IZ*ONEshots

Yuri's Birthdayyyy (aka failed Yenyul oneshot)

"Oh. Okay, sounds good. Yeah, mhm, bye!" Yuri hung up with a sigh as Minyoung, a buddy from work, reminded her of the project due. Yuri pouted a blew a stray piece of hair from her face. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to tell them it was her birthday today. Well, too late now. Not going to give you any extensions because of your birthday anyway, Yuri thought.

Yuri drove her car like a madwoman, as usual, as she speeded down the highway in a hurry to be home and do something simple and lazy and totally relaxing. Sherlock was in store for the night.

The elevator was out of order. Great.

So after running up eighteen flights of stairs with work clothes and a briefcase, Yuri was breathing hard and slightly annoyed when she flung open the door to her apartment. Her hair was disheveled and her face was flushed, so when she finally held that hair above her face to see her apartment, she was shocked.

Her eyes widened.

The whole apartment was covered head to toe in differently colored marigolds. It was lit up and the whole thing was almost too bright to look at. Everything had been tidied a little and there was a sign that read, "Happy Birthday Joyul!". On the floor, which looked like it had been thoroughly scrubbed of all dirt, was a small path cleared and lined with candles.

With a hand over her mouth and eyes blinking rapidly, Yuri shed her jacket and placed her work bag on the table, following the path from the smaller kitchen space to the living room.

And then she started crying.

The room had vases of marigolds, so there was walking space. There were more banners saying "Happy Birthday!" and candles were expertly placed everywhere. But that wasn't what had made Yuri's shoulders shake with sobs.

There were eleven handmade, differently shaped, differently sized, differently colored, differently styled cards on her bed. And even better? Nine of the eleven makers were standing around her room laughing and singing happy birthday.

Yena pouted and Chaewon frowned seeing Yuri cry and were quick to put their arms around her shoulders. Minju watched them fondly. Yujin and Wonyoung were still wearing school uniforms, holding hands in the corner. Yujin was boldly singing, voice prominent and loud among the many voices of her friends. Sakura and Chaeyeon were making eye contact from opposite sides of the room, Sakura's shoulders brushing against Hitomi, who was squished between her Japanese friends. Nako was laughing and singing her heart out.

They were out of tune and practically falling over one another in the small space, and they were the most beautiful thing Yuri had seen in her entire life.

She laughed and cried on Yena's shoulder, trying not to blush at the way Yena snaked her arm around Yuri's waist and pulled the shorter girl into herself. Still protective and warm as she was in the IZ*ONE days.

"Yay! Happy birthday Yul!"

"YOU'RE FRICKING OLD NOW YUL-AH!"

"Shut up Yujin! Stop being so disrespectful! We never comment on an old lady's age. You look great, Yuri unnie!"

"Y'ALL BABIES, YURI HAS JOINED THE CLUB OF GRANDMAS!"

"I AM NOT A GRANDMA!"

Yuri laughed unlike how she laughed at work or at TV shows. The laugh she only laughed when her friends made her laugh. How she wished smiling because she couldn't stop it.

She hugged each and every one of them in turn, trying to convey her immense love for her friends in a soft squeeze.

As she wiped away tears, Yuri asked, "Where are Eunbi and Hyewon unnie?"

Sakura laughed. "They're getting cake. They'll be back any minute. In hindsight, though, we should NOT have let Hyewon get the cake."

Chaeyeon snorted. "Pshh, we shouldn't have let them go on their own. Heaven knows they need chaperoning."

Nako gasped. "Lee Chaeyeon, we have minors in the room and I am one of them."

Yuri had never felt so at home. The swelling of her heart was so huge, it could've burst.

The girls dispersed into their own conversations and Yuri found herself stuck to Yena.

Yuri admired her unnie's face. Yena had usually been cute, but today, she just looked gorgeous and mature. She was wearing a practical pair of black jeans and a light grey sweatshirt that for some reason, Yuri really wanted to steal. Yena's eyes caught Yuri's, and although the shorter girl's face went nuclear, she found herself unable to look away.

"H-hi." So Yena was just as adorably awkward as she was 4 years ago.

"Hi. Thank you."

"It was nothing. We're nothing without you. We're nothing if we're missing anyone."

"You don't understand. I was going to come home and slowly die while watching Sherlock and eating junk food."

Yena laughed. Yuri kind of wanted to run a finger over those duck lips. "That sounds fine to me. You got anything against Sherlock?"

"Nah, just against doing nothing. And the dying part. Dying is too dramatic for my style." Yena was really laughing now, and it made Yuri all warm and fuzzy inside.

Yena noticed Yuri's curious stare and lowered her face so it was slightly above the younger's. She looked like she might've leaned in, and Yuri was so ready, but then they were interrupted.

"HELP ME HYEWON'S GOING TO EAT THE CAKE AND I'M TOO SHORT TO PROTECT IT ANYMORE!"

"Eunbi-unnie! You're back!" Yuri smiled at Yena and gently unwrapped herself from the duck-girl's embrace. She ran over to her two unnies and after handing the cake to the towers of tallness, she gave her friends some of the biggest hugs she'd ever given.

That night might have been the best night of her entire life. They enjoyed cake and read cards and open presents and raided Yuri's house, and eventually they gave bouquets of marigolds to all of Yuri's neighbors. Yuri invited all of the girls to stay the night, and although she lacked space and the Lees couldn't stay because of work did Eunbi and Hyewon, Chaewon and Minju fit on the L shape of the couch, Hitomi reclined a chair, Nako slept on top of Hitomi, and the twin towers were more than glad to sleep together on the floor. Which left Yena to sleep in Yuri's bed with Yuri.

How she had missed this.

IZ*ONE may have disbanded, but Wonyoung, Yujin, Nako, Hitomi, Chaeyeon, Sakura, Yena, Chaewon, Minju, Eunbi, Hyewon and Yuri would be friends forever.

*

This is a depressing piece of as;dkfja;sdlkfja;sldkfj. I apologize to anyone that had to read this. 

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