Dreams of Arcadia

27

Y/N PoV

"Come on, jump with me please, I don't dare to jump alone.... Only on the first jump." Mingi whined, trying to get me to jump down the balcony. Jungkook had removed the railing so that we didn't have to jump over it anymore, well, we couldn't really hurt ourselves, so safety measures like railings were unnecessary anyway. Nevertheless, I didn't have the urge to throw myself into the mattress underneath us like the boys did. The only one who hadn't jumped yet, apart from Mingi, was Seonghwa, who had simply given up and fallen asleep crawling up the stairs on his way up, which he could no longer manage upright. Minji and Bora were sleeping in some guest room, with buckets next to them, not bothered by the fact that the party was going on loudly. Han was sitting in the fort with Jin and Hoseok, pretending to keep an eye on the surroundings, in reality they were playing one drinking game after another inside. Yoongi was on his way to the nearest store with Jiyong and Minho, since Jungkook didn't have any snacks at home, they couldn't stock up on their own, so they got enough snacks for everyone. Jungkook, Taehyung and Jimin jumped more and more daringly and did one stunt after the other, while Mingi really wanted to, but didn't dare to do it alone. I actually wanted to go into the fort, but Mingi wouldn't leave me alone.

"All right, once, then that's it." I gave in and he immediately grinned with delight.

"Let's go then." He grabbed my hand and ran off, I had no choice but to run with him, otherwise he would just drag me behind him, he was stronger than he seemed. I could feel him slowing down just before the edge, but I squeezed his hand urgently, so he plucked up the courage and jumped with me at the same time.

"Woooohhhh." he shouted as he fell, he seemed to enjoy it after all. The piles of mattresses cushioned our fall surprisingly well and we rolled down, giggling, right at the feet of a whole troop of new arrivals. So that's how well they take care in the fort.

"Yah, Mingi... Barely dead, you're flirting with our girl behind our backs." I heard above us, looked up and recognized Wooyoung. San was standing next to him and held his hand out to me, which I accepted and was pulled to my feet by him. Then I was hugged and spun around.

"How nice to see you again." I said happily, being pulled out of San's arms and into Wooyoung's, who hugged me from the back.

"You already know each other?" Mingi asked, irritated.

"Yes, the two of them were so sweet to me, they comforted me when I wasn't feeling well, just before the accident," I explained.

"Are you feeling better now? Did your sister and her boyfriend end up here too?" San asked worriedly.

"Yes, everything's fine again. And no, they both survived, apparently no one in the audience died," I told him and he nodded with relief. He looked so cute with his dimples when he smiled, I was so caught up in his gaze that I didn't even notice who else had come. Until I heard him clear his throat.

"Y/Nie..." I turned slightly to the side and spotted Changbin.

"Oh no... you too... Han's there too... back there in the mattress bunker." I was surprised to find another one of my friends. I only knew most of them by sight or from TV, but I'd been friends with the guys from Stray Kids for a long time.

"Oh damn, I'm glad to see you, but the circumstances..." he started, then gave me a hug.

"Oh, it's not so bad, we're fine here, so why should we be upset about it?" I consoled him.

"Yes, that's right... So... Jisung is here too?" he wanted to know and I nodded.

"Yes, he's in there drinking with Jin and Hoseok." I laughed and he was already gone and you could hear loud shouts of welcome and laughter. Now I looked at the rest of the boys, who were still standing there watching Jimin and Jungkook jump with fascination. Hongjoong and Yunho had rushed to Mingi and hugged him with relief, falling over giggling and landing on the mattresses. Jinyoung and Youngjae noticed me now and Jinyoung's eyes lit up.

"If you're here... then Minji and Bora are definitely here too..." he concluded correctly. Forced to smile, I smiled back... would Minji and Bora be so excited if they found out their ex-boyfriends were here?