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moonlitcelestial · 3 months ago

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Chapter 19

Beyond the Lens - Logbook Videographer!Reader x OT8 Ateez

W/C 16,739

🎥 Series Masterlist 🎥

☽ Masterlist ☾

Inspiration Pictures

Pinterest Board Masterlist

Previous Chapter (Chapter 18)

Disclaimer: This story is purely a work of fiction. It is not meant to assume or mock anything about Ateez, Atiny, or anything relating to what I do not know about being a videographer. This story will follow several of the events that Ateez has done in the past year for Golden Hour Part 2, that being said I will not be able to include everything.

Contains she/her pronouns.

The logo in the center is mine. Please do not reuse or copy.

I strongly recommend looking at the inspiration pictures and the Pinterest boards linked above (which will be updating as the story goes on).

General Warnings: cussing, conflict, angst, fluff, and obliviousness.

CHAPTER WARNINGS - A little bit of embarrassment, CUTENESS (that will give you aggression)

Author's notes - Long chapter, new nickname drop, trying something new, and special guests!! You are in for an exciting chapter!! Shout out to @breadedloafs for one of the cute snippets!! Let me know what you think! <3 Moonie

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

You woke up the next morning in San’s embrace. In the night you must have shifted because now your back was to Yeosang who was clutching you tightly and you were buried in San’s chest. Both of them were absolutely dead to the world and you didn't want to disturb them by getting up. You laid there for a few minutes before your alarm went off which startled the two men out of their deep sleep. As quickly as you could you grabbed your phone to turn off the alarm. Reaching back up you also grabbed your glasses and put them on your face. The two of them settled back against you and murmured their good mornings. You smiled at their sleepy deep voices.

“Loves, I have to get up and get around for the day” you said quietly, the both of them squeezed you tighter and didn't let you move an inch.

“Just a couple more minutes?” You sighed against San’s chest and agreed to Yeosang’s plea. A few minutes later you heard someone shuffling around in the hallway. Picking your head up you saw Wooyoung standing in the doorway. He smiled at you and approached the bed.

“Youngie, will you trade with me so I can go get ready for the day?” He nodded and helped you separate yourself from the two that were trapping you. As soon as you were up and away from the two of them Wooyoung slipped into your place. Immediately San and Yeosang curled up tightly with him in the middle.

“Go back to sleep sweetheart,” you reached down and ran your hand over Wooyoung’s hair before reaching over his head and handing him Wooyonyang. He smiled sleepily at you and closed his eyes, tucking his baby under his chin. You moved toward your closet with quiet efficiency. Grabbing one of your long skirts with a slit up the leg and your flowy sun and moon shirt you made your way over to your bathroom. You turned to look at the boys curled up on your bed with a smile before closing the door. Making your way through your morning routine you turned on the shower and did a full body care day. As soon as you were finished you did your skin care routine and got dressed. Deciding you wanted to be a little extra you applied some light makeup to suit your features. Once you finished that routine you peeked through the door and saw that the boys were still asleep on the bed. You tiptoed across the room and out the door.

When you made it to the kitchen you gathered some of the things you could to make some smoothies for the boys to wake up to. Knowing how loud the damn blender is it would be best to just go down into the basement to do it. If you did that you would also be able to listen to some music as you got ready for the day. Grabbing most of the fruits and some vegetables you made your way down the stairs. Thankfully for you the giants weren't running around quite yet so you didn't have to worry about getting your ass knocked over again.

A little while later you had prepared several kinds of smoothies for the boys. You had a faint idea of what they might like but you made several variations just in case. Just as you were about to walk back up the stairs you heard someone coming down. Jongho appeared at the base of the stairs. He must have been up for a little while because his hair was damp like he took a shower.

“Good morning Jjong, I've got several smoothies if you want one for breakfast.” He greeted you, gave you a gummy smile and made his way over. You gave him the general run down of what each of them was, he gently took one of them and tried it. If his hum was anything to go by he liked it. Just as he was about to take another sip of the drink the song playing over the speakers changed. (listen to it as you read, it'll make the next bit so much better)

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

The first thing I heard was the music coming from the basement. Letting curiosity get the best of me I peeked down the stairs and heard Jongho singing. Taking a few more cautious steps I was met with the most heartwarming sight. Jongho was dancing in the middle of the basement floor with Y/n. They both were staring at each other like the other hung the stars; a rare moment of vulnerability from him.

Pulling out my phone I silently hit the record button and set it down where they couldn’t see it but it could see them. After getting it settled like an absolute ninja I took a seat just at the bend of the stairs. Peeking my head around the corner I watched them silently. The two of them moved in simple harmony with Jongho taking the lead. Her beautiful hair was slightly swaying and her eyes were sparkling with something akin to awe as he sang to her. In the quiet moments is when Jongho tends to shine; and be the most romantic. He may put off being a tough person but in reality he is so kind and attentive. The two of them fit so well together, like something out of a movie. Their smiles were both shining as they looked at each other. These moments are the heart of the love we shared. Being able to share that with her is going to be one of the most rewarding things in life.

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

Jongho paused mid-motion, his eyes turned distant as if he was internally debating something. Your eyes widened as he looked up at you while setting down his drink and holding his hand out to you. You took his outstretched hand and he pulled you out to the middle of the basement floor. He gently settled your hand on his shoulder and took your other one in his. His other hand settled itself in the middle of your lower back and he pulled you closer as he started slowly swaying in time with the song. The smell of orange blossoms and jasmine with something else wafted over you as he pulled you close. He started to softly sing to you as you swayed together. His eyes held yours the entire time, there was an intensity behind them but not the normal intensity you saw from him; it was something softer. This was the first time you got the opportunity to study him up close. His beautiful lips as they formed each syllable; the soft skin that just barely had laughing lines surrounding his eyes and mouth. Your eyes trailed back up to his, the brown of his eyes was like a rich black coffee and the lights made them twinkle. They were calm but held adoration within their depths.

This was the Jongho you hadn't seen very often; one that you hoped you would see more. His voice was carrying across the basement and it sounded absolutely angelic. You couldn't stop the smile that split across your face as he kept singing to you and leading you around in a small circle with the melody of the song. As it came to an end you expected him to pull away from you; he just watched you without saying a word. You leaned your head against his shoulder and after a moment’s hesitation he set his head on top of yours. The music you were once focused on faded into the background, a mere memory from the present you basked in with him. The both of you just stood there in the middle of the basement for a few minutes. Your hand was still intertwined with his, he held you with a firm but gentle touch. You pulled your head away from his shoulder and looked at him.

“Your voice is absolutely breathtaking, I could listen to you sing all day.” He smiled fully at you before leaning in and capturing your lips. You froze, the initial shock wore off quickly as you closed your eyes and melted into his warmth. His lips moved in perfect sync with yours as he leaned back into you. He let go of your hand and brought it to rest between your shoulder blades. You brought the hand he just released behind his head to run your fingers through his slightly damp hair. The kiss was blissfully intense. He had you tilted back just slightly but was supporting you fully. Your stomach and heart were fluttering all over the place as he held you as close to him as he could. He separated himself from you and immediately moved to hide himself in your neck. You could feel the heat radiating from his face and saw the red tips of his ears. Someone approached down the steps and you saw Hongjoong with his cute bed head. He raised his eyebrows at you and Jongho which you smiled bashfully at. Shaking his head he walked past the two of you and to the bar where the several colorful smoothies were.

“They are for everyone, you can try them all if you want. As long as you have something on your stomach I don't care.” Just as you started speaking Jongho had pulled away from you to move over to his smoothie before Hongjoong got a hold of it. You missed the warmth of him already.

“You look beautiful by the way,” Hongjoong said between sips of the smoothie he chose. “Are you doing anything special today?”

“Thank you Joongie, I kinda just wanted to look nice. But, I also need to do some last minute birthday party shopping. Maybe a day out on the town with the team too, two birds one stone y'know.” He nodded and the both of them watched you as you walked over to your smoothie behind the bar. You grabbed your phone and paused your music and shot off a message to the team.

Once you had the drink you walked over to Hongjoong and started trying to fix his bedhead with the hand you had available. He closed his eyes and let you mess with his hair until you were satisfied that it looked halfway decent. Once you stepped away he smiled at you, one of his absolutely disarming smiles. You returned it and took another sip of your drink.

“Yah you fluffy little monster where is your mom?” As soon as you heard Wooyoung ask one of the giants that you snorted and the smoothie almost came out of your nose. Hongjoong watched you with wide eyes and moved to rub your back while trying to hold back his own laughter.

“Hyung we are down here,” Jongho responded between quiet giggles. Quick footsteps made their way down the stairs. Wooyoung appeared with a large smile and a curious look at you. Holding up your hand you signaled for him to wait a second.

“Which one is the fluffy little monster?” Wooyoung bit his lip and looked at the other two who were smiling at him. He raised his hand and ran it across the back of his neck before muttering a curse at himself.

“It was Toothless, I didn't think you would hear that, that's why I asked him.” The three of you standing in front of the bar burst into laughter at the response. There was red moving down his face and neck the longer he stood there. Hongjoong had grabbed a hold of your arm to steady himself. Jongho was leaning heavily on the bartop.

“Aish,” Wooyoung muttered before passing you and grabbing one of the smoothies. Shortly after San and Yeosang made their way down the stairs hand in hand. The both of them looked happy as could be as they greeted the room. The after shower glow was still lingering on their skin. Yeosang and San both approached you and gave you twin kisses on both of your cheeks. You felt your face flush and tried to hide your smile at the simple affection.

“Sannie the strawberry smoothie is the one on the far side of the bar if you want it. Sangie, you're welcome to any one of them, they are all different flavors.” They both nodded and moved to grab one.

About thirty minutes passed and you were chatting with the group of boys before an alarm went off. Everyone’s eyes fell to Hongjoong who was turning off the alarm.

“We need to get to KQ for our schedule.” Whines echoed around the room from the other boys. You chuckled at them and their pouting faces, you were the first one to get up and put your glass into the small sink. As soon as you started moving the rest of them did; not without complaints though. You moved up the stairs and saw Beans stretched out on the floor in the middle of the living room in a ray of sunlight. Making your way over to her you ran your hand over her back, specifically making sure to avoid her stomach, but it still earned you a small smack to the back of your hand.

“Don’t be mean,” you huffed walking away from her and to the mudroom to put on your shoes. You settled on the small bench and started putting on one of your favorite pairs of shitkickers.

“Yah! Don’t swing at me you menace! How dare you!” A chorus of laughter followed Wooyoung’s yelling. You peeked around the corner to see him messing with Beans. She was happily half assed swinging at him while he tried to scratch her belly.

“You fell for the oldest trick in the book Woo.” He turned to look at you and smirked then started sauntering over to you. When he made it to you he tilted his head at you and grinned before placing a chaste kiss on your lips. Your eyes widened just lightly as he walked away from you and into the mudroom. Hongjoong approached next and squeezed your hand as he walked past. Turning into the room you watched as he surveyed the select few hats you had on the hat rack. He plucked the wide brimmed hat that was on top of everything and approached you. You were smiling at him as he approached, he gently took your hand and led you to sit down on the bench.

“Stay there.” You nodded at him and he stepped away from you to walk up the stairs. Seonghwa came into the mud room next and looked curiously at you.

“He told me to stay here, I dunno what he is up to but I would rather listen than incur his captain scolding,” he snickered at you and placed a kiss on your head before grabbing his shoes and sitting next to you. Wooyoung dramatically plopped on the other side of you and laid his head on your shoulder.

“I could stay here forever, it's so nice.” You leaned your head on his and smiled at the notion that you created a safe space for them.

“You are all welcome here any time, the door code is the same as the gate code which Sannie has.” He nodded against you. The other boys were shuffling about and some of them had walked out to San’s car to leave their bags in it. Hongjoong appeared a minute later with a couple of bobby-pins and a large grin. He waved Wooyoung off of your shoulder and moved to stand between your legs. You looked up at him while he gently put the wide brimmed hat on your head and started affixing it with the bobby pins. He was so focused, his tongue was just barely sticking out between his lips as he put the final bobby pin into your hair. Taking a step back he surveyed his handwork, under his gaze you could feel the heat rush to your face. His eyes met yours and a smile spread across his face.

“There you go, Nae Sarang (My Love).” You stood and turned to look in the mirror that was in one of the hidden cabinets. He had settled the hat more on the back of your head making it look almost like a halo crown. You beamed at him through the reflection.

“Joongie, this pulls together the outfit so well, I need to come to you for fashion more often.” He attempted to hide the smile that was going to split his face. The apples of his cheeks were turning a cute shade of red at your praise. You turned around, stepped forward to get closer to him and gently leaned down to place a kiss on his cheek. If he could have gotten more red he would have, the smile he was attempting to hide broke out across his face. He couldn't make eye contact with you, just choosing to keep his head down.

“Y/n-nie. Joongie. We need to get going if we are going to make it on time.” Seonghwa was peeking his head into the mud room. You nodded and stepped into the garage, the rest of the boys that rode with you the other day followed you in. You pushed the garage door opener before stepping up to Aria. Just as the door fully opened you heard a shout of your name. Turning to look who was yelling, Wooyoung, San, Mingi and Yunho approached you. Mingi beckoned you over to which you shook your head at him and approached. Just as soon as you got into range he grabbed you into a tight hug and left you with a peck on the lips.

“Have a great day Y/n-nie,” he whispered as he pulled away. The other three followed a very similar pattern. Once you knew they were happy with their goodbye you headed back into the garage to get into the car. When you were settled in you smiled at the four in your car and started pulling out of the garage. Along the forty five minute drive Seonghwa’s hand ended up in yours over the center console. You pulled into the KQ parking garage and headed to your normal parking spot. As soon as you had the car in park Seonghwa left a light kiss on your lips. The three in the back settled with kisses on your cheek. You watched as they walked into the building, Yeosang was the last one in and he gave you a small wave before going in. You smiled at him and returned the gesture.

When he was out of sight you took a minute to yourself. Leaning your head against the steering wheel you let a large smile split across your face. Holy shit. This is real life. You are dating Ateez. A squeal left your lips before you could reign it in. You started celebrating, you were dancing in your car like a maniac but you didn’t have a fuck to give.

As soon as you recovered you realized that you had to go in to grab your computer bag. You shut off Aria and made your way into the building smiling at some of the people you recognized. Maddox approached you with a smile, you and he had a quiet understanding and a blooming friendship.

“What's got you all smiley?” You looked at him and grinned wider.

“I just had a really good past couple of days.”

He looked you over again with a squint. “Sure,” He dragged out the ending of the word suspiciously, “Either way you're absolutely glowing, it looks good on you.”

“Thanks Maddox,” Eden yelled his name from somewhere behind you. He turned around and when he looked back to you he gave a mock salute before leaving your side. You hadn't even realized that you made it to your KQ office. Stepping into the room you looked over everything, The others must have come to get their things some time before because the room was void of any bags and the Harnesses were hung up on the small rack you had for them. You grabbed your shoulder bag and camera before making your way out the door. As soon as you turned around you caught a glance of Yunho, his eyes met yours and he gave you a wink before returning to whatever he was doing. You chucked at him and made your way back out to your car.

You made it into the studio and just barely got settled before Aurora burst into the room with one of the largest grins on her face. She was wearing a cute dark blue summer dress with her dark hair in a half up half down style showcasing the blue peekaboo she had underneath. You could really tell what her favorite color was today.

“Bestie, you have some piping hot tea to spill!” She was nearly shouting as she plopped herself onto the couch next to your desk. Willow and Forrest both appeared in the doorway. Willow was wearing a cute light blue off the shoulder blouse and some ripped skinny jeans. Her hair was braided down one side and the rest of it had been curled with an iron, that must have took her for fucking ever with the mane she had. Forrest was wearing a black tee under a deep green shirt with matching green pants. His copper wolf cut was styled and had a small ponytail. All three of them looked absolutely amazing.

“Yes, I do but we have expensive things in here and I would rather you not have a big freak out like I know you will in here.” You got up out of your chair and led them to the round table. You sat down and motioned for the rest of them to follow. As soon as they sat down you clasped your hands together in front of you on the table. You started to fiddle with the dragon ring you had on.

“Girl, it's just us, you don't have to be nervous.” You looked over each of them and couldn't hold back the small smile that spread across your face.

“As of a couple of days ago I have eight boyfriends.” Right as the words left your mouth Aurora leapt up with a frantic squeal, Willow let out some of the loudest laughter you had heard from her, and Forrest stood up from his seat and lammed his hands on the table in a dramatic motion, “No fucking way!”

Aurora ran around the table and hauled you up to your feet. You were laughing the entire time as she threw her arms around you and started jumping with you. Willow and Forrest joined in on the hug effectively almost stopping the bouncing. The four of you stood there giggling like little girls hearing the juiciest gossip there ever was. As soon as you separated you wore a bashful smile.

“Tell us absolutely everything!” Willow sat you back in your seat by the shoulders. When they all sat down and made themselves comfortable you launched into the story of the past two days. Each time you spoke of kissing one of the boys you could feel the heat burning on your face and the butterflies return to your stomach. They always cooed at you and lightly made fun of how red you were.

“They're all so whipped for you already and you haven't even been together for that long” You glared at Forrest, he was wearing a smug grin while he leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed.

“They were whipped before they were even dating. This is nothing new.” Shooting your glare to Willow she started laughing at you. Rolling your eyes you slumped into the seat farther.

“Alright, enough of teasing me, I mentioned going to the mall earlier, do we want to go? Aurora I need to at least buy your lunch for the polaroid pictures.” She rolled her eyes at you for even offering but eventually nodded. You all came to an agreement on where you should go and made your way to your car. As soon as you were settled you took off and made your way over to the mall.

“You guys go ahead, I have to make a call,” they all nodded at you as you pulled out your phone and tapped on the contact name, it took a couple of rings before he picked up with a large smile.

“Hey, Y/n-nie!” You smiled back at the blonde.

“Hi Lix! I have some interesting questions for you.” He raised his eyebrows.

“Okay shoot!”

“First, are you doing anything today? Like any kind of schedule?”

He shook his head, “nope, we all have the day off, in fact Jinnie and I were about to do some baking. Well more me doing the baking and him stealing bites; but I digress.” You heard Hyunjin’s whine in the background before he popped into the frame.

“Hi Y/n-nie! Long time no see!”

“Hi Jinnie! It has been too long, one of these days we need to get together and do lunch or something, I have so many photos you would love!”

“I’d love that! Also, how is your garden going?”

“It is doing amazing, lots of the trees are starting to drop fruit, the koi are out in full force this year, and the peonies are absolutely huge; it's quite a sight to behold. I also finally got the fairy lights up in the willow tree! You would love it, it looks like something straight out of a fairy tale.”

“I might have to come back over and repaint it! I really loved just being out in the middle of nowhere where no one could disturb us while I painted and took pictures.” Felix was just watching Hyunjin talk to you with a lovesick grin on his face. They were such a cute couple.

“You are welcome any time, just let me know and I can clear my day for you to just come and be yourself in the forest.”

“Deal!”

“Okay,” you chuckled, it is too easy to wander into a completely different conversation with the fellow artist. “We are totally getting off topic, I have a request for you, if you both are up for it that is.”

“Sounds suspicious but I'm listening,” you let out a laugh as his Australian accent got just a little stronger.

“So, you know Ateez right?”

“Yeahh?” Both of them tilted their heads at you with furrowed brows.

“So, I’m going to be throwing a surprise birthday party for Yeosang at my house and I was wanting to know if you would be willing to bake him a cake and make some other sweets. We are going to be celebrating tomorrow. I already have some reference pictures for the theme, all I need is a good baker with a little bit of time on his hands.”

“Oh that's so sweet of you! I am totally down for that, I'll need to get some ingredients but other than that I should be able to get them done by the end of the day!”

“Yayy!! Thank you Lix! I'll send you the pictures!”

“Of course! Thank you for thinking of me! I am so happy I can help.”

“Who wouldn't think of the kindest Aussie baker when they need a cake and sweets. I’m just happy you have the time, I know you and the other kids are crazy busy here recently.”

“Yeah, but we love it. We’ll let you go Noona, I've got some baking to do!”

You let out a laugh, “Bye Lix and Jinnie, see you soon. Thank you again!” you hung up the call and celebrated, things were falling into place for Yeosang’s birthday. The only thing you needed to do was get the decorations and a gift or two.

You made your way into the mall and started looking for your team. Walking into the large building you felt like a million bucks. This was the happiest you had been in a long time.

You were making your way over to one of your most frequented stores for all of your jewelry. On the way you ran into the team, Willow, Forrest, and Aurora were talking and laughing at some of the ridiculous things Aurora pointed out to them. Smiling as you walked over to join them Aurora spotted you immediately and beckoned you over to see what she was pointing at. As soon as you made it over to her you looked in the window, there was a frog butler holding a tray with toilet paper on it.

“What in the fucking world?” You burst into giggles. Willow and Aurora joined the giggle fest, the three of you sounded like cackling hyenas.

“I have no idea but I kinda want it” You turned to look at Forrest with your eyebrows pinched together while you tried to hold back your laughter. He shrugged his shoulders and started walking off toward your favorite jewelry shop. You followed him into the store and started browsing the many pieces. As you walked around one piece caught your eye. It was something you would have never even fathomed wearing. Behind a glass case was a silver body chain with a moon that would land below your sternum. From the moon there were three chains hanging on either side that would go around your hips. It was stunning, and would go well with the dainty hand chain your Granny got you forever ago. You looked at the price and cringed, it was at the very top of the price range you were comfortable spending on a single piece of jewelry. Maybe another time, you grabbed your phone out of your small bag and took a picture of it and the tag so if you had the opportunity you could come back for it later.

As you continued to browse around the store another thing caught your eye, this one was more costume jewelry than anything but it was definitely your style. You peered into the case and looked over the ring, it was a set of what looked like vampire or werewolf teeth. Just as you were going to grab someone to inspect the ring closer an employee popped up out of nowhere and grabbed it for you. You thanked the woman standing behind the counter as she handed you the box. It had been carved with such detail you knew you had to have it. You looked at the price and smiled, this was something that you could do, and it was a steal for genuine silver.

“I'll take it,” you handed her the box and followed her around to the checkout. She had you done and out the door in record time. You bowed to her as you left and walked out to be met with Willow watching as the other two entered a perfume shop. Her nose was too sensitive to go into some of those shops, she would be a sneezing mess by the end of it. You stood next to her and watched as Forrest and Aurora took turns spraying different smells on the small cards. Forrest handed her one and she immediately sniffed it and made one of the most disgusted faces you had seen from her. She held it out and away from her like the damn thing was on fire. Both you and Willow fell into quiet laughter at her reaction.

Several minutes later they both came out of the store with large grins on their faces, one bag each. Forrest was grinning like a madman and pulled out a small roller of something and handed it to you. As soon as you looked it over you smacked him, maybe a little too hard, on the shoulder. He had bought you the pheromone perfume.

“You dickhead.” His and Aurora’s responding laughter echoed off the tiles in the large open area. You glared at the two of them before shoving it into your ring bag and walking away. They all muttered behind you and you heard Willow burst into laughter as well. You held your middle finger up above your shoulder as you walked away from them. Following the familiar path you went to one of your comfort stores. As soon as you spotted the Lego store you practically jogged into it to hide away from those loving assholes. They knew you well enough that this would be the first place they would come looking for you.

You were browsing through the isles around the store, your eyes caught on some small keychains. There was a pair that made a heart and just a little farther past those you saw Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy linked together. You snagged both of them immediately knowing who you would be gifting them to.

Turning around you looked to see if any of them followed you, not seeing them you started meandering farther into and around the store. As you walked you resisted the urge to buy a second Millennium Falcon to give to Seonghwa; even if he had to keep it at your place. You browsed around and decided to grab the Beauty and the Beast castle; which you had been wanting for a while. Making your way over to the check out you smiled at the young cashier. She recognized you and smiled back, as she was checking you out she asked how everything was going. You stood and spoke with her for a few minutes updating her on what had been happening; as best you could without giving too much away. She told you about her schooling as an engineer and how she was almost done and she was excited to move on to her next adventure; much like you were when you were her age. Another customer approached and you bid her goodbye.

As you were walking out of the store your phone pinged. You made your way over to a small common area and settled on a chair that was farther away from most of the people. As you were setting down your larger bag Aurora and Willow came out of the store adjacent to you. They sat on either side of you in their own respective chairs. You pulled out your phone and looked at the notification, it was from Captain. As soon as you opened it your jaw dropped and you let out a flabbergasted noise before shutting your phone off and all but throwing it back into the bag in shock. Both of the women next to you looked at you curiously.

“I will be right back, I need to make a call right quick.” You stood up, set your small bag down in your seat and wandered away. As soon as you got out of earshot you grabbed your phone back out of your bag and called Hongjoong. It took a couple of rings for him to pick up.

“Hey Shutterbug, what's up?” There was general chatter in the background as he asked. Some of the boys who were with him echoed their greetings loud enough for you to hear. You nearly popped a vein out of your forehead, he was acting like nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Hi Songbird—“ you took a breath in and out to get your heart under control, “—Is there any particular reason I just got a notification that you sent me a large sum of money?” He chuckled at you.

“I wanted to spoil you.” You rolled your eyes; this man. Some of the chatter in the background stopped. Knowing them, they all gathered closer to Hongjoong and were listening to your conversation.

“I hope you can feel my eyes roll from here.” You muttered under your breath before speaking up “You did not have to send me that much money, or anything at all. I am absolutely fully capable of spending my own money.”

“I know you are, but I wanted to treat you to getting your nails done. Think of it as me helping you get ready for fashion week.” He paused like he was contemplating his next words very carefully.

“Just let me spoil you” his voice was almost pleading, but it held an undertone of finality; like he wasn’t going to let you out of this.

After lingering for a minute and debating the risk of the possible scolding you would get if you sent it back to him you huffed, “fine.”

“Treat the rest of your team as well. All of you worked hard on the MV.”

“Thank you, you really didn't have to do this but I appreciate it, and I am sure they will too.”

“It’s my pleasure, our treasure. If you need more, let me know” In the background you heard several noises of agreement; of course they would take his side.

“The amount of money you sent me will be plenty for all of us.”

“Y/n. Let me know if you need more, even if it isn't for nails.” His tone left no room for arguing; it may have also sent a shiver up your spine. He even pulled out your government name, which momentarily surprised you; that was something he did not do often.

“Yes Captain.” You were rolling your eyes so hard you thought they might disappear into the back of your head. Through the phone there were some small snickers of the other boys. You could also practically feel his eye roll through the phone; which prompted a small smile from you.

“Good, I love you, send me pictures when you are done.”

“I will, I love you too.”

“Oh, and Shutterbug.”

“Yeah?”

“Get something black and white.” Before you could respond or give him some sarcasm he hung up on you. You looked at the screen in disbelief before putting it back into the bag. This was going to be a power struggle. An independent woman and a man determined to spoil the living shit out of you. Actually, if you knew the others it would be several men determined to spoil the shit out of you. You made your way back to where you left the girls, Forrest had plopped into a chair right as you were approaching.

“Alright, so change of plans, we are getting mani pedis, then lunch, then party shopping.”

“Why the sudden disappearance and change of plans? Is everything okay?” Willow was looking you over in that motherly assessing way.

“Everything is fine, just my boyfriend being a stubborn man is all.” The three of them exchanged glances and looked back at you. Their eyebrows were raised and they were failing miserably at hiding their smirks.

“Don’t look at me in that tone, let's just go and we can discuss it further later without people listening in.” You glanced over at the girls that had appeared a little ways away from you. They were chatting quietly but you knew that they would absolutely freak out if you mentioned even one of your boyfriends names out loud. The reason you knew, they both had Aniteez strapped to their bags; one of them being a very good representation of said stubborn boyfriend.

They nodded at you and Aurora took the lead. Her and Meadow both absolutely love to get their nails done any time they can; and it just so happened her favorite place to go is in the mall you chose today. You followed her to the opposite side of the mall and entered the very green shop. The windows and most of the walls were lined with plants and various art and photos.

“Aurora!” The girl behind the counter squealed. You chuckled at the enthusiasm they both shared as they hugged. They started speaking quickly back and forth and motioning around, a couple of times they motioned to you.

“Come on guys! Let’s get set up for Mai.” The three of you made your way back following the two chatterboxes to one of the more private rooms. As you stepped into the room the scent of potting soil and fresh air overtook you; it was just like walking into your greenhouse. You immediately knew you would like this girl. The art that hung on the walls was all black and white, and then you noticed it.

“You did fucking not,” you stepped toward the canvas hanging in the center of all of the other art on the wall. Aurora was looking at you with one of the largest grins. You didn’t just recognize the photo, you were the one that took it. For a minute you just stared at it, this picture was one that you hadn’t seen in a very long time. It was of a woman who was perched on a stool with her legs crossed holding a skull while she shook her head. This shoot was one of your prouder moments from college in the states. Admittedly you absolutely hated the assignment that produced that picture, even if it had been one of your favorite photos to this day.

“Mai, this is Y/n. She is the one that took the photo I gave you.” Your eyes flicked to the woman standing there, her eyes were comically wide as she took in the information. Immediately she bowed deeply to you, as soon as she came back up you started waving your hands in front of you trying to stop her many thank yous and praises of the picture.

“I am so happy you like it,” you approached and took Mai’s shaking hands into both of yours with a smile. She was grinning ear to ear before offering you another bow. You shook your head at her, the smile never left your face. Aurora broke the small moment up by gently taking Mai’s hand out of yours and bringing her over to the colors lining the wall. You turned to make your way over to Forrest who was watching you guys carefully.

“What are you going to get done, tree man?” You bumped your shoulder against his and he scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

“I was just going to get a basic mani pedi, nothing too extravagant, what about you? Anything spark your fancy?”

“I was just going to get a mani pedi too, but it was requested I get something in black and white so I have to do something at least a little fancy.” Just as Forrest was opening his mouth to speak, your phone pinged. Grabbing it out of your bag you checked your messages to see the name of the group chat you had with the boys changed. 9 Makes 1 Team. The grin that escaped you was of absolute adoration for the men on the other side of this chat. Forrest was looking at your phone with you and you heard a small huff of laughter.

Just as you got into the actual chat the notifications started exploding. All of the boys were sending black and white nail art designs. You turned your phone fully toward Forrest and he let out a loud laugh at the several messages that kept popping up. There was a range of various options they were supplying you with, some longer and pointier than you knew you could tolerate. Some were short and sweet but most of them were very intricate with the designs. They kept pouring in, just as you were about to silence your phone one caught your eye. You quickly tapped on the photo before it disappeared in the flurry of messages.

Taking time to just look at the photo you decided this was it, it was simple and elegant without being too flashy. The majority of your nail was going to be styled like a French tip but instead of a normal french tip it looked like clouds or smoke. It would alternate between black and white and on each finger there were going to be designs of stars and maybe some moons. Forrest let out a hum of approval before you were called over to the chairs to start.

You sat there for a few hours while Mai did your nails. Conversation flowed between the five of you naturally, Aurora even told you you could talk about your boys with her as she was within the community. You chatted with her animatedly about anything and everything under the sun, from your boys to her partner. Even when the conversation drifted you weren’t in an uncomfortable silence. All of you were just content to just bask in the calm atmosphere in the room.

When it came time for you to pay you followed Mai to the register, and as soon as you tried to hand her the card for everyone she adamantly refused you. You battled back and forth with her about it saying you got a lot of things and used her products. She still wouldn’t let you pay, she just made you promise that if you were going to get your nails done that you would come to her, and possibly bring the boys she heard all about. When you finally reluctantly agreed, after about five minutes of bickering, she smiled wide. You thanked her with a small bow and made your way out of the store, a loud grumble came from beside you. Turning toward Willow you were met with her staring down at her stomach like it was alive.

“I guess it is time for lunch then, Where do you want to go?” She looked at you and smiled sheepishly.

“Honestly, the small seafood place we walked by earlier smelled really good.” You linked arms with her and made her lead the way. Just as you were about to sit down at a table someone tapped you on the leg. Turning around you smiled as you were met with a shy young boy. You assumed his father was the one standing not too far behind him with a smile on his face. You crouched down to be on his level.

“Yeosanim (Ms. or Madam), your tattoos are really pretty.” The little boy wasn’t really looking at you and you just barely caught his words. Your heart melted and you reached out to him. His eyes snapped up to yours as you laid a hand on his arm. He had just barely seen the tattoos you had because of the long flowy sleeves; and yet he still liked them.

“Thank you so much, would you like to look at them a little better?” He was frantically nodding while you checked that it was okay with his dad; who had many tattoos of his own. A small nod and a quick smile was all the confirmation you needed to gently roll up your sleeve to show him your arms. His eyes sparkled with wonder as you showed him the various intricacies of your sleeves. He gently traced some of the lines on your right arm. You were watching him with a large smile.

“Alright buddy, eomma is waiting for us back at the table.” His eyes looked up at yours and he jumped into your arms to give you a hug.

“Thank you yeosanim (Ms. or Madam).” He whispered as you wrapped your arms around him. You were looking at the dad, the smile never left his face as he mouthed thank you.

“Of course, I am very happy you asked me about them, they are my pride and joy” he stayed there with you for a second before he released you. With a quick polite bow he ran back toward his dad. A hand presented itself before you and you accepted the help up from Forrest. Aurora and Willow were watching you with smiles as you sat down next to Willow.

“If that didn’t give me baby fever I don’t know what would. He was absolutely adorable.” Willow gushed leaning her head on your shoulder. You giggled and laid your head on top of hers.

The majority of the time was spent giggling at your stupid inside jokes and chatting. The food got to your table and it went quiet, the only noise surrounding the four of you was the clinking of silverware and chopsticks. When you finished you discreetly handed the waiter your card before any of them could even think of protesting. You had almost perfected this throughout the years with them, but you might have to change up your ways if you would be able to pull this over on the boys in the future.

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

Once he was finished helping with the track Hongjoong looked at his phone. There were a lot of notifications that he swiped through but one caught his attention. Clicking into it he was met with a video of you squatting in front of a small boy who looked to be about four. He pressed play and watched the interaction unfold. You were so gentle with him as he looked at your tattoos in awe. He could feel his heart melting at the sight, if seeing the other boys with children didn't absolutely melt him into a puddle this definitely did.

“Yah, why are you so distracted hyung?” Hongjoong didn't look up from his phone as he continued watching the video. The little boy had thrown his arms around you after someone off the screen spoke to him. He watched you rest your head against the boy’s for a brief minute before he separated from you, bowed and took off. Hongjoong’s eyes flickered up to Yunho who was watching him intently patiently waiting for an answer. He figured it would be best to just show him. With a smile he handed his phone to the tall man. As soon as Yunho noticed it was a video of you he started smiling. Mingi approached and set his head on Yunho’s shoulder and watched the video as well. Both of them were smiling from ear to ear as they watched.

“She is so good with kids, some people would have just waved him off.” Hongjoong nodded and took the phone that Yunho was offering him.

“She is, I wonder if she has any nieces or nephews or maybe even siblings.” Mingi was still resting against Yunho as he spoke.

Hongjoong nodded, “She’s just an amazing person overall, her being good with kids doesn't surprise me in the slightest.”

“Who’s good with kids?” All of their eyes moved to San and Wooyoung who just walked back into the room. Hongjoong wordlessly handed San the phone. They all watched as Wooyoung grinned and started smacking San in excitement. He was just grinning at the video before watching it again.

“That’s our girl” he muttered as he handed the phone back to Hongjoong. It didn't even make it back into his hand before Yeosang spoke.

“What did Y/n-nie do?” Everyone turned to look at Yeosang, Seonghwa and Jongho who just walked back into the room with some food tins. San looked over at Hongjoong to make sure it was okay that he handed them his phone. Hongjoong smiled at San and nodded. He handed the phone to Seonghwa who immediately set the food tin down to hold it in both hands. Yeosang and Jongho got close and watched the video. Yeosang was trying to hide his smile and Jongho was absolutely beaming. After the video finished Jongho gently took the phone from Seonghwa and started tapping on the screen. A few seconds later all of their phones simultaneously dinged. He moved over to Hongjoong and handed him his phone back with a smile. Wooyoung and San let out small twin squeals as they rewatched the video on their own phones.

“This side of Y/n-nie doesn’t entirely surprise me. I figured she would be good with kids because of the conversation she had with us a while ago about helping teach the kids at her dojang.” Everyone’s eyes fell to Yeosang who was watching the video again. Everyone seemed to forget that he listened to everything, even if recalling it may have been an issue; apparently that fact wasn't the same when it came to you.

“That's right! I forgot that she helped with them, now I want to see it in person.” It was San who spoke up after Yeosang.

“Aish, you just want to see her in the dojang kicking people's butts like a badass, don't be so innocent.” Yeosang deadpanned. Everyone burst into laughter as San turned as red as a tomato.

“She can throw me around any time and I would totally be okay with it.” All eyes fell to Wooyoung who was grinning like a mad man. Some of them laughed while most of them rolled their eyes at him with fond smiles.

★☆☽ Timeskip ☾☆★

After you got some red and black decorations all of you were weaving in and out of the stores on the second floor of the mall. Then It struck you, you still needed to get Yeosang a present for his birthday. You spent all this time finding and picking the perfect decorations for the party but you didn't even have presents yet; the fuck were you thinking?

“Rora, does Mai’s place have self care things for sale? Like face masks and the works.”

“Yeah, she has some of the best things I have ever used, I almost exclusively shop with her when it comes to that stuff. Do we need to go back?”

“Yes, I have a birthday boy to buy things for and what better way to do that than spend some money at a friend's salon who didn’t let me pay earlier.” Aurora was beaming at you before she started dragging you back to Mai’s. You were almost jogging across the mall when a cute souvenir shop with lots of different keychains stood out to you. You halted in your tracks which made Aurora, who was hanging on to you, almost fall. Before she could even say anything your roles were reversed and you were dragging her into the small store.

Immediately you saw the ones that had all kinds of dogs on them. You made your way to it and started looking for a Doberman. After just a minute of looking Aurora pulled two off the rack and showed them to you. One was a 3D silver Doberman charm with a claw hook and the other she was holding was a cute tag that says ‘I love my Doberman’. You burst into laughter and gently took them from her. She was grinning at you as you looked them over.

“These are perfect!” Aurora ended up bursting into giggles with you as you walked over to the counter to pay for the trinkets. The cashier was looking at the two of you like you were crazy; a small price to pay for the absolute happiness that was radiating from you. As soon as she handed them back to you you stuck them in the ring bag and walked out arm and arm with Aurora. This time she wasn’t dragging you but she did have a skip to her step as you were walking.

When you made it back to Mai’s shop the other woman approached you with a large smile. “Back so soon?” You nodded at her and exchanged a grin with Aurora.

“I need one of every skincare, facemask, and any other things similar that you have please.” Her eyes widened and she gave you a skeptical look.

“Are you sure? We have a lot here.”

“Yes, I have plenty of people I can share with and it’ll pay you guys back for the services we got earlier; just don’t tell Mai.” She laughed with a nod at you before wandering back to the room you assumed they were stored in. It took her several trips, even with full arms, to get everything. Your smile only grew at the thought of making each of your boyfriends participate in something Yeosang loved. She told you the total and you immediately gave her your card.

“Thank you!” You chirped as she was handing you the bags. Once you had everything situated across your arms you gave her a large smile and a polite bow before leaving.

“Bye Hana! See you soon!” Aurora was animatedly waving her hands before turning to walk with you.

“I think we need to make a trip to the car, I don't want to walk around like this.” She hummed her agreement. While you were walking you had to readjust your arms a couple of times so the bags wouldn’t cut into them. Aurora took the opportunity of you shifting some of them again to take a couple of the bags from you.

“Y’know, a self care night is something that wouldn't be complete without matching outfits.” Your eyes widened, you hadn't even thought of that, it would be so much fun.

“This is why we are friends,” you felt the smile on your face get wider. She started laughing at you while you continued on the pathway to drop the shit ton of bags off in Aria.

“What in the world did you do? Why do you have so many bags?” The closeness of Forrest’s voice made you jump out of your skin. Willow let out a snort and hid behind her hand.

“I wanted to get some things for the boys, sue me.” You continued walking after recovering yourself.

“I don’t think that is some, it’s more like everything.” He was most likely trailing behind you like a puppy.

“Fuck off.” You rolled your eyes at his teasing.

“So, I assume since you are literally at least ten pounds heavier than normal because of these bags we are heading out.”

“I’m just dropping things off and coming back, I still have some more things to buy. All of this is gifts, activities and decorations.” The trio followed you out to Aria as you were speaking. Before you could ask Willow had pulled the keys out of your small bag and was popping the trunk for you to put all of the things in.

As soon as you were finished settling things in the trunk you pushed the button to close it. Looking down you saw the red marks from how heavy the bags were. You rubbed your forearms and started making your way back into the mall, just as you were approaching the threshold you felt your phone buzz. Stopping in your tracks you pulled out your phone, the team paused but kept going as you waved them off.

You put your phone back in your bag before resuming on your mission. You had an idea of matching PJs to get for everyone; if you could find it it would go perfect with the theme. As soon as you made it to the clothing store you made a beeline for the comfy clothes section. As you were scanning over everything your eyes caught exactly what you were looking for. You approached the rack and grabbed nine pairs of the red and black buffalo check pants before grabbing just some plain black t-shirts. This would work out well, they could leave these at your house and have clothes to change into if they unexpectedly stayed the night. While you were walking to the front of the store you got several weird looks for carrying that many pairs of the same thing. You approached the cashier and set all of the clothes onto the counter. She gave you a look like she wanted to ask about it but she didn't. When she was finished she handed you the bags of clothing with a small smile.

“Thank you,” you bowed to her before taking your leave. She said something under her breath about weird foreigners, you shook your head at her and continued on your way. As you walked out of the store you caught Willow and Aurora in a lingerie store. You snickered at the two of them looking at the lace before moving toward the bench Forrest was perched on.

“You really spoil these men, you know that?”

“I haven't had anyone to spoil other than you goons for the past several years, I have the spare money, why shouldn't I?” He shrugged at you and continued looking at his phone. You settled on checking in on yours as well. No one had messaged you but you assumed Felix would be getting finished soon as it had been several hours. The rustling of bags caught your attention, when you looked up you were met with Aurora and Willow standing there with new bags in their hands. Their partners were in for some fun tonight.

“Do we have everything? Anything else that any of you can think of I might need for the party?”

“You have decorations, presents, activities and matching pjs. I think you are covered.” Aurora nodded along with Willow as she listed the things off.

“Okay, are we ready to go? Do you guys have any other stores you want to go to?”

“I hit all of the things I wanted to so I’m good.”

“Me too,” Aurora chirped

“Me three, in fact, I'd like to head out, Asher is home and making dinner.”

“Oh boy, we better get going before you turn into a rabid monster.” You snickered at Aurora’s comment before getting up and motioning for someone to lead the way. Willow was the first to move, you followed her and heard a snort behind you. Fucking children.

★☆☽ Timeskip ☾☆★

You pulled into the garage and immediately started moving to get everything out and into the house. It took you several trips up and down the stairs to get everything relatively where it needs to be in the basement. As soon as you sat down on the couch in the basement your phone started ringing.

“Noona!! We are heading to you with the sweets! Also, I may have mentioned your cats around Minho hyung while he was helping me in the kitchen and he demanded that he come with us. And Binnie hyung is just tagging along for the fun of it.” His voice dropped to a whisper “I think he needed to get out of the studio cause he was going crazy.” There were some muffled shouts of protest in the background. You snickered, no wonder he and Woo were besties.

“That is perfectly okay Lix, the more the merrier! I just got home and settled so you couldn't have had better timing.”

“Yayy! Okay, I'll let you go. I just wanted to let you know we were on the way! See you shortly!”

“See you soon boys, drive safe. The code is still the same, just come on in when you get here.”

“Sounds good Y/n-nie!”

You hung up the call and immediately started dialing San. He picked up almost immediately.

“Hi Jagi (sweetie)!”

“Hi Sweetheart! Are you near any of the other boys?”

“Yeah but I can leave for a minute if you need me to.”

“If you wouldn't mind that would be great, I have some top secret information for you.”

“Okay, give me just a second.” There was some rustling in the background and the click of a door.

“Okay, I’m out on the balcony, what top secret intel do you have for me?”

“So, I have recruited a couple of people to help me with the sweets for Sangie’s birthday, and I know Hwa and Woo would absolutely love to see them. I was wondering if you would be able to wrangle them away for the rest of the evening and come to my house, you can even stay the night here if you want.”

“Yeah, that shouldn't be an issue. Who did you recruit?”

“So it started as just Felix and Hyunjin but it evolved into Minho, who was helping Felix bake, and I guess Changbin is just tagging along for the hell of it.”

“Wait, like Stray Kids Felix, Hyunjin, Minho, and Changbin?”

“Yep! I've known them for a little bit, I was one of the freelance photographers they used on several occasions for promotions. Felix and I have been good friends since his runway debut with LV, he actually baked me some goodies for personally giving him the pictures I took instead of making him go through LV. He and Hyunjin have also been out to the house after Felix decided to surprise him with a cute picnic date and paint out by the greenhouse and garden.”

“Wow, I didn't realize you knew them, that's awesome! I will see if I can get Hwa and Woo out and around”

“Perfect! I am so excited, don't tell them, I want to see the surprise on their faces when they get here. The other boys are already on their way so as soon as you can get them out and around that would be great”

“I'll do my best, but you can't expect Wooyoung not to blow up your phone with questions about this,” You laughed at the thought of the dozens of messages he would send.

“That's okay, I'll just leave it somewhere and conveniently find it when you get here.” It was his turn to laugh.

“Alright I'm going to go get them around, I'll see you soon Jagi (sweetie). I love you.”

“See you soon! I love you too Sannie.” he hung up the phone and you couldn't help but to kick your feet in excitement. You get to see some of your friends that you haven't in a while and simultaneously surprise a couple of your boyfriends. It's a win win. Peeling yourself up and off the couch you made your way upstairs to turn on some of the lights. When you got up the stairs you were met with Beans laying in the middle of the floor playing with one of her kicker toys. She was rabbit kicking it so violently that she was practically scooting across the floor. You snickered and left her to it, gently stepping around her as you continued to move toward the kitchen. If you knew the boys that were coming over here they would love to have some snacks so you started prepping a charcuterie board. As soon as you started opening things up and getting the things set out Mocha appeared on one of the stools closest to you at the island.

“I know exactly what you are here for and you are absolutely shameless, your toots are going to be so rank” you broke off a part off the cheddar block you were cutting up and held it out to her. She immediately took it from you and started chowing down. With a shake of your head you started cutting things up again and arranging them to look pretty. When she was finished she got off the chair and made her way into the nook presumably to curl up on the large bed.

As you were slicing everything up you came up with a million dollar idea. With quick footsteps you made your way over to your office. You grabbed one of your spare cameras, the small remote that connected to it, and the small tabletop tripod off the shelf connected to your desk. With the push of a button it came to life and you did a little dance of celebration that it was almost fully charged. Making your way back out to the kitchen and great room you looked for the perfect spot to place it without being too obvious. You settled on putting it on the far corner of the island, you placed it and started looking at the viewfinder to see where it would be best angled. When you were satisfied that it would capture everything you left it alone. You tucked the remote into the small pocket on the back of your hip inside the skirt. Resuming your earlier cutting you smiled to yourself, this was going to be perfect.

A little while later you heard the door alarm ding letting you know that it had opened. Thankfully you just finished setting everything out on the board.

“Sweets delivery for Y/n-nie!” You peeked around the corner, standing there with a large smile on his face and a box in his hands was Felix. He quickly walked over to where you were situated by the island, set the cake down and gave you a huge hug. You wrapped your arms tightly around him and laughed.

“Hi Lixie! It's so good to see you.” He squeezed you and you swayed with him as he kept you wrapped in a hug for a minute. Right after he let you go, Hyunjin approached you and gave you the same treatment.

“Hi Jinnie!” He squeezed you gently and pulled away from you with a grin. The smile that was on your face just got wider; if that was possible. You turned to the other two boys that were standing there.

“Hi,” you bowed to them. “It's wonderful to officially meet you both outside of a professional environment.” After you straightened back up you walked over to Minho to gently take the two boxes from him. He gave them to you with a small smile. You made your way to place them and the other box into the fridge. Then you moved the small plates and charcuterie board into view.

“You are welcome to anything, I've got some fresh fruit as well if you would like some of that.”

“You know the way straight to that man’s heart,” Felix muttered. You snickered and watched as Changbin approached and filled his plate.

“Thank you.” He said with a small bow before sitting at the corner of the island.

“Of course, I always try to have some kind of snack when having company over. He nodded at you and sat down to start eating. You turned to look at Minho who was surveying all of the pedestals scattered around the living room and ceiling. With a few clicks of your tongue the giants appeared from various parts of the house. Toothless peeked his head out of the top of the treehouse, you didn't even know he was in there; the camouflaged heathen. Mocha waltzed in from the nook and the padding of her feet caught Minho’s attention. He turned around to locate the sound and saw Mocha first, his eyes got comically wide as he saw her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some of the squeezable tubes of cat treats before approaching her and sitting in the doorway of the nook. Hyunjin burst into laughter and Felix followed. You were trying very hard not to do the same. She approached him, sniffed his outstretched hand and then headbutted him.

“That’s Mocha, the resident gentle princess.” He opened the treat and gently squeezed it to offer her some. As soon as Beans heard the familiar sound she came bounding in from up the stairs, she narrowly missed Felix and Hyunjin as she drifted over and butted in.

“That’s Black Eyed Beans, or just Beans for short, she is the crazy one in the house.” A choked noise came from the corner of the island Changbin was sitting at. You looked over to him with a tilt of your head, he waved you off before he started coughing. Felix and Hyunjin moved over to sit on either side of him and started to pat his back. Quickly you made your way around the island to get him a glass of water. You set it next to him and he nodded at you in thanks. He gulped down the water and almost immediately seemed better.

“You okay Binnie?” he looked up at you and nodded.

“Sorry, I haven't heard a name like that before it took me by surprise,” his voice was raspy as he spoke.

“That’s okay, I completely understand, my boyfriends had the same reaction the first time I said it around them too.”

“Boyfriends? Plural?” Your eyes flickered to Felix who was looking at you curiously. Hyunjin was looking at you in an almost identical way. They spent entirely too much time together.

“Yeah, it is fairly new that's why you haven't heard about it yet.” They both nodded and started snacking off of Binnie’s plate. The door dinged again and put your hand up to your mouth to hide your smile while moving your other hand to your back. You took a small step back and to the side, making it seem like you were checking who was at the door, while you moved you pushed the record button and heard the subtle click alerting you that it started. All of the men sitting at the island whipped their heads up to look at you. Minho quickly stood up, effectively sending the girls scattering.

“My Rose! We are here. What did you need help with?” Wooyoung was the first one to burst through the door, he took his shoes off and made his way over to you with a large smile. The four boys in the kitchen were perfectly hidden at the corner of the island. As soon as Wooyoung got close enough he glanced over and then looked back at you. You watched in real time as his eyes widened and he slowly looked back at the boys sitting at the island. Both Felix and Changbin stood and stared at Wooyoung who was frozen. Nothing could have prepared you for the screaming that started. They started pointing at each other and asking what the other was doing here. Hyunjin stood up and moved away to be out of the middle of the screaming match, he ended up just behind you. Minho stepped away as well but he stayed behind the island to watch everything unfold, he briefly looked at you with a smirk; he figured it out. Now It was comically like the spiderman meme.

San and Seonghwa approached quickly when they realized Wooyoung was yelling in almost gibberish. You watched as Seonghwa realized that Minho was standing behind the island, his eyes widened and he turned to look at you before looking back at Minho. San made his way over to you and wrapped his arm around you before placing a gentle kiss on your temple. Felix’s eyes widened as he saw the gesture.

“Weh Weh Weh, hang the fuck on. Noona, for the love of god please explain yourself.” Everyone’s eyes fell to you and a snicker bubbled its way up your throat as his accent changed back and forth between Korean and Australian several times.

“Lix, Hyune, Binnie and Minho, this is San, Wooyoung and Seonghwa. Three out of the eight of my boyfriends. Sannie, Woo and Hwa, this is Felix, Hyunjin, Changbin, and Lee Know. My friends who helped me with our Sangie’s sweet treats for the party tomorrow. I could have sworn you knew each other, my mistake.” You shrugged your shoulders with a wide smile. Felix’s jaw dropped and he looked between all of you. As soon as the shock wore off everything turned into a hug fest. All of them were chattering with each other and it made you extremely happy that you could put something like this together for everyone. Reaching behind yourself you grabbed the small remote and stopped the recording. Hyunjin ws close enough to hear the click of the recording turning off, he turned to look at the camera and back to you.

“You recorded that entire thing didn't you?” He was whispering just loud enough for only you and San to hear. Both of you looked at him and you nodded with a smile.

“I figured that it would be absolutely hilarious to share with the rest of your groups. And it is a good memory to capture, something we can all look back on and laugh about, especially when it comes to the faces all of them made when they realized everything.”

“You are a genius, I didn’t even think anything of you having a camera out and on a tripod, I thought you may have just been recording yourself cooking or something.”

“And that is exactly why it worked out so well.” Hyunjin shook his head at you with a smile. San squeezed your hip, you turned to look at him and he was smiling at you, his dimples making their glorious appearance.

“Y/n-nie” you turned to look at Felix “You said something about your willow tree being lit up with fairy lights earlier, can we see it?”

“Of course! Get some shoes on and I'll take you to it.” The boys scattered and went to put on their shoes. As they walked away from the central location you went to your office to grab a neck strap for the camera. Once you had it you made your way back to see the boys hanging out by the back door. Wooyoung and Changbin hadn't stopped talking since they stopped screaming at each other. You moved to the camera and gently took it off the tripod before attaching the neck strap and handing it to Hyunjin.

“I know you will want to take pictures, take as many as you want and I will get them to you.” His responding smile was radiant as he gently took it from you and put it around the back of his neck. Felix gently took his hair out from under the strap before placing a kiss on his cheek. You watched the interaction with a smile before you stepped past all of the men and opened the door, as soon as you did the motion sensor lights kicked on. With a flourish you herded them out to the porch. When all of them were out you made sure to completely close the door so the giants wouldn't get out. You started leading the way out, as you moved past some of the lanterns started lighting up. San caught up with you and intertwined your fingers together. You led the boys out around the pool and down toward the winding cobbled path. As you were walking you heard several shutters from the camera which made you smile.

After walking for a few minutes the willow came into view. You stopped and turned to look at Felix and Hyunjin, the latter let out a very loud gasp and immediately moved to start taking pictures.

“Wahh, that’s so pretty,” looking around you saw Changbin staring at the tree in the distance.

“Y’know what makes it even better is that is where Lix and Hyune had their first ‘official’ date. They sat under that tree for hours before it got too dark to see each other.” Changbin moved to look at the couple in question, they were beaming which was all the confirmation he needed. “They were actually the reason I put the fairy lights in the tree”

“Come on, let's go see it!” Felix was bouncing excitedly. They both started following the familiar path to the willow hand in hand. The other groups followed them. You and San ended up bringing up the rear right after Minho and Seonghwa who were locked in conversation.

You paused with a flinch as you stepped on something, there was a lightning bolt of pain in the soul of your foot. Picking up your foot you inspected what happened, it was just a small twig but it ended up catching you just right to cause a small spot of blood to well.

“Why didn't you wear shoes?” You looked over to San who had stepped closer to you before kneeling down to inspect the small spot the twig left.

“Generally I don't wear any when I come out here, it's no big deal Sannie it just caught me off guard.”

“Nope, I’m not taking that.” He turned his back to you, “Get on princess.” He was looking at you over his shoulder. You acted like you were going to accept so he turned back around to face the front, but before you got close enough you picked up your skirt and bolted down the pathway. You barely caught the shake of Seonghwa’s head as you ran around him and Minho with a giggle. You heard San yelling for you to come back. You were laughing in spurts while you were running, Wooyoung and Changbin had stopped in the middle of the path to see what was going on. As soon as they caught sight of you running straight for them with San behind you they separated to stand on either side of the path.

You ran past them with a large smile. You caught up to Hyunjin and Felix who were a considerable amount ahead of you in the beginning. You waved as you ran past them and took the left turn in the fork of the path to head toward the willow. There was somewhere you could break his line of sight; you just had to make a sharp turn to be able to get to it. When it came into view you sped up and dropped your skirt, thankfully because of the slit that went up to your upper thigh it did not hinder you too much. You pumped your arms and flung them out to fling yourself to the left around one of the lantern poles. You executed it perfectly and started running through the trees.

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

“Where did that ninja go?” Wooyoung asked Felix who was laughing at your hasty exit. San was almost out of breath as he approached the rest of the men in your company tonight.

“Woo, she gives you a damn good run for your money.” San was hunched over slightly trying to catch his breath.

“She is probably headed to the other side of her property which I assume she hasn't shown you guys yet.” Seonghwa, Wooyoung, and San’s eyes moved over to Hyunjin who was just grinning at them.

“Do you guys know where it is or are we playing hide and seek with her now?”

“We know where it is, but you probably are going to be playing a little bit of hide and seek with her anyway.”

“So what I am hearing is we have to play hide and seek with an actual ninja?”

“Pretty much” Felix agreed with a large grin.

“Come on, we will take you to her,” Hyunjin grabbed Felix’s hand and started walking toward where you disappeared.

★☆☽ O ☾☆★

Once you were satisfied that you had enough of a lead on San you slowed and started walking. You hadn't had the chance to get this completely paved yet but it was on your list. You knew Felix and Hyunjin would show the others where you were, now it was just a waiting game. As soon as you saw the moongates you smiled. The smell of peonies was strong as you approached the first of the five gates. You continued through the rest and you let your hand travel up to touch the small flowers that were hanging from them. The small lights of the gazebo came into view and you smiled. You sped up just a little and walked in to plop on one of the chairs.

You listened to the sounds of nature as you leaned your head back. You caught sight of the huge ginkgo tree situated behind the gazebo, it was the entire reason you made this garden. You saw it and knew you had to showcase it.

Closing your eyes you basked in the beginnings of the moonlight. Today was a really good day, and tomorrow would be better. You were going to get to spend some more time with your boyfriends before you left for Paris. And you would get to spoil them too, they deserved it for how hard they worked. You smiled to yourself at the thought of their faces when they realized you technically got all of them something. Bringing your head back to its normal position you looked over the garden. The peonies were toward the first moongate, as each moongate passed it transitioned into forsythia, azaleas, hydrangeas, and then roses; all of which were large bushes. However the biggest thing you were proud of over here was the young cherry blossom and plum blossom trees flanking the gazebo and making an arc from the ginkgo.

You heard steps and light banter in the distance. Time to play a little bit of cat and mouse. You got up and started moving toward the first moongate with silent steps. You rounded the side and hid between a couple of the largest peony bushes. The steps got closer and you watched San, Wooyoung and Seonghwa creep slowly past you. You reached out your arm and poked Seonghwa in the leg as he passed. You quickly retracted your arm so he wouldn't spot you. He leapt up and away from you with a small squeak. Being in all black was really going to work to your advantage here. You decided to move your hat so it would be able to cover more of your face. Gently you took out the bobby pins, you held them while you adjusted the hat. You peaked out of the bush you were in and looked back toward where they came from.

Changbin, Felix, Hyunjin and Minho were all standing a little ways back. Minho’s sharp eyes caught yours immediately. You gave him a grin like Joker before putting your finger up to your lips. He nodded back at you and pointed you out to the rest of the boys. As soon as Felix saw you he slapped a hand over his mouth. Hyunjin was already smiling at you with the camera in his hands, you could see the small red light indicating he was recording this for you; just like you had for them. Changbin was wide eyed, he wouldn't have seen you if Minho hadn't pointed you out to him. Turning back to your targets you saw Wooyoung was close, they all seemed to be looking for you throughout the garden. You looked at the bobby pin in your hand and snickered before launching it at him. It hit its mark perfectly, his hand flew up to the back of his head before he whipped around with a yell. You leaned back and put your head down so he wouldn't catch the white of your grin.

“She has to be around here somewhere, where the hell could she be hiding?” You picked up one of the decorative stones close to you and threw it toward the third moongate surrounded by azaleas. All three of them jumped and whipped toward where the sound was. You quickly and silently made your way around and to the opposite side. You situated yourself on the other side of the small brick wall lining the garden. You peeked your head over the side and looked to see where they were. San was the closest but he was looking the other way. You took the risk and vaulted yourself over the wall, as soon as you landed you hit the deck and scooted so you couldn't be seen. The small amount of noise you generated caught his attention as you expected. There was a small stick within your reach, you grabbed it and prepared to poke him with it as he got closer. As soon as you could see his shoe you reached out with the stick and poked him in the ankle which you dropped immediately after so it seemed like he just stepped on it. You could have sworn he made it at least three feet off the ground, he let out a squeal that was a half whine.

He moved quickly over to Wooyoung and started clinging to him. You took their distraction as your next chance. You scooted away from the base of the huge bush and got up onto your haunches. You bounced a couple of times to get your momentum going before you launched yourself the best you could out and over the Forsythia. You hit the ground and immediately got up to hide behind the large stone moongate. You hid there for a minute watching the faces of the boys across from you. Minho was smirking at you, a few seconds later he gave you a subtle thumbs up. You tipped your hat to him and moved quickly to vault over the other small brick wall. You crouched and moved as quietly and quickly as you could toward the big tree behind the gazebo. You made it close enough and rounded the end of the wall and to the huge tree trunk.

“I haven't seen her even once, do you think she went back up to the house?” Wooyoung’s voice was the one that seemed closest, if he was so was San.

“That is a possibility, let's check out the gazebo before we leave.” Seonghwa was most likely not too far behind them, they all seemed to be relatively in the same place if their voices were anything to go by. You crouched close to the ground and practically crab walked around to move the swing in the gazebo. The responding squeak was exactly what you were looking for to catch their attention. Footsteps approached and right as they stopped you leapt out from behind the swing and yelled, “Boo.”

All three of them jumped and let out ear piercing squeals. If Seonghwa had pearls on he would be clutching them, Wooyoung was standing there just staring at you with wide eyes. San, whose shoulders dwarfed Wooyoung's, was cowering behind him. Sitting on the banister of the gazebo you threw your legs over it and stepped between the chairs to stand next to Seonghwa. You heard the echoing laughter of the other four boys as they approached. Felix was laughing the hardest out of them with Hyunjin right behind him. They were absolutely thrilled that it wasn't them this time.

“Woo, you were right she's a damn good ninja. She got you guys good.” Changbin had approached the duo and slapped a hand on Wooyoung’s shoulder.

“I couldn't have done it without some help,” you glanced over at Minho and he was genuinely smiling at you now. You held out your hand in a fist bump motion and he leaned over to return it with a shake of his head.

Seonghwa looked over to his friend “you traitor,” he grumbled.

“I have no alliance, I am just here for the cats and the chaos. Which she executed flawlessly.” You doubled over and let out the laughter you had been holding back the entire time. All of the boys looked at you like you were absolutely crazy before joining you. You were laughing so hard you had to reach out to Seonghwa to keep yourself from falling over. He gently steadied you and stepped closer so you could lean on him.

“Alright, now that I have officially shown my boys what I am capable of, do we want to head back up to the house?” All of them echoed their agreement and you started leading them back the way you came. On the way you paused to gently grab and separate one of the peony stems, you made sure there weren't any ants on it and then handed it to Hyunjin. He was smiling at you and he pulled you into a quick side hug.

Once all of you made it back to the house you started bidding Minho, Changbin, Hyunjin, and Felix goodbye.

Felix was the first to approach you with his signature large smile. He pulled you into a hug and practically squeezed the life out of you. You let out a breathless giggle, “we really need to do this more often, maybe we can get both groups together and have a pool party sometime soon.”

I agree, but you have to promise me that we start going out for lunch more regularly

“Deal, schedules permitting.” He nodded and released you, you held out your pinky to him and he linked his with yours. Hyunjin approached the two of you and handed Felix his peony before he handed you the camera back with a large grin. You took it and set it to the side before pulling him into a hug.

“You will love the pictures I got," he murmured to you while squeezing you.

“I always do Jinnie, I'll send them to you as soon as I can, it might be something I do in my downtime in Paris next week.” He nodded against you and let you go before stepping back to Felix who handed him the peony back.

“Keep him in line, he is a handful.” Changbin was next, you grinned at him and looked over your shoulder to Wooyoung and San.

“I will try my best, I can't guarantee anything though,” You turned back to Changbin, he laughed at your answer and pulled you into a quick hug. You looked over to the last one of the visiting boys. You knew he wasn't one for much skinship so you settled with another fist bump. He smiled at you and returned it.

“Let me know if you want to come over and see the children, they love people and would absolutely love another human heater to hang out with.”

He chucked at you and shook his head, “be careful I might actually take you up on that offer.”

“I wouldn't have offered it if I didn't mean it.” He smiled at you and stepped back. You paused before remembering the rest of the boys they were going home to.

“Oh! Can one of you tell the rest of the boys hi and tell Minnie he is a bitch for me?” Felix nodded and moved to grab Hyunjin’s hand.

“They’ll be mad we got to see you and not them." He laughed, “Seungmin is absolutely going to be causing trouble because he didn't get to see his favorite photographer.” That prompted a laugh from you. You and Seungmin had a quiet understanding; both of you were very similar in the way you saw the world. You were haters together and always caused trouble when you were in the presence of the other; much like you and Wooyoung. The nicknames you gave each other were absolutely horrible and sometimes they got you into trouble.

“We will see you soon, Y/n-nie, take care of yourself and let me know how the sweets come out.”

“See you soon Lixie, you know I will. Drive safe.” All of them waved at you as they made their way out the door. You turned to the boys that were standing there watching you say goodbye to your friends.

“Hi, did you like my surprise?” Wooyoung was the first to move as he trapped you in a tight hug. He was swaying with you and you closed your eyes as you rested your head on his shoulder.

“Thank you, tonight was so much fun and I am so happy I got to see Binnie and Lixie. You will have to tell us more about how you know them later because you tuckered me out” You pulled back and put your hands on his cheeks while you leaned your forehead against his.

“I am glad you liked my surprise, I'll tell you everything as soon as we have some more time.” You left a small peck on his forehead before looking over at the other two who were holding onto each other. They also looked fairly tired.

“I have something for all of you, you three are the first ones to know about this but you cannot tell the others at all until tomorrow night for Sangie’s surprise party.” The three of them nodded at you with small looks of confusion. You walked away from Wooyoung and made your way quickly into the basement where all of the bags from earlier were. Sorting through them you found the sizes you got for the three boys upstairs and yours. As you were walking up the stairs you heard them chattering quietly. You stepped into the main portion of the room and saw all of them moved to the couch to lounge against each other. They all looked up at you with sleepy smiles. Making your way over to them you presented the outfits in front of you with a large smile. Seonghwa’s eyes widened as he realized you got matching outfits.

“These are both for the party, and for you to have here in case you unexpectedly spend the night.” Wooyoung was the first to move to you as you held his out to him. He was beaming and rushed off to change in the half bath, his excitement must have fueled him enough to get him out of his languid state. San grabbed his, kissed your cheek and made his way after Wooyoung. You caught sight of him taking off his shirt before he even made it to the bathroom. You turned back to Seonghwa with a small blush, he was already smiling softly at you.

“You spoil us,” he got up and gently grabbed the set you held out for him. As he took it from you he noticed that you still had one more outfit. He looked at you with a tilt of his head and you giggled softly at him.

“I may have gotten myself one too, just for the fun of it.” You shrugged, it was his turn to smile and giggle at you. He gently grabbed your hand before leading you toward the stairs. You followed him to your bedroom, he let go of your hand and gently pushed you toward your closet so you would change. With a light shake of your head you turned and walked away from him and into the closet. You made quick work of changing and decided to set out your outfit for tomorrow. You had been planning on wearing this since you thought of the theme for Yeosang’s birthday. When you were finished you stepped out of the room to see Seonghwa lying in the middle of the bed cuddled up with Toothless who was lying toward the edge.

“That’s my spot you heathen,” you made a shooing motion to Toothless as you crawled into the bed to settle yourself next to Seonghwa; who was watching you with amusement.

“Yah, where did you guys go?” Wooyoung was yelling from what sounded like the bottom of the stairs.

“We are in my bedroom waiting on you two.” You heard some footsteps making their way around the house before they started up the stairs. They both appeared in the doorway with matching smiles and outfits. All you could do was grin at the two of them. San’s eyes widened as he took you and Seonghwa in.

“You got some too?!” You nodded at him and the smile you wore got just a little bigger. He was the excited one that dragged Wooyoung along for once. Both of them got onto the bed and got comfortable behind Seonghwa. You took the covers that were toward the foot of the bed and flung them over all of you the best you could.

“Thank you for this evening my moon, I really appreciate you doing that for us.” Seonghwa’s voice was soft as he spoke.

“I’m happy you had a good evening my star.” He nodded at you with half lidded eyes, you placed a kiss against his forehead before you pulled him toward you. He was laying on your arm and you started running your fingers through his hair slightly scratching his scalp. He relaxed farther against you and let out a hum. You looked over to the other two in the bed, They had immediately scooted closer to Seonghwa and made themselves comfortable. You reached out your free hand which Wooyoung almost immediately took. He settled it against Seonghwa’s hip and San put his hand on top of the both of yours. Not too long after their steady breathing and Wooyoung’s constant soothing motion across the inside of your wrist put you to sleep.

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Next Chapter (Chapter 20)

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