Joshua grimaced. He was never one to go to someone else and ask for help or for advice. He only ever did it when he felt like he was up against a wall that he couldn’t scale, and Joshua always felt he could scale any wall that was in his way. Except for this. This was in a different field that he had no idea on how to deal with it.

“Jaguar got your tongue,” Wonwoo teased. He let out a yell as Jun smacked him in the chest.

“Hey,” Jun said, “watch it. He’s clearly having problems and he came to us for help. Be nice.”

“I was just joking Junnie,” Wonwoo mumbled, rubbing at his chest. “You didn’t have to hit me so hard.”

“It’s not like it hurts,” Jun said, raising a brow at Wonwoo. “Don’t be a baby.”

But Wonwoo honest to god pouted. “It hurts so much. Kiss it better?”

Joshua snickered into his tea cup. Good lord. Wonwoo was so whiny around Jun. it was a jarring contrast from his normal poker face.

Rolling his eyes, Jun leaned over and gave Wonwoo a rather wet kiss on the cheek. “There, you giant baby.”

Wonwoo nodded, a tiny smirk playing on his thin lips.

“How do you two deal with the divide,” Joshua blurted out. It had him stumped and unable to move on from crossing the line.

“The divide?” Jun whipped his head around.

Lips thinning, he explained himself, “Wonwoo still owns you. He provides for you for the most part. The relationship isn’t quite equal. How do you deal with that?”

“Oh. That thing.” Wonwoo nodded, picking up his own tea cup. “We don’t.”

Joshua’s brows flew up.

Leaning back into the couch, draping his arm over Jun’s shoulder to bring the fox hybrid closer to him, he said, “We made a conscious decision not to think about it. I love Jun and Jun loves me and that’s enough.”

Joshua shook his head; he tried thinking of it like that but it still didn’t feel right. “I can’t though. The paper work is still in my desk, like a reminder that at the end of the day I own them. That I bought them and took them from that horrible place.” He sighed, putting the cup down gently. Hands going to his pants, he fisted them, wrinkling the fabric in a way that would make his dry cleaners cry. “I don’t know if they really love me for who I am rather than for me freeing them,” he said softly.

“You should just ask them then,” Wonwoo said. He gave Joshua a soft smile. “You won’t know unless you ask. And maybe ask them their opinion.” He leaned in, taking his arm off Jun. “It takes two to tango hyung. And you’re leaving the other half out.” Patting Joshua’s hand, he said, “You can’t decide everything yourself. It’s like having a one sided conversation, and those never go well.”

Joshua laughed quietly. “True. But who’s to say they won’t just lie to me and say that it isn’t because of me buying them. It’s so common and I—“

“Because if you don’t trust them then what’s the use of even going into a relationship,” Jun cut in. “If you can’t trust their feelings then you would essentially build any relationship you have on false hope and that never lasts.” He smiled, “You have to trust them.”

Sighing, Joshua nodded. His heart was having problems with that. Or rather it was his brain. He wanted to trust but in that dark little corner he still doubted. And it was the doubt that held him back.

“Yes,” the photographer said, “that smirk will have everyone wetting their underwear. Perfect.”

Mingyu snickered to the side. He loved the vocal photographers; it always made the shoots more fun. And watching Jeonghan and Seungcheol blush under the lighting was great. Those two were always so collected around Joshua, flirting like they were born to do it. He wondered if they hoped the shoot’s photos would make Joshua wet his underwear. It was too absurd to think about; Mingyu threw his head back and laughed.

Hissing at him, Seungkwan jabbed at his sides to get him to shut up. An image like this wouldn’t help snag Mingyu a possible future casting call from the Lee Jihoon.

Mingyu coughed a few times as he got up to calm himself. But he kept snickering into his hand. It should’ve been gross to think of Joshua like that but he had to admit, if Mingyu wasn’t in love with Minghao and Joshua hyung wasn’t taken, he totally would’ve gone there.

“And that’s a wrap! Good job everyone!”

There was clapping and shouts of good jobs, clapping on the back, and lots of bowing.

“Come with me,” Jihoon said. “You two can pick what you want. Then we’ll finalize the design you two talked about with me.”

They nodded.

Standing in front of the jewelry, it was all very sparkly. And some were clearly more expensive than the others. But it wasn’t about price. No, it was more like what would they wear.

Jeonghan stared down at the row of rings, eyeing the designs. Seungcheol looked at the earrings.

Fingers hovering over them, Jeonghan stared stopping at a wide band ring that sported a row of invisible set diamonds and sapphires. It would match his collar, which he put back on after the photo shoot was over. Mingyu was nice enough to hold it for them. “This one,” Jeonghan said.

Jihoon nodded, turning to Seungcheol who picked up a pair of earrings shaped like crosses, except filled with a semi-dark stone. “Let’s look over the design once more and then I’ll contact you guys when it’s done.”

Following Jihoon, they sat down at the couches laid out in front of the set they used. Jihoon laid out his notebook, flipping it open to the design that they initially discussed. “A mix of sapphires and diamonds, with emeralds as the eyes. Half of you, and half of you,” he said, his pencil pointing to Jeonghan then to Seungcheol.

The pencil tapped on the page. “The bisect will be clean and seamless, making sure to meld the two. It’ll be small but not miniscule, since you two said he was a doctor and he didn’t wear jewelry unless he was out. He’s probably used to wearing small things anyhow.”

The two of them stared at the design, eyes eating up every drawn detail making sure it would be the best present they could possibly come up with.

“I’ll throw in a ring too,” Jihoon said, smiling at them. “The things you two picked were rather small and I can feel that this campaign will be a huge hit. It’s free of charge.”

“Thank you,” Jeonghan said, bowing his head.

“Not a problem.” Jihoon waved his hands. “I’ll text when the ads go up. You two might want to be careful once they do. If it goes viral you two might be mobbed.”

“If they find us,” Seungcheol said.

The two of them got up. They bowed. “See you in a couple of weeks.”

 “Make sure everything is in the right place,” Jun snapped. “If it isn’t then you just ruined Joshua’s party.”

“You mean surprise party,” Minghao muttered as he filled some more balloons up with helium.

Seungkwan’s face contorted. “Excuse me? I came here to have a good time. Not help and yet I’m pushed into help—“

Minghao shushed him by stuffing a brownie bite into his mouth. “Be quiet for a bit Seungkwan. It’ll be fun.”

They heard the bell. “Cake’s here,” Seungcheol said, letting in the baker. He pointed the way to the kitchen. “In there please.”

Jeonghan made sure to secure the crepe streamers, making them into the waves Jun said they should in. It was a nice blue shade. The whole party was. A calming color for Joshua, whose job kept him at high levels of stress at times.

The ring and earrings were kept safely in the drawer of Jeonghan’s side table. The two of them fought over who would keep it safe, nearly bringing out the claws until Jeonghan pointed out that Seungcheol was prone to throw his things around. If he threw around the presents they’d be done for and Jeonghan would shred him to pieces. The wolf hybrid acknowledged his habits and stepped down, allowing Jeonghan to harbor them away from Joshua.

It was a good thing Joshua wasn’t the nosy type. He only ever went into their rooms to help leave their laundry on their beds, or wake them up if they slept late.

They’d give him their presents last, after the party was over and things were cleaned and thrown away. It was going to be an intimate affair. Just for the three of them.

“He’s coming!” Jun’s fox ears popped out of the kitchen, frantically waving his hands at them. “Clean the up and make everything presentable.”

Scrambling, they grabbed the left-over decorations and the waste, chucking them into separate bags. Seungcheol hauled the bags outside to the backyard, leaving them on the wood patio before zipping back inside to hide somewhere.

“Shh,” Mingyu hissed.

The door handle moved. Jeonghan heard voices. Seungcheol tensed up.

“I have no idea why the lights are down,” Joshua said, voice filtering in. “I guess Seungcheol and Jeonghan must not have gotten home yet. Which is odd for them, but sometimes they hang out with the other hybrids.”

Stepping into his house, Joshua flicked the lights on, nearly having a heart attack when he heard shouts of surprise.

“Happy birthday!” Mingyu yelled, throwing streamers at him.

“Congrats!” Wonwoo added.

He felt a crushing hug from the back. “Happy birthday hyung! I can’t believe I got you!”

“I can’t believe Seokmin managed to actually trick him,” Soonyoung muttered. “That kid can’t lie.”

“I so can lie!”

“Oh lord. Don’t yell with me right here,” Joshua said, trying to get away.

“Sorry hyung,” he said sheepishly.

“Were you in on this too Vernon?” Joshua asked whipping around to his favorite resident.

He held his hands up. “All I knew was to keep mum and bring you home. I was going to get free food.”

Joshua guffawed. “You and your love of food.”

“I need to live Josh. The hospital work will kill me if I don’t eat. I’m not you,” Vernon defended himself.

Joshua felt himself get picked up once again, this time by Seungcheol. “Happy birthday Shua,” he rumbled.

“Thank you,” Joshua replied, petting his ears.

As he was put down, Jeonghan picked him up next. “Thank you for being born Shua.” He rubbed his cheek on Joshua’s shirt. “My life was empty without you.”

“Me too,” Seungcheol piped up. He hated losing to Jeonghan.

Humming, Joshua nodded. “My life was certainly a lot less interesting without you two. Now I need to be put down so I can change. Then we can start my birthday party yea?”

Jeonghan gently put him down to his feet. “Good. I’ll see you two in a few minutes ok?”

They nodded, grins wide on their face.

Joshua laughed at Soonyoung’s story of a wild fight that nearly broke out in the café. Apparently, a customer was caught cheating. His other girlfriend came into the café for a drink and saw the guy and another woman kiss. Said drink was all over the guy’s head.

Gasping into Soonyoung’s shoulder, he saw out of the corner of his eye, Mingyu’s manager Seungkwan, and Vernon talking. And not the normal kind either. It was flirting. How cute.

Hands took Joshua off of Soonyoung. “I’m going to take him now,” Jeonghan said. “We miss him.”

Soonyoung laughed. “When don’t you guys miss him?” He waved them off, walking over to Seokmin, no doubt going to about his little lying act.

“Having fun,” Seungcheol asked, taking Joshua’s free hand, intertwining their fingers.

Jeonghan laced his own hand in Joshua’s other one, taking Joshua’s drink to hold it for him.

“Of course,” Joshua beamed. “You two did a wonderful job helping Jun.” He leaned in and kissed them, each on the cheek. “I’m with some of my most favorite people in the world. Why wouldn’t I be happy?”

They beamed back at him, their smiles radiant. He let them take the hand they each held, and put it to their lips, kissing the top of it.

He let out a giggle. “You can kiss me on the cheek too. I know you two are dying to.”

The two of them swooped in immediately. Seungcheol’s kiss was a bit rough, pressing his lips into Joshua’s cheek a bit more. Jeonghan’s was a bit gentler, not that it wasn’t possessive in nature like Seungcheol’s was. But Jeonghan added a bit of tongue, swiping the tip of his against Joshua’s cheek as he pulled away.

He pulled his face away to tease them a bit, having fun as they tried to chase him and box him in between them for more cheek kisses. Laughing, Joshua held onto their hands. This was the life.

Joshua flopped onto his bed, laughing. “That was fun.”

“Best birthday ever?” Jeonghan crawled onto the bed next to Joshua. “Was it Shua? Was it?”

Seungcheol joined him. “Come on,” he whined, “tell us.”

Turning his face into his pillows, Joshua chuckled. “The best. Especially since we just had a Christmas party a few days ago.”

“Good,” Jeonghan said, face settling into a satisfied grin.

Seungcheol shoved at him, hissing, “The presents.”

“,” Jeonghan said, getting up and running out of the room.

“Presents?” Joshua rolled over to look at Seungcheol. “I thought I told you two it was ok not to get me anything.”

Shaking his head, Seungcheol leaned down to kiss Joshua on the forehead. “It’s the first birthday we’re celebrating with you. There’s no way we wouldn’t get you something. We love you.”

Joshua laid there basking in the warmth that radiated off of the wolf hybrid. “I see.” He looked as Jeonghan barreled back onto the bed, making it bounce a bit.

“Here,” he said, holding out a black velvet box, “from the both of us.” His tail kept weaving in the air, making waves.

Seungcheol’s own tail was thumping on the side of the bed, in nervousness or just excitement Joshua couldn’t tell.

Sitting up, he took the box and cracked it open. “Oh my.” Earrings, that were made in the shape of them. “This is like the necklace we saw,” he murmured.

“Yea—” Jeonghan started.

“We wanted to get that for you but it was gone,” Seungcheol continued.

“So we decided on this instead. Something you were likely to wear,” Jeonghan finished.

“And a ring too,” Joshua breathed out softly, tracing his fingers across the design of what was no doubt jaguar spots on the side of the ring, surrounding the center of tiny wolf fangs. He grinned so hard, his face felt like it was going to spilt open. “It’s the perfect mixture of you two. How did you even find this?”

“We had it made. Especially for you,” Jeonghan explained. “That’s why you saw Jihoon and Chan here. Jihoon is the jewelry designer who made it. Chan is his hybrid.”

“This must’ve cost a lot,” Joshua said, looking at the two of them.

“We did some modeling,” Seungcheol spilled.

Jeonghan reached out and smacked him in the head. “It was supposed to be a secret until the photo campaign is out you idiot,” he hissed.

Seungcheol whimpered in pain, growling a bit.

“A campaign?” He looked between the two of them. “You two modeled to get these?”

“Yea,” Jeonghan said. “Are you mad?”

Shaking his head, Joshua closed the box, putting it on the bed side table. “No. Just surprised. I’m happy with the gift. It’s lovely.”

He pulled them close, wrapping one arm around each of their necks to hug them. “It’s a wonderful gift and I’m so happy.” Before he could let them wrap an arm around him, he pulled away from them. Joshua smiled. “I think we need to have a talk. About what I said that night months ago.”