Striptease // Ateez // OT8 x femreader // *m*

31 - smile

The food was amazing. There were so many courses, and Maya had to ask about several of them. There was dessert as well, but they were all so full that they decided to wait with the chocolate cake till later.

«Let's gather in the living room,» Hongjoong said when they were done cleaning up.

The boys playfully fought about who got to have Maya on their lap, and she pretended to think it was stupid. She ended up on Yeosang's lap, and happily put her arms around his neck while they paid attention to Joong.

«So,» Hongjoong said. «Maya, we have prepared a little surprise for you. The eight of us are going to perform a song for you. It'll be a cappella, but I'll play the studio version for you when we get home.»

«There's a studio version?» Maya's eyes were big and curious. «Let's hear the song!»

«Patience, princess,» Hongjoong scolded her, though with a smile on his lips. «There's more.»

«Yay!» She jumped a little and Yeo groaned and tried to shield his privates. «Oh, sorry, Yeo,» she said, and then she wriggled her butt just a little more before settling down again. He pinched her sides a few times to make her pay for it.

«Yeah, I thought I'd... say a few words?»

«Like a speech?» San asked.

«I guess,» Joong said, shrugging. He was actually really nervous about that part, but he tried to play it cool. He was the captain, after all, the leader of Ateez.

Maya lifted a hand and Hongjoong smiled.

«Yes, Maya?»

«I have something too,» she said, biting her lip.

«Okay, great. Would you like to start?»

«Oh no, my... thing is... No, I'll go last, please.»

«Okay, then I think we'll start with our song. Ready guys?»

The boys gathered around Hongjoong who had somehow snuck a guitar along for the trip. Maya hadn't noticed. She didn't even think he played guitar, but he soon proved her wrong.

She didn't know what she was expecting, maybe some funny song about how her hair always clogged the drain or something more naughty. Not this. This was... overwhelming. Maya had started listening with a smile, but soon she was covering half her face with her hands, tears running down her cheeks.

The song was called «Smile». The harmonies were gorgeous, their voices blended together beautifully, and the lyrics... Maya sobbed when Yunho sang «you danced your way into our hearts, now we're never letting you go».

As the song ended, Maya just cried. She applauded, but she kept wiping her tears at the same time.

«That bad, huh?» Mingi said, making her laugh and cry at the same time.

She got up and kissed them, one by one, on the lips. Till she came to Wooyoung, of course. She went for the cheek like she always did, but he pointed to his mouth this time.

«No tongue,» he teased, and she rolled her eyes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Sannie wanted the same.

«Group hug!» Wooyoung said like he often did, and they all pulled Maya into the middle to smother her with love.

Someone suggested they should eat dessert now, and it was the perfect way to liven up the emotional mood in the house. Maya sat on someone's lap the whole time, giving them cake and kisses, moving around and laughing as the next one demanded her attention. What really made her night was how affectionate the boys were with each other as well. Obviously, San and Wooyoung were constantly attached to each other, and now Mingi and Yunho did the same thing. But also the others. At one point Yeosang pulled Hongjoong onto his lap, and while Joong might have blushed he did not protest. Seonghwa kept running his fingers through Jongho's hair, and everyone just looked at each other with warm eyes. They were happy to celebrate together today.

«I can't believe it's been a year since you gave me a lap dance,» Mingi said at one point, looking at Maya.

«Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie,» she cooed, finding her way to him.

«Was it a once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience?»

«Well,» she smiled. «That remains to be seen, doesn't it?»

«And how long must I wait to find out?»

«Probably not that long,» she smiled.

«Are you happy you went back to school?» Woo asked.

«Yes! Very happy. Just one more year and I'm done. All thanks to you guys.»

«No, you did all the work. We just... gave you a roof over your head.»

«You gave me a little more than that, Hwa,» she smiled. «A lot more, actually.»

«Well, we gained a lot too, so it's not like you owe us anything.»

«I know,» she shrugged. «But I still want to say thank you, to all of you. I'm so grateful to have met you all, and to have gotten to know you. You really are special, every single one of you.»

«We love you, MeyMey,» San smiled, and the words were repeated throughout the room by the others.

«Love you too,» Maya smiled, trying to hide how affected she was. «Could you sing me my song one more time?» she asked. They would never have said no.

--

a/n

Sorry for the short chapter, but the smut will be here soon... Just had to get this fluffy cute stuff out of the way first. Thanks for reading, I love you guys!