I huff as I stomp down the stairs. Bas holds on to me when I almost knock him over as I single-mindedly go to the kitchen. He looks at me with furrowed brow.

"What's wrong baby?"

"Mr. Crane. I got a C+ on the test." I feel so dumb.

"Fuck, really? I'm sorry."

"I need to take it again next week. I just...I feel dumb." My eyes glisten.

Bas pulls me to him, and he hugs me and kisses my face.

"Come on, let me make you something to eat. Cheese sandwich?" he asks when he pulls away and he holds my face in his hands. It feels great moving back slowly to us again. Although none of us have pushed to put labels on anything, we are still holding the agreement to just take it slow and move with the flow.

"With bacon and avo on the side and a small pickle?" I ask

His mouth falls to the floor. "A what?"

I realize what I just said. I narrow my eyes at him. "You will shut your mouth." I whisper yell at him through closed teeth.

His face widens in a grin before he seals it shut.

"If Leo hears of this, I will have your head and no more sugar for you." I hope he catches my warning. but someone laughs from the side of the couch. I hadn't seen Jose.

He emerges with the widest grin.

"Hm, what is this I hear about sugar..." he lowers his voice. "...And pickles." He is sporting a devious grin.

I try to narrow my eyes at him, but he just bites his lips as he rubs his hands together.

"Why are you surrounding Zara like creeps?" Mason asks coming from the stairs.

"Oh, nothing, brother. Just, uh..." I jump on Jose, and I cover his mouth. He giggles and runs from me.

"You will not silence me, unless I get sugar too."

He jumps over the couch.

"What is that weirdo talking about?" Mason asks me as he breezes past us to the kitchen.

"Nothing. I was just about to make Zar food." Bas kisses my temple then he winks at me before he joins Mason in the kitchen.

I climb on the kitchen stool and Leo comes from the side of the back entrance. His hair is wet, he must have gone for a swim. Leo kisses my temple before he sits next to me.

Jose snakes his arms around me and he holds on to me and he rubs my belly. It is always so relaxing since they started doing it. Every night they tuck me in and they give me massages and they have started a roster of who will rub the belly before bed and it is always kinda hilarious. But everyday each of us has gotten better and better. Returning slowly to the people we are.

"I'm famished. Chop chop over there." Leo says.

"Do you want pickle with your sandwich, Drago?" Bas asks with a little smirk and Jose vibrates in a chuckle. I try to pry his hands off me, but he refuses.

My eyes land to Mason who is looking my way and I see the longing in his eyes.

"Number 3, help me. Number 1 is a psycho." I try to pull him in. me and the other guys are slowly getting close again. Nothing sexual but we have kissed and cuddled but Mason is still a bit distant with the romantic stuff.

"Baby girl, stop bothering Zara." Mason says and I chuckle.

"Fuck you, Mase." Jose says, his hands not missing a beat. He rubs the sides of our faces together and I can't help the content sigh.

We seat and eat. The 2 idiots keep vibrating whenever Leo picks up a pickle. They are staring at me with keen eyes, and I'll be damned because I want the damn pickles. And it seems peanut is not in the mood of hiding our mid night rendezvous.

I've been sneaking in here to steal Leo's pickles at night since last week. The craving came in one night and it got me good. It is my personal shame, and I can't stop.

"Hey Drago, did you ever find out who's been eating your pickles?" Jose asks from across the table. I slide a little and I kick him. he jumps.

Bas just laughs. Mason and Leo look at all of us like we are insane.

"No, and what the fuck is going on with you lot. You are being weird."

I narrow my eyes at them.

Mason looks between all of us before his face breaks in a wide smirk. Then the idiot reaches for the pickle jar and Leo swats his hand.

"Get your own, asshole."

Mason chuckles.

"Oh, so because it's me you say that?"

Leo looks at him in confusion. My heart is galloping. I don't know why I am so on edge about him finding out I've been stealing his pickles. I get up quickly.

"Um, I have, uh... homework."

I don't make it anywhere before Leo says, "Hoshi, stop right there."

I stop briefly before I quicken my steps. He is in front of me in a blink and he stops me. he looks down at me and I look at anywhere but him. the idiots are laughing.

"Hoshi?"

I hear the question and the judgment in his voice.

"I have to go upstairs, number 4."

He loosens his hold on me, but I don't move.

The others surround me. I glare at the laughing ones. They don't stop laughing and I get really annoyed.

"Fine, its me. Peanut... its him not me. and stop laughing."

Their faces fall when they see I am not finding this funny anymore.

"Hoshi, it's a great thing. I have been trying to get you into pickles forever. You don't have to eat it in the corners in shame. Wanna have some?"

My mouth salivates.

"I mean, after I have peanut, you know I'm going back to hating them, right?"

He smirks. "We'll see about that."

"I will make sure of it." I say and he grins.

"Oh, you know what this means, right? It means peanut is mine." His face widens in a wide grin.

"No fucking way. he is mine." Bas says.

"Nah, bro none of you would have made the shot. It's me." Jose says

"I feel like this calls for a bet." Bas says

Leo rolls his eyes.

"Okay, I like the betting, but what's at stake?" I ask

"Diaper duty for a month." Mason says quickly and we all laugh. But it's a good one. Who wants to be collecting shit for a month?

"I say something more personal also." I say

"Like?"

"I don't know. Like, maybe who gets to have the talk when he starts puberty." I grin widely.

Leo sighs a big sigh. "We still have to do that."

"Oh, I can take that no problem. I'll just buy them Playboy like my dad did for us when we were 12." Jose says and they all laugh.

"Fuck, that was wild." Bas says.

After they tell me the horrifying stories of their fathers teaching them about sex, which one of them included being taken to a strip club at 14, we settle in the couch with food, and we get on the bets.

"So, the bets are in."

"Mason, you think peanut is yours?"

"With absolute certainty." He says smugly

"Tatsu?"

"I can feel a fellow Asian brother from a mile away. Definitely, a Saito in there."

I smile.

"Yeah, but if we try to zero in the date exactly." Bas says

"That isn't valid, remember we all ate from the garden of life together a few times." Jose chuckles and I jump to grab him, but he jumps.

They all laugh.

"The fuck is the garden of life, number 1?"

"It sounds like a place in a fantasy."

"Oh my god." I shake my head. "Let's get back to business."

"Who do you think it will be. Has peanut whispered something to you?" Bas lifts his eyebrow.

I rub my belly. "Peanut? You gonna tell mommy who it is, right?"

I lift my eyes to find them all looking at me with heart eyes, so much love.

"So?"

"If it's the mile high club, then I think..." I look at all of them. I remember all the times they came inside me. Fuck, it could be anyone of those. Then I try to remember if anytime I felt like I could be getting pregnant. "I don't know."

"Just pick one."

"The thing is I don't want to be wrong. Do I have to play?"

"Yes."

I sigh. "Fine, Leo."

"Why him? Is it the pickles?"

"No. Cause Blasian babies are cute as hell."

They all laugh.

"Are you serious? Because he's Asian?"

I chuckle and shrug. "A girl can hope."

"I think you right, Hoshi." Leo nods with a smug smirk.

We spend the rest of the night with more fooling around and they tuck me in like it has become usual.