Hyukjae carefully dusted some icing sugar on top of the chocolate mousse he was making, grunting when he thought he overdid it and then proceeded to even out the white patches with more cocoa powder. He wanted to surprise Donghae with a cake on his twenty first birthday. Although his boyfriend loved teasing him by reminding him how he managed to burn the pot while boiling water for ramen, Hyukjae was set to prove Donghae wrong by presenting to him his masterpiece.

Donghae was just coming back from a club meeting, and Hyukjae heard him outside. He kissed a strawberry then quickly placed the berry in the middle of the cake. As soon as the younger stepped into the apartment, Hyukjae brought out the cake. “Surprise, baby! Happy birthday!”

Donghae grinned and kissed Hyukjae on the cheek. “Aw, thank you, Hyukkie. This is so sweet of you.”

Hyukjae grinned. “I spent the whole morning making this for you. I hope it tastes okay,” he said, suddenly wondering if his boyfriend would like it. “Er, do you want to cut it now or should I like, stick a couple of candles on the cake?”

“Can I shower first?” Donghae laughed. “I’ll be out in a while, I promise! I stink!”

Hyukjae patted the seat opposite his then scrambled back to his seat when he heard footsteps coming out. He’d already prepared a three-course dinner at home just especially for Donghae and couldn’t wait to surprise him.

Donghae appeared in casual wear and walked over to kiss Hyukjae. “I love it, Hyukjae. Thank you so much. I didn’t expect you to surprise me like this.”

The elder gri