June 20th, 2015

Ryeowook's birthday is now an international holiday because I say so.

“Wookie, Wookie! You have to see what I made!”

Hand locked around the other’s, Kyuhyun half-dragged Ryeowook’s clumsy feet across the grass. They sprinted at dangerous speeds down the hill. To Ryeowook, it felt that at any moment they would tumble down the hill like some fairytale beings, a fact that didn't seem to concern Kyuhyun.

“Kyu, it’s my birthday! Why are you making me run?” the sweaty boy cried between gasps for air.

“We have to get there now or somebody will destroy it!”

So they ran even faster.

At the playground’s edge, Kyuhyun stopped so fast Ryeowook all but face-planted into the sand.

“What? What? Did somebody destroy it?” Ryeowook’s eyes searched frantically for the creation he had never seen.

“No.” Kyuhyun turned to look at him. There was a gleam in his eye and maniacal smile on his face and Ryeowook wondered if he’d finally managed to build a laser to take over the world. Kyuhyun refused to say, which was hardly reassuring. Instead, he ordered the birthday boy to cover his eyes. For whatever reason—perhaps obedience was simply his default—Ryeowook listened.

Two firm hands gripped his shoulders and directed him onto the playground. With eyes closed and chubby fingers pressed to his face, Ryeowook tread carefully on the uneven ground. Eventually, they entered the cool shade, probably underneath the slide since he hadn’t had to duck his head.

Kyuhyun stopped. “Okay.” Ryeowook heard him take a deep breath. “Now before I show you this, I just want to remind you that I only did this because I don’t have like a job and money and stuff. Not because I don’t care about you or anything.”

Oh god, he did build a death ray, didn’t he?

“Are you ready for this?”

Ever so slightly, Ryeowook nodded.

Gently, long fingers wrapped around his own and pulled them away from his eyes. It took him a second to adjust to the lighting but when he did, he was in shock.

It was a cake. Three tiers. White frosting. Those little candy pearls which Ryeowook always wanted to try decorated the edges. It sat tall and proud under the protection of the slide. The cake could have driven any ten-year-old crazy with hunger except...The frosting was dried silt spread roughly over a rocky surface, the candy pearls were actually stones picked from nearby pond, and the entire cake was made from playground sand. .

“Well?” Kyuhyun said. “Do you like it?”

“Oh, Kyukyu…” Ryeowook didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. “I love it!” He threw his arms around the taller, nearly crushing him in his joy

His best friend who couldn’t build a sandcastle from a bucket mold had built him an entire cake out the sand. It even looked good and everything. He must have taken all morning to do this.

Thrilled, Ryeowook pulled his friend down by the cake. He admired the creation from every angle: up, down, sideways, backwards. His name lay neatly printed on top in wood chip letters along with a little doodle of a giraffe. “From Kyuhyun, your amazing best friend” was written on the back. The only grin which could rival Ryeowook’s this moment had to be Kyuhyun’s who looked like his face would split any minute.

“Here, let me cut you slice.” Kyuhyun grabbed his shovel.

“No!” The thought of cutting such perfection seemed unfathomable to Ryeowook. He'd expected Kyuhyun to think the same way but apparently not.

“Wookie,” Kyuhyun said, smiling softly, “it has to be done."

"No," he said again, "This is my birthday cake. You made it for me and I say you can't cut it."

"I’ve already come to terms with this, and you should too. After all, what good is a cake if you don’t eat it?”

Why did he have to be so smart? Biting his lip, Ryeowook could only look away. The cake did look really yummy. Plus, a part of him was dying to know what filling Kyuhyun had used (hopefully chocolate). The truth stared him right in the face. I had to be done.

Kyuhyun let him take a couple of mental pictures of the cake (to preserve its awesomeness) before lifting his shovel once again. Ryeowook managed to look.

It went down swiftly and soon Kyuhyun was handing him slice of cake on a porcelain, paper-thin platter. “Happy birthday, Wookie.”

All regrets about cutting it went out the door. One layer of silt-like frosting, a thick chocolate-colored center, and several candy rock pearls made for one delicious looking cake. Eagerly, Ryeowook accepted the treat and lifted a bite to his mouth.

It was the greatest cake he’d ever tasted.

Figured I’d toss this drabble in:

Ten years later…

Ryeowook walked into his kitchen expecting a simple surprise party or modest pile of presents. What he didn’t expect was his boyfriend, covered in a light dusting of flour, standing next to the world’s ugliest lump of frosted charcoal.

“Happy Birthday!” Kyuhyun grinned a little too widely at him.

Ryeowook’s eyes jumped from terrified Kyu, to his annihilated kitchen, and back to the lump he could only assume was supposed to be a cake.

Sighing, he walked over and pecked his kitchen-battered boyfriend on the cheek.

“Next time, just stick with the sand cakes.”

Happy birthday you darling giraffe!