@prdigl / surprise ! 🎂 🎉
THE KITCHENETTE IS . . . a mess, to put it nicely. the small, cramped space is dusted over with several layers of flour, littered with bits of eggshell, and splattered with runaway batter from the secondhand mixer — operating that had been the easiest part, mind you — but it’s the fruit of her labor that is truly something to behold; all things considered, anyway. are you sure you don’t need a hand, dear? the kindly old woman at the local convenience store had asked earlier, and though she’d been perfectly polite about it, it’d been painfully clear she’d had no confidence in rey’s abilities at all, likely judging by how utterly useless she’d been in the aisles. mechanic she is, baker she is most definitely not — but determined and just a touch spiteful? oh, that she’s definitely always been.
the proof is all in the way her skin and clothes are streaked with the many ingredients she’s since spilled, frosting and food coloring staining whatever else remains untouched by them — but for a girl who has never had more than a microwave and a hot plate at her disposal, rey reckons she’s done alright. they’re currently camped out in a bloody motel, even; surely she’s done MORE than alright with what she’s got. and oh, the cake, his cake, is definitely one of her . . . less monstrous kitchen creations, glazed strawberries ( or some overly sweet attempt at them, no doubt ) decorating the pretty platter it rests upon.
she brushes a few stray strands from her forehead, only all too aware of the fact she’s practically smearing all that hadn’t made it into the mix across her face — but it hardly seems to matter now, dollops of whipped cream arranged in a shaky circle around the edges, the rest shoved between layers of spongy yellow shortcake. all in all, the end result is a bit messy, but it looks promising taste - wise, at least. should she be mistaken, however, she’s not such a picky eater that she can’t put it all away herself and make sure none goes to waste. hopefully, though, that won’t be the case — it’s ben’s birthday, after all.
ben, who chooses that moment to stumble into the room, announcing his presence with an ever familiar thunk against the door frame and a low curse. dark curls are windswept and pale, freckled cheeks are flushed, and surely this is not what he had hoped to return to — but suddenly, all the mess seems worthwhile for a shot at coaxing that crooked grin from him. who’s making you go to all this trouble? the older woman had pressed, fondly amused, bright, mirthful eyes crinkling at the corners. is it a someone special?
she hadn’t answered the woman then, frazzled as she’d been between buying ingredients on a time crunch and having a stranger pry into her feelings, but now she supposes the answer is . . . yes. he’s a someone and he’s special, but that said, she might be a tiny bit more fond of him beyond that. just a bit.
enough that the front desk will almost certainly charge them for damages done to this room, but again, worth it.
“ you said this one was your favorite, yeah? ” rey presents the shortcake to him, nudging it across the counter in his direction, hopeful trepidation in her eyes as she offers up a fork soon after. across the top in bright green frosting, the cake simply reads happy birthday, strawberries haphazardly arranged in the negative space left around the letters. it would seem, for all her artistic ability, she’s much better at simple pencil sketches than entire cake decorating, no surprise there — so maybe he’ll like her gift to him later, at least. now though, it just occurs to her that something vital is missing: CANDLES.
“ —— shit. ” she breathes, lips parting in mild distress. “ wait — don’t try it yet! ” rey warns, her mildly panicked gaze sweeping across the room. she’s not celebrated someone else’s birthday like this, much less her own, but she knows enough to want to do this right by ben ( she’s almost positive he would do the same for her, anyway ). matches, matches — she’s sure they have some — ah! she deftly strikes one, two, three, four — before pausing at five, half afraid she might burn down the place otherwise ( but also the cake, more importantly ). “ there. ” relieved shoulders loosen once the matches have been successfully wiggled into place, hazel eyes quietly triumphant as rey steps away, satisfied. “ happy birthday, ben, ” she wishes in a warm voice, before elbowing him lightly, “ —— make a wish. ”
he deserves to, she thinks; after all, he’s already made so many of hers come true — even ones she hadn’t realized she’d ever made. when he turns that smile of his on her, the sight followed by a deep, goofy chuckle, rey has half a mind to wonder when seeing that became one of them.
then again, she imagines it was long before they ever even hit the five mile marker.
