Chapter 46

Cut to a couple of days later... D-Day (aka Daniel's birthday)

The sound of the clattering of her boots against the marble floors of the cafe garnered the attention of the people in the cafe. The last few customers eventually walked past her out the door, stifling their laughter. “Nice costume,” someone murmured. “Thanks,” Annie replied flatly. Eventually, the group was out of the cafe and soon burst into laughter. She stared out the window eventually, the crowd had left with smiles on their faces. In turn, she shook her head and rolled her eyes.

With the current ensemble she was wearing, the attention was expected nevertheless. She was wearing a complete pirate's costume resembling Elizabeth Swan from Pirates of the Caribbean. The costume consisted of a black hat, a white ruffled long sleeve, a long burgundy vest, topped with a black chest belt, a pair of black knee-length pants, completed with a pair of knee high leather boots. She had a toy sword attached to her chest belt not to mention the eye patch she was wearing somewhat brought her costume to life. She really did look like a pirate.

She was not very happy with the idea but because Miranda had asked her kindly, she had no choice but to comply with her employer's wishes. How bad could it be? Annie told herself. It was only for one day and it's not like anyone would know her identity.

Sighing, she made her way deep into the cafe where she found Daehyun and Youngjae conversing with Lucy while she was wiping down a glass cup with a rag. Jongup was sweeping up the floors while Zelo was straightening up the tables and booths as well as wiping them down with a rag of his own. It was Jongup who spotted Annie first. He seemed to be taken aback which garnered the curiosity of everyone else. Soon, the whole room grew silent once they shifted their attention over to Annie standing in the middle of the room. They were clearly focused on what she was wearing to notice the agitation that was evident in her demeanor.

Daehyun snorted, breaking the silence, trying his best to stifle his laughter. Eventually, he couldn't stop himself and decided to let it all out slapping Youngjae's back in the process. “Nice costume,” he managed to say in-between laughter, staring back at her. “Are you here looking for your booty?” He burst into laughter along with Lucy and Youngjae.

“Nice one, Dae,” Youngjae said, slapping his best friend's hand. Then turning to Annie, he cackled. “I knew there was some use for that eye patch!” He snickered.

“Alright. You two idiots should stop,” Lucy spoke up, trying her best to keep her voice steady. However, seeing Annie wasn't helping the situation all that much. “Sorry Annie, but you just look so adorable right now!” she exclaimed giddily. “The adorable pirate comes to life!” She announced.

“Oh... Why don't you just take a picture? It lasts longer,” Annie grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

“That's actually not a bad idea!” Daehyun perked up then reached into his pocket to take out his own phone. Youngjae soon followed suit presenting his own phone.

Annie's eyes widened in mortification. “What?! No!” she cried out. “Don't you dare!” But her friends seemed to ignore her demands.

“Hey, Dae! Snap a picture of me with her, will you?” he said handing his best friend his phone. “This is definitely going on Instagram.” Daehyun managed to set up the camera in time for Youngjae to run over to Annie, wrapping an arm around her. “Annie, smile for the camera!” he grinned, facing Daehyun holding up his phone.

Annie frowned, clearly unamused at the moment. “I hate you guys,” she grumbled, clenching her fists angrily.

Everyone continued to ignore her. “Looking good, Jae!” Daehyun exclaimed with an amused grin.

“Wait!” Lucy exclaimed running out from behind the counter then handing Daehyun her phone, she ran over to join Annie and Youngjae. “Take one for me, Dae!”

“Hey, I want in on the picture too!” Daehyun whined.

“Have Jongup or Zelo take over the camera!” Lucy demanded, looking over at the younger boys.

The younger boys were both leaning against a table watching the scene unfold with amused expressions. Realizing everyone was staring over at them, they both stood up straight. “Huh?” They both replied in unison upon hearing their names called.

“Right,” he said, making his way over to one of the younger boys. “Snap some pictures for us, will you?” He handed them each a phone belonging to his best friends. “Take as many as you can.” He said with a little emphasis before proceeding to make his way over to the other three.

“Hyung,” Zelo called out to him. Daehyun looked over his shoulder. “Could I join too?” he asked in a hopeful tone.

“Come on,” Daehyun motioned for him to follow. “Just give Jongup our phones so he can snap our pictures.”

“I want to join too,” Jongup suddenly announced.

“Oh great,” Annie groaned, rubbing her temples with her hands. “FML...”

“That means we have to find another photographer,” Daehyun said looking around. “I'll be right back,” he told them then immediately walked over to a random patron leaving his friends momentarily.

Annie sighed looking down at the ground in humiliation. What have I gotten myself into? She thought. Soon, her eyes landed on the sword hanging from her chest belt. She then found herself grinning mischievously glancing at Daehyun. Her best friend in speaking was making his way back with a random stranger. His eyes soon met hers then shifted down to her hand and froze. He did not like the way Annie was eying him menacingly with a sword in hand.

“Anyways,” Lucy spoke up once the madness had died down. The friends managed to get a few snapshots with Annie. Although Annie had to admit that her favorite was with Daehyun. She managed to head lock him as she held the sword against his head. Annie was sitting on a bar stool, leaning against the counter, taking a sip of her Coke. “What's the occasion?”

Annie looked over at her. “It's Danny's birthday,” she said flatly. “And guess who's providing the entertainment? Yours truly!” She pointed to herself.

“No way,” Lucy said gaping at her best friend. “How did this come about?”

“I was asked by the kid's mother,” Annie muttered.

“Did you agree to this?” her best friend raised an eyebrow.

“Well,” she began, looking away sheepishly. “I couldn't exactly say 'no'.”

Lucy groaned in frustration. “That's slave work!” she cried out.

“Not really... I'm doing this for Danny,” Annie reasoned.

“Speaking of the little kid, where is he?” Lucy asked curiously.

“Just grabbing brunch with his family,” Annie replied, taking a sip of her drink. “I'm not supposed to show up for like another hour or so... So you know, I just thought I'd come here to pass the time...” She chuckled awkwardly, glancing over at Jongup and Zelo, who were busy wiping down the tables.

Lucy narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Annie. “Something tells me there's more...” she said, trailing off.

“A little,” she said sheepishly, adjusting her burgundy vest.

“Spill it,” Lucy demanded.

“I need a huge favor...” Annie finally said.

“What is it?” Lucy asked cautiously.

A few days ago...

“I have a brilliant idea,” she beamed, staring straight at Annie with a warm smile.

Annie froze and gulped in anticipation, expecting the worst. She clearly did not trust Miranda at the moment. “You do?” she uttered.

“I need you to cancel the entertainment for Daniel's birthday,” Miranda had told her.

“Huh?” Annie turned to Miranda, taken aback. Didn't Miranda hire a puppet master to put on a show at her kid's birthday? Or was it some clown? She couldn't exactly remember what it was but she was clearly not liking the look on Miranda's face at the moment.

Miranda then turned to her with an expectant grin. Annie thought there was something a little menacing about the way she was looking at her at the moment. “Turns out, I have the perfect idea for this party and I am going to need your help,” she said finally.

Annie cleared and sat up straight. “Um, sure,” she nodded eagerly. “How can I help?”

Her employer eventually shifted her gaze over to Annie's face, particularly the eye patch in general. “Well, since I already know you're good with children and Danny loves you,” she began. “I think it's a good idea for you to take over for the entertainment. I think you're the perfect fit for it, if you know what I mean,” she finally said with a slight wink.

As a result, Annie choked on her drink, then coughed loudly. “Me?” she bellowed out. “What exactly do you mean, Miranda?” she asked chuckling nervously.

“I'm thinking more along the lines of a pirate theme for his party,” Miranda said. “The other kids might like it and they could even dress up for the occasion too. Anyway, I'm gonna need you to put on a show for the kids. That is, if it's okay with you.”

Annie felt the color drain from her face. She knew exactly what it was Miranda wanted. The thought of it was even more humiliating. She gulped and nodded slowly.

“Well?” Miranda's voice rang out, interrupting Annie's thoughts.

“That's not a bad idea,” Annie said, attempting to sound confident. “I'll even call up my crew to help me out!” She exclaimed earnestly, thinking about asking her best friends for help. She would promise to make it up to them.

“Perfect!” Miranda sighed in relief then stood up. “Just do what you have to do to ensure Daniel's day is perfect!”

Annie gave Miranda a thumbs up. “You got it!” she mused loudly. Before Miranda could turn to leave, Annie stopped her. “Wait,” her employer turned around, raising an eyebrow. “Would it be okay if I ask Himchan's permission to help me out?”

Miranda stiffened. “Why?”

“Well, I'm gonna need someone to provide the background music,” Annie reasoned.

She sighed. “If that's the case, then go for it,” she said finally.

“Okay!” Annie beamed excitedly. “I'm on it, Miranda! I promise I won't disappoint you.”

“Do you know where she is?” Yongguk asked, as he was helping Himchan set up the sound for Daniel's party. He was clearly looking around the venue searching for Annie but she was nowhere to be found.

Himchan looked over at his best friend and sighed. “I have no idea,” he shrugged. “Why don't you just call her?”

“I can't,” Yongguk reasoned. “She's mad at me, remember?”

Himchan gave his best friend a look. “Seriously? I thought she was over it, already,” he said. “I mean it's only been a few days, right?”

“Yeah,” Yongguk muttered. “It's all my fault.” He said, feeling guilty.

“It's not your fault,” Himchan assured him. “Like the doctor said, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. No one could control how fast those balls were going. Just be glad she's fine.” he said, then found himself looking around for her as well. “She's probably making more preparations for the party. I was surprised when she came to me for help.”

“She asked you for help?” Yongguk raised an eyebrow.

Himchan chuckled. “Well, yeah,” he nodded. “She needed someone to provide background music while she gathers the entertainment. I'm not sure why she needs the music though.”

“She could've asked me,” Yongguk muttered, frowning.

“Bang, do you think DJ-ing is going to appeal to a bunch of pre-schoolers?” Himchan retorted back, raising an eyebrow.

“No! Of course not!” Yongguk exclaimed immediately. “I mean, I have my own way of entertaining a bunch of little kids, it's not that hard.” He looked away scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Right,” Himchan nodded slowly then decided to shift the subject. “Anyways, I texted her earlier. She said she'll be here soon. She's just rounding up a group of people at the moment. I wonder what she's got planned.”

“Now, I'm curious,” Yongguk added as Daniel and a bunch of his friends entered the venue.

The children began to gather into the venue. Peering into the room, Himchan spotted Daniel sitting front row center wearing a tuxedo along with a party hat. The kid looked very adorable, he thought. “I wonder where she is,” Himchan spoke up. “The kids are already here.”

“Should we give her a call?” Yongguk asked.

Himchan sighed and shook his head. “I'd give her about fifteen minutes or so,” he said checking his watch. “In the meantime, we should stall the kids until she gets here.”

“How?” Yongguk turned to his best friend, furrowing his brow.

In turn, Himchan gave him a sly grin. Yongguk's expression turned flat knowing exactly what it was Himchan was thinking. He shook his head immediately. “Oh, yes,” his best friend said, nodding.

“No!” Yongguk exclaimed shaking his head frantically. “Absolutely not!”

“Come on, Bang!” Himchan urged him. “Think about the kids,” he said motioning over to the audience consisting of a bunch of pre-schoolers. “Think about the birthday boy...”

Looking over at the birthday boy, Yongguk looked down in defeat. “Fine,” he grumbled. But before they could begin their little show, the door flew open and in emerged six figures entering the room in full costume. Yongguk and Himchan found themselves watching on in astonishment. Their jaws hung open.

“Is it just me or are Daehyun and Youngjae dressed as pirates?” Himchan finally asked.

“You're not crazy, Himchan” Yongguk uttered. “I see them too.”

“Is that Annie and Lucy?” his best friend asked, fixing his gaze towards the girls. He had to admit that both girls could pull off their costumes.

“I believe so,” Yongguk nodded slowly.

“Wow, even Zelo and Jongup are dressed up for the occasion,” Himchan mused.

“I'm guessing they're the entertainment,” Yongguk finally said.

Both best friends glanced at each other and grinned knowingly. This party just got interesting, they both thought.

After enough urging and pleading, her friends eventually agreed to tag along with her to the party. They soon made their way into the venue in full costume. “I'm so sorry for making you guys do this,” Annie bowed apologetically. “I promise I'll make it up to you. I really appreciate your help.”

Lucy placed an assuring hand on her best friend's shoulder. “There's no need for an apology,” she said reassuringly. “You're our friend, you know we're always willing to help out in any way we can, right boys?” she asked turning to the other boys.

“Yeah,” the four boys murmured. Jongup and Zelo didn't seem to mind as they adjusted their costumes. However, Daehyun and Youngjae were a different story, grumbling along the way.

“I'm in this for the food. I'm in this for the food. I'm in this for the food...” Daehyun managed to chant to himself.

Youngjae sighed. “It's for the kid,” he placed an assuring hand on his best friend's shoulder. “Don't forget, Dae. We're here for the kid...”

At the costume shop...

While they were costume shopping, Lucy modeled after Angelica's character in the fourth Pirates' film. She wore a maroon jacket with black lapels, a gold patterned vest, a white long sleeved blouse with a ruffled neckline, and a detailed black corset and belt. She completed the look with black leggings tucked into black platform boots along with a black pirate's hat. The hat had a feather to add a bit of character to the look. The whole room was amazed once Lucy stepped out of the dressing room looking confident as she admired herself in front of the full-length mirror.

Zelo soon stepped out of the dressing room wearing a striped blue short-sleeved shirt with cropped black pants with a black belt, topped with a skull bandana and his own eye patch. He was also given his own play sword. “How do I look, noona?” he had asked twirling around for them to see.

“You look very handsome, Zelo,” said Annie, giving him a thumbs up. “Look. We're matching with our eye patches.” she chuckled.
 

Next, Jongup stepped out wearing his own Buccaneer inspired costume that consisted of a white peasant sleeve pirate shirt, a brown vest, striped red pants, and faux leather boots. To complete the look, he wrapped a bandana around his head and topped it off with a pirate hat. He also attached a fake parrot to his shoulder to stand out a little more. “What do you think?” he looked over at the girls shyly.

Annie and Lucy glanced from each other then turned to him and gave him an approving nod. “Love it,” they replied in unison. He then grabbed a play sword and attached it to his belt.

“This costume itches!” Daehyun's voice rang out from behind the curtain. “And I can't breathe!”

“Do we have to wear this?” Youngjae asked peering out from behind his own dressing room.

“Yes!” Annie called out. “Hurry it up! We're on a time crunch at the moment... Even the younger boys were finished before you.”

“I don't know about this, Annie,” Youngjae said cautiously.

“Just come out already, it can't be that bad!” she demanded.

Both best friends sighed simultaneously. At about the same time, they both emerged from their own dressing rooms in full costume. Daehyun's look was inspired by Captain Hook's character from Once Upon a Time. Annie had no idea why he was complaining. He looked handsome, she thought. He wore a leather vest inside a dark maroon jacket along with black pants tucked into leather boots. He wore a black leather belt with a gold buckle to complete the look. Of course, the look wasn't complete without the faux hook for his left hand. He seemed unamused by the girls gawking at him. To humor them, he twirled a bit before proceeding to stand by the younger boys.

Youngjae wore a white peasant's shirt that was loose fitting enough to reveal a preview of his broad chest along with his collarbone. He wore a brown waistcoat over the shirt topped with a dark brown jacket along with matching breeches tucked into brown leather boots. If Annie knew any better, he resembled Will Turner's character in the Pirates' films. He was given his own feather pirate's hat and his own sword to place into his belt. He looked rather dashing, Annie thought. She always knew her best friends were good-looking guys but they were oozing with appeal at the moment. She may have forgotten they were her best friends.

“Wow...” Annie and Lucy managed to say after admiring them for a moment.

“Now you've seen us, so can we get the show on the road?” Daehyun interrupted the moment. “There better be a lot of food when I'm there...”

Finally, they all managed to make it to the door in one piece. Zelo and Jongup stepped forward and pushed the doors opened. Once inside, the room grew quiet as everyone shifted their attention over to Annie and company. She could feel Himchan and Yongguk gawking over at her and her friends. Clearing , she managed to grin widely. “Ahoy matey!” she greeted cheerfully. “Where be the birthday boy?” She asked glancing around the room in search of Daniel only to find him settling down in front of the stage, raising his hand slowly. She slightly turned to face her friends. “What the hell are you guys doing? Get into character!” she hissed through gritted teeth.

Clearing their throats, they all exclaimed, “Ahoy matey!” in unison.

A/N: Hello again! This will be my last update for now... I still have to get into the groove of adjusting to school and trying to work... I hope you enjoy this chapter because I did spend all day working on it >.< I swear this chapter was a lot funnier in my head. I apologize if it's a huge disappointment T_T And I know you guys think this pirates' theme is a little over-the-top and outrageous... Call me weird but I do think the boys would make handsome pirates ;) I know I'm weird like that lol. Also, I've always wanted to dress up as a pirate but Annie has clearly beaten me to it. I have a thing for pirates even though they're portrayed as bad guys. Again, I'm sorry... This chapter was very sloppy on my part. I promise I'll make it up to you on the next update. :D Enjoy! ^^

P.S. I made a reference to Youngjae's Instagram in this chapter lol.  >.<