E2 Group Play

With Baekhyun hanging off his arm so confidently, it almost made Jackson want puff his chest out like a male bird laying his claim over his mate. Jackson made sure to keep Baekhyun close as they weaved the small crowd and towards Baekhyun, smiling as he raised his hand to greet Zhan first. It seemed they were all on-time for one reason, but one of the main characters was still missing. As he approached Zhan, he asked, "Where's Nickhun? It couldn't be that he's not attending his own daughter's birthday party is it?" Knowing just where Nickhun's position in the household was, Jackson wouldn't be surprised if Boa had somehow banned him from coming. On the other hand, Ji Changwook was standing up front to the side, which sent an unsavory shudder down Jackson's back as he remembered the scene he had witnessed.

"Okay everyone! Welcome to our little lovely star, Evie's, birthday party!" Boa greeted, clasping her hands together and shooting a prideful look at Ji Changwook, "First we'd love to take a picture in front of the cake and then we'll sing for her! Please, come up everyone and gather around! We'll have Evie in the middle of course! Changwook-ssi, please come make sure Evie is not trampled over as everyone else finds their places!"

If there was one good thing that came out of attending this birthday party for Yibo today, then it was the pictures that he had taken with Zhan. The keepsake made him smile stupidly, like he was some lovesick little highschooler that was living out his storybook fantasies. Though he wanted to just leave the party and go home to admire their printed out photo strips, Zhan reminded him that the good part of the show was only just starting. Tucking the pictures away into his jacket pocket, Yibo agreed to return outside with Zhan. They stood off in the corner, trying to attract as little attention as possible. Around that time, Baekhyun also returned from wherever he had wandered off to, and as they regrouped, Yibo shared a little glance with his friend, the corner of his lips curling up in anticipation.

Baekhyun sighed—it felt like it had only been seconds ago since he took a seat. He got up first, pulling Jackson up next and looping their arms together again. He didn't care at all who saw them—anyone who knew him knew he was big on skinship, anyway. They made their way out to the reception again, where a large cake had been wheeled out and Boa was showing Evie the pink monstrosity. "It's tacky," Baekhyun said, scanning the crowd for Yibo and Zhan. "Oh, there's Yibo. Let's go join them."

Zhan laughed, relieved that his plan had gone smoothly. He huddled close with Yibo to review their final product, adding a couple stickers here and there to brighten up their photo before they let it print. Since Yibo already had plans for both initial copies, Zhan coughed up money for an additional two for himself. They came out much better than Zhan thought they would, especially the last photo. He smiled, tucking his copies in his back pocket. "The music outside shut off. Let's go out, hm? The guy said he'd send the video before two, so it should be any time now."

Jackson thought for a moment before deciding on chicken for dinner. He figured it would be a perfect choice, not only because it's a crowd-pleaser, but also because it was the kind of meal that would lend itself to extended conversation. They would definitely have a lot to talk about over dinner, so might as well choose a place that would let them do so at leisure. "Let's go with chicken," he suggested, taking Baekhyun's hands and intertwining their fingers. Sharing another warm look with his boyfriend, Jackson couldn't help but lean in to kiss Baekhyun once again, tasting the cognac on Baekhyun's lips. Just then, Boa's voice came from outside in the main room. Jackson raised a brow as he looked to his boyfriend, the unspoken understanding passing between them that they should join the gathering guests for the 'festivities'.

Yibo was brimming with excitement as they customized their photo strip and clicked start to begin. He made sure to pose handsomely, adjusting his stance and expression with each click of the camera just like he would when he was on a studio set for work. They were only afforded 10 seconds between each picture to change into their new pose, which did add an element of rushedness to the experience, but he was laughing through it all. When it was time for the third picture, he rushed to get up on the stool behind Zhan, eager to create the perfect shot by hugging his boyfriend tightly. That finished up, and Yibo originally planned to do a 'thumbs up' in front of his chest as his random, unplanned pose. When Zhan unexpectedly picked him up, Yibo yelped and flailed in confusion. "What are you doing!" he exclaimed, his initial surprise quickly melting into a natural smile when he realized he was being kissed. The camera captured that smile almost too perfectly, revealing the genuine joy and affection that they shared for each other. Once Zhan put him down, Yibo brought a hand down over his chest, hitting him lightly, "You scared me ge!" he exclaimed in a hushed tone. "You're so sneaky!" But of course as he said this, he was already tapping madly at the screen, wanting to see their final product, with the most emphasis on that final picture.

"Ah, yes, because drunkenly assaulting your coworker is definitely a legitimate excuse, Wang Jackson-ssi." Still, Baekhyun pillowed his head against Jackson's shoulder, grinning ear to ear as he sank against the older. The warmth he was enveloped in was enough to nearly put him to sleep on the spot. He only lifted his head to drink from his glass, immediately dropping again once he swallowed. "Well, we had grilled meat with them not too long ago, so how about chicken, Italian, or naengmyeon? Hyung pick."

Zhan nodded along to Yibo's poses, and he was quite glad Yibo hadn't managed up come up with one more. He had an idea himself, but he was a little too shy to say it aloud. "Let's wing it." A shiver ran down his spine when Yibo's lips brushed against the shell of his ear, and he pulled Yibo down from the stool to begin their photoshoot. They did their v-pose, the heart with their hands, and the one where Yibo hugged Zhan over his shoulders, rushing about to pose each time before the timer ended. Zhan's heart was threatening to come up his throat as their fourth and final opportunity to take a photo came up. He hefted Yibo off the step-stool, held him securely around his waist, and just as the camera flashed, Zhan pressed a kiss to Yibo's cheek, grinning through his kiss.

With a playful glint in his eye, Jackson returned Baekhyun's kiss fervently, making the most out of their short moment of intimacy. To assure his boyfriend that he was on the lookout for intruders, he glanced at the entrance to the TV room to ensure no one was coming in. "There's barely anyone here to begin with. And who's really coming here for Evie, let's be real?" he asked Baekhyun, pulling him even closer. He leaned in to nip at Baekhyun's ear, adding cooly, "And if someone really does come in, I'll just pretend to be drunk." Draping his arm comfortably around Baekhyun, he hummed in acknowledgement, "Yeah, I heard. I even heard Yibo say you could choose where to go. So what will it be. What are you craving baby?"

Yibo eagerly fixed his appearance in the mirror, adjusting the dog ears on his head and ensuring that his hair was out of his face. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he turned to the photobooth computer screen and began tapping to see their border options. The teal border looked so pleasing, so he pointed it to Zhan, "I want this one." Luckily, Zhan thought to plan out their poses before Yibo hit the 'start button'. "Let's do a heart pose with our hands!" he suggested enthusiastically, forming the shape to demonstrate. "And for the next one, I'll hug you from behind," he said with a grin, stepping up on the little step stool behind Zhan and wrapping his arms around his chest in a playful yet affectionate manner." Yibo rested his chin over Zhan's shoulder, "You like this ge?" he asked, his voice tickling Zhan's ear, "And what about our last pose?"

Baekhyun giggled as he sat up against Jackson, not a care in the world as he pressed his lips against Jackson's for a daring, lingering kiss. Even after it all, practically sat over Jackson's lap, Baekhyun teased, "Aren't you afraid someone's going to want to see Evie on the big screen and come in here all of a sudden?" As much as Baekhyun liked to spend time with his best friend, he was glad for the little break from Zhan's overbearing possessiveness, snuggling back down against Jackson's side as he took a sip of his drink. "We're going out for dinner with Yibo and manager hyun; you heard, right?"

"Meow," Zhan said obediently, tucking the cat ears carefully over his head. He checked on his appearance in the small mirror hung in the wall of the photobooth, pulling out a few strands of hair that had been flattened by the band. He helped Yibo with his next, arranging his hair so that it wasn't completely compressing everything. "There. Now, there's these photos... should we just go with the flow?" Although Yibo was no stranger in front of a camera, Zhan was. He had about two go-to poses, and the 4-cut photos required four. "The first one, I'll do a v-finger, the second one... er... what should we do?"

If Jackson was going to have to go through some pleasantries with Boa all for her kid who was only important in name, then at least he wasn't having to do it entirely sober. Jackson sat on the couch, his eyes flickering between the TV and Baekhyun once the younger had found a variety show to settle on. Despite the laughter on the screen, Jackson was much more drawn to Baekhyun's presence beside him. He studied Baekhyun's features, especially noting the slight crinkle in the younger's eyes when he smiled and the way his lips curved upwards like a crescent moon. Just as he had told his boyfriend earlier, he was going to 'try' to keep it to just cuddles. Of course, as he threw his arm over Baekhyun's shoulders and pulled the younger close, the thoughts of being reserved slipped right out of his mind. "Kiss," he demanded, puckering his lips.

Yibo was more than happy to receive a kiss on his cheek, but he wanted to return the gesture too. It was risky if anyone was outside looking in on them from the bottom of the curtain, but Yibo turned his body so he could grip onto Zhan's shoulder and lean in to kiss his boyfriend back on the cheek. "I want to put one copy right next to the bed and the other one in my wallet," he said. With their plan in place, it was only right for him to fully capture the essence of photobooth picture strips with props too. Seeing the black ears that Zhan picked out, Yibo grinned and nodded in approval, "A handsome kitty!" he commented, then picking out the brown puppy dog ears next to Zhan's pair, fitting it over his head, "I can be the puppy to your kitty!"

A drink always sounded good, especially since they were going to have to face Boa and her nonsense for an entire afternoon. "Hm. You'll 'try'?" They headed for the open bar, which was an interesting choice of function at a literal baby's birthday party, but Baekhyun wasn't going to complain about free liquor. Each with a glass of cognac in hand, they headed to the lounge corner, which featured a television playing Evie's baby videos and was otherwise empty. Baekhyun wasn't sure if he wanted to try and get it on with Jackson in front of the baby feed, but it was quiet and secluded. Baekhyun felt along the edge of the TV for the controls, squeaking when he successfully changed the channel to play something else—anything else. "Nice. I don't need that baby on my conscience when your 'trying to just cuddle' fails."

Luckily, Yibo was not stubborn about keeping Baekhyun with them. Zhan's heart lightened as they made their way to the photobooth. Since it was still early, there was no line. Zhan ushered Yibo in first and pulled the curtain shut. Although they had set out from the dorm together not too long ago, Zhan wasn't able to resist pressing a kiss to Yibo's cheek. "Yeah, baby?" he murmured lowly. "You want a copy? Where are you going to put it?" There was a table of props for them to choose from, so Zhan led them over to peruse first. Picking out a pair of black cat ears, Zhan held it up to his head with a grin. "How do I look?"

With their drama still on hold, Jackson wandered around aimlessly. He had asked if Henry and Victoria were going to come, but the couple had only promised to show their face after the festivities had started, and not a minute before. Henry also made it clear he wasn't going to stay long, since Victoria had other things she wanted to do with him after, which was very much understandable. He made conversation with a few other staff who passed by until Baekhyun returned to his side. Jackson grinned at his boyfriend's cutesy whine, and he scanned the area for their options. "Uhm...well the food is a no-go. How about we grab a drink and go /cuddle/ over in that corner by the TV?" he asked, making sure to whisper so only Baekhyun would hear him. He raised his brows a few times suggestively, "/JUST/ cuddle...I'll try."

"Hehe good, hyung you can choose the restaurant," Yibo said to Baekhyun once he got the all-clear from Zhan. Clearly they were going to be starving given the terrible catering options, but that was also just the side to the whole drama that was about to ensue. Yibo perked up when Zhan suggested going to the photobooth. Again, he was not one to casually take pictures often, but Zhan was even less of a selca-taker than he was. It was important to jump at any opportunity where they could get some pictures together. "Yes!" he chirped, turning back to Baekhyun, "Hyung, we'll be back later okay?" He followed Zhan over the the photobooth that was out in the open. They were only afforded the privacy of a thin curtain that could be pulled across to obscure their upper halves of their bodies. "What kind of photos are we gonna take ge? Let's each get a copy!"

Baekhyun nearly fell flat on his when Zhan tried to push him away. He heard Zhan loud and clear, so he stuck his tongue out at his manager behind his back before bouncing back to Jackson, looping their arms together. "Hyu~ung," he called without following up with context. Since his manager had kidnapped his best friend and was heading in the direction of the photobooth, Baekhyun wasn't stupid enough to follow. "What should we do now?"

How could Yibo so casually invite that coach to dinner and still not think there was anything weird going on? Zhan nodded his agreement. "Yeah, I cleared our schedule for today. You know, in the name of the party." Since Boa wasn't around yet, Zhan figured he'd take Yibo around without Baekhyun trailing behind first. "Want to go take pictures at the photobooth?" Zhan asked loudly, just so Baekhyun would get the hint. Just in case Baekhyun was too dense to get it, he added, "Just us two?"

Baekhyun seemed to hesitate when Yibo gave his suggestion, but it was only for a split second before his friend was clearly on board with idea again and Yibo didn't think too much else about the situation. He nodded his head as Baekhyun suggested to look around for the other half of the main characters for today. Even at her own daughter's party, Boa knew how to arrive late, in the most unfashionable way possible. "I bet Nickhun is here to handle the catering and decorations while she's still at home getting ready," Yibo joked with Baekhyun, jabbing him right in the side until Zhan walked up to him. "Oh I was just telling hyung that she's probably getting ready at home," Yibo said, smirking and shaking his head, "But we won't let her miss out on her big star moment." He raised his brow as he conveyed to Zhan, "Hyung we're free after this...I mean after our schedule right? I want to get dinner with Baekhyun hyung and Jackson hyung."

Taking Jackson's advice on the tuna cracker, Zhan nearly choked on it, forcing it past his dry throat when he watched Baekhyun and Yibo gaze each other in the eyes with so much tenderness, if Zhan wasn't dating Yibo, he would genuinely believe Yibo and Baekhyun were an item. He cleared his throat to signal they should part, and was ready to pull them apart themselves if Baekhyun did not move first. He hurried to walk beside Yibo, pushing to stand between them both and separate them and ignoring the dirty look Baekhyun gave him. "I haven't even seen Boa herself. Where the hell is she? If the video gets sent while neither of them are around, what's the fun in that?"

Baekhyun blinked owlishly, his hands slack in Yibo's. "O-oh. Okay," he agreed, even if his stomach was beginning to tighten far beyond what he was comfortable with. Since Yibo put his head so close, Baekhyun pushed himself up on his toes to connect their heads the rest of the way, pressing his forehead against Yibo's for a quick second before breaking away with a giggle. "I'll just eat more of these in the meantime, I guess. Let's see if Nichkhun's here yet. His mother is around, but I haven't seen him."

Yibo fully trusted Baekhyun's judgement, so once his friend pointed out something that was considered edible, he didn't hesitate to grab a piece of the dish whose name he couldn't pronounce and eat it in a single mouthful. It wasn't the best thing he'd ever had - a little on the saltier end - but it was better than nothing. Yibo turned to Zhan and gave a little nod of his head for his boyfriend to try it too. But when Baekhyun suggested they ordered food delivery, Yibo quickly grabbed the older by his hands and leaned in so their heads were almost touching, "Don't do it hyung," he reminded Baekhyun under his breath. "We're just here until...the thing happens. Then we should leave. Wanna go out and eat together?" he suggested, a smirk already tugging on the corner of his lips. Clearly if they were going to see the drama unfold, they had to discuss it at their own time too, so might as well kill two birds with one stone!

"Because this one won't take much more than a bite of anything he's been trying," Jackson said, flicking his chin towards Baekhyun when Zhan questioned the cannoli in his hand. "Unfortunately enough, there's no garbage can anywhere around here. You'd think that the boss would have at least thought that far ahead, but I'm starting to think that she did it on purpose because she knows there's nothing presentable about this type of food," he said, wrinkling his nose. When he saw that Baekhyun was leading Yibo away towards the other end of the table, he recalled the tuna bite earlier, and he gestured for Zhan to follow, "This is one of the only decent things around here, if you're looking to fill your stomach until this is all over." he advised the manager.

"Nothing's good!" Baekhyun chirped, but he did take Yibo's hunger into consideration and led them back toward the beginning of the table, where Baekhyun ate a decent smoked tuna canapé early on in the game. "These are alright, 'cause they started off cold already. Everything else is supposed to be eaten hot but our boss is too cheap to hire a caterer with food warmers. Makes you wonder where they're spending all the money they skimped from not paying us, huh?" With that, Baekhyun popped another canapé into his mouth, determined not to lose out here. "Do you think she'll notice if I order some lunch to be delivered for just us? So hungry."

Seeing Jackson's visceral reaction to the food was enough to convince Zhan not to try anything. He glanced at the row of refreshments laid out, most of which looked to be wilting and softening already, and decided he wouldn't be interested in them even if Jackson hadn't said anything. He did, however, accept a glass of sparkling juice from a passing server, since everything had been paid for already. And since Jackson talked to him like they were friends, Zhan responded evenly, while gesturing to the cannoli in Jackson's hand, "Then why do you keep eating it?"

Yibo hugged Baekhyun when his friend reached out to him, squeezing him tightly as if they hadn't seen each other in a long time. "I thought we would be late," Yibo said, though another quick glance around confirmed that they were in fact, much too courteous. "But no, Zhan-hyung said later." He didn't want to go into details, since Zhan had advised strongly against it. "What are you eating hyung?" he asked, peeking over Baekhyun's shoulder once they released from their hug, "I'm hungry...what's good?"

Jackson wasn't one to judge other's and their food preferences, but Boa was an exception. He didn't quite understand how she thought her guest list of 99% Asian people, most of them being her own company's artists and personal family friends, would enjoy a table full of obscure Westernized finger foods. He was not a fan of most of the things just from a glance, but to taste them one after another Baekhyun tried and decided he didn't like them, Jackson had to really fight back his gag reflex. He needed to tell someone about it. It was almost too perfect of timing for Yibo and Zhan to arrive then. And since Baekhyun jumped right for his best friend, Jackson turned to Zhan with a flick of his chin. There was no point in speaking Korean to badmouth their boss so he started in Mandarin, "This food is //. Don't do it."

Baekhyun had already thought he was showing up late, but when he and Jackson arrived, there were barely any people around. They dropped off their joint gift (since both of them were reluctant to spend money) and headed inside to indulge in the refreshments while they waited for Yibo. The catering, however, was abysmal. Baekhyun picked up a cannoli, took a bite, made a face, and passed it to his faithful human trashcan. "It's soft," he complained. "It tastes like they made it three weeks in advance." He examined a plate of deviled eggs, and, figuring it would be pretty hard to mess up eggs, plucked one up to try. He was quite wrong—it /was/, in fact, possible to up the simply boiling of an egg. Just as he was hunting for a drink to wash it all down, Yibo appeared by his side. Baekhyun jumped to throw his arms around Yibo, gulping down his egg so he could speak. "You are too! We're not going to do the thing so early, are we?"