"When you're done, let us know when you're ready for dessert."
"Can I get a mcflurry?"
"Mhm."
"I want mine with M&M's", Affinity says before sipping her soda.
"Minjae?"
"Hm?"
"Do you want anything?"
"I'll just have a chocolate chip cookie."
"Just one?"
"Am I allowed to have more than one?"
"Four is your limit."
"Oh", the girl says, not expecting that. She usually has two of anything at most. "Um, three, then. Thank you."
"Of course."
After discussing what else they want, Mark and Haechan go to order dessert.
"How do you three feel about grocery shopping?" Jaemin asks.
"I've only gone sometimes but I like it", Reese says.
"I don't care too much", Minjae says.
"I like it too."
"Well, we're going shopping after this to get you snacks and stuff, is that okay?"
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
"Okay."
➳
"We're gonna split up so who wants to go with me and Jeno? We'll get food."
"Me", Affinity says, already thinking of snacks.
"Who wants to go with us? We'll look at the clothes and stuff first."
"I'll get food first", Reese says, holding onto the cart Mark is holding.
Wordlessly, Minjae moves over to where Jaemin and Haechan are and places a hand on the cart.
"Okay. We'll just call when we're ready to meet, okay?"
"Okay."
➳
"Can we get fruit snacks?"
"Sure. Which ones?"
"Those ones!"
"No, those!"
"I'm gonna give you one minute to agree on something or I'm gonna pick, deal."
"Okay!"
Affinity and Reese go right back to bickering over the fruit snacks until the last second and then Mark grabs a random box of fruit snacks and places them in the cart, silencing them.
"Wait, wait", the two panic, neither liking the choice Mark picked out.
"You didn't agree on anything."
"But, but..."
"Do you want one more minute to try again?"
"Yes, please."
"Okay, starting-"
"Ooh, Gushers!"
"Can we get those?"
"No, fruit roll-ups."
"One minute or the fruit snacks stay. Go." The conversation is slightly more civil this time, not really with anymore progress than before. Mark sighs and turns to Jeno. "Call Jaemin or Haechan and tell them to ask which one Minjae wants."
"Got it."
"She wants fruit roll-ups", Jeno says a minute later. "And raspberries."
"Okay!" Mark says loudly. "The Gushers and fruit roll-ups stay but you have to share, okay?"
"Okay."
"Okay."
"Let's go by the drinks. You two can pick out different flavors but you have to share, okay?"
The two nod.
It's weird to Mark and Jeno how silent they get as they walk through the aisles. The only sound from them is the two whispering to each other.
"Is everything alright?" Mark asks.
"Affinity just remembered a bad memory", Reese explains, comforting the younger girl.
"Was it anything we did?" Jeno asks in concern.
"Sorry for arguing", Affinity mumbles, concerning the three males even more.
"Hey", Mark says. "It's okay. No one is upset with you, alright? I don't know what you're thinking of but me, Jeno, Haechan, and Jaemin promise to make sure you don't have anymore bad memories. Okay?"
Affinity nods and continues clinging onto Reese. Mark shares a look with Jeno and sees that he's just as worried about the children as he is.
➳
"See something you want?" Haechan asks.
Minjae shakes her head. "No, it's okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Which color do you want?" Jaemin asks, going over to the hoodies the girl was eyeing. "There's dark blue, black, this teal color, brown, and purple."
"Dark blue?" Minjae responds like a question, still unsure about the hoodie.
"Fitted or oversized?"
"Um, oversized?"
Jaemin nods and looks through the sizes until he finds one that would fit Minjae but wouldn't be too tight on her. He places it in the cart and then points to the other clothing racks. "Want anything else?"
"The hoodie is fine, thank you."
"Alright. We'll go to the mall soon anyways, so maybe you'll find stuff in there."
"Wait, what?" Minjae asks, shocked.
How rich are these people?
Jaemin looks at the girl confused but Haechan seems to understand and chuckles. "I know it might seem weird but this is how we are. Especially Jaemin. And we have a bunch of friends who will do the same thing."
"How many?" Minjae asks, already worrying about meeting a bunch of strangers.
"At least ten. Don't worry, you won't meet them until you're ready and you can have your headphones on and stay by us. And no, none of them will think you're rude. Me and one of our friends is the same way."
Minjae gives the male a small smile. "Okay. Thank you."
Minjae, Reese, Affinity
Alyssa
OMG hi
Haechan showed me pictures of you
three and you're all so cute
If I'm scaring you, I'm sorry, I'm always
like this
Jeno has a sister but just between us,
I'll be the favorite aunt, okay?
Reese
Are you gonna try bribing us?
Alyssa
Maybe
Anyways, feel free to ask me literally
anything about Haechan
And our brother Kade, I will expose
them, no hesitation
Reese
I like you
Affinity
Me too
Minjae
Same, you seem fun
Alyssa
Aww, thank you
Oh another thing
There's a girls groupchat and we've
made it a drill to add every female
into it
Reese
Can I be the honorary male?
I'm gonna read over Affinitys shoulder
if you say no anyways
WAIT FORGET I SAID THAT
Downloading...
Can I please be an honorary member?
Best Brother in the Universe🤗
Alyssa
I'm stealing your kid
Best Brother in the Universe🤗
No, and which one?
Alyssa
Yes, and Reese
Though I might take the girls too
Best Brother in the Universe🤗
You can't have my kids, Alyssa
And I JUST got them
Alyssa
Ugh fine
I'll go make them love me now ;)
Best Brother in the Universe🤗
🙄
Kaley, Andrea, Sam, Nina🌷...
Affinity
Can I add one honorary boy member
here?
Andrea
Yes
What I say goes
Nina🌷
One of the girls is like Haeuns age,
right?
Haeun🥀
Wait what are their names?
Alyssa
Do y'all know a Minjae, Reese, and
Affinity?
Haeun🥀
OMG
I KNOW REESE AND AFFINITY
I've seen Minjae too but she doesn't
talk much
Nina🌷
How do I not know any of them?
Anyways, yes, please add all of them
here
Haeun🥀
We do not take objections
Ana
Never thought I'd be taking
instructions from minors but I do
admire you for it
Alyssa
Okay it's unanimous
Lyssa
Do the rest of us not exist?
Not that I'm disagreeing, Jeno would
kill me
Well, JENO wouldn't but one of them
would
Zoe
My vote's on Jaemin
Kaley
Same, it's always the sweet ones
Alyssa
I'm just gonna...
*Added Reese*
*Added Minjae*
*Added Affinity*
Reese
Wow, there's a lot of people here
Hiii
That was 100% Affinitys fault
Affinity
You said it sounds better anyways
Andrea
Oh I need to make a PSA to everyone
besides Nina, Zoe, and idk about Ana
yet
Affinity is TWELVE, Reese is 14, and
Minjae is 16
Kaley
Oh no, what will I do now?🙄
Nina🌷
It's not THAT bad here but some of
them do need a filter
Alyssa
Wait, new children, have your
parents discussed cuss words with
you yet?
Minjae
We're not allowed to insult anyone
and as long as we can be mature
about cuss words, they don't care
Affinity
I'm used to hearing cuss words so I'm
fine btw
Reese cusses sometimes too
But he does insult people
Reese
Only the ones that make fun of you or
act like they're better than everyone
else
Kaley
Wait are y'all besties?
Affinity
Yep
But Reese has another best friend too
Her name is Ellie and she's really
nice
Reese
And we don't like each other
Ellie doesn't even like boys
Affinity
Yeah they got teased a lot. It was
annoying
Archer
I relate. It really is annoying
Alyssa
It is
Andrea
Sounds like it. Now everyone please
introduce yourselves, they still don't
know who everyone is
➳
Lace shakes her hands anxiously, trying to build up the courage to text Ninas foster parents. They know it's way better than calling and they'd be too nervous in person to speak without stuttering but interacting with adults has also been a little different for them.
They take deep breaths.
Relax. Just do it
Chenle, Jisung
Lace
Hi, this is Lace. My mom gave me
your numbers so I could talk to you
about something
Once they hit send, they throw the phone onto their bed and go back to freaking out and anxiously awaiting a response. It's quick too, which doesn't help them feel much better. They take more deep breaths as they pick up their phone and flip it over to see the response. Even though, they read it, they wait until at least two minutes have gone by to respond, not being okay with responding any sooner.
Chenle, Jisung
Chenle
Hiii
How are you?
Jisung
Hey. What do you wanna talk about?
Is everything okay? Is it about Nina?
Chenle
Jisung, breathe. I'm sure it's fine
Lace
It is. I just wanted to talk about
Ninas birthday that's coming up
Jisung
Oh yeah. It's not too far from now
Do you wanna do something for
her?
Lace
Yes
I assume you guys will do something
so before or after that, I wanna spend
the whole day with her and take her
to some of her favorite places
Chenle
Just you and Nina?
Lace
Yes. Is that okay?
Jisung
Yeah, it's okay. Is there a day that's
best for you?
Chenle
Hold that thought, Jisung
I'm gonna ask them about something
else
Lace smiles at the use of the correct pronouns, happy that they're being respected.
Chenle, Jisung
Lace
Ask away
➳
"What are you planning for my birthday?"
"Hm?" Chenle looks at her in surprise at the question.
"Lace is all excited about my birthday. Which isn't unusual but they said they know what you and Jisung are planning and they keep saying things that don't make sense!" Nina finishes with a pout.
The black-haired man chuckles and ruffles the girls hair. "You look very cute right now." Nina pouts even more, causing Chenle to coo.
"What's happening?" Jisung asks when he walks into the apartment. He greets Chenle with a peck and then kisses the top of Ninas head, making the girl smile.
"Nina is being adorable."
"I see that." The teen catches the males eye. "Okay, what's that look mean?"
"Can I have a hint to what you're doing for my birthday?"
"How about no?"
Nina glares at the male who copies her expression, completely amused by the fact that he's annoying her.
"You just wait", Nina mutters.
"What was that?"
The girl smiles at the two innocently. "Nothing."
Once she's out of earshot, Chenle smiles up at Jisung. "I love that girl so much."
"Me too."
➳
"Should we be worried?" Jeno asks, looking at Haechan and Minjae sharing a bag of cookies while occasionally taking sips of their coffees.
"They're fine", Mark says.
"And your reasoning?"
"Look how happy they are."
He's right as Haechan and Minjae speak amongst themselves, sometimes laughing.
"Point proven. But if it does become a problem, you're responsible."
Mark rolls his eyes. "Fine. Where's Jaemin, Reese, and Affinity?"
"Oh, about that..."
Jeno gets nervous at the look his boyfriend is giving him. "They may or may not be bonding and eating candy while bonding."
"And you're worried about cookies and coffee?"
"It's a genuine concern!"
Minjae and Haechan look up to watch the two in amusement, while continuing to enjoy themselves.
Mark narrows his eyes at Jeno. "They have sour belts, don't they?"
"Does it matter?"
Mark sighs and then asks, "What else do they have?"
➳
"Where are you two going now?"
"I'm taking Haeun with me to the fabric store. Do you wanna come?"
"Renjun!" Winwin whines, making Renjun look at him in amusement.
"What?"
"You're gonna be Haeuns favorite. You probably already are, actually. Give me a fair chance."
"Aww", Renjun coos, bringing his boyfriend into his arms. "You're so cute, Win. And don't worry, she likes you too. I'll make sure you spend time together, okay?"
Winwin kisses Renjuns forehead. "Thank you." He looks around the living room. "Where's cherry-head anyways?"
Haeun walks into the living room so Winwin can see her eyeroll. "Please pick a different name. Nina gets called a bunch of cute things and you call me cherry-head."
"Alright, what would you like us to call you?"
The girl shrugs. "You pick. Just make it cute."
➳
"Still avoiding them?" Hendery asks, looking at his best friend all cuddled up on his couch.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Hendery rolls his eyes and sits down near him. "Sure, you don't. Tell me which person you keep thinking about for whatever reason."
"We don't need to talk about this."
"Would you rather tell me or our friends? Sungchan, Renjun, Xiaojun, Winwin, Yangyang..."
Shotaro rolls his eyes and sits up. "Fine, I'm avoiding them."
"I know."
"Because of one person."
"I know."
"Shut up."
"Are you avoiding them because you like them?"
"No, because I'm not interested in anyone. I'm avoiding the person that I'm jealous of. It's annoying enough that I feel this way, I don't need to make it worse on top of this."
"Any reason why you didn't tell me this the first time I asked what was wrong with you?"
"I didn't wanna talk about it."
Hendery sighs. Instead of saying anything, he scoots next to Shotaro and pulls the male into his arms. "You know you're my best friend, right?"
"I already told you I'm not replacing you with Mark."
"Just making sure. He's too likable."
"True." Shotaro grins at Henderys expression and then pecks his cheek. "Don't worry, you're still my favorite."
"I better be."
➳
Barking brings Jenos attention to the front of the cafe where Jaehyun and Johnny walk. The male raises an eyebrow at the two as they approach him.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"Hi?" Jeno questions. "Should I tell Pumpkin you're hanging out without him again?"
"No need, he already knows. This is a date."
"Cute idea. Whose was it?"
"Mine", Jaehyun answers, feeling more and more awkward by the moment.
Jeno hums. "What would you two like?"
Jaehyun gestures for Johnny to order first and then orders after him. He tries to ignore the way Jeno is looking at him as he places his card into the mention. Jeno smiles as he hands him the receipt and then goes to get started on their orders.
While they wait, Johnny goes over to play with the animals. It only takes a moment before a cat is cuddled up on his lap, purring as Johnny pets it.
"That's cute", Jaehyun comments.
"Me or the cat? Or both?"
"Both but you two are cute individually."
Johnny chuckles, confusing Jaehyun. "I think it's funny that you're so nervous even Jeno freaked you out. It's already been confirmed that he's harmless."
"I'm not scared of him."
"You sure?"
Jaehyun rolls his eyes. "I'm not scared of anybody, except me and Marks moms."
"Clara? She's so nice though."
"I'd be mad about you being one of her favorites but it makes sense. You're one of my favorites too."
"I really hope, for your sake, that those lines are working", Jeno says, setting their order down on a table next to them.
"I'm amused, at least", Johnny tells him, getting up.
"He's just giving me a hard time. He loves things like this."
"Just because I'm a romantic doesn't mean I let everything slide."
Jeno looks at Jaehyun. "He's a romantic and you brought him here for your first date?" Jeno tsks, making Johnny giggle. He smiles at him and gets happy when Jaehyun rolls his eyes.
"Don't you have a job to do and boyfriends to flirt with instead?"
"If you think me being nice is flirting, you really gotta up your game."
"You're so lucky you're dating my best friend."
Jeno smiles even bigger, fully meaning it when he says, "I know."
➳
"What's happening now?" Affinity asks, trying to read over Marks shoulder to see his phone.
"After Jeno was being sweet and said he's lucky to date Mark, he went back behind the counter and is watching the two talk", Reese relays, staring at the phone. "He said he can just feel the cheesy lines coming from Jaehyuns mouth but he made Johnny laugh so maybe it's working."
Mark looks over at his children. "You two are so nosy."
"We like it though", Devon chimes in. "Nothing ever happens here. You're really boring, Mark."
"Devon, shut up."
"Alright, I'm back", Cara says and hands everyone besides Devon a juice bottle and gives Reese and Affinity a pastry from the vending machine. "If either of you don't like those, I can get you something else."
Reese checks Affinitys pastry to make sure she's fine with it and then smiles up at Cara. "We're fine, thank you."
Cara smiles back. "Good. Oh", she looks at Mark, "where's Minjae?"
"She's with Jaemin."
"I feel like they're both sitting in silence and only music is playing. That sounds nice actually."
"You've never done that before?" Mark questions.
"You can't really enjoy music in peace if you don't have headphones or something and both of ours got stolen."
"We know who did it too but they lied and said I was just trying to get them in trouble and called me annoying", Affinity mumbles, looking down at her lap.
"I lost my fun privileges that day", Reese adds. "Which is so stupid because they deserved every insult I said."
"What did you say?" Devon asks, slowly.
Once Reese is done, the three adults stare at him in shock while the younger girl remains unfazed and continues reading the updates from Jeno.
A gasp gets their attention. "Jaehyun just kissed Johnnys hand!"
"Wait, Jaehyun and Johnny?"
"Yeah, they're on their first date right now."
"What? I thought they were already dating."
➳
Xiaojun giggles and pecks Kuns lips before feeding him more ice cream.
"You're so cute", Kun tells him softly, causing Xiaojun to coo.
"You are too."
More pecks and two empty ice cream cups later, the two drive through the quiet streets, past beautiful scenery until they make it to the road that gives them an overview of the city.
Once parked, they get out, Kun slipping on Xiaojuns flannel while Xiaojun holds Kuns hoodie in his hand. The two move to rest against the hood of the car and lean against each other as they admire the colorful lights below them.
"It's so pretty", Xiaojun says, already knowing what his boyfriend is gonna say.
Kun smiles when they make eye contact and says, "Like you."
Xiaojun leans in to kiss him and the one kiss quickly turns into multiple. Kun giggles at lovely ambush and wraps his arms around Xiaojuns neck as the male pulls him closer by the waist. Their breaths fan against each others faces as they stare at each other before finally closing the small gap. Their lips barely move, only brushing against each others softly. Everytime they kiss like this, Kun seems to fall down a rabbit hole, filled with affection for the male. He knows it's the same by the way Xiaojun kisses him, only adding the slightest bit more aggression, which makes him laugh. Xiaojun slows down the kiss to smile and then recaptures Kuns lips with his own. The two fall into the kiss, savoring the moment. Even when it gained more passion, neither did anything about it. Neither of them were too big on sex, preferring to connect to each other through kisses or physical affection instead. It makes Kun so happy to just be here like this with the person he loves.
Xiaojun smiles against his boyfriends smiling lips and presses his lips softly against Kuns, finding him so cute. He loves moments like this, when it feels like it's just the two of them and nothing could ever take away their happiness. And Xiaojun won't. He's spent so long waiting for the perfect person and then he spent even more time after he lost him. But Kun is his now. And he's his forever.
Kun giggles, almost entirely giving up on kissing as Xiaojun aggressively pecks his lips.
"What are you thinking about?" Kun asks, carding his fingers through Xiaojuns soft locks.
"Just kissing you more."
"That's it?"
"We should makeout in the backseat."
Kun bursts out laughing, face bright red. Though Xiaojun suggested it, he's blushing too, which causes Kun to coo. He kisses the males forehead and then his cheeks.
"You're adorable."
"You too, Angel."
Kun smiles softly at his nickname and shifts so he can rest his head on Xiaojuns shoulder.
"Yes, by the way. But now right now."
"Anything for you. Are you cold?"
"Xiao, you're literally in a t-shirt right now."
Boyfriend💞, Lele, Gonna...
Gonna end up in jail<3
I'm back with today's XiaoKun tea
Kun
🙄
Renjun
I love XiaoKun tea because they're
cute
Sungchan
Exactly
Boyfriend💞
I love you two
Yang, collect your boyfriend
Yangyang
He's fine
Shotaro
What happened this time? Kun,
Xiaojun, you have the chance to say
it before Ten does
Kun
He actually doesn't know what's
going on
He came here to ask
Woo<3
It's so funny
Ten is pleading Kun to tell him and
he's not getting anywhere with it
He's also tried grabbing my phone from
me but he's too short
Gonna end up in jail<3
Stop with the short person slander
I'm not even that short
Woo<3
Yeah. It only took you a few years and
now you're at your full height!
Gonna end up in jail<3
Stop talking to Darci!
Woo<3
Why? I thought you wanted us to
bond
Kun
I love when Darci visits the tattoo
shop
Boyfriend💞
Same. Even Yangyang laughs
Gonna end up in jail<3
Where's Minnie?
I wanna hear from someone who
actually loves me
Yangyang
So should I just not come visit you
right now?
Gonna end up in jail<3
WAIT COME HERE
Please🥺
I'm going on break soon
Woo<3
Downloading...
Yangyang here
Sungchan
Aww, Ten looks adorable
Yang, go see him right now
Yangyang
I am???
Gonna end up in jail<3
Thank you Sungchan, I love
you🦋🦋🦋
Sungchan
I love you too🦋🦋🦋
Jaemin
Do you love me too?
Gonna end up in jail<3
Of course, Minnie
All these hugs are for you 🤗🤗🤗🤗
🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗
Jaemin
Thank you 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗
Renjun
I want hugs and butterflies from
Sungie and Minnie too tf
Winwin
You have a boyfriend tf
Shotaro
IS WINWIN JEALOUS?
SEND PICTURES NOW
Mark
You know he actually calls you guys
cute
He says really nice stuff when you're
not there
Shotaro
Is this revenge for calling you Marky?
Mark
Maybe
Gonna end up in jail<3
Love that
Love my boyfriend, love my friends,
would love to know what Kun and
Xiaojun did yesterday
Yuta
Sexy time?
Boyfriend💞
None of your business?
Taeil
We already learned that means yes?
Woo<3
Whatever they did has Kun blushing
while thinking about it
It's really cute
Downloading...
Xiaojun here, go tell him how cute he
is
Boyfriend💞
Boyfriend💞
Jungwoo has a point
You're really fucking cute
I love making you blush
And I love how I know without even
seeing you that you're blushing even
more and in one minute, Jungwoo's
gonna send me another picture of you
Kun looks up in time to see his best friend grin at him while holding up his phone. He playfully rolls his eyes and then looks back at his own decide to read his newest text.
Boyfriend💞
Boyfriend💞
I got it and you look gorgeous
You always do
Kun
I'm annoyed you're not with me
right now
Ten is begging me to let him read this
Boyfriend💞
I have an idea for the next time he
does that
➳
"I'm so excited!" Nina exclaims.
Chenle and Jisung chuckle. "We see that."
"Hey", Nina says, mood dropping down. "They'll like me, right?"
"Of course they will." The two encase the girl in a hug. "Where is this coming from, babe?"
"I'm just making sure."
Plus everyone might like the other ones better
"You sure you're okay?" Chenle asks.
Nina nods. "I'm fine."
➳
Minjae is not fine. And in a few moments, Ana also won't be. No one ever lied when they said they have a bunch of friends, but it was obvious that the children didn't quite catch on to how many there actually are.
"Would we all even fit in the same room?" Reese mutters.
"We can fit in Jenos house."
Jeno rolls his eyes. "You people like my house too much."
"It has you in it", Haechan and Chenle says at the same time.
Affinity giggles at the two, not really noticing the six men smiling at her. She only glances at Reese, not surprised at his fond expression.
Before it's too late, Haechan takes a picture of the two, which gets their attention.
"Did you take a picture of us?"
"I wanna see!" Affinity exclaims, moving to look over Haechans shoulder at the phone. Reese looks at the other side and looks at the girl just in time to catch her in his arms as she hugs him.
"They're so cute", Chenle says.
No one notices the way Nina glances up at him before smiling at everyone and agreeing. "They are. Hi, I'm Nina."
"Oh, wait, I've seen you before", Reese tells her.
"You've seen me too", a new voice says. Reese and Affinity freeze at the sight of Haeun, making the girl laugh. "Stop looking so scared. A hug would make me feel better."
The two don't hesitate to hug her and just barely move out of the way as Doyoung runs to Jeno, with Yuta, Taeyong, and Ana following after him.
"Any reason why Doyoung ran over here?"
"Jeno."
"Who?"
Everyone bursts out laughing at Jenos face, which, by his expression, Ana figures out is Jeno.
"That would be me", he tells her. "Hi." He then looks at Haeun. "Also, hi."
"Hi."
"Hi."
Ana looks at Haechan, being able to tell he's Alyssas brother just by how she described him. "You work at a donut shop, right?"
At that, Affinity and Reeses eyes light up. "You do?"
"How are they so adorable?"
Jisung looks at Nina in amusement. "How do you think we feel about you?"
When Nina gets pulled into Jisungs arms, she starts to relax and deduct her worry to overthinking.
It's fine, she tells herself. It's fine
➳
"You okay?" Jaemin asks, looking at the girl who hadn't left his side.
"Mhm."
"You don't wanna go talk to anyone?"
"I'm not used to them yet. Also, Reese and Affinity have so much energy, and I don't want to interrupt anyone by suddenly joining. Do you want me to go talk to someone?"
"Oh, you don't have to. I was just wondering. I'm perfectly fine with you here."
"Oh, okay. Can I lean on you?"
"Sure."
Minjae does just that, feeling more comfortable than before. A smile comes to Jaemins face as he looks at her, being sure to keep still.
"Why does so much happen with you people?" Ana questions.
Shotaro, Ten, Yangyang, and Johnny laugh.
"They seem to be like that", Shotaro answers, only to receive glares from Ten and Johnny.
"He just said that 'cause he never does anything", Yangyang says and firmly grips Tens hand just to be safe.
"Wait, you mean never?" Ten asks.
"No?" Shotaro questions.
"Have you ever", Ten glances at Ana, "done anything?"
Shotaro and Ana both roll their eyes.
"You know I understand, right?"
"We don't know that. You could be innocent for all we know. And I don't wanna deal with Doyoung or Taeyong scolding me."
"Would it really be that bad?" The girl asks, a little too happily for Tens liking.
"I'll pay you five bucks to never tease me."
"Well, I'm not gonna say no to that. You have a deal." Ten pulls out a five and hands it to the girl who smiles, making him understand why Doyoung seems so fond of her. He turns back to Shotaro. "Anyways, Taro?"
"I'm not a virgin if that's what you're thinking. I just don't care and I'm not interested in anyone. I'll probably be single a long time but I'm completely fine with that."
"Oh, you should-" Ten cuts himself, realizing he can't say it and clears his throat. "I have a friend who is like that."
"Jungwoo?"
"What about me?"
Ten glances at Shotaro, hoping no one notices him panicking. He forces a smile at the male betore answering, "Oh, Taro just said that he's not really interested in anyone and will probably be single for a long time and I said I have a friend who's like that."
Jungwoo nods in understanding and then looks at Taro. "You were wondering if it's me?"
"Yeah. Is it?"
Jungwoo glances at Yangyang, Johnny, and Ana before nodding. "Yeah." He sits down on the other side of Ten and continues. "I'm ace. I might be aro too, I'm still trying to figuring that out."
"Oh", Shotaro says in understanding. "Is that why you reacted the way you did when Sungchan asked if you hate love in the groupchat?"
"You remember that?"
"I remember random things and a bunch of things that can be used for blackmail."
"You should tell me", Ana says.
"It'll cost you five bucks."
"Five bucks to know everyones secrets? Sold."
"But yeah, that's why I was like that", Jungwoo says. "I just didn't wanna talk about it 'cause it confuses me so much and I didn't wanna try to explain something that I, not only, don't understand but would be criticized for."
"As if me and Minnie would let someone criticize you. I can make anyone scared of me. Like Jaehyun."
"Oh God, what did you say to him?" Johnny asks, eyes straying over to where Jaehyun, Mark, and Taeyong are.
"To sum it up, I told him if he wastes your time, then he won't have time to write a eulogy before I hurt him."
"Ten loves to threaten people", Yangyang says when he sees the way Ana is looking at his boyfriend.
"Yeah, I see that."
"How did you meet Renjun and Winwin?" Nina asks.
"I actually met them twice. I don't know if you know her but I was with my friend Alya and we had two of the kids with us in the grocery store and they wanted toys but at checkout, it was confirmed we only had enough for the groceries and it was so heartbreaking. They didn't even throw tantrums or anything and Renjun offered to pay for everything. We said no at first but he insisted."
"That's so nice of him. I'm happy the kids got their toys but don't blame yourself for not being able to get it for them. I'm sure they know that if you had the money, you'd do it in a heartbeat. Though, I am being a bit of a hypocrite."
Haeun chuckles. "It's just hard. Especially when you think about the fact that they're already there and have been through so much and you just want them to be kids and let them enjoy themselves as kids."
"I know. Do you like hugs?"
"I love hugs."
Nina holds out her arms and Haeun melts into the them. Even when they pull away, she stays close to Nina, finding the girl comfortable.
"You said you met them twice so what happened the second time?"
"You know Lena, right?"
"Yeah, I was there the day she applied. I also met Alyssa for the first time then."
"Oh, I like her."
"Me too."
"Anyways, her and Renjun came to the orphanage because Renjun offered to do a photoshoot and style us to update our profiles."
"That's so nice of him."
"I know, right? And he recognized me 'cause I was trying to find", Haeun points to Affinity laughing with Reese, "Affinity, and Reese by default and I realized he was the designer. Then, the day of the photoshoot, I just helping a lot and talking to them because I think it's really cool and so I started visiting Renjuns studio and on one of the visits, Winwin came in and they both started getting used to me. I was so happy when Renjun asked if he could adopt me."
Nina smiles, feeling so happy for the girl. "I'm happy for you. You three are an adorable family."
"Thank you. I think the same about you with your parents."
Haeun frowns when the girls smile turns sad and she says, "They're not my parents. I'd love it if they were but they're just fostering me."
"You never know."
Nina sighs. "I guess you're right."
Her eyes go over to her foster parents and see them laughing along with Mark, Haechan, Affinity, and Reese. An unpleasant feeling settles inside her as she looks at them. Knowing that someone is beside her, she tries to mask it, but it's really hard.
After a while, everyone starts to leave, slow by slow. Nina, Chenle, and Jisung are some of the last ones to go, and Nina is so thankful when they do.
Until they get into the car.
"Those kids are so cute."
"I know, right?" Jisung turns to look at his foster daughter. "What did you think, Nina?"
The girl nods. "They are."
She can't deny that. As time went on, it became more clear that the newest additions are getting everyone wrapped around their fingers, including Nina herself, which only makes her angrier. She can't stand the fact that everyone is so cute and so likable, so lovable. She hates that she understands exactly why everyone, especially Chenle and Jisung, reacted to them the way they did. She feels that way too.
The whole ride home, Nina doesn't speak again. In the apartment, she goes to her room without a word, confusing the two men.
Once inside her room, Nina locks the door and looks around her room as tears spring into her eyes. She thinks about how much she likes it here, how much she likes Chenle and Jisung, how loved they make her feel. And not just them, their friends too. She looks at her phone to check the date. One week before her birthday. One week before no one has to deal with her anymore.
In her closet, she finds her luggage and begins packing her things. It's impulsive, she knows, but she also knows that sending her back is never out of the question for anyone. And this would be easy. 'Cause the sooner she's gone, the sooner they can replace her with someone else. Someone younger.
It's irritating, resenting children, especially ones who are also going through a lot, but Nina can't help it, they're always chosen. She's glad for it, but she just wishes that one day, somebody would pick her. Somebody would want her. And keep her.
By the time she's done packing and the room is back to the way it was when she first moved in, Ninas vision is blurred from tears. She opens her door and peeks into the hallway. Seeing no one, she runs into the bathroom, locking it right as Chenle and Jisung come out of their room.
They glance into Ninas room and are shocked to find it almost empty and Ninas suitcase out.
"Is she running away?" Chenle questions.
"It's not gonna work if that's what she's thinking."
"Why is she upset with us? Did we do something?"
"I don't know what we did but to her, it's something."
At that moment, Nina comes out of the bathroom with a blotchy red face. She barely looks at the two before walking past them into her room. She ignores them walking in after her and lays on her bed.
"Cinnamon?" Chenle questions and is awarded with no response.
He shares a look with Jisung and the two continue moving over to her. Nina looks confused when they lay down on each side of her, squishing her in between them.
"You don't have to talk right now", Jisung tells her. "We'll wait until you do."
Chenle takes her limp hand in his. Nina would love to hold it back but if she's gonna lose them, it's better she forget things like this. "We're sorry for whatever we did."
The barely-sealed wall breaks open and Nina bursts out sobbing.
"It's...it's...it's n-not you", she struggles to say. "It's me, it's always me!"
"What's always you?"
"I'm always the reason this happens. I'm never good enough. I'm not young enough or cute enough or helpful enough. No one ever picks me. I'm too hard to love."
Jisung pulls the girl into him, pressing her head against his chest. He waits until Ninas sobs die down and then he moves back just enough to take Ninas face into his hands and gently moves her head to make her look at him. He hates the tears that slip out of her eyes, how broken she looks, and how she must be feeling based off of what she just said. He wants to take it all away.
"First of all", he starts, "you're not hard to love at all."
But you don't love me
"Second", Chenle says, appearing in Ninas line of sight. "You are enough. You are more than enough. You're perfect."
Nina tries to shake her head but Jisung stops her, making her look at him. "We know you don't believe it now but you are. We don't want you thinking of yourself this way."
Chenle nudges Jisung so the girls focus will go to him instead. Chenle pulls Nina into a tight hug and continues. "You are super cute. It's actually insane how adorable you are. Why do you think Renjun always squeals when he sees you?" Nina sniffles. "And you're very helpful. We know you are because you always try to make things easier for us. Now, question."
Nina looks down. "What?"
"What's this about not being young enough? What on Earth are you talking about?"
"Kids", the girl croaks.
"Huh?"
"Wouldn't you rather have someone younger like Affinity? You kept saying how cute her and Reese are."
"Oh, strawberry", Chenle says softly, hugging her again.
"Strawberry?" Nina questions.
Chenle has a silent conversation with Jisung who nods before saying, "Yes. I love strawberries and I love you."
Nina looks up with fresh tears in her eyes. "What?"
"We love you", Jisung repeats, looking into her eyes.
"And we promise that we will prove it. Starting now and especially on your birthday, okay? Now, we don't know why you're packed but if it's because you think we're giving you back, you're wrong."
It takes Nina a moment to respond but when she does, Chenle and Jisungs hearts break. "You promise?"
"Oh, baby, of course we do."
Nina gets crushed the males arms and finds herself getting emotional all over again, still a little hesitant to believe them while appreciating the effort.
I love you too, she thinks, too afraid to admit it.
Just wait a little bit longer, I promise we'll prove it
Chenle kisses Ninas head and rubs her back. All the crying tires Nina out, making her drowsy.
"Are you tired?" Jisung asks.
"My head hurts", Nina mumbles.
"Oh yeah, that happens. Want any medicine for it?" Nina nods. "Okay, change into pajamas and then we'll cuddle."
"Okay." As they get up to leave, Nina's voice stops them. "After my birthday...can we still cuddle and stuff?"
"Sweetie, there's no age limit. You can do that as long as you like, okay?"
Nina nods. "Okay."
Chenle and Jisung take turns kissing her head before finally leaving the room.
The girls + 1 honorary boy groupchat is almost complete
What do we think of everyone so far?
XiaoKun is so cute. I love them so much
Then there's the scene when Nina😭
I'm so sorry my rose, it pained me to write that. I love you so much *all the love and affection*
But good news, it's Ninas birthday next chapter ;)
I love you so much
Not proofread(it's too much work)❤️