Scott opened the door more, allowing the couple to come in. At the same exact time, Kirstie came out of the kitchen and stared at the couple. She rolled her eyes and went upstairs, shaking her head. Her door slammed, causing Avi and Kevin to jump. Scott rolled his eyes, turning back to the couple.

"That's my sister for you," Scott started off, shaking his head. "Anyways, I am
Scott Hoying. My siblings and I live together."

"That's nice," Avi commented to himself. "Where are your parents?"

Scott opened his mouth but closed it. He hasn't talked about his parents to anybody besides Melanie and Alex. He then smiled, thinking up the best he could think of.

"They're the older side so I decided to adopt my siblings," Scott answered, hoping that they believed him. Kevin nodded slowly, seeming to believe Scott's lie. "We don't see them as much as we want to."

Scott, you lying piece of-

Someone tapped Scott's shoulder gently and the tall blond turned around quickly. It was Mitch. Scott wrapped his arms around Mitch and smiled back at the couple.

"This so Mitch," Scott replied while using sign language. Avi watched Scott's hands, getting intrigued by the beautiful language. "He's entirely deaf. Mitch, this is Avi and Kevin. They are our new neighbors."

Mitch smiled shyly as he waved the couple. They smiled back and waved back, appreciating the sweetness of the boy. Mitch then began to sign and Scott translated for him.

"I am so glad to meet you two. The neighborhood is simply beautiful and kind. You two will enjoy it very much," Scott translated, smiling when Mitch nodded excitedly. "I'm his translator if we go to the store or someplace else. Other than that, he has a translator at his hard-of-hearing school. The school is great too."

"That's amazing," Kevin replied, watching as Scott signed for his brother. "Does he read lips?"

"No, not really," Scott replied/signed, frowning a bit when Mitch looked at the ground. *How about you go upstairs? We'll do something fun when I'm done talking to them.*

Mitch nodded as he waved goodbye to the couple. He walked upstairs, being careful of his steps. Avi smiled at his retrieving form and looked back at Scott, nodding slowly.

"How long has he been deaf?" Avi asked, his curiosity getting the best of him. "You don't need to answer the question. It's okay if you don't."

"You're fine," Scott answered, looking at his fingers. He sighed heavily, looking back up at Avi. "He been deaf for six years. He got into an accident that made him deaf permanently."

"How did the accident happen?" Kevin asked slowly, hoping that he didn't ask it wrong. He was interested since he is a doctor himself. "Do you know exactly how it happened?"

Scott was about to answer when the words got stuck in his throat. He shook his head, not wanting to answer. He sighed as he could feel another stream tears getting ready to be released.

Is crying a new hobby of yours?

"I'm sorry," Kevin apologized quickly, feeling bad for asking a personal question. Scott nodded slowly, wanting the couple to leave. "If you need anything, you could ask me or Avi. We're next door."

Scott nodded as he led the couple out. After they left, he closed the door and slid down it, allowing the tears to finally escape. He covered his face with his hands, the sobs sounding like a song in minor key. He wiped his eyes, not wanting Mitch to know that he cried. He got up, walking upstairs quickly and went to Mitch's room almost instantly. Imogen Heap is now playing loudly and Mitch's hands are still on the speaker. Mitch turned back and smiled at Scott, removing his hands from the speakers.

*Do you want to watch a movie now?* Scott asked hopefully, smiling when doing so. Mitch nodded excitedly as he turned off the speakers. *Which movie?*

*The SpongeBob Movie!*

*I knew it. Let's go watch it!*

~~~

Avi put cups away, watching Kevin carefully. The older man is writing some things down that seem vital and he does not want to distract him. A cup then fell out of Avi's grip and onto the floor, breaking instantaneously. Kevin jumped, looking up when Avi grabbed the broom and began to sweep. Kevin sighed as he stood up, wanting to help his husband.

"Are you okay, Avi?" Kevin asked as Avi threw away the shards of glass. Avi nodded, but Kevin knew something else was going on. "What is it? I know something else is up."

Avi set the broom down as he looked to Kevin, his green eyes full of unshed tears. He let a tear run down his face and Kevin hugged him gently, rubbing his back gently. He let out a shaky breath, he answered Kevin's question.

"That was Tori's favorite cup."

The couple stayed in the embrace for the longest time, crying heavily. They want their daughter back. They just want to be a family again.

~~~

Scott rubbed Mitch's shoulder's, the snores from his younger brother calming him down for the time being. His phone then rang and he jumped a bit, hoping that Mitch wouldn't wake up. He didn't, which made Scott take a sigh of relief. He answered his phone, putting it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"It's me," a person answered in a British voice that was obviously improvised. Scott rolled his eyes when he realized that it was his boss. "I'm just letting you know that your paycheck is ready to pick up. It's not your normal paycheck though."

"Okay," Scott replied, brushing his blond hair out of his face. He usually got paid $15 per shift and his shifts were every night, 5 to 9. "I understand. You have new workers. I could ask my grandparents to help me with bills this month."

"Come down here. I have a surprise for you," Melanie demanded in a playful voice. She then gasped, realizing something. "Wait, you have Mitch. I don't want him to be left alone. I'll give it to you tomorrow. You could ask your grandparents to pick it up too."

"You must forgotten that I am a music teacher," Scott replied, shaking his head while smiling. The job payed good money, but it wasn't a lot. It supported the small family a lot, but it limited them from doing a lot of fun stuff. "I really don't need a lot of money, Mel. I'm fine."

"You say that a lot, hon. We feel sorry for you at the end, but you always say not to throw a pity party for you," Melanie pointed out quietly. Scott sighed, knowing that his boss spoke the truth. "Yes, you teach, but it's still very little. Your grandparents could have easily took all three of you in, but you refused. Why is that?"

"I wanted to make my parents proud," Scott answered quietly, his blue eyes filling up with tears. "I don't want our grandparents to help us all the time."

"You're a strong person, Scott. I know that. You are the strongest person I know, but even the strongest person needs saving sometimes. You need to show your weaknesses sometimes. It'll all be okay. I'll talk to you later. I love you, hon."

"I love you too, Mel. See you tomorrow," Scott replied, hanging up after Melanie said goodbye. He rubbed his eyes when he realized that he needs to think of a test for finals and he hasn't even thought about it once this month. "Why is my life falling apart so easily?"

Scott sighed as he felt a tear run down his cheek. It's not even twelve in the afternoon, but he has cried two times already. He closed his eyes, wanting everything to be okay again.

A/N: This story might be short. I don't know how short, but it might not be super long. We'll see how everything turns out.:) Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and remember that I love you all very much.:)

-Maddie🐧🐧🐧