Jeno couldn't help but trouble his bottom lip as he snuck glances at Doyeon. She sat a few inches away from him, Jun snuggled into her side. It was comfortable for her to be at his house. Summer break had just begun, a lot had changed since last winter break; he no longer had to convince Doyeon to hang out, instead she would show up out of her own accord. And that made him insanely happy, everything about her did that to him though. As soon as Jun finally started to nod off, it hit Jeno that it was already nearing four in the afternoon--the time he needed to leave to go pick his grandmother up from her sisters house. His grandmother wasn't too fond of driving anywhere else but to work, so Jeno took it upon himself to help her out in tiny ways like this. "I should probably get going." Jeno said, standing up quietly. Doyeon nodded, she slowly sat Jun down on the couch, so he was no longer up against her. Doyeon followed Jeno to the front door, so she could lock it after he left. "Just call if you need anything-" 

"You worry a lot." Doyeon noted. It wasn't her first time watching Jun, she didn't need him to copy and paste the same words every time. 

Jeno smiled, "I'm not worried, I trust you." He said in all honesty.  

Doyeon rolled her eyes, "Obviously." She gestured to the door. Jeno nodded, waving his hand dismissively, as he walked out of the front door. Doyeon locked it as soon as he started pulling out of the driveway. Doyeon's eyes scanned the family photos as she walked back towards the living room. She'd studied each frame multiple times at this point, but everytime she saw their bright smiles, she'd feel a form of comfort. Jeno was living proof that things get better, he's been through so much but he doesn't let it tear him down. That's part of why she enjoyed his company, even from the first time she spoke to him; it was comfortable. Even at times where she felt a bit apprehensive, he'd always been so good at helping her feel at ease. She thought back to the day she first approached him, the silly rubix cube, that had really been the start of everything for her. 

When had she begun to cherish them all so much? 

She didn't have time to think of an answer to her own question; because the doorbell rang.

Doyeon padded up to the front door, she had to go on her tiptoes to see out of the peephole. The people on the other side made her eyebrows furrow--Jeno hadn't informed her that they were coming by. She swung the door open, as soon as she did, it suddenly got ten times louder. Her finger flew up in front of , "Shhh!" She said aggressively, stepping aside to allow the six boys room to enter. She'd only picked up bits of what they had been saying when she opened the door, simply because in her panic to get them to shut up; her brain stopped her from focusing on anything else. "What were you saying?" She asked, not directed at anyone in particular. 

"We were asking why you're here, and opening the front door." Jaemin said, slipping his shoes off as he walked deeper into the house. The other boys followed close behind Doyeon and Jaemin. 

"Babysitting, Jeno went to pick his grandmother up." Doyeon explained, they'd just entered the living room. The boys all mumbled an, 'I see, I see," which made her smile. "Is it somebody's  birthday?" Doyeon asked, eyeing the bag of decorations in Jisung's hand. The boy immediately moved it behind his back, shaking  his head frantically. 

"No! I-I'm just returning these!" His frantic way of speaking didn't even phase Doyeon, but the way all the other ways seemed just as stiff did. She wasn't sure what they were planning, but she had a feeling it would be loud. 

Chenle elbowed Jisung in the side, causing the younger one to wince in pain. "What Jisung meant was; Grandma Lee let us borrow some old decorations to celebrate Jisung's sisters birthday, and now we are giving them back." Doyeon nodded, suspicion clear on her face.

"Anyways," Mark began, "when will Jeno be back?" He finished as they all started taking seats on the couches. Doyeon sat quietly down beside Jun. 

She shrugged, "Within thirty minutes." Doyeon yawned, she made a futile attempt to cover , but ultimately stopped half way once she realized it was too late anyway. "You guys can leave the bag here, I'll tell Mrs. Lee that you returned it." Jun nudged closer to Doyeon in his sleep, her eyes felt like they were starting to droop. She probably shouldn't have stayed up so late the night before.

The boys all shared a look, before Mark spoke, "It's fine, we'll wait for them to get back." Doyeon was going to respond, but the feeling of falling asleep was too sweet to push away any longer. She let her eyes flicker closed as her breathing pattern began to mimic Jun's. 

~

The guys twiddled with their phones for a few minutes, sending messages back and forth. 

Sent by: Lil Lion boy: What should we do?  I think she fell asleep, but if we start decorating she might wake up. 

Sent by: NaNa: We can't just wait, she'll leave after Jeno gets back.

Sent by: LeE jEnO: When did we decide to have the party at my house?

Sent by: LeE jEnO: What happened to having it at Chenle's? 

Sent by: Dolphin man: My dad said no. Now it's at your house- keep up! And why are you replying? Aren't you driving?

Sent by: LeE jEnO: I'm at a red light.

Sent by: Meanie Pants (Renjun): We're just decorating now, Jeno don't get back too early. 

Renjun's decisiveness helped kick everyone into gear. The boys all shoved their phones back into their pockets. Jaemin glanced at Doyeon as he stood up, she was peacefully sleeping. He had to stop himself from staring for too long. He never realized how hard it was to have a one sided crush, he'd seen people go through them, but he never thought he would. He never understood why everyone was so cautious when it came to confessing--afterall the worst that happens is you get rejected, then you move on--but, now he could understand. He wished that he could just tell her how special she is to him, but he knew it wasn't the right time. And he knew that he'd be putting their friendship at risk if he acted too rashly, and the last thing he wanted was to not even have her as a friend. At this point he wasn't sure what his life would be like without her in it. He really was stuck. 

"Jaemin!" A harsh whisper brought him out of his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder at where the noise had come from. "Go help Haechan hang the banner." Mark pointed to where Haechan was fiddling with the long string of letters. Despite the fact that it wasn't Doyeon's birthday, the guys thought it would be hilarious to decorate with Spongebob Squarepants tenth birthday decorations. It's what they'd had planned for her last birthday, but Doyeon had insisted that she didn't want anything like a party. She even made sure that they didn't get her any expensive gifts--instead they all opted for taking her to get pizza and watch a movie--which they all had complained about, but eventually agreed to. Of course she didn't know that the only reason they agreed, is because they had a plan that would take place just a few months later. 

Doyeon had never told them not to plan a 'Happy Two Years of Living Here Party!' They all knew she'd be livid if  they made a big deal about it, but they didn't really care. They all wanted to plan something big for her, and if she didn't want that to be a birthday party, they simply would make up any reason to throw a party and get her gifts. Making it a surprise party was just a safety precaution, that way she wouldn't try to stop them. 

The boys all moved around on their tippy toes, whispering instructions to each other. They mixed in a few hushed yells every time somebody made a little too much noise, causing Doyeon to stir on the couch. Jaemin snuck a glance out of the window, the sky was getting cloudier and cloudier. 

~

It only took fifteen minutes for them to set everything up, and luckily she'd slept through it all. The sound of the front door opening made them all look at each other with wide eyes. "She must be a very deep sleeper." Renjun noted, impressed that she didn't seem at all disturbed. 

Jaemin furrowed his eyebrows, "She usually isn't..." he trailed off, a part of him worried about how late she'd stayed up the night before. He'd gotten on her multiple times for not taking enough care of herself--though she probably just chalked it up as him being hypocritical. She usually got more sleep than him, that's how he knew she wasn't a heavy sleeper, because she woke up multiple times from the sound of him playing an instrument. Before any of the boys could ask him how he knew that, Jeno and his grandmother walked in. 

"Is she still sleeping?" Grandma Lee asked Mark, the boy nodded. Grandma Lee walked past them, so she could see Doyeon and Jun napping on the couch. Her eyes softened, "Jeno, dear, go grab my camera from my room." She instructed. Her grandson didn't ask any questions as he walked off towards the staircase. He was back within a minute. His grandmother snapped a couple shots before gesturing the boys foreword, "Somebody should wake her." 

Jaemin nodded, taking the necessary steps towards her. The boys all started fleeing the room, going to hide in the Kitchen where the majority of the decorations were set up. 

"Doyeon, Jun..." Jaemin softly tapped Doyeon's shoulder. All she did was snuggle deeper into the couch, he smiled at her. "Doyeon, wake up~" He kept his voice soft so he didn't startle her. When she still didn't move, he decided to try tapping her, he tapped her forehead--causing lines to appear as she tried to stay asleep--he was about to stop when a hand suddenly grabbed his finger. His breath caught in his throat due to his surprise. Unlike moments before, when she'd been laying there peaceful;  her hand was now wrapped around his fingers, and her eyes opened as s