face. That was, until the door to the president's office slowly opened.

"Moon Taeil!" A man called from the room. Again, the eleven boys fell completely silent and looked at Taeil with all the pity and love they could muster. 

"Everything will be okay," Johnny whispered into Taeil's ear, and Taeil had to go. 

The walk from those seats in the lobby to the president's office felt like a long walk across the plank. It couldn't have been more than seconds until Taeil reached that office and the door clicked shut behind him, but really it had felt like hours, contemplating his and his friend's fate. 

Taeil looked around slowly, at the books and the fancy furniture and the photos of the president's family. Seated beside the man who was presumably the school president was a man and a woman Taeil didn't recognize. They all stood up and gave a slight bow, and Taeil bowed back. 

"You may sit, Mr. Moon," the president spoke, and Taeil sat down right away. It was unbelievably intimidating to be sat there, in that massive seat, being stared down by three grown adults. Didn't they even want to try to make any of them feel more comfortable? 

Taeil gripped the arm rests until his knuckles turned white, waiting for someone to finally speak. 

"Mr. Moon, do you know why we have called you here?" The president asked. 

In a panic, Taeil decided to play dumb. "No, I do not." 

"Well, we need to ask you some questions regarding the transgressions of your twin brother, Moon Hyungil." Taeil furrowed his brows; this was not going quite in the direction that he thought it would. "He has been accused by multiple professors of academic dishonesty and plagiarism." 

"Oh," Taeil answered. Maybe... maybe they hadn't called them all down here because of their relationships. He couldn't be totally sure, but hope began to rise within him once again. He tried desperately not to smile. 

"Some of these accusations have been copying off other students during multiple choice exams, purchasing essays from other Soonchunhyang students and websites, as well as directly copying, word for word, essays from the internet. We have decided to launch an investigation into these claims. This is Professor Park, your brother's advisor, and the dean of students, Ms. Jung." They all bowed from where they were seated. 

"Now, we have discussed these accusations with his professors as well as students who are believed to have been involved. But, we wanted to discuss these matters with his suitemates as well, beginning with you, as your suite may have insight into matters we may not otherwise be able to discover."

"Excuse me," Taeil started. He was loathe to interrupt, but he just wanted to clear things up, for his own nerves. "Are these accusations what this meeting is about?" 

"Yes," the dean answered. 

"Is there...anything else we will be discussing?" 

"Not unless you have a separate issue," the school president responded. 

Taeil couldn't help but breath a massive sigh of relief. He was okay, Johnny was okay, they were all going to be okay. They could all stay in the dorm, together. Nobody was getting kicked out. In that moment, he could have cried. He could barely even suppress a smile. 

"I...I do not," Taeil answered. 

"Good. Then we can start asking some questions. Now, has your brother solicited you for any scholastic services? We will not punish you if you have provided him with things such as essays or test answers." 

Taeil shook his head. "Nope. He hasn't asked me for anything like that either." 

"Interesting..." 

"We aren't close," Taeil added. 

"Ah. I see, I see," the president responded. "Have you seen him conducting any sort of behavior like this around the dorm?" 

Taeil shook his head again. "No, sir." 

"Now, as you have known him since before his college career began, has he done this sort of thing before? In high school perhaps?" The dean asked. 

"Well... no, not really. But in high school he...he got away with things a lot. Teachers often let him not do assignments or turn in bad work and would still give him good grades. I think starting college is the first time he ever had to actually try on his schoolwork." 

The president hummed and Hyungil's advisor nodded at him. "Does this seem like....like something he would do?" 

Taeil thought for a moment. Should he cover for Hyungil a bit more? Even after everything, Hyungil is his brother. But at the same time... that would do nobody any good. Taeil was absolutely sure these claims were correct; that Hyungil was cheating and plagiarizing his way through college. It would reflect poorly on the school, hurt the students he was copying off of, and most of all, keep allowing him to not try. Hyungil would never be truly happy until he actually tried; until he was truly honest. Fessing up would be the best thing for both of them in the end. 

"Yes, it does," Taeil answered. "He's not very studious." 

"I wonder then why he thought college was the right choice?" His advisor asked. 

"Parents," Taeil simply explained. 

The three school faculty members all nodded and looked at each other. "Well, thank you so much for your assistance, Mr. Moon. You have been very helpful to us. We will be discussing these same matters with all of your suitemates," the dean spoke. 

"Is there anything else you would like to ask us?" The school president asked. 

Taeil sighed; curiosity was beating out his anxiety. "Well, yes." 

"What is it?" Hyungil's advisor asked. 

"Did you guys receive any...allegations from Hyungil? About our suite?"

The faculty all paused for a moment. "Yes, yes we did. And while we do not... condone ual relations between roommates and suitemates in our dorms, it's not technically against the rules either. And, we do not have any proof of these allegations," the school president spoke up. 

"We also believe he created this information as a diversion from his own investigation," the dean added. 

Taeil smiled brightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much." 

"Also, I would like to let you know that Hyungil has requested a room transfer," the dean quickly added. "Depending on the results of the investigation, he may be expelled from Soonchunhyang university. But if he isn't we will honor that room transfer. I hope this isn't upsetting to you." 

Taeil had to hold back a chuckle. "It is absolutely not upsetting to me." 

"Well then, if that is all...thank you for your time Mr. Moon," the school president answered, shuffling his papers. "You are dismissed. Oh, and could you bring in Mr. Johnny Suh?" 

"Will do." 

The four of them all said goodbye to each other, and Taeil made his way out of the door. Taeil could feel the anxiety in that lobby as soon as he pushed open the office door, watching his wide eyed and shaking friends. He was so glad he was the one who could dissipate all of their fears. 

"Guys... we're okay. We're going to be okay." 

~~~~~~~~~~

All of the interviews for the investigation ending up taking quite a while, as they had to question each and every one of them. Luckily, none took as long as Taeil's did, and only Kun's was even close to as long (as he was Hyungil's roommate after all). By the time they all got out of that lobby it was dark outside, and time for a celebratory dinner. 

The group made their way down to their favorite restaurant, laughing and talking like they hadn't been able to all day. A massive weight was off of their shoulders that had been there since Vivi left, the fear that Hyungil would ruin everything for them. But Johnny had been right all along: Hyungil didn't have that kind of power. Why would he? Why did it always feel like the bad guys were going to win, when in the end, the bad guys always get what they deserve. 

The big group sat down and ordered as soon as they arrived, taking up the entire restaurant but ordering enough for a group twice their size. It was a celebration, after all. They were probably finally freed of the menace that was Hyungil. 

"What do you think is going to happen to him?" Doyoung asked. 

"The dean told me he might get expelled, depending on what happens in this investigation," Taeil answered. "But I don't know if that will actually happen. My parents wouldn't let it; they would pull some strings." 

"Do they really have that kind of power?" Johnny asked. 

"Maybe not. But they have always had a 'get Hyungil out of trouble' fund for when he gets into these kinds of situations." 

"And they may not find him guilty of doing it anyways. Or guilty of not doing it enough to get expelled," Yuta added. 

"I'm sure he did it," Taeil answered, "But you're right. And if that happens, I'm not really sure how they'll punish him." 

"Academic probation?" Taeyong asked. 

"Maybe." 

"Or they might not let him live at the dorms," Sicheng said. 

"Now that would be nice," Doyoung mumbled. 

"Or, he might not be able to join clubs, or have later registration, or all kinds of things," Kun said. 

"It's so nice to know he's maybe getting punished for all the terrible he did," Yuta added. 

"Maybe...I don't know, I kinda have a hard time believing he will actually be found guilty. Hyungil's never got in trouble for the bad he's done before, so why now?" Taeil said. 

"Darling, you have to know, that sometimes the bad guys do lose, and the good guys do win. Maybe not right when they deserve, but karma perhaps has finally caught up with Hyungil." 

Taeil smiled up at his boyfriend. He always knew just what to say, didn't he? "Perhaps. And to be honest, I don't care that much what happens. He's out of our dorm now at least." 

"What do you mean?" Jaehyun asked. 

"He requested a room transfer during all of these meetings, apparently." 

"He did?" Yukhei cried. 

Taeil grinned. "Yup. The dean said if he doesn't get expelled they will give it to him." 

The whole group cheered; this was better than the ever could have imagined. Not only were they not in trouble, but Hyungil was leaving too? It couldn't get better. 

"I wonder who will move in instead though..." Jaehyun spoke. 

"They better be better than Hyungil," Taeyong said. 

"Oh they had better!" Kun cried. "I'm the one who had to share a ing bedroom with him." 

"I completely understand your pain," Taeil answered. 

"I dunno, how much worse than Hyungil can it get?" Ten asked. 

"Not much worse," Jungwoo mumbled. 

"Chances are they'll be better," Yuta said and Sicheng nodded next to him. 

"I think it'll be fun!" Johnny spoke up. "A whole new person to get to know. Even if we don't all get along perfectly, they'll probably just leave us alone. And that's better than what Hyungil did. And who knows? Maybe they'll be the perfect twelfth person we need in our group?" 

"Johnny, Johnny, always the optomist," Ten responded. 

"We sure as hell need one in this group," Doyoung said. 

"I, for one, think we should order more food," Yukhei pipped up. The others were silent for a moment; they had ordered quite a bit in the first place, but the dishes were clear, and perhaps they could fit a bit more in their stomachs. Anyways, they were celebrating. 

" it," Taeil answered. "Let's do it!" 

Maybe they regretted that answer a little bit forty five minutes later when they were beyond stuffed, groaning in the restaurant with all of the employees laughing at them. But it was a damn good time, good enough to almost make up for all of the stress of earlier. And even all the money they had spent at this restaurant had been worth it. They were together, and they would be together as long as they liked. No stupid homophobe could keep their friendship and fun apart, at least, not any longer. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After they had finished eating, with pockets empty and stomachs full, they went to a cafe to pick up drinks and snacks of course. But then, on that cold, long, arduous walk back to their dorm, Taeil was surprised to feel his phone buzzing in his pocket. Who could be calling him? All of his friends were here, after all. He pulled it out to see the contact he least wanted to appear on the screen: his parents. 

With an eye roll, his slid the button to answer the call and put the phone to his ear. 

"Hello?" 

He was instantly met with screaming. "Moon Taeil! You-" 

Taeil couldn't take it. He couldn't take his father's blundering, his mother's shrill screaming, the rage from his parents for something he shouldn't be recieving anger for. No more. No more would he do this. 

Without another thought, Taeil pressed the button to end the call. 

"Who was that?" Johnny asked quietly, stepping in beside Taeil.

He looked up at his tall boyfriend. "My parents." 

"What did they want?" Johnny pouted adorably, and Taeil reached for his hand to squeeze it. 

"I don't know," he responded with a big smile.

"Maybe was it about Hyungil's cheating? Or you and I..." 

Taeil shook his head. "I hung up before they could say anything." 

Slowly, Johnny smiled back at him. "Proud of you," he mumbled. 

"What is it, lovebirds?" Ten said with a mischevious smile, trying to cut in between them.

"Taeil just hung up on his idiotic parents," Johnny said proudly, loud enough for the whole group to hear. 

"Really?" Ten practically squealed before hugging Taeil tightly. "I'm so proud!" 

The others came and surrounded Taeil in a group hug as they walked, and Taeil smiled brightly. 

"Finally, you're free," Yukhei said. 

"Really, truly free," Kun added. 

Taeil grinned and looked up at Johnny, holding him tightest of all. "Yes, I am."