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It was Reiner’s birthday, and you were determined to give him the best one he’s ever had.
You knew he loved vanilla butter cake, so you called his mother to ask for the recipe. When she texted it over to you, you scrolled past the ingredients and instructions, which you obviously didn’t follow a hundred per cent.
“Please, how hard can it be? You throw in some flour, a few eggs, sugar, butter, milk…” you thought to yourself. “It’ll be easy!”
It wasn’t.
The cake you have been working on for the past two hours was burning in the oven. Smoke emitted from its crevices, and you quickly went over to turn the oven off, opening it to be greeted by even more smoke.
“Fuck!” you cursed out loud, grabbing a pair of oven mitts and putting them on before you took the cake out from the oven.
Your attempt to clear the smoke by flapping your arms aimlessly was futile and you hurriedly brought the cake to the kitchen counter. What was supposed to be a simple vanilla butter cake… wasn’t a simple vanilla butter cake. It didn’t even look like a cake.
Frustrated, you let out a sigh and slumped on the counter, burying your face in your hands. You glanced up at the clock on the wall and your heart sank when you realised that Reiner would be home anytime soon. You had planned on surprising Reiner with the cake, but you sadly realised that you couldn’t do that now.
Just as you predicted, the door opened, signifying Reiner’s return, and you straightened yourself up as you tried to come up with a way to not disappoint your boyfriend on his birthday.
“There you are!” he smiled when he saw you, but his smile faltered when he saw the look on your face. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” he asked, approaching you but his nose was immediately hit by the smell of burnt cake. “What did you—”
He glanced at the cake, and you looked down as your shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry,” you said softly. “I tried to bake you a cake as a surprise but…” You gestured at the burnt cake as if to emphasise your point. You suddenly felt like you weren’t worthy of being around him as you realised how messy you looked with your dishevelled hair and flour-stained clothes.
You looked up at Reiner, expecting disappointment, but to your surprise he was smiling at you. “What are you so happy about? I just ruined your cake—I tried so hard—” you said, lips trembling as the frustration started to bubble up, manifesting itself into tears. “I even called your mom to get the recipe for your favourite cake and—”
Reiner pulled you into a warm embrace, holding you close to him. “The fact that you even took the time to bake me a cake is more than I could ask for,” he said, smiling softly as he pulled back slightly to gently wipe your tears.
You looked into his golden eyes, sniffling softly. “I just wanted you to have a nice birthday, Rei.”
He chuckled softly. “Sweetheart, being with you is already the best way I could spend my birthday.” He smiled at you again as he leaned in to kiss you lovingly, gently cupping your jaw with both hands. You eagerly returned the kiss, melting into his embrace.
Reiner always knew how to make you feel better and it only reminded you of how much you love him—and how you’re falling even more in love with him every day.
After spending a few moments kissing, he slowly pulled back and gently stroked your cheek with his thumb. “Wanna order takeout and watch crappy movies?” he smiled at you; his eyes full of love.
You laughed, bringing your hand up to gently play with his short blond hair. “Are you sure, baby? It’s your birthday. We can go someplace nice.”
“I just want to spend it with you at home. Is that okay?”
You smiled at him and nodded, your hand gently caressing his cheek. “That’s more than okay.”
He smiled and leaned in to kiss you again, which you happily returned. “Happy birthday, Rei,” you said when you pulled away, looking at him adoringly. “I love you so much.”