A/N: Things are getting hectic over at Ω.MEGA, my other applyfic, so I'm gonna give you guys an update before I go over there for a while and pre-write a lot of stuff. I'm already working on the next chapter, but don't expect anything after this for a while. Sorry guise~~

Oh, by the way, I applied to college! I should know by Christmas-time whether I got in or not. :)

Zumi

Saera's POV

Wednesday mornings are usually hectic and stressful, but after begging Mimi and Baekhwa to wipe our schedules for the day, the rest of the members were 'sleeping in' while I was cooking breakfast (again).

"G-good morning..." Danni yawned as she wandered into the kitchen. "That smells nice..."

"Thanks, here you go," I said, serving her some kimchi fried rice. "Sorry, Danni, but we gotta go back down to the studio again, some of your vocal tracks got deleted."

"Aww man..." Danni mumbled, shoveling food into . "Ok, I'll go get ready, then... Thanks for the food, unnie."

"Of course, Danni," I said, ruffling the girl's hair as she stumbled back into her bedroom.

My phone buzzed on the countertop, and I swiped it up, reading the incoming text message. 

From: Sunggyu

Wish the maknae a happy birthday for me, mmmk? Also, you sure you don't mind that I almost got married to your leader?

To: Sunggyu

I'll let her know. :) And of course I'm not mad, you didn't actually end up marrying Akhum, now did you?

From: Sunggyu

Good point. How has she been, by the way? Jonghyun must've freaked out.

To: Sunggyu

He did, he was so freaking pissed. It's not like she had a choice, though, we pretty much sprung it on her.

From: Sunggyu

Aish, that kid. =/ Well, good luck dealing with him.

To: Sunggyu

Thanks, babe. <3 Gotta go now, Operation Scare the Outta Danni is go.

From: Sunggyu

Haha, alright, I love you. <3

To: Sunggyu

I love you too. <3

"Unnie, I'm ready to go!" Danni said, returning to the kitchen.

"Jeezus, that was fast," I said, slipping my phone into my pocket and grabbing my bag. "Did you brush your teeth?"

"Eww, gross, of course I brushed my teeth," Danni whined, wrinkling her nose. "Who wouldn't?"

"Ehh, good point," I said as we exited the dorm, locking the door behind us. "I'm just gonna call Mimi, let her know where we're gonna be, ok?"

"Yeah, we don't want to give her another heart attack," Danni laughed.

"What was Soyu thinking, putting a mouse into her handbag?" I said, shaking my head. "I mean, damn, it was cute, but I don't think I've seen Mimi so terrified."

"Well, she's Im Soyu," Danni said as we headed towards my car. "What would Zenith be without her?"

"A bunch of well-mannered, obedient girls," I said, dialing. "Mimi's dream group."

Olivia's POV

"Hey, we're on our way to the recording studio, some of Danni's stuff got deleted. Is that ok?"

"Awesome job, Saera, keep her there for a couple of hours while we go get stuff set up at the EXO dorm, 'kay?"

"Ok, sounds good. When do you want us back at the dorm?"

"Around 3pm. Tell her that she's picking me up from the EXO dorm, say that it's for a variety program."

"Will do."

"Alright, guys, let's go!" I screamed, leaping out of bed fully clothed. God, I had to get up so early to go get dressed, then get back into bed so Danni would think I was still sleeping. What a pain. The other members emerged from their bedrooms, already ready to head down to the EXO dorm.

"Yah, why do I have to driiive?!" Soyu wailed, stomping her foot. "I don't want to!"

"Because Saera's the only other person with her license and she had to take Danni for the day," Jolie sighed. "So unless you know how to produce music, you're stuck driving us."

"... Fine," Soyu said unhappily, huffing as she went to go grab her things.

"Make sure you grab everything the first time!" Miyoung called.

"I'm gonna call Baekhyun, let him know we're coming," I said, stepping outside.

"... Mmmmello?" Baekhyun said from the other end of the phone.

"Hey, are you up yet?" I said. "You know we're gonna be there in 15 minutes, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I knoooooow..." He said, yawning in the middle of his sentence. "Was that today?"

"Yes, you pabo, October 8th, that's today," I said as the rest of the members joined me outside. "Get your out of bed and make sure everyone has clothes on, ok?"

"Yeah, clothes..." Baekhyun mumbled. "I gotcha..."

"Aish," I said, hanging up. "We go into the dorm with our eyes closed, ok?"

"Why?" Soyu said, immediately brightening up.

"SOYU GOES IN LAST." We all screamed in unison, heading down the stairs.

"Yah! Why don't you guys trust me! I'm older than most of you, remember?" Soyu whined, following us.

"Yeah, but you're a ert," I said. "And we are not letting you walk in there if they have no clothes on."

"You guys are no fun," Soyu pouted.

Miyoung's POV

The five of us burst into EXO's dorm, shielding our eyes.

"YAH! You guys have clothes on, right?" Olivia screamed, peeking between her fingers.

"Calm down, Ollie, we all have clothes on," Baekhyun said, lowering her arms. "It's too goddamn early, why the hell'd you make us get up this early?"

"Because Saera wakes up first to make us all breakfast and Danni wakes up whenever she smells food," Soyu said. "Plus, you guys are idiots, and we thought it was best to maximize our time."

"Is everyone else even up yet?" Ahkum said, peeking around the dorm. "Where is everyone?"

"Still sleeping," Baekhyun yawned. "You girls go start doing stuff, I'm gonna go take a nap."

"Ohhh, no you're not," Soyu said, ignoring his protests and grabbing his arm. "You're gonna help Ahkum cook."

"Why me?" Baekhyun yelled as he was forcefully dragged to their kitchen.

"Because Saera's not here and you're the only other person who can probably cook!" Soyu said as the two of them disappeared into the kitchen, Ahkum following them.

"I'll go wake the boys up," Jolie said, heading down the hallway. "Could you come help me, Olivia?"

"Of course," Olivia said, following her. "Miyoung, you coming?"

"Sure," I said. "I'll go wake up Luhan."

"Of course," Olivia laughed before she disappeared down the hallway.

I quickly dashed towards Luhan's room, hoping that I'd be able to scare the out of him. As I tiptoed in, I found that he was not in his bed, but he was coming out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist.

The two of us stared at each other, not breaking eye contact. Luhan's expression clearly said 'what the are you doing here', and I couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Um, hi," Luhan said. "What're you laughing at? Why're you in my room?"

"Danni's birthday thing, remember?" I said, snickering. "By the way, you have very nice abs."

Luhan looked down, noticed the state he was in, and quickly dashed back into the bathroom, locking the door. I started howling with laughter, and it took all my willpower not to pee my pants right then and there. I was laughing so hard, I almost didn't hear Luhan's phone go off.

Trying extremely hard to compose myself, I decided to answer it for him. Holding the phone up to my ear while trying to calm my breathing, I said, "Yoboseyo?"

"Hello, this is the Hankyul law firm calling about the case for Mr. Luhan?"

... What.

"Um... Come again?" I stuttered.

"Oh, I'm sorry, could you put him on the phone please? It's confidential information."

"What?!" I said. "Who are you and why are you calling Lu-"

"I'll take that."

I froze as Luhan reached over my shoulder, plucking the phone out of my hands. He wandered over towards his bed, talking casually with the woman on the other end of the phone, as I stood there, unable to believe what I just heard.

"Mmmhmm... Yes, of course... Ok, yes, I'm sorry, I didn't know she would answer my phone... Yes, understood. Thank you." He said before hanging up and turning to me.

"Minnie... How much did you hear?" He said softly.

"Enough," I said, tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. "Hankyul law firm... Isn't that the same law firm that Yifan and Hangeng...?"

"It is," Luhan said, moving over to hug me as the tears started running down my cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Minnie."

"Why?" I sobbed as I buried my face into his chest. "Why?"

"I'm sorry..." He murmured, my hair. "I just can't take it anymore."

"What are the rest of us supposed to do?" I demanded, looking up at him. "You can't just leave us!"

"Don't you know how long I've thought about this?" Luhan said, grabbing my shoulders. "I love this group so much, it hurts me to leave. But... I can't deal with SM anymore. I've watched my body wither away, and no matter how much I love my career, I can't do this to myself anymore."

"But..." I stuttered. "But... What am I going to do without you?"

Luhan smiled sadly, cupping my face.

"It hurts to see you with Jongin," He said, wiping away some of the tears running down my cheek. "I couldn't stand to see you dancing like that with him... So that's why I did what I did."

I started sobbing even harder, clutching at his shirt.

"But... But why?" I sobbed.

"Because I like you," He said, kissing the top of my head. "I guess I have for a long time now. I don't like seeing you with Jongin because I like seeing the two of us together. I like you so much, but... It wouldn't be good for you to be with me right now..."

My head was spinning from all this new information. Luhan liked me? My knees buckled, and I would've crumpled into a little pile on the floor if Luhan hadn't caught me.

"I think somebody needs a nap," Luhan said as he carried me over to his bed.

"Luhan... What...?" I mumbled, my tears starting to dry up.

"Shhhh..." Luhan said as he tucked me into his bed. "You just rest for a little bit, I'll wake you up before Danni gets here, ok?"

"Ok..." I mumbled, starting to drift off.

"That's my girl," Luhan said, smiling down at me.

I closed my eyes, already drifting in and out of consciousness. The last thing I felt was a pair of lips on my forehead before I out.

Dayeon's POV

"Great job today, Danni," Saera said as we drove towards the EXO dorm. "I wish the rest of the girls could record like you."

"Thanks, unnie!" I said. "How do you think Soyu got over to the EXO dorm?"

"I don't know anything about that girl," Saera sighed as she pulled up next to the apartment complex. "Could you do me a favor, go and run up and get her? I don't want to park the car."

"Sure!" I chirped, getting out of the car. Making my way up to their dorm, I knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer it.

"Oppas? Hello? Is Soyu in there?" I asked, trying the doorknob. To my surprise, the door was unlocked.

"They should really lock their door... Imagine if some EXO-L got in here," I muttered, stepping into their dorm, which was pitch black. Feeling my way around, I located one of the light switches and flicked it upwards, bathing the dorm in light.

"SURPRISE!!!"

"HOLY !" I screamed as EXO, Zenith, and a couple of other people threw confetti at my face. "What the hell?!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DANNI!" The rest of Zenith screamed as they all jumped on me, pulling me into a group hug.

"The maknae's growing up," Jolie remarked fondly, patting my head. "So sorry for scaring you, dear, but we wanted it to be a surprise."

"You guys... Did all this for me?" I said, looking around EXO's dorm room. There were streamers hanging from the ceiling, the food smelled amazing (Ahkum cooked? HELL YES), and there was even a banner that said 'Happy Birthday to our (ditzy but lovable) maknae!'

"Aww, I think she's gonna cry!" Joohyun squealed from where she was standing.

"Bae Joohyun, were you in on this too?" I yelled, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Aww, she's so precious," Soyu cooed as the Zenith members squashed me in the middle of another group hug.

"Yah, stop hogging her, we wanna hug her too!" Joonmyeon ordered as the boys of EXO shoved the members of Zenith away, pulling me in for another group hug.

"You're a total ditz, but we still love you," Yixing said as he and Jongin pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, ruffling my hair.

"Guys... Can't... Breathe!" I gasped, trying to wriggle my way out of their grasps.

"Yah, hyungs, let her go."

The sea of males parted as Sehun made his way to me, brushing stray hairs out of my face and fixing my rumpled tshirt.

"You ok?" Sehun asked, gazing down at me as he straightened me out.

"Y-yeah..." I said, looking away so I wouldn't have to look him straight in the eye.

"Jeezus, your makeup is running all over the place," Joohyun said as she bumped Sehun out of the way, fussing over me. "Let's get you washed up, ok? We'll borrow some of Baekhyun's eyeliner."

"Yah, who said you could borrow my eyeliner?" Baekhyun yelled as Joohyun ushered me into the bathroom.

"It's an emergency! I'll pay you back, I promise!" Joohyun yelled before she slammed the bathroom door closed.

"Alright, let me see..." Joohyun said, rummaging around the bathroom, looking for some makeup wipes and eyeliner.

"Minah's here, isn't she?" I heard myself say.

Joohyun wrinkled her nose as she located the eyeliner and wipes. "Yeah, she is," She admitted, wiping the makeup off my face. "Sehun insisted, and although Cilla and Miyoung ended up throwing fits, she came anyway. Crazy chick."

"Mmm..." I sighed, staying perfectly still so Joohyun wouldn't throw a fit if she messed up my eyeliner. I could already hear the music blasting from the living room, so it seems the party was well underway.

"Now, don't you get all depressed on me," Joohyun said, jabbing the eyeliner at me. "It's your birthday, I'm not allowing you to be unhappy. Plus, you don't have to talk to her if you don't want to."

"Right, thanks," I said as she finished up my makeup and I examined her work in the mirror. "Flawless job as usual, unnie."

"I know, right?" Joohyun laughed. "Now, we're gonna go out there and have fun, alright?"

"Right!" I said, jumping up. Giving myself one last look-over in the mirror, I threw open the door and strutted confidently out of the bathroom...

Only to run smack dab into Bang Minah herself.

"Oh, Dayeon, just the person I wanted to see," Minah said smoothly. "Sorry, but could I talk to you alone?"

"Um, sure..." I said, flinching when she called me Dayeon. No one calls me Dayeon, not even my parents, and they're the ones who named me, for Christ's sake.

"Well, I'll definitely see you later, Danni," Joohyun said, obviously eager to get away from the awkward atmosphere. "I'll catch up with you later, ok?"

"Ok..." I said as Joohyun disappeared into the crowd. Without warning, Minah seized my arm and dragged me back into the bathroom, firmly closing and locking the door.

"Alright, what the hell do you want?" I demanded hotly. "Can't you just go off and be happy with Sehun instead of flaunting the fact that you're with him in front of my fa-"

"Yah, shut it, will you?"

I quickly closed my mouth as Minah glared at me. Walking over to me, she gave me a once-over before sighing softly.

"Look, I never dated him," Minah said. "We bumped into each other at that coffee shop and stayed and talked for a while. The press was there, they got picture, blah blah blah, you know the rest of the story."

"Ok, fine," I said. "But why pull me into a bathroom and tell me this?"

"Because," Minah said. "He told me to back off and stop annoying you, ok? Apparently you've stopped talking to him, and he's a real pain in the when he's unhappy. Stop ignoring him because the brat's getting depressed. Got it?"

"Well, you're doing a really bad job of backing off," I immediately blurted out, unable to form any kind of filter after what I just heard.

"Watch it, you brat," Minah snapped before turning smartly on her heel, walking out of the bathroom.

I sank to the floor of the bathroom, slowly processing what Minah had just told me. If she never dated Sehun... that meant...

Zitao poked his head into the bathroom and noticed me on the floor.

"Hey, you ok?" He said.

I looked up at him, a huge grin plastered onto my face.

"Absolutely terrific," I said.

Sehun's POV

"Yah, everyone, it's time to sing to the birthday girl!"

Everyone, including myself, clambered around our kitchen table as Jolie lit the candles on Danni's birthday cake. I somehow managed to stand right next to her, but she didn't seem to mind, smiling up at me when she noticed I was there. Looking around, I saw no signs of Minah (though I assumed she left, seeing as she was getting rather upset with me during the party set-up), and it seemed as if Danni knew she was gone as well, since the young vocalist was all smiles.

"Alright, everyone ready? This better sound ing amazing, ok? We're all singers, there are absolutely no excuses!" Miyoung said as the rest of us laughed. "Ready? Hana, deul, set!"

"Saengil chukahamnida
Saengil chukahamnida
Saranghaneun uri Danni
Saengil chukahamnida!"

"Make a wish!" Irene yelled as Danni blew out her candles. The whole room erupted into cheers and applause as Danni laughed and clapped along happily.

"Everyone, thank you so much for doing this!" She said as she discreetly intertwined her fingers with mine. I looked down at her, shocked, only to see her smiling face beaming up at me.

So, the natural reaction was to, of course, lean in and kiss her.

There were some gasps, applause, and 'awww's that echoed around the room, but in the heat of the moment, only she and I existed. I felt her wrap her arms around my neck, pressing her body closer to me.

After what seemed like an eternity, the two of us broke apart, staring at each other.

"Um..." I said. "Happy Birthday?"

Danni stared at me for a moment longer before she slowly started grinning from ear to ear, her arms still wrapped around my neck.

So, I took that as a sign to kiss her again.