Chapter ten

The dinner was good. There was a lot of it, but they were 29 people after all, and everything was eaten. Currently they were sitting around the table: the younger kids had asked to be excused and had run to the living room or bedrooms to play. The older kids - including Ji Yong - were sitting on one end of the table and were talking eagerly. Sandara was sitting on the couch in the living room with her phone.

"So," Chanyeol began. "Should we just say that the people who haven't done anything should clean, like we used to?" He grinned.

"Can't we just play rock, paper, scissor?" Zitao suggested.

"You're just saying that because you haven't done anything," Lu Han said and Zitao stuck out his tongue.

"Okay, I think it's fair that the people who haven't done anything should clean," Yixing said. "But who is it then?" They all looked at Zitao.

"What?!" he exclaimed, standing up. "Fine," he sighed as everyone kept looking at him with raised eyebrows. "I'll clean. I haven't helped much I guess - except running around entertaining your small brats." The last sentence he mumbled, and luckily nobody heard. "But let me just request Yi Fan hyung. He hasn't done anything either!"

"What?!" Yi Fan said, but everyone agreed.

"And what about Sehunnie?" Zitao continued. Sehun glared at him, but Zitao ignored his husband and continued. "And Jongin? And Taemin? And Baekhyun hyung? And Yixing hyung?"

"Hey! I have so done something!" Baekhyun said. "I helped your daughter getting dressed."

"Well, she didn't need your help. She's smart and can dress herself," Zitao said.

"How about this: the maknaes can clean tonight, and the hyungs can set the table tomorrow morning?" Chanyeol suggested. Various people nodded; that seemed to be fair.

"Wait, you're saying that I should help set the table tomorrow?" Minseok asked with furrowed eyebrows, as he was the oldest of the guys.

"No no, hyung," Chanyeol said. "I'm saying that the oldest of the people Zitao just mentioned, should set the table tomorrow."

"So, me, Yi Fan hyung and Yixing hyung?" Baekhyun said and Chanyeol nodded. "Great, I'm going to be the third wheel..." he mumbled and they all laughed.

After the four maknaes had cleaned, including washing the plates and all, they sat down in the living room. They had called for the kids after Minseok and Lu Han had made coffee for the ones that wanted it, and now everyone sat together. During dinner they had talked and they had agreed that every evening they would gather in the living room and they would tell the kids the story of how they met.

"So, who should start? What do you want to hear?" Joonmyun asked.

"What about we do it chronological?" Lu Han suggested. "So that Taemin and Jongin starts." He looked around at the others, and everyone seemed to agree.

"I still don't think that I have gotten answers to my questions," Ji Yong said.

"Well if we do it chronologically, you'll get the answers as we go along," Minseok said to him. "Is that okay?"

Ji Yong thought about it for a moment. "Okay," he said. Minseok smiled at him.

"So should we begin?" Taemin asked.

"Where do we even begin?" Jongin said.

"Well, it started when we first met as trainees," Taemin began telling. "There's not much to say actually. We were best friends and we fell in love. We met in 2007 and a year later I had my debut with SHINee."

"We became boyfriends in 2010, and it lasted for two years," Jongin continued and ended.

"Wait, you broke up?" Changjo asked. Jongin and Taemin nodded. "Why?"

Taemin was about to answer, but Jonghyun interrupted. "Were you in a group too?"

Taemin looked at him with a smile and nodded.

"Who confessed first?" Luna asked.

Taemin and Jongin grinned and looked down, before looking at each other and then at Luna.

"I did," Taemin said. "But luckily he liked me too."

"But why did you break up then?" Byunghun asked his parents, bringing up Changjo's former question. "If you both liked each other."

"It was unfortunately also me that broke up," Taemin said, looking ashamed. "It was because I got feelings for another person. One that was in my own group," he explained.

"Who?"Byunghun asked.

"Minho."

"Why? Did uncle Minho like you too?" Byunghun looked upset - the thought of his eomma being together with another man, was obviously a thought he hadn't really had before.

Taemin nodded. "Yes, we both liked each other. We went out." Then he looked at his son seriously. "But you don't need to be angry or sad about it, Byunghun. We went out with other people before we realized we wanted to be together. Most people go out with others before finding the one they want to spend their life with." He smiled at Jongin who smiled back.

"Don't worry about it, Byunghun," Ji Yong said to him. "Both my parents went out with other people before, too." Byunghun opened his mouth and all the kids looked at Minseok and Lu Han.

"Seriously, Ji Yong!" Lu Han exclaimed.

"We went out with other people, yes, but didn't you all just hear what Taemin said? It's normal to look around, test the waters, before finding your one and only!" Minseok said. Ji Yong grinned: he found it funny how both his parents felt the need to explain themselves every time he brought it up. He had accepted now that his parents had been going out with some of the others in their former group before, but kept bringing it up just to see their reactions.

"Who?" Aron asked curiously.

Minseok hesitated, thinking of what to say. "We'll get to that later on."

"What happened next?" Sohee asked Taemin and Jongin.

"What do you mean, sweetie?" Taemin asked.

"What happened after you broke up?"

Taemin looked at Jongin, then back at Sohee. "Nothing. I was together with Minho, and Jongin..."

"I was very sad," Jongin interrupted. "But got over it with time and help from my friends. And we just... had some time apart." He looked at Taemin. "But later became best friends again."

"When did you become friends again? And together?" Aron asked.

"We'll get to that," Jongin smirked. "We're not going to spoil any of it."

"So we're not going to hear anymore tonight?" Sohee pouted.

"No, that was just the beginning," Lu Han said, after looking at Taemin and Jongin who shook their heads. "You'll hear more tomorrow." He smiled.

"But that was so short!" Namjoo exclaimed.

"I'm sorry." Taemin shrugged.

"Shall we talk about what to do tomorrow instead?" Chanyeol suggested and the parents nodded.

"Is there anything you want to do tomorrow, kids?" Joonmyun asked the kids. They shook their heads.

"Maybe we could swim?" Aron asked.

"Of course, but not all day," Yi Fan said.

"Maybe we should just come up with something to do? Someone needs to get in their beds," Sehun said, motioning to the sleeping boy in his arms; Junhong was quietly sleeping, leaning against his appa.

"Good idea," Chanyeol smiled at them. Then he looked at Taehyung who sat on the floor, leaning against the couch with closed eyes. "It has been a long day and the kids are tired." He leaned down and gently and carefully lifted him up.

Minki was also fast asleep in his mother's arms, breathing in and out slowly. Hayoung was lying on the floor curled up into a ball by Zitao's feet, also sleeping. Jonghyun was lying in Jongdae's lap. And Changjo was sitting on Jongin, trying his hardest to keep his eyes open. Only Namjoo didn't seem to be tired.

"But I don't want to go to bed yet!" she said.

"Shh," Kyungsoo shushed her. "Your brother and cousins are tired. It's time for bed."

Namjoo pouted. "But I'm not tired."

"Please, sweetie, it's been a long day and you need to go to bed," Jongdae said.

Namjoo just pouted even more and her lip even started trembling. "But I don't want to!" She stood up and stormed out of the living room, probably going to her own room upstairs. Jongdae and Kyungsoo sighed.

"I'm sorry for that little scene. You weren't meant to see that," Kyungsoo apologized.

"It's okay." Yixing smiled. "We all have or have had kids reacting that way."

"And what are that supposed to mean?" Aron asked. Amber, Byunghun and Chanhee laughed.

"Shh, you're waking the kids," Taeyeon said, as Minki moved in his sleep. "I'll carry him to bed." She stood up.

"I'll come with you." Joonmyun also stood up. "Amber, you have to go to bed soon, too," he said to her, before following Taeyeon into the boys' room with the bunk beds.

"Kyungsoo, will you please take care of her, while I sit here with Jonghyun?" Jongdae said, and Kyungsoo nodded. Then he left upstairs.

"Aren't you all going to carry them to bed?" Amber asked the parents sitting with their sleeping kids.

"No, there's probably not much space in the boys' room right now, as your appa and eomma are currently tugging your brother in," Jongdae said. Just as he finished his sentence, the two parents came out of the room. "But now Chanyeol can go in there perhaps?" he suggested Chanyeol, who stood together with Baekhyun. They went into the room, Chanyeol carrying Taehyung. "I'm just going to wait 'till Kyungsoo comes back."

When Kyungsoo came down, only Jonghyun - from the boys' side - needed to get tugged in. So the two went in the room, tugging in the already sleeping boy. At the same time Zitao and Sehun went upstairs with their little daughter. And when they came back down, only the older kids were left with the parents.

"So what now?" Luna asked, not tired at all.

"Well, you need to sleep soon, too," Baekhyun said. "What do you want to do?"

Luna looked around at the others. "Can we hear another story?" she asked.

Baekhyun hesitated. "I think you should wait until tomorrow."

"How long do we have until bedtime?"

Baekhyun looked around at his fellow parents. "An hour?"

Luna nodded at the answer. Then she looked at the others. "What should we do?"

"Can't we just lay down and talk?" Sohee suggested.

"Sure, it would be like a pajama party!" Aron exclaimed.

"Oh I don't think the boys can be allowed due to my father," Amber said, sticking out her tongue at her father teasingly. Joonmyun sighed at the joking kid, but couldn't help but smile.

"Are you sure that kid is yours?" Baekhyun said. "She's so much more sassy and teasing than you would ever be. She's much more like me!"

Amber grinned.

"Just go," Joonmyun said. "Go have your very short 'slumber party'." The kids grinned and hurried upstairs, but before Amber walked out of the living room she quickly kissed her aunt Baekhyun on the cheek and hugged her father. She didn't mean any harm with her teasing. But he knew that.

"I'll go too," Ji Yong said, standing up. "I don't want to hang out with you alone." He looked at the grownups with a smirk, and Lu Han lightly slapped his arm, followed by Sehun ruffling his hair and Yi Fan slightly tickling him. Ji Yong grinned and went to his room upstairs.

"I'll go too; if not I'm just weird." Sandara stood up and walked to the staircase.

"And what are you going to do?" Kyungsoo said, not even turning to look at her.

"I'm going to my room. Nothing exciting."

"Give me your phone." Jongdae stood up and walked towards her.

"Why?" she exclaimed.

"Because you're not allowed to have it. If you're going to your room, it would be to sleep or read, you're not going to text or call anyone when you're grounded," he said, extending his hand. Sandara looked at him with open. Then she groaned and put her phone in his hand, before stamping up the stairs. Jongdae went back to his seat next to Kyungsoo.

"Well done," Kyungsoo said.

"Thank you."

The others had looked at the scenario with wide eyes.

"I'm not looking forward to my kids being like that," Zitao said and Sehun shook his head.

"Me neither," Yi Fan said, almost looking terrified.

"Ours are already there." Minseok sighed and took Lu Han's hand.

"He's not that bad," Lu Han said, trying to sound convincing.

"I just don't see how she's become like that," Chanyeol said, staring at the staircase Sandara had stood by a moment before. "Just a few years ago she was so sweet, so adorable and fun to be around."

Kyungsoo shrugged. "I know. I don't know what's happened either."

"Now, let's not talk about that. Let's talk about something else," Taemin said, wanting to change the subject off the kids.

"Like what?" Yixing asked.

"Like..." Taemin shrugged, trying to think of something to come up with. "What's next to the story?"

Jongin and Sehun looked at each other, both knowing exactly what that was.

A/N: Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! Chapter 10! (There's much more to come, keke ^_^ )

So the adults planned to tell a story every evening before the kids go to bed. All the stories they tell won't be like this one though! TaeKai's story is just "special" as they were together before debut, so that just had to be quickly told (but their story is not done yet, don't worry!)... The future stories will be in flash backs.

And! Happy birthday to Namjoon oppa!! (though I'm a bit late..)

Thank you for reading ^_^