The one-week break was ending.
Tomorrow, school resumed. Exams looming. Chaos returning.
But tonight?
Tonight was a surprise.
Jay had no idea.
Neither did Keifer.
The Fernandez house had been planning for days. Percy coordinated. Ci-n supplied energy. Tita Gema cooked enough food for three armies. Jasfer handled decorations (badly, but enthusiastically). Serina managed the guest list. Jay's grandma supervised from her rocking chair.
Angelo handled security, as always.
Grazel Jay was the flower consultant.
Grazel Jay: "MORE FLOWERS HERE! AND HERE! AND HERE!"
Denzel: "Baby, we have flowers everywhere."
Grazel Jay: "NOT ENOUGH!"
Grace: "She's right."
The guest list was simple.
Section E. Aries and Ella. Percy and Honey. The whole Fernandez family.
Reason for the party?
Surviving exams. Surviving Keizer. Surviving everything.
Also, Percy's words: "JAYFER DESERVES A CELEBRATION FOR JUST EXISTING!"
Jay and Keifer had been sent out for "errands" all day.
Keifer: "This feels suspicious."
Jay: "Everything feels suspicious with this family."
Keifer: "True."
Jay: "But Tita Gema needed groceries."
Keifer: "She always needs groceries."
Jay: "And Jasfer needed help with something."
Keifer: "He never needs help."
Jay: "And Serina wanted us out of the house."
Keifer: "That's the most suspicious."
Jay: "Probably a surprise."
Keifer: "Probably."
Jay: "Should we pretend to be surprised?"
Keifer: "Always."
Jay: "Tss."
Keifer: "Stop."
Jay: "No."
They returned at 7 PM.
House dark. Quiet.
Jay: "Where is everyone?"
Keifer: "I don't know."
They walked in.
Lights flicked on.
"SURPRISE!"
The room exploded with noise. People. Confetti. Grazel Jay throwing flowers everywhere.
Jay: "WHAT—"
Keifer: "SURPRISE."
Jay: "YOU KNEW?"
Keifer: "I suspected."
Jay: "AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?"
Keifer: "You said pretend to be surprised."
Jay: "I DIDN'T MEAN—"
Percy: "SURPRISE JAYFER! YOU'VE BEEN SURPRISED! DOCUMENTING!"
Ci-n: "I GOT THE CONFUSED FACES! PERFECT ANGLES!"
Rakki: "They're so confused."
Mica: "It's adorable."
Calix: "Very adorable."
Freya: "Tolerably adorable."
Edrix: "That's high praise from Freya."
Freya: "Shut up."
Edrix: "Never."
The party was chaos.
Food. Music. Dancing. Percy's terrible karaoke.
Jay's grandma held court in her rocking chair. "THIS IS A GOOD PARTY! LOUD! CHAOTIC! PERFECT!"
Tita Gema: "I COOKED FOR THREE DAYS!"
Jasfer: "AND IT'S ALL DELICIOUS!"
Serina: "You two are a team."
Jasfer: "Best team."
Tita Gema: "ONLY TEAM."
Serina: "Same thing?"
Jasfer: "Same thing."
Keigan and Keiren ran through the crowd, chasing each other. Grazel Jay chased them with flowers.
Grazel Jay: "FLOWER ATTACK!"
Keigan: "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
Keiren: "RETREAT!"
Denzel: "She's going to be a general someday."
Grace: "She's already a general."
Section E took over the living room.
Mica and Calix danced (badly, happily). Rakki watched Ci-n attempt a solo dance. It was going poorly. He didn't care.
Rory: "I've calculated the optimal dance moves."
Edrix: "There's no optimal."
Rory: "There's always optimal."
Drew took bets on who would fall first. David was already down. Eren found a new bird friend outside. Josh meditated in the corner, somehow peaceful despite the chaos.
Baster hummed a party anthem.
Freya stood near the wall. Edrix beside her.
Freya: "This is loud."
Edrix: "This is fun."
Freya: "Same thing?"
Edrix: "Not the same thing."
Freya: "Tss."
Edrix: "Did you just—"
Freya: "Maybe."
Edrix: "I'm so proud."
Freya: "Shut up."
But she moved closer.
Aries and Ella arrived late.
Aries: "We missed the surprise?"
Ella: "We missed the chaos?"
Jay: "You missed the confetti."
Aries: "Good."
Ella: "Bad."
Aries: "Same thing?"
Ella: "Not the same thing."
Keifer: "Tss."
Aries: "Not you too."
Keifer: "Me too."
Aries: "I hate you."
Keifer: "No, you don't."
Aries: "No, I don't."
Percy grabbed the mic.
Percy: "ATTENTION EVERYONE! IT'S TOAST TIME!"
Ci-n: "TOAST TIME!"
Percy: "I WANT TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT JAYFER!"
Jay: "Percy—"
Percy: "TOO LATE! I'M ALREADY TALKING!"
He cleared his throat dramatically.
Percy: "Jay and Keifer. Sister and brother. Lovers. Future spouses. The reason I believe in love."
Jay: "Percy—"
Percy: "LET ME FINISH! I've watched you two since the beginning. The pining. The pain. The reunion. The fighting. The winning. And through it all—you never gave up on each other."
Keifer: "Percy..."
Percy: "You're the reason this chaotic family works. You're the center. The heart. The JAYFER of it all."
Ci-n: "THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL!"
Rakki: "I'm crying."
Mica: "Same."
Freya: "Same."
Edrix: "Same."
Percy: "TO JAYFER!"
Everyone: "TO JAYFER!"
Jay hugged Percy. Keifer patted his back.
Percy: "I'M NOT CRYING. YOU'RE CRYING."
Jay: "We're all crying."
Percy: "ACCEPTABLE."
The party continued.
More dancing. More food. More chaos.
Jay and Keifer slipped onto the patio.
Stars above. Quiet around.
Jay: "That was unexpected."
Keifer: "Percy being sincere?"
Jay: "The whole party."
Keifer: "They love us."
Jay: "They love US?"
Keifer: "They love JAYFER."
Jay: "Same thing?"
Keifer: "Same thing."
She leaned against him.
Jay: "I'm happy."
Keifer: "Good."
Jay: "Really happy."
Keifer: "Even better."
Jay: "Tss."
Keifer: "Stop."
Jay: "No."
He kissed her forehead.
Inside, Percy's voice: "THEY'RE ON THE PATIO! CI-N, COME QUICK!"
Ci-n: "I'M COMING!"
Rakki: "Leave them alone."
Percy: "HISTORY NEVER SLEEPS!"
Jay laughed.
Keifer smiled.
Perfect.
The night ended late.
Guests trickled out. Section E hugged goodbye. Promises to meet at school tomorrow.
Aries and Ella left last.
Aries: "Good party."
Ella: "Good everything."
Aries: "Same thing?"
Ella: "Same thing."
Jay and Keifer on the couch. Tired. Happy.
Jay: "Best surprise ever."
Keifer: "Best family ever."
Jay: "Best you ever."
Keifer: "Best us ever."
Jay: "Tss."
Keifer: "Stop."
Jay: "Never."
He kissed her.
Grazel Jay appeared. "TITA JAY! KUYA KEIFER! SLEEP TIME!"
Jay: "You're right, baby."
Grazel Jay: "I THROW SLEEP FLOWERS!"
She threw imaginary petals at them.
Keifer: "Thanks."
Grazel Jay: "WELCOME!"
She toddled off.
Jay laughed.
Keifer smiled.
Jayfer forever.