Since Kyuhyun was back now, and he and Sungmin were engaged and would be spending more time together, Sungmin decided that he wanted to move back into the original room Kangin and Leeteuk had provided for him, mostly so he and Kyuhyun could have some privacy without having to worry about Yesung and Ryeowook walking in on them. “Why did you move into Yesung’s room to begin with?” Kyuhyun wondered as the couple made up Sungmin’s bed.

          “When we first moved in, I wasn’t used to sleeping alone. Yesung protected me and made me feel safe when I slept,” Sungmin explained.

          “But now that’s my job,” Kyuhyun whispered with a grin as he placed his hands on Sungmin’s waist and pulled him down on the bed.

          Downstairs, Leeteuk and Kangin were watching TV in the living room when there was a knock at the front door. “Who’s that?” Leeteuk wondered.

          “I don’t know, were the boys expecting anyone?” Kangin asked as he stood up and walked to the door.

          “I don’t think so,” Leeteuk replied.

          Opening up the front door, the couple saw Zhou Mi standing there. “Zhou Mi?” Kangin asked, surprised to see the caregiver of the Boys Home there.

          “Hello sirs, good to see you both again,” Zhou Mi stated. “Might I come in please?”

          “Of course,” Leeteuk agreed as they let the man inside and led him to the living room.

          “What’s going on, is something wrong?” Kangin questioned.

          “You’re not here to take our sons are you?” Leeteuk worriedly asked before Kangin took his hand.

          “No, no nothing like that. As I’m sure you’re aware of, you have had Donghae, Sungmin, Yesung, and Heechul for approximately a full year now, and this is just a standard one year evaluation,” Zhou Mi informed.

          “What does that mean?” Kangin inquired.

          “All that simply means is that I go and talk to all the boys and see how they’ve progressed in their home. Shouldn’t take more than five minutes with each,” Zhou Mi explained. “But first there are questions I’d like to ask you two.”

          “Alright,” Leeteuk agreed.

          “So how have the boys coped with being in a family this past year?” Zhou Mi wondered.

          “Oh very well, they’re all doing good in school; about to be seniors. They’re very excited,” Leeteuk informed.

          “Well good, so how did their first few months go while they lived here?” Zhou Mi asked. “How long did it take them to open up?”

          “Donghae opened up from the very beginning, he’s very protective of his brothers, and loves them. Sungmin would barely talk to us, but over time he’s gotten so much better, and talks nonstop now,” Kangin explained. “Yesung showed extreme protectiveness of Sungmin and for a while was a little quiet, but he’s opened up as well.”

          “What about Heechul? How’s he been?” Zhou Mi questioned.

          “Heechul was the hardest to get to open up, he was violent and lashed out at us for the first couple of months, and had some trouble in school with personal things, which we expected would happen, but now he’s happy, he hasn’t lashed out anymore, he seems to trust us,” Kangin added.

          “So they haven’t gotten into any bad trouble or anything?” Zhou Mi asked.

          “Well I mean they each have their own personal problems to deal with, especially when they got their boyfriends,” Leeteuk said.

          “They’re each in a relationship?” Zhou Mi wondered.

          “Yes, each of the boys have loving and caring boyfriends,” Kangin confirmed.

          “Well everyone except Sungmin; Sungmin has a fiancé now,” Leeteuk announced.

          “Sungmin got engaged?” Zhou Mi asked with a shocked expression.

          “Yes, he and his fiancé are upstairs in their bedroom,” Leeteuk said.

          “Well if you don’t mind, I’m going to go upstairs and speak to each of the boys,” Zhou Mi informed as he stood up.

          “Yes of course, they should each be in their room,” Kangin stated as Zhou Mi began to climb the stairs to the second story.

          When he reached the top of the stairs, Zhou Mi knocked on the first door. “Come in,” Sungmin called from inside.

          Stepping into the bedroom, Zhou Mi found Sungmin lying on the bed with Kyuhyun, playing video games together. Seeing Zhou Mi, Sungmin paused the game and sat up. “Hello Sungmin, it’s nice to see you again,” Zhou Mi said as he sat on the opposite end of the bed.

          “You’re not taking us back are you?” Sungmin muttered.

          “No of course not, not if you’re happy here,” Zhou Mi promised. “Who’s your friend there?”

          “This is Kyuhyun, he’s my fiancé, we’re getting married next year,” Sungmin replied with a smile as Kyuhyun kissed his head.

          “That’s wonderful, so tell me, how have you liked living here with Kangin and Leeteuk?” Zhou Mi wondered.

          “I like staying with them; they take really good care of me and my brothers. They love us a lot, and are the best mommy and daddy in the world,” Sungmin stated.

          “You seem to be talking a lot more now, you seem to have opened up,” Zhou Mi noticed.

          “Yes, they never pressured me into talking, just took it a little at a time,” Sungmin agreed.

          “Now where did you meet Kyuhyun, at school?” Zhou Mi wondered.

          “Yes, he bullied me at first, but then after spending time with him, I found he was really sensitive like me, and he protected me from other people who wanted to be mean to me,” Sungmin explained.

          “Have you ever reverted back to your silent ways like you used to have? Did you ever go for days without speaking, have fits of crying, things like that?” Zhou Mi inquired.

          “I did for a while a few months ago. Kyuhyun had to leave the country for a while and that sent me into a depression; I even attempted to overdose,” Sungmin slowly said. Kyuhyun wrapped an arm around Sungmin and kissed his head again.

          “Why did you attempt suicide Sungmin?” Zhou Mi wondered.

          “Look, don’t make him relive it, it’s behind us now,” Kyuhyun defensively requested.

          “No Kyuhyun, it’s okay,” Sungmin promised. “I can talk about it. I love Kyuhyun, and losing him made me feel like I couldn’t go on with life. If I couldn’t have him in life, then I didn’t want life. But when I saw how sad I’d made Kyuhyun when he discovered I overdosed, I realized just how badly I’d hurt him, and I promised to never do that again. A few weeks later, he proposed to me and I said yes, then before I knew it, he was back home with me.”

          “Good, I’m glad you’ve adjusted well,” Zhou Mi said with a grin. “Well I’m going to go talk with your brothers now. Again, congratulations on the engagement, you boys take care now.” After Zhou Mi left Sungmin’s room, he headed down the hall to Yesung’s room and knocked on the door before entering. “Hello Yesung, nice to see you again.”

          “Hi Zhou Mi,” Yesung replied as he continued to Ryeowook’s hair while his boyfriend rested his head on Yesung’s lap.

          “Who’s this little guy?” Zhou Mi whispered as he looked at the sleeping brunette.

          “This is my boyfriend Ryeowook; but you have to be quiet, he’s taking a nap,” Yesung quietly responded before kissing Ryeowook’s cheek. “What are you doing here?”

          “Just here to check up on you and your brothers,” Zhou Mi informed. “Have you adjusted well ever since moving in with Kangin and Leeteuk?”

          “Yes, they take really good care of my brothers and I. They’re never mean to us, they understand us, and they help us with our problems,” Yesung explained.

          “Did you meet Ryeowook at school?” Zhou Mi wondered.

          “Yes, I really was drawn to him because honestly because he reminded me of Yoona,” Yesung said.

          “Your baby sister you lost when you were five,” Zhou Mi recalled.

          Yesung nodded. “Yeah, the way he smiles, the way he giggles, everything about him is cute and just makes me think of her. I love him and wanna make sure nothing happens to him ever,” he confirmed as he continued to the sleeping brunette’s hair.

          “Are Kangin and Leeteuk okay with you having a boyfriend?” Zhou Mi asked.

          “Well yeah, I mean they’re gay so it’d be ironic wouldn’t it?” Yesung wondered.

          “So school is going well and you’re happy living here?” Zhou Mi asked.

          “Yes, I’m very happy, especially now that I’ve got my Ryeowookie,” Yesung whispered before kissing Ryeowook’s face again.

          “I’m glad, well I’ll leave you alone now, take care,” Zhou Mi said before standing up to leave.

          Zhou Mi walked across the hall and knocked on Donghae’s bedroom door before entering. He found the couple lying in bed, watching TV. “Zhou Mi?” Donghae asked as he looked at the man in his doorway.

          “Hello Donghae, good to see you,” Zhou Mi replied with a smile.

          “Is everything okay, what are you doing here?” Donghae questioned, unknowingly repeating the same phrase his other brothers had asked.

          “I’m just here to check up on you and the others, and see how you’re adjusting to living with your new family,” Zhou Mi informed. “Is this your boyfriend?”

          “Yeah, this is Eunhyuk; he’s one of if not the hottest guy in school, and I got him,” Donghae replied with a smile before kissing his boyfriend.

          “Well I got the second hottest guy in school to be my boyfriend so I win too,” Eunhyuk muttered as he placed his lips on Donghae’s neck.

          “Eunhyuk, not now, not now, we have a visitor,” Donghae whispered as he gently pushed the blonde away.

          “So tell me, have you enjoyed staying here with Kangin and Leeteuk?” Zhou Mi wondered.

          “Yes, they’re amazing parents. They look out for us, take really good care of us, and really seem to understand us. Leeteuk was especially sensitive to Sungmin and Heechul for the first few months because of what happened to them,” Donghae explained.

          “Well that’s good to hear, so how are you holding up?” Zhou Mi questioned.

          “I’m good, school’s going well, we’re out for the summer now so that’s good, but overall we love where we’re going and my brothers and I really enjoy living here with our parents,” Donghae stated.

          “Wonderful,” Zhou Mi responded with a smile.

          “Now can you please leave so Donghae and I can get back to being alone?” Eunhyuk requested as he wrapped his arms around Donghae and began to kiss his neck again.

          “Eunhyuk,” Donghae gently scolded.

          “No it’s okay, I’ll get out, I can see your boyfriend really needs you right now, but I’m glad you’re doing well Donghae,” Zhou Mi said before leaving Donghae and Eunhyuk kissing on their bed.

          The last room at the end of the hallway was Heechul’s room. Zhou Mi knocked and entered, finding Heechul asleep, wrapped in Hankyung’s arms. Zhou Mi gently shook Hankyung. “Excuse me?” he whispered.

          Hankyung looked up and asked “Hello, can I help you?”

          “Yes, I’m here to talk to Heechul,” Zhou Mi informed. “I work at the Boys Home he stayed at.”

          “Okay,” Hankyung responded. He looked down at Heechul, gently his face, and whispered “Heechul, honey wake up.”

          Heechul stretched and opened his eyes before catching a glance up towards Zhou Mi. Quickly, he sat up and demanded “What the hell are you doing here, you’re not gonna take me back to the Boys Home are you?”

          “No, Heechul I’m not taking you back, I’m just here to see how you’ve adjusted to living here with Kangin and Leeteuk,” Zhou Mi said.

          “Good, they take care of me and my brothers. They don’t hurt me, and they treat me nicely. But I’m the happiest when I’m with my Hankyung,” Heechul stated as he leaned his head against Hankyung’s shoulder, while the blonde his back.

          “Heechul told me about his past, and even showed me the scars, but that doesn’t make me love him any less. We’ve been together for several months and we love each other more than anything in the world,” Hankyung added. “It took him awhile to trust me, but he finally opened up and I’m so glad he did.”

          “So life is okay for you Heechul; no lashing out or anything like that?” Zhou Mi asked. “You’ve been respectful to Kangin and Leeteuk?”

          “Yes, I love living here them,” Heechul admitted. “Without them, I would’ve never become who I am today.”

          “Great, well I’ll just leave you two alone now,” Zhou Mi replied as he stood up.

          “Zhou Mi,” Heechul called while the man headed for the door. He turned to face Heechul and hear him say “Thank you for putting us with Kangin and Leeteuk. They’re the greatest parents anyone could ever ask for.”

          “You’re welcome Heechul, I’m glad to hear that all of you are doing so well,” Zhou Mi replied before leaving Heechul’s room.

          “So what did they say?” Leeteuk wondered as Zhou Mi walked downstairs and headed for the front door.

          “Your boys all say the same thing; that they are lucky to have you two as parents and love you very much. All four of them seem happy and satisfied, so thank you both for taking such good care of them,” Zhou Mi explained.

          After he left, Leeteuk and Kangin hugged one another. “Well now we know our boys truly are happy,” Kangin muttered.

          “That makes me happy knowing we’re doing our jobs right raising them well,” Leeteuk added.

          “See, I told you, you were a good mother,” Kangin repeated as he placed his hands on Leeteuk’s face and kissed his husband.