i

Jongdae wakes up when the sunlight starts peeking up through the crappy pale curtains. His eyes took their time in adjusting to his surroundings but he doesn't bother to get up; not yet anyway.

Instead, he snuggles up closer to the source of warmth that's wrapped around him, almost like a blanket.He finds one of the hands that's resting on his stomach and takes it, intertwining their fingers in the process.

Despite the early waking up which Jongdae despises with all his being, he loves the mornings when there are five extra minutes in which he can spend in snuggling and relishing the comfortable quietness.

He hears a sigh from behind, the puff of hair hitting his nape and making him tighten his grip on the other's hand.

It isn't long before the bed creaks as Yixing shifts around, clearly still waking up. Jongdae waits patiently at first, but then turns around to face the still sleepy face of Yixing.

His eyes are droopy and still glazed, his hair is messy in the most endearing way and his face is scrunched up adorably because of the sun rays that fall directly on his face, and Jongdae can only watch in a daze and think about breathtaking.

Because no matter how many times he had woken up like this, how many times he would continue to wake up like this, he'd always remembers these moments and hold them dearly in his heart. Maybe he was so cheesy because of his still sleepy state, but the fondness surrounding and threatening to suffocate his heart doesn't fade away. It's a little scary, if Jongdae has to admit. Loving someone so much, it makes you a little afraid. What if one day you wake up and that person is no longer there? Sometimes, Jongdae thinks about it, but then Yixing is always there with his gentle smile and soft hands; and Jongdae forgets about every thought he had at all.

Jongdae drapes his hand around Yixing and presses his face in the other's chest, smiling contentedly. He feels Yixing's hand trace a path from Jongdae's back to his neck, and shivers. Fingers start carding through his hair gently, ocassionally stopping to massage the place behind Jongdae's ear. Good mornings are gently whispered and minds are pushed in further consciousness as Jongdae silently counts the beats of Yixing's heart, at the same time tracing mindless patterns on his pale skin.

He doesn't know how many minutes have passed, both of them too absorbed in their own little world; but he knows that soon they'll have to wake up and go to their respective jobs.

Jongdae tried to detangle himself from their embrace but only succeeds in making Yixing whine and his arms to tighten around Jongdae, hugging him closer. I don't want to get up. Jongdae only grins and pokes Yixing's sides, making him squirm and whine louder.

Come on, big baby, tomorrow is Saturday.

Yixing shakes his head in the pillow, making strands of hair to get stuck in weird positions. Five more minutes.

Jongdae pushes gently Yixing's shoulder, arranging him in a better position, and inches his face closer. Their noses almost touching, he places his hands on each side of Yixing's face, the pads of his thumbs slowly brush Yixing's cheekbones. He peppers small kisses all over the other's face, starting from the forehead, while listening to Yixing's soft breathing. He reaches his final destination and pecks Yixing's lips, making both of them smile into the kiss.

Jongdae then sits on the bed and takes Yixing's hand, again intertwining their fingers, and childishly pulls it. It's his time to whine, because we're going to be late, damn it. Yixing only chuckles and takes a moment to stare with amusement at Jongdae, who is slightly bouncing on his spot, all traces of sleep gone.

With a final pull Jongdae manages to make Yixing get up and lead them towards the bathroom.

Why are you so difficult in the morning? Jongdae can only huff at Yixing who is left without a choice but to trail after him. The only thing that he gets is a laugh and Jongdae doesn't need to turn around to know that Yixing's eyes are twinking and the dimple in his cheek is showing; his heart skips a beat regardless.

ii.

from: Xing (Thursday, 09:10)

what is Bruce Lee's favorite drink?

to: Xing (Thursday, 09:12)

oh, no.

from: Xing (Thursday, 09:15)

Wataaaaaah!

two fishes are in a tank. what does the one say to the other?

to: Xing (Thursday, 09:18)

yixing, i'm at work. not again

from: Xing (Thursday, 09:20)

"how do you drive this thing?"

what do you call a big pile of kittens?

to: Xing (Thursday, 09:28)

please, yixing. go bother yifan

from: Xing (Thursday, 09:31)

a meowtain!! :D

yifan is no fun :(

to: Xing (Thursday, 09:32)

well i'm at work. you should be working too

from: Xing (Thursday, 09:34)

but i'm booooreeed! < (( - . - )) >

what shoes does ninjas wear?

to: Xing (Thursday, 09:38)

then go to work and you won't be bored.

from: Xing (Thursday, 09:43)

sneakers! haha

come on, tell me you're not laughing at these

to: Xing (Thursday, 09:44)

i'm not laughing at these

from: Xing (Thursday, 09:45)

you're lying

to: Xing (Thursday, 09:45)

maybe

iii.

"Damn!" Jongdae exclaims as he looks at the batch of muffins in the oven. He saw the recipe book and his result doesn't resemble the pictures from the book pages even in the slightest. His muffins look in the wrong color and shape, like an ugly little balls of food with a questionable quality. Jongdae sighs and turns towards the messy counter where all the needed ingredients stand, waiting to be mixed together and made into a mouthwatering pastry. But unfortunately for Jongdae he has no cooking sense whatsoever and that would explain the mess that is the kitchen in the moment.

He wanted to surprise Yixing, since both of them have a sweet tooth, and bake something. He took Yixing's recipe book (that Yixing doesn't really need because he knows the recipes by heart) and browsed until saw a recipe that seemed simple enough for a newbie like Jongdae. He was wrong, though. He realized it when the mix wasn't looking quite right from the whole beginning. Jongdae thought everything would smooth itself out after baking, but apparently in the world of baking things didn't work that way.

The bowl with the mix for the second row of muffins was standing in the middle of the mess, as if mocking Jongdae for his inability to make something as simple as this. Jongdae reads the recipe once again, mentally checking the things that he's pretty sure that he did correctly; then he moves towards the counter, slightly wincing at the bits of mix that somehow had landed on the counter. He grabs the cup and carefully fills it with sugar, bottom lip caught between his teeth.

"Jongdae?"

Jongdae startles and almost drops the cup, turning around to the source of the noise. One glance at the clock tells him that he had spent simply too much time for baking, more than the time calculated by him, that is.

Yixing is standing at the door leading to the kitchen, curiousity evident in his eyes as he takes all the surroundings. There's a tense minute of silence before Yixing burst into laughter, putting a hand on his mouth to try and muffle the giggles that are escaping. Jongdae isn't amused at all, not when he is pretty sure he has chocolate on his clothes, flour in his hair and his hands are sticky with something he can't identify.

"Yixing!" Jongdae says, trying to sound offended. He doesn't know whether to feel that way, to laugh or to grip his hair from frustration, because the surprise is completely ruined. He wants to fight the smile that breaks across his face, he really does, but when he imagines how he'd look from another point of view combined with Yixing's twinkling laughter from the other side of the room Jongdae knows that he had failed. He still stomps his leg, saving at least a little of his pride that is left.

It doesn't take long before Yixing calms down and moves forward, still inspecting everything with wonder. He stops in front of Jongdae and rests his hands on the other's hip, smiling at him.

"What did you do?"

Jongdae shuffles on place, his fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. But under Yixing's gaze he soon admits his whole plan, including how the whole kitchen went this messy. Yixing looks at the bowl and then bends to look at the oven and the batch of muffins in it.

"Well, it isn't that bad," he says and looks at another, smaller bowl filled with chocolate frosting. He dips his index finger in it and the substance off his finger, making appreciative noises. Jongdae is rendered speechless, only able to watch and (not that he'll ever admit it) blush at Yixing's noises. "Look at it from the bright side, you managed to make the frosting."

Jongdae grumbles and shakes his head, making a dust of flour.

"Yeah, a thing that a kid from the middle school can do," he says and pouts at the counter, the whole surface piled with proof for his failure. Yixing moves closer and puts one of his hands around Jongdae's waits, bringing them closer; with the other hand he wipes a little chocolate from Jongdae's forehead.

"You did great," Yixing is quick to reassure. "This is your first time baking muffins, isn't it?"

A nod.

"The first time isn't always a successful one. I promise the next time would be better," Yixing says and plants a kiss to Jongdae's cheekbone. "You're perfect, you know that?"

Jongdae blushes and holds Yixing's biceps, slightly standing on his tiptoes. Yixing chuckles and kisses Jongdae's brow.

"Now, why don't we put this frosting to good use, hmm? And the next time we're going to do it together."

On the next day Jongdae finds a wrapped up object on his desk. He hurriedly unwraps the paper and finds a book in it.

Baking for Dummies.