Chapter Text
“Do you need any more tape?”
Eva offered another small strip of masking tape up to Desmond, who was standing on a chair. He struggled to get the tape on the doorframe the first few times, but eventually was able to stick it down successfully. Considering how long it had taken to get the shimmering party curtain up above the dining hall door, Eva was tempted to praise Desmond for his efforts… though there really wasn’t much of a point. That thing was eventually coming down one way or another.
“I think the real question is who’s gonna be the one to walk through this and accidentally rip it down,” Desmond sighed; Eva was thankful she wasn’t going to be the one who needed to point that out to him. “But, hey! We tried our best.”
“Hey, have either of you seen the speaker?!” A sudden voice cried. “I need to see if my phone’s gonna connect properly!”
“No, I haven’t seen it,” Eva replied, turning around to find Kai.
“I think I saw Cassidy with it,” Desmond stepped off the chair as carefully as he could. “No idea where she went, though.”
“CASSIDY!”
Without even a thanks, Kai was off in the direction of the kitchen.
The dining hall was packed with balloons, snacks, streamers, and all sorts of other decorations. A pile of presents lay on one of the unoccupied chairs, being delicately sorted by Eloise and Toshiko. In the pantry, Eva could hear people arguing over what kind of chips the birthday boy would prefer. Ingrid thought barbeque, but Cassidy thought sea salt, and then Kai finally found the speaker he was looking for…
It was five minutes until midnight on February 5th. God, they were late. Jett would be arriving any minute with Mark after having distracted him for the past hour and a half. If it weren’t for the fact that they were at this academy, Eva wouldn’t have believed that this was a group of ultimates. How was planning a surprise birthday party this difficult? Maybe Damon’s constant gripes held some weight after all.
Speaking of the devil, she spotted Damon leaning against a wall, a cup of apple juice in his hand.
“You know we’re supposed to wait until they get here?” Eva questioned, sighing at the situation. “We’ve gotta follow Jett’s rules, right?”
“He’s gonna hate this,” Damon said quietly. “You’d think his ‘best friend’ would understand that.”
“I don’t know what to tell you,” Eva admitted bluntly. “This is Jett you’re talking about.”
Damon just shrugged.
“Hey, what are you two doing, sulking over here?!” Diana approached them, her smile wide and toothy– maybe it would have been infectious if she were talking to other people. “C’mon! Get your party hats on!”
Diana handed them both little hats. The strings looked like they’d snap the moment that they stretched, but Diana paid no attention to this and helped Damon and Eva adjust them to the perfect spot on their heads.
“Cute!”
Before they had a chance to respond, Cassidy’s voice rang throughout the room.
“CODE RED!” She exclaimed. “I got the text! They’re coming! Get into position!”
Suddenly, the entire dining hall was in a rush– people were crowding into the kitchen, behind chairs, and under the table.
“C’mon, Eva, hide!” Cassidy playfully shouted. “They’re gonna see you when they walk in if you sit there!”
“Assuming they haven’t already heard you screaming,” Damon interrupted.
Jean stood by the lightswitch, his back up against the wall.
“I’m gonna turn off the light!” He whispered, and Eva was slightly surprised he could even be that quiet. “Is everyone ready?”
“Ready!”
With that signal, the lights went out, and the dining hall was silent.
Well… mostly silent. Cassidy was giggling away and Toshiko was having a conversation with Diana.
“I’m telling you,” Toshiko continued despite the darkness. “Those two. You see it as well, don’t you?”
“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Diana replied.
“Shh!”
“Oh, come on. They’ve probably already heard us.”
“Quiet, bargain bin! They’ll be here any second!”
“Whoever’s stepping on my foot, you better move it in five fucking seconds or else-”
“Sorry, sorry! That was me!”
“Be quiet!”
The doorknob made an abrupt noise, causing the entire group to silence themselves. They waited in anticipation as muffled voices grew clearer and clearer.
“Let’s grab a snack first!” Jett told the boy beside him.
The lights were on in an instant, flooding the dining hall with its usual color. Everyone jumped out from behind their hiding spots, shouting,
“SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
Mark’s immediate reaction wasn’t viewable as Jett swooped him into a tight hug.
“Happy birthday, Mark!” He cheered.
So began the festivities.