[Neo Zone] Population: 23 Kids

The Kiss Cam

After finding Mark wandering around the city, sulking that he he was the only one to get lost, they brought him back to the cafe and tried their best to get him not to tell the adults. He wasn't actually going to and he wasn't that upset, but it was fun to watch them panic.

"Yeah, we lost you, but look at the kitty Hen found!" Jeno pointed to the kitten that was now curled up into Bella's side. He still didn't have a name, but they were hoping to get permission to keep him before they did that.

"Aren't you allergic to cats?"

"I'll be fine."

"Can you please ask the adults if we can keep him? Please?" Hendery drew out the please, his hands clasped together in front of him.

"Why do I have to ask?"

"Because you're their favorite." Johnny wasn't even that upset over it anymore. Sort of.

Mark scoffed. "No I'm not."

"You are."

"Even I know you're the favorite." Jaemin added, having seen enough examples by now that he could write an essay.

"Did you find me just so I could ask?"

"No!"

"Of course not!"

"Yeah."

"Haechan!" Taeyong scolded.

"What? It's true."

Mark pouted. The cat was cute and he'd love for him to stay, but he felt like being petty for a little longer.

Jungwoo came up and kissed him on the cheek before Mark could push him away. This started a battle of Mark versus pretty much everyone. He couldn't stop them all from kissing his cheek with only two hands, but he was trying.

"Okay! Okay! Stop!"

"Will you ask if we can keep him?" Hendery looked way too excited to turn down.

"Only if you come with me."

So Hendery and Mark went up to the cafe and waited behind the counter for the adults to finish what they were doing. Hendery kept shifting between his feet and playing with his fingers, but Mark was completely calm. He was used to asking for other people by now.

"What's up, kiddos?" Mr. Suh asked, wiping his hands off on his apron.

"Hendery found a kitten today. Can we keep him?"

The adults shared a look with each other, seemingly discussing the matter in their heads. It felt like forever for Hendery until they got an answer, and by now the others were crowded around the closed basement door to try and hear the conversation.

"You can keep him, but you boys are completely in charge of taking care of him. And he stays in the basement, I don't want him up in the cafe." Hendery was hugging Mrs. Suh before she even finished talking.

"Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!"

"Just take good care of him, okay? We can go out tonight after the cafe closes to get some things for him." She ruffled his hair, and then the two ran off to go tell the others the tremendous news.

"We can keep him!" Hendery yelled, almost missing a couple steps on the stairs.

The others had already heard this news, having returned to where they were after hearing it, but that didn't stop them from celebrating.

"Now he needs a name." Jaehyun mentioned.

"Orange." Johnny suggested in English, everyone scrunching their noses up at it. "What about Naranja then?"

"What's that mean?" WinWin questioned.

"Orange in Spanish."

"I don't think Johnny should help." Lucas joked, but then they all agreed with him.

"Allie!" Chenle shouted, thinking it was cute because that's where they found the cat.

Kun couldn't help but smile at his involvement. "He's a boy."

"Are we sure?" Doyoung asked, not expecting Yuta to hold up the cat so he could confirm it. "Never mind."

"What about something cool? He's so tiny it'd be funny to give him a warrior name." Yuta added in, placing the still sleeping cat back next to Bella.

"Leonidas! Like that one guy from Sparta!" YangYang blurted out.

"Ooh! Leon! I like that." Hendery's shortened version of the name seemed to go over much better than Johnny's Orange.

"When's his birthday, though? I want to put it on the board." Mark was already at the white board with a marker.

Hendery decided just to make it as the current day so they wouldn't be guessing, and then Lucas and Taeyong made Mark put Bella and Ruby's birthdays up there too. No one was getting left out now.