Work Text:
Riku stares at the recipe on his phone, staring and staring until the screen eventually goes dark. He leaves it like that for a few seconds, before hopelessly putting his phone down and glancing around the kitchen. His eyes settle particularly long on the clumpy block of chocolate dough sitting on the tray, a sad, misshapen thing that looks nothing like what he had seen in the recipe.
That is supposed to be brownies.
He swallows down the urge to cry and picks up his phone again, scrolling back through the instructions and reading every single step from the beginning. Maybe he missed something and can still fix it. Never mind, he can just start again. There are still another two hours before Sion gets home anyway, which should be more than enough time if he stops messing things up.
It’s their two hundred days together. After their hundredth day, they had promised each other they wouldn’t celebrate things like this too grandly, mostly because they’d both somehow ended up getting each other Chrome Hearts the first time around, and neither of them wanted to keep going down that path every hundred days. Sion had laughed and said they should just keep things simple from then on, and Riku had agreed because, honestly, he didn’t need anything extravagant either. He isn’t even trying to make today into some huge occasion. He just wants to bake brownies for his boyfriend because Sion has been mentioning the dessert for the past two weeks, apparently coming across it on video reels and wondering aloud about how good they actually are. Sion never really asks for it, never outright says that he wants one, but Riku figures it wouldn’t hurt to make them for him today.
Except he can’t even fucking get it right.
Still, he starts over. He measures the ingredients again, carefully this time, checking the measurements twice before adding anything into the bowl. He reaches for the flour, slowly pouring it in while keeping his eyes on the recipe, but then his elbow catches the whipped cream bottle sitting beside him. It tips over, knocking against the counter, and before he can grab it, it hits the edge of the bowl hard enough to send the whole thing tumbling onto the floor. Flour scatters everywhere, covering the tiles and dusting the front of his clothes in white.
“Man…”
He blinks when he feels that familiar lump forming in his throat again, quickly looking away as though that alone might stop his eyes from watering. He crouches down and starts gathering the flour with his hands, wiping at the mess even though he knows he should probably just throw it all away and start over again.
God, can he even do this?
-
Sion opens the glass door, a little bell chiming above his head as he steps inside. He smiles at the florist and bows politely, telling her that he’s going to look around first before wandering further into the shop.
A couple of pink and white tulips catch his eye almost immediately, and he smiles to himself as he imagines Riku’s reaction if he comes home with them. Riku had mentioned once, rather casually, that he had never received a bouquet before meeting Sion, who had brought him one on their very first day together. It has been a while since Sion last bought him one, especially now that they’ve been living together for the past two months. People around them have been telling Sion that he and Riku are moving rather quickly by moving in together, but Sion always just tells them that he knows better what’s best for them.
Riku and him had simply clicked in all the right places the moment their eyes met. It sounds like something out of a Disney romance, a story that is almost too ridiculous to believe, but Sion knows it’s true.
Even their first meeting was magical, he’d say.
It had been raining heavily that afternoon, and Sion had just finished lunch. The walk back to his office wasn’t even ten minutes, but he didn’t have an umbrella and definitely didn’t want to spend the rest of the day sitting in a wet suit. He waited under the restaurant awning for another ten minutes, watching the rain show no signs of letting up before finally thinking, fuck it. Just run.
He had barely stepped out when he lifted a hand, preparing to use it to shield his head from the rain, when someone suddenly shoved an umbrella into his hands.
Sion turned towards the person and was immediately left breathless.
The guy was covered in jewellery, earrings and necklaces catching against his clothes, and there was something effortlessly cool about him that made Sion forget about the rain altogether. He was pretty, too, in a way that Sion found himself staring at for a second longer than he probably should have.
“Don’t run, sir. You might fall. Have a good day.”
The guy smiled, his eyes disappearing into crescents as his whole face softened with the expression, before turning around and walking away with his own umbrella.
Sion didn’t hesitate. He opened the umbrella and hurried after him, catching up just before the guy could disappear into the crowd.
“Wait. What’s your name? I’ll pay you back later.”
The guy only waved his hand over his shoulder, already walking away.
“Maeda Riku! See you soon!”
And then he was gone.
Sion remained standing in the rain with the umbrella still in his hand, staring after him for a moment before realizing that he hadn’t even introduced himself.
“Oh Sion is my name…”
It was only the next day that Sion found Riku again at the same restaurant, and somehow, from there, the rest became history.
Now, back in the present, Sion stares at the tulips for another few seconds, imagining them sitting on the kitchen counter at home, and more importantly, imagining Riku’s face when he sees them.
He smiles.
“I’ll take these.”
Sion contemplates whether he should knock and pretend to be a delivery guy to surprise Riku or simply let himself into the house. Work had finished earlier than expected, and he didn’t bother texting Riku about it because he knew the younger would be home anyway. Besides, he figures the surprise would be more fun if Riku didn’t know he was coming back early.
He hides the bouquet behind his back as he turns the knob, frowning a little when the door opens without the usual greeting. Normally, Riku would hear him coming home and immediately poke his head out from wherever he was, but perhaps he’s listening to music this time. Sion closes the door as quietly as he can before tiptoeing down the hallway, trying his best to continue his little mission without being caught.
He halts when he hears something clanking around in the kitchen.
Okay. So Riku is in the kitchen.
Sion peeks around the wall and immediately raises his eyebrows.
Is Riku baking…?
The state of the kitchen makes the answer fairly obvious. There is flour scattered across the counter and floor, bowls sitting in places they probably shouldn’t be, and what looks like a suspicious amount of chocolate smeared across one of the trays. Sion has to bite back a laugh at the sight, deciding that whatever Riku is doing, he’ll let him have his little surprise.
“Riku?” he calls.
He watches as Riku’s entire body flinches at the sound of his voice before slowly turning around, looking absolutely horrified to see him standing there. His hair is a complete mess, as though he’s run his hands through it one too many times, his clothes are stained, and there’s even a streak of flour dusted across his cheek.
“Hyung… what are you doing here?”
With the bouquet still hidden behind his back, Sion rests his free hand on his hip and gives him an incredulous look. “Well, this is also my house, you know. What are you doing?”
As if he’d completely forgotten what he was doing in the first place, Riku’s eyes go comically wide. He immediately turns around and starts trying to hide the evidence, pushing things around on the counter with urgency.
Sion laughs under his breath and walks closer, finally bringing the bouquet out from behind his back.
“Tada.”
Riku, who had been hurriedly wiping down the counter, suddenly stops. His eyes fall onto the bouquet of pink and white tulips, and for a moment, he doesn’t move at all. It feels like a thousand years before he finally lifts his gaze from the flowers and looks at Sion.
Sion’s smile slowly fades. Why are his eyes watery?
“Baby?”
The younger shakes his head quickly and turns back to the counter, wiping it even harder. He doesn’t even reach for the bouquet.
Sion blinks. Did he just get rejected? He glances down at the flowers before looking back at Riku, then tries again, his voice softer this time.
“Baby? What’s up?”
Riku only turns his face away when Sion takes a step closer. When Sion tries to follow, Riku moves further away, busying himself with washing his hands at the sink instead.
Something is definitely wrong.
Sion’s eyebrows furrow as he looks around the kitchen properly for the first time. His eyes land on the two trays sitting on top of the stove, both of them looking… well, not quite good.
He looks back at Riku. “Baby, were you baking that?”
Again, the younger turns his back to him.
Sion’s frown deepens. He sets the bouquet down on the counter before walking over and gently turning Riku around by the shoulders. He expects the younger to complain or pull away again, but instead, Riku simply keeps his eyes fixed on the floor.
“Riku?” Sion tries. “Talk to hyung?”
Riku bites down on his lower lip, but it does nothing to stop the way it trembles. So he immediately cups Riku’s face with both hands, gently tilting his chin up until he has no choice but to look at him.
“Hi, love.”
The younger’s face immediately crumples.
Sion shushes him, pulling him tightly into his arms as Riku hides his face against his shoulder, his fingers curling into the back of Sion’s shirt as if he needs something to hold onto.
“It’s okay,” Sion whispers into his hair, swaying them gently from side to side while rubbing his back in slow, comforting strokes. “You can tell me what happened later, alright?”
Riku only cries harder. His shoulders shake beneath Sion’s hands, the sobs coming out so suddenly and heavily that for a moment, Sion almost worries he’s panicking. He holds him tighter, letting Riku cry against him until the younger finally manages to speak through his hiccups.
“Hyung is too nice,” Riku sobs. “I-I don’t deserve you.”
“Don’t say that.” Sion shakes his head, pressing his cheek against Riku’s hair. “Only you deserve me.”
Riku shakes his head stubbornly against his shoulder. “No, I don’t. I can’t do anything right.”
“Such as?”
That only makes Riku sob harder, so Sion eventually pulls away just enough to look at him. Riku lets him, although he keeps his head bowed, tears still slipping down his cheeks as he struggles to get the words out.
“I-I just wanted to bake brownies for you,” he finally sobs. “And it—it didn’t go well.”
“Really?” Sion asks softly, wiping the tears from his cheeks even though more immediately take their place. His heart warms at the realisation. “You were baking for hyung?”
The younger nods.
Sion has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling too widely.
Maeda Riku is the cutest person alive, really.
He keeps wiping his tears away until Riku eventually calms down, leaving him sniffling and hiccupping quietly. His nose is red, as though someone has been pinching it, and his cheeks are flushed from crying. He still refuses to look at Sion, so Sion gently nudges his chin upwards. “Look at me, baby.”
When he lifts his eyes, Sion smiles, unable to resist the mischievous little grin pulling at his lips. “I love you.”
Riku immediately starts crying again.
This time, Sion doesn’t even bother hiding his laughter.
The younger wipes his own tears away, clearly frustrated as he pouts at him. “That makes me sad.”
“Don’t be.” Sion reaches for the bouquet he left on the counter and holds it out towards him. “This one is for my beautiful boyfriend.”
Riku looks down at the flowers, still pouting so hard that Sion can’t help but giggle. He leans forward and kisses his cheek, resulting a whine from the other.
So Sion kisses the other cheek.
“Hyung…”
Another kiss to his forehead.
“Stop…”
And another one to his lips.
Riku tries to hide his face again, but Sion follows him, peppering kisses wherever he can reach while Riku squirms and whines beneath him.
“S-stop making fun of me.”
“Uh-huh. I’m not.”
Riku finally peeks at him and gives him a glare that is supposed to be intimidating, but Sion doubles over laughing instead.
God, he looks so fucking adorable like that.
“Stop… meanie hyung…”
Sion only grins before leaning in again, peppering more kisses across his face until he lands an especially loud and obnoxious smooch on Riku’s right cheek.
“My baby who is crying because he can’t bake for life."
“Don’t tease me!”
Sion laughs, cupping the younger’s face between both hands, smiling so widely that his cheeks start to hurt.
“Happy two hundred days, baby.” His thumbs brush over Riku’s flushed cheeks. “Thank you for thinking about me and trying to bake for me. That information already makes me so touched.”
The younger looks like he might cry again, but this time he manages to hold it in. Instead, he lowers his face until his nose presses against the bouquet, breathing in the scent of the flowers before mumbling, “You’re annoying.”
Sion smiles.
“How can you get me a bouquet while being in a suit like that while I look like this?” Riku complains, gesturing vaguely at himself. “What are you? A prince?”
Sion hums thoughtfully. “And you’re my princess.”
Riku looks down at himself, then back at Sion with an unimpressed expression. “What princess looks like this?”
“I don’t know.” Sion pretends to think about it. “Cinderella?”
The other snorts.
“Cinderiku?”
Riku finally laughs, the sound small and breathless from all the crying. So Oh Sion instantly takes advantage of it, attacking his face with another barrage of kisses until Riku is laughing and trying to push him away, only for Sion to stop at his lips.
“I love you, baby.” He brushes their noses together, his smile softening. “Thank you. Really.”
Riku’s eyes soften as he looks at him, his fingers curling around the bouquet.
“I love you more…”
Sion doesn’t let him finish as he leans in and kisses him properly, warm and slow, smiling against his lips when Riku immediately melts into him.
(Later that day, before Riku can actually throw away the two supposedly edible batches of brownies, Sion sneakily steals a piece when the younger isn’t looking.
He pops it into his mouth without a second thought and halts mid chewing. Maybe he should have a second thought.
Because it is almost as hard as a rock.
Sion chews very carefully as he stares blankly ahead. He swallows with great difficulty, forcing himself not to make a face in case Riku somehow notices him from across the room.
Silently, he prays that Riku never, ever tries—or even thinks about trying—to bake again.
He loves his boyfriend very much. But he’s already perfect without a cooking slash baking skills, really. He can leave it to Sion, he is willing to do anything for the younger anyway.
And from this day forward, Sion makes a solemn promise to himself that he will never mention any desserts again.)