#shinahxoc

[notchesandbullets]

House Hunting [Oneshot] Modern AU

Words: 3.5k

"Bat-Ears, hurry up, we're going to be late!!"

"Okay, okay, I'm coming, just hold your horses."

"What is that, Hak?"

"Dunno, Princess. Extra cargo?"

"Hak, I wasn't talking about Jae-ha."

"Yeah, Hak. That's so mean."

"You'll live, Droopy-Eyes. Oy, Bat-Ears, what the heck are you doing?"

The troublemaker froze in place at Hak's deep baritone. They were all supposed to be heading over to the guys' dorm to meet up with Yoon and the others before carpooling to the houses their realtor was taking them to see.

Yona and Calista were busy getting ready, having accidentally overslept and missed their alarm. Jae-ha and Hak drove over, and insisted on driving them even though the latter had said his sister would probably be content walking.

He wasn't going to let her walk, it was several miles.

Hak was going to come alone, but Jae-ha had insisted. He was very tempted to kick the green-haired man out at the stoplights all the way over here, but resisted for both the girls' sakes, knowing Yona would most certainly not talk to him for the rest of the week and that he wouldn't be safe from his sister's rage.

The dark-haired man crossed his arms across his broad chest and raised an eyebrow pointedly.

"What?" Calista mumbled innocently.

"I haven't seen you in months and this is what you look like?" He shot back incredulously, stunned by her appearance. Despite how outrageous it was, it looked good.

She had just gotten back from a trip overseas.

Her black hair had been cut asymmetrically and tinted. The dark blue glinted as the sunlight hit it, and made it look like it was moving on its own. Her style had changed too, and he chalked it up to the readjustment period.

It always took each of them a bit to adapt back to the culture here, and his sister was no exception.

Her style was usually so casual and comfortable, but this time, she was sporting a tank top, leather jacket, a miniskirt, fishnet stockings and combat boots.

Calista flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Don't like it, don't look." She flaunted over to his car, a Koenigsegg Agera S, that the gang had recently bought him for his birthday.

He claimed it was too much, but by the way he was eyeing it as it sparkled in the sun, they all secretly high-fived in the background knowing that they had made the right choice.

"Let's go!!" She cheered, calling shotgun before Jae-ha could.

The four arrived at the guys' dorm, the rest of their friend group waiting in anticipation outside. Yoon sternly instructed them into the family van he had borrowed from his adopted dad, Ik-soo, that he had lent to them for the weekend. They often took road trips with their extended family in it, so they knew the best layout everyone was comfortable with.

Hak was the driver with Yoon as the navigator. In the first row, Yona sat next to Zeno and in the one behind was Jae-ha and Kija. That left Calista along with Shin-ah in the backseat, which was more cramped than the other rows.

Not that she minded, but she would never say that out loud. Though, she could've sworn she heard his breath hitch when he saw what she was wearing.

"Road trip!!" Zeno cheered.

"We aren't going anywhere, kid." Hak shot down, rolling his eyes humorously.

"Road trip!!" He still cheered, not put off in the slightest.

Yona giggled, joining in on the golden-haired boy's contagious excitement before he roped her into a game of, "Annoy-the-driver-until-he-gets-so-irritated-he-pulls-over-to-smack-them-but-sees-his-cute-girlfriend-and-decides-not-to."

Jae-ha and Kija were engaged in an intense conversation about martial arts styles and modern day use of concealed carry, though it was a bit one-sided, the intelligent portions only coming from Kija while the other basically made noises of agreement or disagreement.

The latter tended to be more frequent and louder.

"I just think it's a bit counter-intuitive." The white-haired man argued.

"Oooo, White Snake is using big words now." Hak mocked from the front seat.

"Will you beasts shut up?!" Yoon spat harshly. "And you, you're supposed to be focusing on the road."

Hak nodded calmly. "Yes, mother."

"I DON'T REMEMBER GIVING BIRTH TO YOU!!!"

Calista hid her face in her hands, overwhelmed by all her friends. It had been so long since she had seen them. She was so worried that the ease would be gone when she returned, but to her surprise, they were ecstatic to see her.

She had been gone on a top-secret mission for the past couple months. They all worked for varying branches of the military, organizations kept under cover in case things went sideways, and needless to say, all of their work was done in the dark.

If everything went right, the world would never know what they prevented from happening.

Which brought them to their current situation. They needed a house to live in.

It was getting increasingly harder to live on the campus of the college they were all attending when they got called to work. By living together it would also allow them to relax a bit once they got back home, not to mention, they could fortify it any way they wanted.

Security cameras, laser sensors, the most high-tech gear that Zeno and Yoon could get their hands on would be rigged to expose any unfortunate soul who just tried to rob them.

Calista and Hak's grandpa had a lot of pull with the school board, since he was very high up in the government.

He was funding the whole thing.

Rumors had spread quick when they first started college, picking up from their last years of high school. Their band of friends were known as The Dragons all around the local area. Most people were under the delusion that they were a mafia and Calista never could contain her humor at the notion.

The most ridiculous one they had ever heard was that they were running an illegal drug operation. Only one of them had ever touched drugs before for recreation, since sometimes their covers needed them to use, and Jae-ha got clean pretty quickly when he saw how distressed Yona was.

It wasn't just her that was bothered, but everyone else did a better job of hiding it.

Truth be told, they were all gifted, academics coming easier to all of them ever since they started work for the government. Yoon was the youngest, only fifteen, but he was especially bright, even before everything happened.

He had earned his spot in college with them, getting the highest marks out of all of them, putting the rest of them to shame.

Hak pulled the van up to a huge mansion, not too flashy from the outside, but certainly big enough to hold the group of eight.

They all eagerly clambered out, and Calista tripped over her feet in her haste.

Shin-ah grabbed her arms and steadied her easily. She grinned up at him in thanks, throwing a cheeky wink over her shoulder as she sashayed over to Yona, linking their arms together.

She shared a look with the redhead, and they shot off, racing to the entrance.

They threw open the doors to the house, the others not far behind and began exploring every inch of the place eagerly. Yoon hung back, conversing with their realtor about the prices and amenities of this one in particular. It was lavish, with french doors, a sun room, several huge bedrooms and five bathrooms.

Hak wandered around, looking for his girlfriend. As he rounded around the corner, she jumped out, scaring him. He grabbed her, lifting her up with ease.

Hak placed Yona on the kitchen counter and she giggled, looping her arms around his neck as he stood between her parted legs. He tucked his face into the crook of his neck and she carded her fingers through his dark hair.

They had just recently become a couple, both ironically confessing at the same time and needless to say, their group of friends couldn't be happier for the two of them. It had happened when he had returned from his latest mission, which had nearly gotten him killed.

Yona had been beside herself with worry since she was the newest recruit of their elite squad, quite handy with a sniper. When she had heard the news of his condition, she had run down to headquarter's hospital, barreling through all the security.

Though, Calista had supposed that was because no one wanted to tell the boss the wrath they incurred from the lethal group of eight by preventing them from seeing him, so they opted to let her pass.

And the good news was, he was going to make a full recovery. He just had to take it easy for a bit and was not, under any circumstances, allowed to go on any more missions for the time being.

"Ewwwww, gross!!"

The two sprang apart, only to see the edgy girl flash them a grin, the blue-haired man behind her.

"Just kidding."

Hak shook his head at her, a smile creeping up on his features. It widened as he took in the sight of Shin-ah's arm causally slung around her shoulder.

"Okayyyy, we're leaving." Calista announced, swiftly turning on her heel. She recognized that look in her younger brother's eye, and it only meant trouble. "C'mon, Shin-ah, let's go!!"

Running up the marble stairs, he let go of her temporarily as she scrambled to the upper floor, darting in and out of all the bedrooms at lightning speed.

"They have a balcony?!" He chuckled under his breath as he heard her shriek. "Yoon, we're so getting this one!!"

Calista was leaning over the high railing as much as she could, the sight of empty land taking her breath away.

"Be careful..."

She turned around with a small smile as she saw the worry swirling in his golden eyes. Stretching out a hand to him, he took it without hesitation, weaving their fingers together. She tugged him to her and he automatically wrapped an arm around her waist so that she didn't fall.

Smacking his chest lightly, she teased. "I'm not that clumsy."

He gave her an amused look and she threw her head back, laughing.

"Okay, okay, maybe I am sometimes."

His expression didn't change and she poked his cheek.

"Admit it, I'm only like that sometimes." She insisted.

"All the time."

"Shin-ah!!" Calista admonished, raising a hand to playfully hit him again.

He caught her wrist easily, pinning it to the railing firm enough to keep her from moving, but not enough to hurt her. She smirked up at him challengingly, stretching on her toes to whisper, "Catch me if you can."

She broke out of his hold, ducking underneath his arm and racing back downstairs. Yoon was at the door with his hands on his hips.

"There you are!!" He followed her out as soon as she cleared the doorway. "We've got two more to see!!"

Shin-ah caught up easily with her, and Calista realized that they would be sitting in back together. He slid in after her, tapping her thigh lightly.

"Got you."

She shook her head furiously. "Nope, doesn't count."

His eyes flickered to the side purposefully as the next one came into view and the van slowed down.

"Inside?"

"Inside."

Once she was through the entrance, she shot off, Shin-ah immediately tearing after her. Calista could faintly hear Yoon's annoyed shout as they all broke off again in different directions.

She analyzed her surroundings quickly and sprinted down the corridor flooded with beams of sunlight streaming through the large windows.

This one had an older feel to it, and she was certain that Kija and even Jae-ha would love this one. The maple floorboards were worn with use, but it added to the charm. The house had a specific charm to it, one that resulted from the antiques and velvet curtains.

She heard Yoon calling for them to leave for the last one and she saw blue hair as she zipped around the corner. Reacting instantly, she slid between his legs, riding the spiral railing all the way down to the ground floor.

She hopped off, out of breath and made a break for the van.

Shin-ah was panting just as heavily as she was when he got it a second after she did, catching everyone else's attention.

"Bat-Ears, what the heck are you guys doing?" Hak questioned emotionlessly from the steering wheel, having a feeling this was another one of her spontaneous competitions.

"Nothing..." She drew out smugly.

"Is it a game? Please allow me to partake!" Kija exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air excitedly.

Yona turned around in her seat, eyes shining. "Can I play, too?"

"Yona, sit down." Yoon instructed sternly, not even having to look back at her to know what she was doing. The redhead pouted but did as she was told.

Zeno popped up. "What is Miss Notch and Seiryuu playing?"

He had a habit of nicknaming them when they were all young, and ever since then, it just kind of stuck.

"It's basically tag." Calista said simply. "Whoever gets tagged last, wins!!"

"Absolutely not," Yoon retorted. "We're supposed to be here to look for houses, remember? Not wreck them."

"We'll be careful, Yoon!!" Yona pleaded, giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

He held out until they got to the last one, caving when a chorus of begging erupted upon their arrival.

"Alright, alright!! Just don't break anything!!"

"Wait, so who's it?"

"I don't know, but RUN!!!"

"HAK, DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!!!"

"What are you gonna do about it, Princess?"

"Yah, Thunder Beast, keep the flirting to a minimum, you already got the girl." Yoon's eyes glinted mischievously.

"Shin-ah's it!!" Calista announced through the noise, coiling her body like a spring. "Ready, set, go!!!"

They took off, even Yoon, and spread out. It was a simple tactic.

Three on the ground floor, three more go to secure the basement and one scouts the upper level.

Calista called dibs on the upstairs, hiding in a wardrobe in the master bedroom. He would be expecting her to be running, so she pulled a different card. She heard the shouts of her friends getting caught downstairs and couldn't help giggling hysterically as Yoon's angry yell cut through the brief silence.

Shin-ah was incredibly fast, not as fast as her of course, but pretty darn close.

A gasp ripped from her lungs in surprise as the doors to the space was flung open, flooding it with light. She squealed as her wrist was grabbed and she was pulled out. Before she knew it, her back was bouncing on the king-sized mattress as her captor loomed over her.

"Gotcha." Shin-ah murmured, pecking her nose softly.

She blushed, biting her lip absentmindedly as her eyes roamed over his heaving chest and broad shoulders.

"... Don't look at me like that..." He mumbled shyly.

Calista raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who's looking like they want to devour me."

He nearly growled. "It's because of these..."

Elastic material snapped against her thigh and her jaw dropped.

"Don't tell me... you like these?"

He pulled back as she sat up.

Calista drew a leg up slyly, watching the way his eyes wouldn't leave her legs.

"You've..." His breathing got heavier the more she moved it up until she crossed them. "You've never worn them before."

She shrugged, smirking. "Never had a reason to."

He bit back a groan, leaning down to rest his forehead against hers. His chest rose and fell as he fought to keep himself in control, restraint slipping away from him by the second.

Calista's breath caught in her throat as his hands slid up over her fishnet-clad thighs, squeaking as he squeezed them gently.

"So soft..." He whispered quietly. "You're so soft."

She patted his shoulders, hearing Yona call for them. Shin-ah leaned back reluctantly, but didn't peel himself from her side.

Calista chuckled, snaking a hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down to her level. Whispering a promise in his ear, his eyes first went wide, then darkened.

Then, the pair walked hand in hand downstairs where everyone else had gathered. Their realtor was taking them on a tour of the house, listing off the various characteristics that made this one different from the others.

Now that they were done with their shenanigans, she finally took a minute to take in the house. It wasn't as big as the other two, but she actually liked it better. It felt more homey than the others, and she wondered if her friends felt the same about it.

It was furnished, but that made it easier for her to envision their own furniture in it, with their own creative spin on it.

It was still very lavish.

A large living, dining, and family room on the first floor. The foyer was exceptionally well done, a crystal chandelier hanging in the hall. Upstairs, there was a master suite and three huge bedrooms in addition. A loft made up the extra space on the second floor, and it had windows from floor to ceiling, filling the entire open-space concept home with brilliant light.

The house came with three and a half bathrooms, and a fully finished basement. The patio out in back overlooked the acres of land that came with the house, perfect for a training ground. The trees provided a natural fence and were spread out for miles.

Yona's eyes were shining and Hak braced himself against the door frame as their realtor asked them the big question. Jae-ha was busy admiring the trellis, which, in it of itself, spoke for him since he was disinterested in the other mansions. Calista could tell just by glancing at him that Kija was on board, that man wore his heart on his sleeve.

Zeno was content with all of them, but especially with this one judging by the speed he was bouncing at was nearly inhuman.

Shin-ah's normally shy gaze was filled with wonder and excitement and Calista nodded once in approval to Yoon. The pretty boy's face split into a wide grin, extending his hand out to the kind lady who had shown them around all day.

"We'll take it."

As they filed out of their future home, Calista hummed to herself until her fingers were intertwined with calloused, but gentle ones.

Shin-ah swung their hands back and forth and she beckoned him closer until only he could hear her.

"We agreed the last one tagged is the winner, right?"

He nodded, unsure of where she was going with this.

"Winners get a prize, don't they?" Calista's silver eyes gleamed knowingly and he nodded again, slower this time.

Pressing herself against him when he didn't make any move to push her away, her eyelashes fluttered shyly.

"Well then, since we've been dancing around this for so long, maybe my captor would be kind enough to give me a proper kiss. What do you think?"

Bonus Ending: Since they were out all day, and a considerable distance away from the city, the group opted to drive to the local town and grab dinner. Actually obtaining the food proved to be easier said than done.

"Jae-ha, stop pushing!!"

"Not my fault!!"

"Zeno wants food!!"

"Zeno will have to wait."

Wailing pierced through the air and Hak desperately tried to fix his mistake.

"Bat-Ears, stop laughing and help me!!"

"No way, you're on your own, Marshy."

"Oh, for goodness sake, Zeno, I didn't mean it!!"

The crying ceases immediately.

"Mister didn't?"

"No."

"Yay!!"

Yoon slapped a hand against his forehead. "You all give me a headache."

[notchesandbullets]

Halloween Special: Caramel Apples and Tricksters [Oneshot] Modern AU (Part 2/2)

Part 2

Words: 4.5k

He wasn't due to be back until January. She couldn't believe her eyes. She hadn't had contact with him ever since he left for the mission that she knew no details of.

He had left soon after they had their first date together and at the time, she brushed it off, genuinely understanding that he had no control over when he was called away. But that didn't mean it didn't impact her and over time, everyone had started to notice the change in her mood.

She was less active, more mopey. And got very easily irritated at one point when she blew up at Hak over something small. They sympathized with her though, well aware that they all had a habit of getting disheartened whenever one of them was away while the rest of them had to stay behind.

For her though, it was more pronounced when Shin-ah went away.

"You're really here?" Calista whispered, afraid if she spoke too loud she would shatter whatever beautiful dream this was.

Somewhere, deep inside of her there was a fear that she was hallucinating. That none of this was real. Halloween was great, but if this was a prank, she wanted nothing to do with this holiday anymore.

The suitcase in his grasp fell to the ground as he rushed forward, crushing her in a tight hug, erasing any fears she had that this wasn't real.

His scent consumed her senses and Calista made a noise that sounded like a cross between a laugh of happiness and a sob of disbelief. He pulled back, touching his forehead to hers as his thumbs rubbed circles on her lower back.

She couldn't suppress the choked out gasp that tumbled from her lips, blinking up at him with so much joy that she was surprised she didn't just combust right then and there from how hot she felt. He was so warm, bringing with him a peace she had been without for far too long.

Golden eyes softened as they locked gazes with silver orbs, and a loving smile stretched across his face.

"Hi..." He whispered quietly, throat scratchy from lack of use.

The mission hadn't required him to communicate with anyone else, and he saw no need to needlessly carry a conversation with himself during cold nights. But he sure missed her.

Calista giggled happily, and he closed his eyes at the sound as she brushed over the back of his neck with her fingers. "Hey, you."

An amused cough from behind him made them jump apart in embarrassment but the girl in his arms squealed excitedly as she caught sight of who it was.

"Old man!!" Calista cheered, then doubled over with laughter as Mundok's face blanked at the informal greeting.

Taking the bags from his hands, she pecked his cheek, making up for her rudeness. "Long time no see, Gramps."

He narrowed his one good eye at his granddaughter, but there was no menace behind it. "Yeah, yeah. Where are those grandsons of mine? Not getting into trouble, are we?"

"Oh, Gramps." She tossed over her shoulder as she made her way back inside. "You know us. We never go looking for trouble."

"Yeah right." He muttered under his breath, not believing a word she said for a second, cracking a lopsided smile at the sound of her laughter.

Mundok had found his way through the mansion where the others were with practiced ease that came from frequent visits, though she supposed it helped that the noisy shouting was only coming from one part of the house.

Shin-ah shut the front door behind him, taking off his shoes carefully so that he didn't trek dirt in the house. He made his way towards the stairs to put his things away and get changed out of his gear when Calista suddenly darted in front of him.

She threw out her arms on either side of her body to halt him, slightly elevated since she was on the first step of the stair, and she frowned slightly as she studied him from head to toe. From this position, they weren't exactly eye to eye, but they were pretty close. Shin-ah just waited patiently, aware of what she was doing.

It was routine.

They had always made sure the other was okay when they returned from an assignment, although she had a much longer track record than he did when it came to skirting past medical assistance. It wasn't entirely her fault, but it was her belief when it came to prioritizing others over herself and the protective, blue-haired man was more than attentive to catch any injuries she tried to slip past the others.

Calista jerked her chin past him, folding her arms over her chest stubbornly. Shin-ah obeyed the cue, turning around and then walking and jumping a couple of times so that she could assess his state. Through it all, he noticed her bottom lip was never freed from in between her teeth.

He doubted she knew what she was doing. She had a habit of unconsciously biting her lip when she was concentrating.

Cute. He thought to himself as he approached her, resting a hand on the railing next to her.

Shifting his weight, he leaned against the post, a smile quirking up at the edge of his mouth ever so slightly at the innocent expression on her face.

"... Am I cleared?" He asked quietly, nose flaring ever so slightly in amusement as she dramatically pretended to think it over.

Humming a noise of disregard, Calista ran her hands over his torso, checking for any hidden scrapes or broken bones that she might have missed. But the way he stiffened under her fingertips had her freezing, snapping her head up to ask what was wrong.

However, before she could say a word, her back met the wall and her vision swam. Slightly disoriented, she shook her head, then her eyes widened in astonishment. His arms were positioned above her, caging her in between him and the unyielding wall behind her.

Labored pants puffed out against her forehead and she craned her neck to see what was the matter, more worried that he had hurt himself rather than the compromising position she found herself in.

She had to check. "Shin-ah?"

The small shake of his head had that train of thought instantly diminishing, knowing that he wouldn't have lied to her when she asked him seriously. But his breathing didn't even out and she was growing more concerned.

"Is it smoke? Was there a fire? Do you need to go to the hospital?" She fired questions at him rapidly, anxiety rising as he failed to answer her in time.

A slim forefinger placed against her lips shushed her immediately.

"Don't... do that." Shin-ah finally managed to get out, shuddering against her when her fingers ran comfortingly along his arms.

Her eyes widened, an apology on the tip of her tongue when he gently pressed his lips against hers. Warmth exploded from her heart, scorching a path up to her brain, short-circuiting the wires there.

Calista smacked her lips together after he pulled away, one thing coming through the delirium filling her head. "Did I do something wrong?"

He shook his head again, this time frustrated with himself. He didn't know how to tell her.

"If you do that... I don't... know what will happen..."

After a whole month without her, he felt like he was going crazy. But he was not going to lose control before he made an honest woman out of her. That's what his father had always taught him.

Going that long without her presence, her touch, he found himself craving more. Her skin wasn't even on his and he felt his mind going hazy with desire.

Pressing his forehead against hers, he fought to calm himself down, heart rate eventually following.

Calista kept her hands to her sides, murmuring reassurances into his ear in case he needed it. "I'll come upstairs with you, alright? I'm sorry I pushed you."

He detected the hint of guilt in her voice, and his eyes darkened. "You didn't."

She gave him a smile that told him she didn't fully believe it, so he took her hand, squeezing it encouragingly.

"I promise." He said quietly. "I just... I..."

"I know."

This time, she smiled a real smile. Hearing his small sigh of relief, she flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. His arms automatically found its place around her waist, holding her against him securely.

He had missed this. When she could read what was on his mind because she just knew him that well. He missed her.

She had missed this. Him safe and sound in front of her. She had missed him.

But now he was back and they were together again.

Following him up the stairs and into their room, Calista shut the door to block out the hyper clamor coming from downstairs and to give them a moment of privacy.

He began to pull the black shirt over his head, muscles rippling in its wake as he reached for a clean one in their shared closet. He undressed the rest of the way swiftly, putting on a pair of jeans after he took off his tactical gear.

There wasn't anything sexual about the way Calista scanned him over and likewise, he needed her company more than anything else after being deprived of contact with her for the duration of his month long mission.

It was supposed to be longer than that, but he couldn't wait anymore, storming in the establishment to get the information they needed.

His girl was back home, waiting for him.

There was something so normal about seeing him in a casual outfit that Calista had to blink twice. He usually wasn't so willing to relax after a mission, tending to be hypersensitive to his surroundings so much so that he blocked out everyone for the first couple of days that followed.

This one must have been difficult if he was this eager to put it behind him.

Calista silently unpacked his suitcase for him, taking care of the weapons first before sorting through the rumpled clothes haphazardly thrown in there, deciding what needed to be washed and what didn't.

There was something so domestic about this, something so normal for a second, she couldn't remember exactly what they did for a living.

He came up behind her, burying his nose into her neck and inhaling her scent. Encircling her middle, he closed his eyes as she took care of his things for him. If he had enough willpower, he would have done it himself or left it until tomorrow to deal with, but he knew she liked to take care of him whenever she could.

And he didn't have it in him to stop her this time.

They stayed like that for a while. Calista couldn't bring herself to wake him up since he finally was breathing easily ever since he walked through the door but her legs were starting to fall asleep.

"Shin-ah..." She coaxed, running her hands over his lightly. "C'mon, if you aren't up for seeing the others yet then let's take a nap, okay?"

He nodded against her neck, letting himself be led to the bed. But he didn't lie down. Instead, he propped himself up against the headboard, opening his arms up to her childishly.

"... Cuddles..." He mumbled with an adorable pout.

Calista giggled, pushing away his hands that latched onto her sweatshirt as he tried to bring her to bed. "I have to make sure you're okay first. And are you sure you don't want to sleep? You look exhausted."

Stubbornly shaking his head, he let out an affronted noise that sounded vaguely familiar to the one she had made earlier, making her smile slightly.

"Want to see the others..." He admitted quietly, fiddling with his thumbs. "Missed... you guys..."

She kissed the top of his head. "We missed you, too."

He whined as she pulled away from him yet again, making grabby hands for her as she floated around the room, putting away various things.

She heard him whine her name, but refused to turn around. She could practically envision the pout he was wearing and that image made her giggle.

Shin-ah was indeed pouting once she faced him, staring at her through weary but happy eyes. His head tilted in confusion when she made no move to come any closer, another desperate whine bubbling at the back of his throat.

Sensing his rising despair, Calista's lips twitched, silver eyes alight with humor. She had been observing him, noting that he was favoring one side of his leg. "I just need to make sure you're okay, alright?"

The bottom lip pushed out further, golden eyes dampening with sadness.

"... Cuddles..." He insisted softly, a slight plea at the end of it.

Sighing in defeat, she paraded towards him in a theatrical fashion that evoked a laugh from the exhausted soldier. Carefully, she settled comfortably in between his legs, pulling the blanket over them both to keep warm.

Calista snuggled into Shin-ah's chest, subtly breathing in the scent on the oversized sweatshirt draped over her smaller form. It was falling off of her shoulder, but she didn't care. A mischievous smile played on the edge of her lips as his slim fingers toyed with the hem.

He nudged her ear with his nose, a slight smile curling on the edge of his mouth as he whispered, "Is this mine?"

Calista flashed him a smirk, eyes twinkling slyly. "... Maybe."

The dark blue garment that reached her upper thigh definitely was his.

Her jaw dropped open in a soundless gasp as he kissed her exposed shoulder, head lolling back onto his as he continued his gentle onslaught.

Peppering butterfly kisses not-so-discreetly to the base of her neck, she shivered against him, accidentally lifting her torso up and away from him. As she twisted her head around to apologize for the unintentional action, she burst into giggles at the adorable pout he was adorning.

He had pushed out his bottom lip as far as it would go, cheeks puffed out, forlorn that she had escaped his kisses and she couldn't help it. He was just so cute.

Pinching his cheek lightly, she tugged it with a light laugh before releasing it and booping his nose softly.

It scrunched up cutely and his golden eyes blinked at her innocently.

Calista bit her lip, containing her giggles for now as her heart flip-flopped in her chest and urged him to get up.

"If you have all of this energy, how about we go say hi to the others?"

Shin-ah nodded eagerly, rejuvenated from his time with her. Together, the two raced each other downstairs, bursting into the rowdy family room packed with their family and friends.

Tae-jun and Heuki-chi were still on the couch, where she saw them last. Mundok and Gi-gan were talking quietly in the corner, keeping an eye on the children and the triplets who were stuffing their cheeks with taffy apples in the kitchen.

A half empty casserole dish sat on the granite countertops, and Calista steered toward that direction, wondering if Shin-ah had anything to eat yet today.

Yoon was asleep on Jae-ha, the elder making sure not to move too much so that he didn't wake the youngest up. Hak and Kija didn't cap their volume despite the slumbering boy, shooting insults back and forth, engaged in yet another shouting match. Yona wasn't even bothering to try and stop them, completely absorbed with who had just stepped up into the area.

"Shin-ah?!" She squealed excitedly.

As she ran over to give him a hug, the others followed. Jae-ha jerked Yoon awake, the pretty boy flailing for a second to get his bearings.

Kija couldn't restrain himself, flinging his body over his startled brother in a very enthusiastic greeting. While he was draped over his shoulders like a koala, Hak clapped him on the back.

"Good to have you back."

Shin-ah dipped his head in greeting, making no move to pry Kija off as Zeno joyfully hugged him.

The welcome was warm, and soon after his brothers had released him, he almost crashed to the floor as Hani collided into his legs. Steadying the little girl quickly, Shin-ah patted the beaming girl on the head, eyes soft as she began to ramble, telling him of everything he missed out on while he was gone.  

It turned out that they were in the middle of an Apples to Apples game, and Kija was furious that Hak didn't choose his card to be the winner.

"It wasn't funny." The dark-haired man commented dryly.

"YOU HAVE NO SENSE OF HUMOR!!!!"

"Jae-ha..." Yona began, exasperated.

"Of course, Yona dear."

Two identical cries of pain erupted from the bickering men as the eldest flicked their foreheads, a little trick he learned from Yoon. Grumbling, Kija settled down at the reprimanding, Hak only following suit as he saw the death glare in Yoon's eyes.

They resumed their game, the triplets joining in once they polished off their caramel apples. Hani and Tae-yeon crowded around them, peering at the fast-paced game with curious eyes and enthusiastic shouts as they encouraged Zeno to kick everybody's butts.

Calista was busy feeding Shin-ah in the kitchen, putting an apple pie that Yoon had made earlier in the oven to bake.

Mundok gazed at his grandchildren. All of them were technically his. He had adopted them once he was made aware of their difficult situations, particularly the four nicknamed the "Dragons".

Jae-ha's guardian was abused, so he was abusive to him growing up. Kija's parents had rejected him entirely, and so had Shin-ah's. Although Shin-ah's mentor, Ao, took him in at an early age so he was the only one out of all the four that had a somewhat reliable guardian. Zeno was an orphan, and automatically adopted once he had met the energetic, golden-haired kid.

"Alright!!" Yona clapped her hands together to catch everyone's attention as they finished the seventh round of Apples to Apples. "Time to get ready to go trick-or-treating!!"

The children and the triplets shot off like a rocket, crashing into a few things as they rounded the sharp corner to scamper up the stairs to where their costumes were at. The girls followed after them, reassuring Gi-gan that she could leave it to them.

Yona helped Tae-yeon put on his wizard costume while Calista helped Hani into her ladybug one. The girls cooed at how adorable they were once they finished, ushering them out the door with Mundok, Gi-gan, Tae-jun, Heuk-chi and the triplets.

The triplets were technically too old to be trick-or-treating, but no one really cared enough to stop them. They were having fun and that was all that mattered.

They had the fireplace going and as Hak and Jae-ha distributed mugs of hot cocoa, Zeno popped in a horror movie before skipping back to his seat on the sofa. Kija was already shaking in his seat, being forced to watch it by Jae-ha. Even though he was furiously denying that he didn't scare easily, everyone knew that he wouldn't last five minutes.

Shin-ah popped some popcorn and Calista grabbed some candy that she and Yona had bought earlier.

Their group was a black hole of endless snacking. There always had to be some sort of chocolate or sweets in their home or else someone would come back with a monstrous pile of it.

Yoon had banned Jae-ha from the store for a week.

Calista had no idea how he did that, seeing as how he didn't even own the store or have any connection to them.

The movie played, cutting to gruesome scenes that had them all either rolling their eyes at how unrealistic it was or freezing at the sight of blood.

Tucked into Shin-ah's side, Calista trembled against him as the scene played out. Objectively, she knew this was all fictional, but her brain was telling her another thing. Horror movies were always a hit-or-miss with her, and even though she knew this was a bad idea, she didn't want to ruin the fun atmosphere by being the first one to dip out.

Kija was still watching, she could handle a few more minutes.

But she must have disturbed the man beside her because in a few seconds, Shin-ah had bundled her up in a blanket and whisked her away to the living room. None of the others noticed, too captured by the moving pictures to pay attention to what was going on.

Swallowing hard as he finally set her down, Calista's wild eyes found his golden ones, his eyes piercing through her panic-induced haze.

She tried to match her breathing to his, but kept choking on air from doing it too fast. This one wasn't as bad as previous ones she has had before, and she was able to ground herself, eventually calming down all the way.

A concerned gaze held hers and she winced, already knowing what he was going to say to her.

"... Are you okay?"

"You don't have to watch it..."

"It's okay to be scared."

So she was surprised when he guided her head into his shoulder, rocking her back and forth soothingly.

"I'm right here..." He murmured softly, stroking her back.

A quiet chuckle escaped her. "I've missed you saying that."

The banging of the front door flying open had them both on their feet within milliseconds. But their defensive stance eased once Hani and Opal came zipping in with the others not far behind.

Calista laughed breathlessly at the way their costumes were practically in tatters.

"Every year." She shook her head, doing her best not to laugh. "How does this always happen? How dangerous could trick-or-treating be?"

A black, fuzzy creature was thrusted into her face, and she had to pull back just to process what Hani was proudly holding up.

"A cat?!" Calista exclaimed in shock. "Where did you find a cat?!?!"

Hani gazed down sadly at the docile kitten in her arms. "She was wandering the streets all alone. Some of the big kids were being mean to her, so I decided to take her home!!"

Lifting an eyebrow at Gi-gan who had just strolled in with Mundok, Calista pointed to the cat. "How in the world...?"

The elder woman shrugged. "What do I care, she can do whatever she likes."

Hani squealed, speeding towards the family room with Tae-yeon so that she could show the others.

Calista could hear vague comments being made about the cat from the other room, and she clapped a hand over her mouth when she heard Hak call it a furball of darkness. Judging by the thud and then the agonized cry, Hani didn't like that very much.

"Don't be mean to her!!" Hani shouted at the man that towered over her, not scared in the slightest.

Placing her hands on the little girl's shoulders, Calista steered her away from her brother who was gripping his foot in pain.

"C'mon, little one. Let's find something for her to eat, okay?" She suggested, spinning around to shoot a glare at Hak when she skipped off to do just that. "And you. Be nice."

"I'm always nice, Bat-Ears."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Are NOT."

"Are TOO."

"ARGH, BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!!!" Yoon exploded. Then, in a much more calm manner, he announced, "Apple pie's ready."

Opal was the first one by his side, already holding out his plate for a slice. Yona fetched the giant cake from the fridge with Zeno's help, meeting Mundok's questioning gaze once she set it down on the kitchen island.

"There was no winning against them, Mundok." Yona explained with a giggle. "You should have seen how Calista collapsed against Tae-yeon."

"Hey!!" Calista burst out indignantly. "I'm right here, Yona!!"

They served the dessert, a generous helping for everyone. Tae-jun declined the sweets, trying to play it off as if he was full from dinner, but he wasn't fooling anyone. But no one called him out on it, content to just let it be for tonight.

Conversation and jokes kept the atmosphere light despite how dark it was getting outside and before they knew it, the night was over.

The farewells were kept short since the kids were tuckered out from their exciting day but they would see them all again soon.

Hani had been given permission to take care of the kitten under Gi-gan's guidance.

The triplets had given Tae-jun a hard time when it was time to leave, and Jae-ha was actually the one to convince them that it wouldn't be the last time.

"Two weeks from now," He offered. "We'll go into the city and you can take a look around."

The eager response he received solidified that into a promise and after the door was finally closed for the last time, Calista took a look around the mess that they had made.

Yoon had already started cleaning, and following his lead, she picked up a broom. One by one, the others made their way across the house, until everything was spic and span. What would have normally taken hours only took twenty minutes thanks to their combined efforts.

They went their separate ways, done with socializing for the night. Jae-ha grabbed a book from the shelf, heading up to the attic to read a bit before he turned in for the night. Kija snatched up his headphones, needing to listen to some instrumental music before he went crazy over that horror movie they watched earlier.

Hak was talking quietly with Zeno on the large sectional, both unusually serious as they spoke in hushed tones.

And while Shin-ah made sure there wasn't anything else Yoon needed help with, Yona and Calista snuck away to the loft.

"I just realized," Yona said between a fit of giggles as she collapsed on the plush couch. "We never got to trick them this year."

Calista's eyes gleamed mischievously. "The night's still young..."

Sitting up with an excited smile, Yona's red hair tousled as she tangled her fingers through it exuberantly. "Ready?"

Flashing her a grin, she confirmed it.

"Ready."

Bonus: The rest of the night was uneventful. The men really thought they got away with it, not being pranked by the girls this year. Imagine their surprise the following morning.

A loud, disgusted sputter shattered the peaceful, morning air. "What is this?!?! Did you replace my toothpaste with frosting?!?!"

"EEEEK SOMETHING JUST LANDED ON MY FACE!!!!!"

"BAT-EARS, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR SWITCHING MY SHAMPOO WITH HAIR DYE!!!!"

"You have to catch me first!!"

"Hmmm, I wonder if I am supposed to be bothered that there's a half-naked picture of Yona on my desktop."

An outraged screech followed by several consecutive crashes that echoed throughout the house had the girls laughing to themselves silently in their hideout space.

There really wasn't a picture of Yona on his computer, but Calista had left a note instructing him to say that so that Jae-ha could see Hak's hair when he barged in before he got a chance to change it.

Zeno was probably playing with the bats they had found hibernating under their deck.

"Wait a minute, they didn't prank Shin-ah."

"He just got home yesterday, of course I'm not going to prank him!!"

"Of course she's not." Hak snorted from afar. "But she's perfectly fine pranking the rest of us."

"... Did anyone hear what Yoon got?"

Complete silence.

Kija tested the waters. "Yoon?"

A light scoff could be heard from below them.

"The girls were smart enough not to mess with the hand that feeds them, you rare beasts."

"... Fair enough."

[notchesandbullets]

Halloween Special: Caramel Apples and Tricksters [Oneshot] Modern AU (Part 1/2)

Part 1

Words: 4k

(OC from my fanfic: “The Varied Path”)

They had finally fully settled into their new home, and the girls went a little crazy with the decorating, as Halloween was just around the corner. Hand-painted jack-o-lanterns stood guard at the front door, and colorful lights were hung at the front of their mansion.

Inside, every single surface was draped in marigold tablecloths and cinnamon candles burned brightly, the spice wafting through every inch of the house. Garlands were draped over the railings in an artful arrangement of autumn leaves and cranberries. The usual white towels in the bathrooms and the kitchen were replaced with seasonal ones and Zeno added a bit of spooky touches all over the place.

Plastic bats hanging from the ceiling upstairs, a ghost at the foot of the basement stairs, and several well-placed traps so that whenever someone opened up a cupboard, they got a face full of goo launched at their head.

But in a house full of trained agents and spies, it was more fun than anything else to try and dodge the sticky substance.

The leaves had changed shades, indicating the much beloved season transformation by the one and only Calista.

She loved how the forest green gradually transformed into ruby reds and lavish golds, leaves spiraling gently to the ground as the autumn breeze whispered by. It was the season of pumpkin spice, fresh air, apple pie, and warmth that came from sitting by the fireplace with a mug of hot cocoa and homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Hak and Jae-ha had undertaken some projects for the new house when they first moved in during the summer, installing top of the line appliances for the giant kitchen. A huge fridge for Yoon to stock with all sorts of food to feed the hungry bunch of eight, and a state of the art oven complete with a industry standard stovetop.

They had also turned the unfinished, extremely creepy basement into an automated training space. They all used it for shooting practice, hand to hand combat and wrestling.

Kija had repainted nearly all of the rooms in the house, with a little help from Yona and Zeno. While they were doing that, Shin-ah and Calista were busy helping the movers bring all of their stuff inside under the direction of a pretty boy genius barking out commands at the front door.

"You!! Bring that into the kitchen, but watch out for the paint and the tools lying around."

"Don't forget to grab the rugs, those need to go in first before we can put any of this away."

"No— No!! I need this first before you bring in that!!"

"BE CAREFUL WITH THAT, IT'S GLASS YOU IDIOT!!!!!"

Calista chuckled to herself as she carefully maneuvered around the sharp corner from the hallway that led from the foyer. Panting with exertion, she helped Shin-ah move the plush sofa into the living room. They set it down heavily, but luckily Yoon was too far away and too consumed with drilling the movers to hear that they may have scratched his hardwood floors.

Wiping the sweat off of her forehead with the back of her hand, she grinned at the blue-haired man who was scanning around for any boxes that needed unloading in their vicinity. She pushed herself up onto her feet, punching his shoulder good-naturedly when she passed him.

"C'mon, I'll race ya!!"

She broke into a sprint, and he chased after her. Their friends, in various places of the house cracked smiles and shared jokes as they heard the laughter coming from downstairs, knowing that the two must be up to their shenanigans again.

It had been months since then, and everyone had pretty much settled into a rhythm comfortable enough for Calista to hit the stores with Yona long enough without the boys destroying the place.

Hopefully.

The girls picked out just about anything that caught their interest, bringing along Tae-yeon and Hani last minute with Mundok's and Gi-gan's permission. They were the children's respective guardians but it wasn't much of an issue seeing as how they were all family.

Calista had been in the store less than a minute before there was a loud commotion behind her.

Internally wincing, she turned around to see what trouble the children had gotten themselves into this time. But her eyes widened in surprise as she saw five familiar figures, Hani frozen from where she faceplanted into Nier's legs. Tae-yeon was staring up at Tae-jun with big, innocent eyes and Yona smiled sheepishly at Heuk-chi, apologizing to both of them for the collision while the children righted themselves.

The guardian brushed it off, his unofficial bodyguard going along with him. If she didn't know any better, Calista would say that the tall man was blushing badly in the presence of the sweet redhead. But she chose not to comment on it as Hani and Tae-yeon ran back to her, wanting to spare her friend any embarrassment.

"We weren't expecting to see you guys until later tonight." Calista pitched in, ruffling the children's hair as she directed her attention past the triplets. "We're getting some stuff for later on, want to come with?"

With an eager, mutual agreement to join forces, the huge and rambunctious group of nine browsed the aisles of the store, buying way more than they should have with the children throwing things in the cart more than would've been allowed if any real adults were present.

Tae-jun didn't count, he caved every time Opal turned his watery eyes on him and Calista cursed her spinelessness, giving in just as bad when it came to her youngest brother and the golden-haired, little girl.

Squeals echoed off of the shelves and she whipped around as the triplets and the younger two pulled a huge cake out from the bakery section.

"Oh no, absolutely not." Calista held up her hand, averting her gaze from their puppy eyes. "Yoon will throw a fit if he sees this."

"But Notch~" Opal whined. "Please!!"

His brothers chorused their persuasion and while she had to admit it was sort of endearing seeing the fifteen-year-old boys beg for permission to buy a ridiculously humongous treat, she redirected their efforts towards a panicking Tae-jun beside her.

There wasn't any way she would be able to hold up against all five of them if they continued, she barely had enough strength to resist Hani's puppy dog eyes.

But once she turned her gaze on her youngest brother and saw how Tae-yeon's lower lip trembled dangerously, she sped to his side, dropping down on her knees, ignoring how harshly she landed on them in her haste.

"Tae-yeon," Her soft voice broke as desperation seeped through, gripping his shoulders gently in an effort to convey how bad of an idea this was. "Gramps is gonna kill me."

He beamed up at her, tears suddenly vanishing. "No, he loves you, remember?"

Calista's eyes rounded pathetically at that and she coughed to cover it up.

"Alright, fine." She finally surrendered, throwing up her hands.

Their shrieks of excitement and victory shattered any semblance of silence in the marketplace and she winced at their volume, shaking her head in amusement as they rushed to shove it in the already crammed shopping cart.

Yona drifted over to her side, clasping her hands behind her back playfully.

"You caved~" The redhead sang, giggling.

A fond smile made its way onto the older girl's face, gazing after them as they disappeared around the corner with a worried Tae-jun hot on their tail to make sure they didn't get lost. Or end up causing chaos that couldn't be contained by the mere mention of his title.

Chuckling, Calista began pushing the cart to follow after them. "I always do..."

After numerous attempts to convince their temporary guardians to buy them all the snacks they wanted, five failed chances taken to sneak electronics into the cart and two feeble efforts to buy candy bars at the checkout lane, Calista, Yona, and all the others finally left the supermarket.

Though they were armed to the teeth with food and amenities for later that night.

They hopped into their separate cars, but Tae-jun followed them back to the house so the triplets could spend some more time with Calista.

Kicking open the door with one foot, the raven-haired girl yelled out that they were back as the three troublemakers along with Tae-yeon and Hani shot past her, vanishing from her view within seconds.

She had just set down the groceries and supplies on the floor when she heard two loud crashes come from upstairs and the kitchen at the same time an outraged cry reached her ears.

"Are you all alright?!" Calista shouted out as she untied her shoes and gathered up the food that needed to be refrigerated.

A chorus of reassurances were screamed back and she chuckled to herself, nudging the door with her foot to close it. She had a feeling Yoon would take care of whatever that was all about. Jae-ha appeared at the base of the stairs in a flash, paint in his hair.

She stifled a laugh that bubbled up, opting for a wild gesture that could have been interpreted as anything. But judging by the chuckle and the hand that was raised to wipe the excess away for the time being, he knew what she was getting at.

"Do I want to know?" She teased the eldest, handing him two of the larger bags.

Jae-ha's violet eyes crinkled at her ask, a smirk curling at the edge of his mouth. "Maybe not, my dear."

The pair made their way into the kitchen, both lifting an eyebrow at the pristine state. They glanced at each other and then shrugged. Yoon must have cleaned up whatever was spilled already, he couldn't stand the messes.

Zeno and Hak were sitting in the family room, crowded around some sort of card game, roping Heuk-chi into it the moment he passed by. A movie was playing in the background, but no one was paying attention to it. Some sort of Disney film that Calista knew Hak had put on for the kids after he was alerted of their impromptu meeting at the store.

Good thing she had sent him that text.

She had asked him to clean up the house and rid it of any exposed weapons when they ran into Tae-jun and the triplets in the store, having a suspicion that they were going to tag along all the way back to the house.

The night before, she was cleaning her knives and reassembling her sniper rifle. She hadn't gotten a chance to put it away, believing she had enough time before they were set to come over. Knowing her brother though, he had tossed them all on her bed without a second thought. It didn't matter, just as long as the children didn't see them.

It wasn't like they weren't aware of it, but in their line of work, they were better protected the less they were exposed to their lifestyle.

In tandem, the green-haired man and the raven-haired girl began to put away the various food items, Jae-ha automatically taking over the fridge and Calista the pantry. However, she dropped what she was doing the instant she heard a small cough.

Clicking her tongue in worry, she hurriedly filled a cup with water, handing it to Tae-yeon, who had just sprinted into the vicinity with Hani right behind him.

He coughed again as he tried to drink it too fast and she hushed him.

"Smaller sips, Tae-yeon. There you go..." Calista encouraged him quietly, masking her concern so that she didn't accidentally scare him.

Eventually, his breathing steadied and she was less panicked than before.

Patting him on the head gently, she asked, "Did you need your medicine? Are you sure you're alright?"

He nodded cutely, raising the cup above his head in an attempt to put it in the sink but he was struggling. His older sister watched him for a moment, letting him try for himself. But he couldn't do it and after another minute of struggling, he reluctantly asked her if she could do it for him.

Hani hopped up and down on her little feet, golden hair bouncing with her as Calista set it down in the sink. "Yeonie, Yeonie, Yeonie, come and meet my pet ladybug!! She's outside!!"

His eyes lit up and Calista was left alone as the kids shot off.

"Wait!!" She called after them worriedly, starting after them as they slid open the glass door leading to the backyard. "Both of you be careful please!!"

"Relax, Calista dear, they'll be fine." Jae-ha reassured her as he put the milk and the giant cake away in the fridge.

Hak was weird, he only ate bakery if it was cold and Yona made sure to call him out on it more than once.

Calista snorted, hesitating for a beat before giving in, knowing he was right. "Only if someone's watching them to make sure they don't accidentally get in trouble like last time."

Jae-ha shook his head slightly, eyes filled with light humor. "They're on our property. What could possibly happen?"

Once, Kija had mistakenly left the two children alone with the triplets, and somehow the five of them managed to land themselves in a police station within the hour. Something about escaped shelter animals and a raid on a corner store with a stereo. She couldn't even make sense of the police report when they had given it to her, and now she just knew better than to ask.

"Hak—"

"I'm on it." He interrupted his sister, already halfway out the door that led to the acres of open land naturally fenced by several hundred-year-old trees. Zeno skipped cheerily after him, closing the door behind him to conserve the heat inside.

Following his younger brother in order to make sure his allergies didn't act up due to his weak lungs, Hak grabbed a spare rake from the shed in the back. He might as well do this now so that he didn't have to do it tomorrow, plus it would make the lawn easier to mow later on. Zeno took the smaller one to help after he played games with Tae-yeon while Hani went to look for her tiny friend.

They raked all the fallen leaves into a huge pile.

But the second Hak turned his back, he heard a yell of, "Cannonball!!", and in came the pitter-patter of small feet shaking the earth.

He let out a shout at the wave of dead leaves that he had just collected showered over him. Spitting out the ones that landed in his mouth, he glared in mock annoyance at his sheepish brother and the delighted golden-haired girl beside him. Zeno threw up his hands, having dived in with the children and sent another torrent of leaves up in the air, beaming widely.

"Mister!! Come on in!!"

Hak shrugged, tossing aside the rake as he sprinted towards them. Work would have to wait.

Hani and Tae-yeon shrieked as he leaped and clumsily scattered about, thoroughly diminishing all of his hard work. But he couldn't bring himself to care as he began to chase them around in a spontaneous game of tag.

Zeno sat on the ground with his legs crossed in front of him, scarf bundled up to his nose as a chilly wind blew by. "Zeno wants the little miss to win!!"

"But what about me?" Tae-yeon whined with big eyes, doubling over in a fit of giggles as Hak scooped him up, tickling his stomach. "Hak— hehe!! Stop!!"

His big brother didn't let up until Hani tackled him with a warrior cry, latching her tiny arms around his neck to get him off of her friend. Hak stood up with a loud but playful roar, chasing the two around the empty field until all of them collapsed in a fit of ringing laughter.

Hours passed before the four reentered into the house, teeth chattering with the need for a hot beverage.

Jae-ha had disappeared back upstairs. Something about a project with Kija and Yona that he had yet to complete. But Calista was still in the kitchen, and now so was Yoon.

Calista told the freezing bunch to go change into something warmer so that they didn't catch a cold and instructed her brother to sift through her closet to find spare jackets for the little ones. While he was busy doing that, she gathered what she needed to make them something hot so that they could warm up on the inside.

Coffee for Hak, and hot chocolate for the kids and Zeno.

Helping the small children onto the kitchen stools on the opposite side of the island where Yoon was at so that they didn't accidentally get in his way, Calista made sure they weren't going to fall off but guiding them to first blow on their hot chocolate before taking a small sip. Things wouldn't go well for the rest of the evening if they burned their tongues while attempting to chug the drink.

Hani swung her feet playfully, emerald eyes eager as she reached for the liquid chocolate.

Pulling back her hand that held the steaming, small mug, Calista stared at her intently. "Drink it slowly, okay, little one?"

She nodded enthusiastically, making grabby hands for it. The older girl finally handed it over, watching her carefully for a minute to make sure she was being careful. The little girl had a history of being too hurried that had unfortunate consequences.

Three sets of footsteps could be heard from the second floor as the triplets ran down the stairs, skidding to a halt once they reached the kitchen, resembling dominoes as Nier crashed into Opal and Yue crashed into his brothers. They fell into a heap on the carpeted floor, with a very winded Tae-jun trailing after them.

Stifling a giggle as the energetic boys sprang back up, she clapped a hand over her mouth as the sound escaped nonetheless and she was faced with three playful brooding looks.

"I didn't do anything." Calista claimed, shrieking and then breaking into a run the second she saw the look in their eyes.

"Get her!!!" Opal screamed, chasing her through the house with his brothers hot on his tail.

"Wait what?! Why me?!?!" She yelled over her shoulder, weaving in and out of the corridors at a breaknecking speed.

Dodging the sharp corner that separated the living room and the foyer, she twisted and turned throughout the extensive first floor of the house. Her memorization of every nook and cranny came in handy. They stumbled after her, not quite as fluent in the layout as she was, eventually giving up and declaring her victory.

"Marshy!!" Calista yelled, completely out of breath, resting her hands on her knees. "When's Gramps coming over?"

Hak checked his watch, keeping Yona at bay with the other hand as he held her out at arms length. They were playing a game of charades with Opal and Yue since Nier declined to have anything to do with lifting a finger after that exhausting chase through the house.

"In an hour." He answered her leisurely, a smirk of amusement stretching across his features as the redhead puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "Yoon, what's for dinner?"

"Hold your horses, you rare beasts!!" Yoon shouted over his shoulder, bustling around the massive kitchen, doing a hundred things at once.

Peering over the kitchen island, Calista tapped on his shoulder when she saw a pause in his purposeful stride.

"Anything I can do to help?" She offered.

She was a complete klutz in the kitchen, but she still wanted to be there for him so that he wasn't so stressed. Still, she wasn't sure if she brought anything to the table. What could a genius pretty boy possibly need from a clumsy girl like her?

Calista could barely keep track of Tae-yeon and Hani as they skipped around, their tiny heads bobbing into view every time one of them got too excited and started jumping up and down.

Yoon never got a chance to answer her as he saw her speed towards the door the second she heard it ring.

Throwing it open, Calista was surprised to find Gi-gan standing on the other side instead of Mundok. Nevertheless, she quickly invited her inside so that the elder woman was out of the cold.

"Would you like some tea?" She offered, taking her coat off and hanging it up for her on the antique coat rack Yona got from a thrift shop. "Is it that time already?"

Gi-gan rubbed her hands together in an effort to get the blood flowing again, sending the raven-haired girl a rare warm smile. "No, no, not yet. The little ones are going trick-or-treating later, yes? Tea sounds wonderful, girl. Thank you."

Flashing her a grin, she led her into the family room filled with laughter and all sorts of shenanigans.

Jae-ha stood up immediately, greeting his old guardian with a trademark, suggestive remark that had the elder smacking him upside the head for his language.

"I didn't teach you that, you brat." Gi-gan fired at him mercilessly.

Simply smiling, Jae-ha dodged the second blow aimed at his head, green ponytail streaming behind him as he escaped her. "Now, Captain, you wouldn't want to scratch a face this beautiful, would you?"

"You overestimate your beauty."

The offended gasp at the flat retort had everyone dying of laughter.

As Calista caught her breath, she boiled some water, gaze drifting to a mop of golden hair that came bounding up to her hopefully. Steering Hani away from the stove so that she didn't accidentally burn herself like last time she got too close, she crouched down to the little girl's level, who now was avoiding her gaze.

"Hey... what's the matter, little one?"

Hani pouted slightly, emerald orbs rounding as she exclaimed, "Can we make caramel apples?"

Chuckling, Calista pushed herself up and held out her hand. The golden-haired girl eagerly took it, pulling out the apples from the fridge as the older one fetched the caramel dip from the pantry.

"Guys!!" She shouted over the noise of their heated game of monopoly. "We're making caramel apples if you want to join!!"

"Not now, Bat-Ears!!" Hak fired back. "I'm just about to win!!"

Rolling her eyes, a crafty smile played upon her lips. "He's cheating."

"I KNEW IT!!!!!" Kija yelled, bolting up.

"Zeno wanted to join!!"

Jae-ha smoothly got to his feet as the two went head to head, whisking Tae-yeon away from the chaotic scene while the two of them bickered over who was right, the triplets egging on the grown men without any hesitation.

Tae-jun was lounging on the couch with Heuk-chi, flipping through the channels on the TV, trying to ignore the massive headache he had coming on.

Swiftly turning off the fire as the kettle began to whistle, Calista placed some jasmine tea leaves in a porcelain cup, leaving it alone to steep for a couple of minutes. Jae-ha and Yona had been the ones to convince Hak they needed nice silverware and fine china. Her idiot-of-a-brother was going to buy plastic utensils and plates from the dollar tree for crying out loud!

She set it down silently on the end table next to Gi-gan, trying not to disturb her.

Yona and Gi-gan were engaged in a casual conversation while the rest of them dipped fuji apples in smooth caramel, placing the finished but messy treats on a parchment paper lined tray so that the taffy treat could set.

The children eagerly waited by the countertop, much too hyper to eat one to even think about sitting down.

Calista gave up trying to pry them away from the island, leaving them to do whatever they wanted now that Yoon was finished making dinner and the kitchen was no longer that hazardous. Collapsing on a velvet chair, she sprawled herself out lazily, done moving for the rest of the day.

Her eyebrows drew together in confusion as she heard the doorbell ring, but sat up with a groan and ran to answer it when no one else got up.

It wasn't even five yet and people were already trick-or-treating?! Unbelievable.

Flinging open the door to give whoever was on the other side a piece of her mind, all words died on her tongue when cropped, blue hair flashed into view. She clapped a hand over her mouth in shock, taking in the signature red marks decorating his cheekbones and those piercing, golden eyes.

Calista choked on air, tears pricking at the back of her eyes.

"Shin-ah?"