𝕄𝕒𝕜𝕖 𝕞𝕖 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝 𝔸𝕝𝕚𝕧𝕖 || 𝟚𝕞𝕚𝕟

40 | The Other Side of the Door

A few hours after school, the five of them had crashed at Hyunjin and Seungmin's place, arms full and energy buzzing. They had it all planned out, and today was the day they'd finally bring it to life. With Minho's birthday tomorrow, they were determined to make the preparations as perfect as possible for the celebration he deserved.

Changbin and Jisung had stopped by the convenience store, their bags loaded with chips, juice boxes, and a suspicious number of gummy worms. Jeongin and Chan came in right after, balancing boxes of streamers, balloons, confetti cannons, and some other decorations. Felix was already there, he'd walked home with Hyunjin straight from class, humming excitedly all the way.

They all dumped their bags in the living room, kicked off their shoes, and flopped onto the couch and beanbags, deciding to relax for some time before getting to work.  As they were aimlessly chatting, Jisung tried to open a soda can, but that immediately fizzed and exploded all over his shirt. He froze, wide-eyed, drenched, then looked up with a sheepish grin that screamed oops.. Hyunjin shot him the most unimpressed side-eye while Seungmin tossed a towel at him without even looking up from what he was doing.

Soon, the house was a colorful, chaotic mess...but the good kind. Streamers half-hung, balloons rolling across the floor, a faint whiff of something sweet drifting from the kitchen, and laughter echoing through every room.

Out in the living room, Seungmin was standing on a wobbly stool, trying to tape a paper lantern to the ceiling while Hyunjin held the base.

"Could you stop moving it?" Seungmin signed with a scowl.

Hyunjin laughed. "Why are you even doing this, I could've reached it in one jump!"

Seungmin rolled his eyes but smiled faintly when Hyunjin gently steadied him with one hand on his ankle. "Shut up and hold it, tall stick," Seungmin signed before getting back to the task in hand. Felix strolled in right then, wrapped his arms around Hyunjin's waist from behind, and peered up at Seungmin. "Ooh, these are looking nice" he said sweetly.

Seungmin's lips curved into a small grin as he carefully got off the stool once he had secured the decorations in place.

Jeongin had been tasked with setting up the tableware, but instead, he'd turned it into a precarious balancing act. With a tower of paper cups stacked on his head, and dishes, napkins, and cutlery precariously piled in his arms, he looked like a walking disaster waiting to happen. Chan couldn't help but watch, amused and slightly worried, as Jeongin wobbled under the weight of it all. The cups on his head shook dangerously as he took a step, and Chan's eyes widened, ready to spring into action. But before he could move, Jeongin's balance betrayed him. With a dramatic tilt, everything came crashing down...cups, plates, and Jeongin himself, all tumbling to the floor in a loud clatter. Jeongin landed in the mess with a shocked expression, blinking up at Chan who was already doubled over in laughter.

"Guess you need more practice with that," Chan teased, offering his hand, though his grin was still wide.

Jeongin groaned but took the hand, giving Chan a playful glare. "Next time, you can try balancing it."

Meanwhile, the kitchen was unusually calm...almost.

Changbin stood at the counter, sleeves rolled up and brows furrowed as he carefully stirred the cake batter. His tongue peeked out in concentration, entirely focused on the mix.

Until Jisung appeared beside him again.

"Need help?" he asked sweetly, leaning way too close.

Changbin didn't even look up. "No."

"Too bad, I'm helping," Jisung grinned, reaching for a berry and popping it into his mouth.

"Those are not for snacking- " Changbin started, swatting Jisung's hand away with the spatula. But Jisung just laughed and stole another berry, giggling.