1. The master plan (that absolutely should have failed)

You've been quietly working on this for weeks.

Because Jo's the type who brushes off any fuss.
"Just another day," he says, waving off birthdays like they're not allowed to matter.

But you've seen how his eyes soften when someone else gets celebrated. How he claps the loudest for cake slices he pretends he doesn't want. How he saves even the smallest notes people leave him.

So this year, you're going all in.
And you've dragged the rest of &TEAM into your elaborate, borderline ridiculous operation.

Group chat: The chaos begins

You make a group chat.
Name it: "🥳 Jo-Party Chaos Coordinators" because subtlety has never been this group's strong point.

Nicholas immediately renames it to

"the jo cult (exclusive)"
and starts sending unhinged sticker spam.

Fuma tries to keep everyone focused:

"Pls remember our boy is soft. Not too much chaos."

Taki:

"BUT A LITTLE CHAOS RIGHT?"

K sends exactly one message:

"We're not using confetti cannons inside."

Harua quietly volunteers to handle decorations.
Yuma offers to DJ.
EJ just says:

"Tell me when to show up and who to glare at if they ruin it."

You smile at your phone.

Perfect.

2. Morning-of: The perfect lie

Jo thinks today is a normal off-day.
You work hard to keep it that way — greeting him with a casual grin, telling him the others are busy with last-minute practice adjustments.

He nods, trying not to look disappointed.

"No worries. We can hang out another day."

But you're already herding him out the door.

"Actually, I need your help. I want to try that new coffee shop — you can be my test subject."

He laughs, easy, shoulders loosening.

"If it means free coffee, I'm in."

For hours, you wander the little streets with him. Try the café's weird seasonal latte. Duck into a bookstore, leave with way too many things. Snap a bunch of silly photos that he pretends to scowl at, then secretly saves to his phone.

You keep your phone on silent the whole time, resisting the urge to check if the rest of &TEAM has accidentally set anything on fire.

 3. Meanwhile: Home base chaos

They have, in fact, almost set something on fire.

Nicholas is trying to inflate helium balloons by mouth, wheezing dramatically.
Taki is taping streamers to K's shoulders ("living centerpiece!").
Harua is painstakingly arranging flowers on the dining table.
Yuma's playlist keeps glitching from pop to heavy EDM.
Fuma and EJ are frosting the cake. Or were. Now they're debating whether to write "Happy Birthday Jo" or something more cursed.

"Write: 'Jo, you're aging like expired cheese.'"
Taki snickers.

"Absolutely not," says Fuma.

"Put a heart on it," EJ mutters, already annoyed. "We're not monsters."

4. The return (aka the reveal)

Hours later, you walk Jo back to the dorm. He's still laughing at some dumb joke, all sunshine and unaware.

The door opens.

Dark. Silent.

Then —

"SURPRISE!!!!"

Lights on. Confetti bursts (yes, despite K's protests, Taki absolutely had a cannon).
Balloons everywhere. Streamers half-fallen, cake slightly lopsided, Fuma holding up a sign that says "YOU SURVIVED ANOTHER YEAR 🎉" in aggressively sparkly lettering.

Jo stands frozen. Then his eyes go wide, lips parting.
You see the exact second it all hits him.

He turns to you, blinking hard.

"You— all of you did this?"

Nicholas is grinning ear to ear.

"Obviously. We're the Jo Protection Squad."

Harua elbows him, whispering,

"Try 'Jo Appreciation Squad.'"

"Same thing."

5. Cake, chaos, and found family

The next hour is warm, messy, and perfect.

Jo nearly drops his slice of cake when Yuma's playlist suddenly blares an old song Jo once drunkenly confessed was his "ultimate guilty pleasure."
Nicholas and Taki start dancing terribly just to embarrass him.
K's trying very hard to be dignified while wearing a party hat Yuma forced on him.

You catch Jo's eye across the table. He's pink-cheeked, teary, trying to hide it behind a fork.

"Thank you," he mouths.

You mouth back,

"Always."

6. The gifts

When it comes time to open presents, everyone piles in close.
Jo's voice goes all soft and cracked with every little thing: a small print book from Harua, an absurd novelty mug from Nicholas ("world's okayest birthday boy"), a carefully chosen new set of pens from Fuma.

You give him yours last: a photo album you spent weeks compiling — all your favorite moments together, with little captions and dates scribbled beside them.

Jo flips through slowly, then stops halfway, presses the back of his hand to his mouth.
His shoulders shake.

"It's not even that fancy—" you start, embarrassed.

He laughs, watery.

"It's perfect. You're perfect. I— just... come here."

He pulls you into a hug so tight it knocks the breath out of you.
Your heart flips, warmth sinking all the way to your fingertips.

"You made today feel like... like I'm really loved," he whispers against your shoulder.

"Because you are," you whisper back.

 7. Quiet after chaos

Hours later, after everyone else drifts off — Nicholas passed out on the couch with Taki drooling on his shoulder, K and Fuma murmuring quietly over leftover cake, Harua and Yuma arguing about who cheated at charades — you find Jo sitting on the floor by the window.

The moonlight spills over him, softening every edge. The album is open on his lap.

He pats the spot beside him.
You go. Of course you go.

"Was it really okay?" you ask, suddenly shy.
"The party. The chaos."

Jo lets out a tiny, incredulous laugh.

"It was more than okay. It was the best birthday I've ever had."

He bumps your shoulder with his.
Then his hand slides down to twine with yours.

"I'm keeping you in charge of all my birthdays forever," he says.

"Even when we're old and grumpy?"

"Especially then."

 8. The final, soft line

In the distance, someone snorts in their sleep. The air smells faintly of frosting and burnt sparklers. You press closer to Jo's side, your joined hands resting on the open album.

And as he leans his head against yours, you think there's nowhere else you'd rather be than right here, loved and loving, planning a thousand more birthdays together.

Because this — his quiet laughter, the warmth of his hand, the family sprawled all around you — feels like the best wish either of you could have ever made.

🎂 END