Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

11 PM.

Unlike Zayne who was snuggling in his blanket, Sylus’s day had just begun.

He turned from the mirror. Climbing back to bed so he could lay on top of Zayne. He didn’t care he’d get his clothes all wrinkled. Cuddling and kissing his boyfriend goodbye was a must.

“I’ll get going now,” said Sylus. Soft kisses all over Zayne’s cheek, making him laugh.

“Come over again tomorrow.”

“Hmm, why? Is there a… special occasion?”

“What do you mean, why?” Zayne clung his arms around Sylus’s shoulders. “I don’t need any special occasion to spend time with my boyfriend.”

Sylus let out a chuckle. “Well, then. Lucky for you, your boyfriend can clear his schedule anytime he wants,” he nuzzled Zayne’s nose. “So he can keep you company for the rest of your vacation.”

“Then why can’t you clear it now?”

“Hmm. I think it’s best for me to be away for a bit, so you’ll have time to do everything else.”

“Alright.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow night,” Sylus muttered to Zayne’s ear. “Can’t wait to see what you’ll prepare for me, sweetie.”

Zayne rolled his eyes out of endearment. Their lips met for the last kiss. Only then, Sylus was finally willing to leave.

Sitting up, Zayne leaned against the headboard while grabbing the cup of tea from the nightstand. Took a few sips while texting on his phone.

Normal surprises had never worked on Sylus.

Either he was terrible at hiding secrets, or Sylus was just really good at finding them, every time Zayne tried to prepare a surprise, it never ended well. So he never hid anything from him again. Instead, he would directly tell Sylus he was preparing something and ask him to look away until he finished.

So yeah, Zayne knew that Sylus knew it was his birthday, and Zayne was going to give him a surprise. The what and how would be the exhilarating parts, and the ones that mattered.

He texted into the groupchat. Reminding everyone about the plan they would be executing tomorrow. In the middle of chatting, Zayne’s phone started to buzz.

“Sorry, I’m too lazy to type,” said Luke when Zayne answered the call. “But yes. We got an auction event, some meetings, Boss-man’s schedule is packed until like 9 in the morning.”

“After that?”

“Not sure. If there’s nothing else to do, he would just return to the base,” Kieran chimed in. “We’ll make sure to keep you updated.”

Zayne nodded along. “Good. I’ll need a lot of your help for this. Thank you.”

“You got it, Doctor Boss.”

Chapter Text

Kieran

Doctor Boss. We didn’t expect this, but Boss-Man went home early, and woke up at like 10 am.

You

Why?

Luke

He’s now exiting N109 Zone. But don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye on him.

You

👌

Zayne pocketed his phone. Weird, it wasn’t every day his boyfriend had a busy morning. After a normal sleeping schedule too, much to his surprise.

He pressed his door’s passcode and entered his house. Replacing his shoes with house slippers when a voice welcomed him.

“Did you get it?”

“I couldn’t find the patterned ones, so I bought the plain colors instead,” Zayne took out the ribbon rolls out of his shopping bag. “Is this okay?”

Rafayel inspected the decorative ribbons. Stretching one out of its roll while tilting his head. “Oh, this is perfect. Thank you Zayne,” he then went behind Zayne, pushing his shoulders forward. “Come see the product of our hard work.”

Since Rafayel hadn’t got an actual task for this birthday operation, he offered his help to decorate Zayne’s house, which Zayne was more than glad to accept. In the middle of tackling with balloons and banners, Rafayel told him they needed ribbons that matched their chosen theme. So Zayne made a quick errand to the supermarket.

Thanks to his friend’s elite artistic skill, his dining room was now a spring themed birthday venue. With sage green, pink, white and gold balloon arch. Matching napkins folded in various shapes. A huge birthday banner splayed across the wall. Complete with a cutout doodles of Sylus and Zayne in its corner.

“Rafayel, this is wonderful,” Zayne’s smile brightened. “And those flowers. Did you fold them yourselves?”

“I actually finished earlier. And I got bored, so,” Rafayel made some finishing touches on another paper flower before showing it to Zayne. “Doesn’t it scream ‘Sylus’? A little dark and broody but has a delicate shape— don’t tell him that, though.”

Zayne chuckled. “It’s perfect,” he placed the big shopping bag on top of the table and took out more items. “I got everyone coffee, by the way.”

The sight of fresh, cold iced coffee certainly brightened the artist’s mood. “Nice. Thanks, Zayne,” Rafayel grabbed a cup. Taking a few big sips while Zayne put the other seven cups into the fridge.

“So, what else did you prepare? What about food and cake?”

Rafayel stood up and began working on the ribbons. Cutting them up so he could tie it in between the balloons. Zayne propped his chin on his palm, “The bakery said they’ll deliver the cake at around 5 pm. Xavier is making cupcakes. Bentala and Caleb are in charge for the food—”

The sound of Rafayel choked on his coffee interrupted him.

“Wait, wait, wait,” lightly coughing, Rafayel turned around. “Did you just say Xavier’s making cupcakes?”

“Yes.”

Rafayel’s eyes slowly widened. He slapped a palm onto his mouth as he blurted something in a language Zayne could not really recognize. That was not a good sign.

“No wonder he didn’t answer any of my calls or texts! Why didn’t you just buy them?”

“I don’t know…? He offered and seemed enthusiastic.”

His answer only enhanced the dread in Rafayel’s expression. “Grab your keys. Let’s— you know what, I’ll drive. Zayne, we need to go. This is an emergency.”

Zayne had no idea what was going on. One moment his friend was dragging him out of the house, the next he found himself in the passenger seat. Rafayel driving his car in a speed he did not exactly approve, but was too confused to say anything.

As they arrived at Xavier’s apartment, Rafayel made him sprint into the elevator. Hastily waiting for them to reach the designated floor then to Xavier’s unit.

“Xav,” Rafayel’s knuckles rapped on the door. “Baby, are you in there?”

Zayne heard a faint ‘in a minute’ before the door was opened.

“I thought you guys are decorating,” Xavier stepped aside, allowing the other two to come in.

“We have,” Rafayel circled his arm around Xavier’s waist. Softly kissing his cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re making cupcakes? I could’ve helped.”

The gesture earned a sheepish smile from the blond. “It’s okay. I didn’t need assistance. You guys came in perfect timing, I just finished making the first batch. Wanna try?”

Zayne saw Rafayel glancing at him. While he looked a lot calmer, Zayne could still sense a hint of warning behind his eyes. Zayne had yet to understand what worried his friend so much.

“That would be lovely.”

They followed Xavier to his kitchen. The warm and pleasant scent of vanilla had Zayne slightly salivate. He also smelled a little bit of fruit. Maybe pineapple? Zayne didn’t recall requesting any flavor or toppings, but it smelled divine so he was sure he and Sylus would love it.

Xavier picked a cupcake off the tray and handed it to Zayne. Yellow and white cream swirled with half a cherry on top. It looked promising. Full of anticipation, Zayne pushed the side of the wrapper down and took a bite.

Like he predicted, it was a vanilla and pineapple cupcake. While the flavor was quite good, Zayne wished Xavier add a little bit more salt to balance the sweetness.

Also, a cupcake should not be crunchy.

Chapter Text

The more Zayne chewed, the more he could taste the burnt bitterness from the cake. He darted his gaze towards Rafayel, who was trying so hard to hold his smile. The ‘I told you so’ look was too apparent in his face.

“I know I put the fire too high, so they’re a little over baked but, is it that…bad?”

Over baked was an understatement.

“Well… it’s—“

Zayne felt a little guilty his reaction was too noticeable, he wasn’t able to sugarcoat his words before Xavier grabbed one cupcake himself. But from the way Xavier’s face scrunched up the second he bit into it, Zayne didn’t need to.

“I see,” said Xavier. His mouth curled as he forced himself to swallow. “Well, it’s a good thing I made enough batter for two batches.”

With a chuckle, Rafayel clicked his bracelet open, placing it on to the counter before he started rolling his sleeves. “Let me help, yeah?”

“Okay.”

Well, it was also a good thing Rafayel got panicked and rushed them here. Or else they would’ve had burnt crunchy cupcakes for the party (though to be honest, Zayne was sure Sylus would have a hell of a good laugh). Zayne was about to offer his assistance when he remembered something.

“Xavier, have you heard anything from downstairs?”

“No,” Xavier scooped the batter from the bowl and carefully put it in the wrappers. Meanwhile, Rafayel had himself occupied with the mixer. The buzzing from the machine began to drown their voices so Xavier had to speak louder. “Haven’t seen their texts all day. I think they’re too busy cooking.”

Zayne checked his watch. “It’s only two hours before all of you should gather at my place. I’m gonna check on them.”

With the couple waving him goodbye, Zayne left Xavier’s apartment. He headed down the stairs while opening the batch of pictures Luke and Kieran had sent him. Sylus seemed to have a very busy morning, with the amount of places he’d visited. The first photo was Sylus having breakfast in a cafe. Then he was at the city park, rescuing a balloon stuck in between the tree branches. Though the next photo showed that he failed with the balloon popped and the little boy next to him cried. Next, Sylus was in front of a flower shop, smiling at the elderly woman who handed him a big flower bouquet.

Zayne couldn’t hold back his smile. Another thing about his beloved was that he never lets his efforts unappreciated. Even on his birthdays, the day he was supposed to be spoiled and loved, Sylus would also give Zayne a surprise of his own. Whether they were gifts or sweet gestures, insisting it was his way of thanking Zayne for celebrating his birthday with him.

Since then, every time Zayne prepared a celebration, a tiny part of his heart expected a reward. He blamed himself for dating such a giver. And the sweetest man alive.

At the lower floor, he vaguely heard an upbeat, jazz music from the door 1108, which turned quieter the second time Zayne knocked.

“Zayne!” Bentala sounded more surprised than pleased at his arrival. “You didn’t tell us you were coming.”

She wore a bright yellow apron with mini ducks patterned the fabric. Her hair a chaotic mess in a sad attempt of a ponytail. Concern tinged Zayne’s mind, wondering what his childhood friends prepared that made them this busy. He did warn them not to go overboard.

“I wasn’t planning to. But Rafayel brought me to Xavier’s so might as well,” He said. “Is everything okay?”

“It’s fine. We just pivoted from the menu plan a little bit,” standing by the counter, Caleb was rapidly chopping vegetables. “We’re going with western-eastern fusion, since someone forgot to defrost the steak.”

Meanwhile, Bentala had been walking back and forth. Grabbing things out of the oven then on to get more ingredients to the chopping board. “Stop rubbing it on me. That wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t— ugh, never mind.”

The way her face turned red was enough for Zayne to understood. He pretended he heard nothing.

“To be fair, I messed up too,” Caleb added with a grimace. “I thought we had enough pasta but by the time we realized we need more, it was too late to go to the supermarket. Traffic at this hour is atrocious.”

“Yeah, so we screwed up just a teeny tiny bit. But don’t worry, Zayne. Our plan to make Sylus thinks this is a gourmet catering can still go on. We won’t let you dow— CALEB, THE SAUCE.”

“SORRY.”

Bentala frantically ran to the stove.

“And I thought playing Overcooked with Xavier and Tara are stressful enough,” She sighed. Looking like she couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry. “This is so much worse.”

“Should’ve settled with mashed potatoes, Pipsqueak. I’m not helping you layering those uneven potato slices.”

“Baby, I literally just saved your sauce from burning. I’ll turn you into mashed potatoes if you don’t help me out. Now come on!”

“Can’t do, Hon. I’m busy with my chicken wings over here—ow!”

Zayne felt a knot growing in his forehead. Even as grown adults, Bentala and Caleb still bickered exactly like when they were kids. And just like the old times, it was Zayne’s job to separate them. With his palms, he pushed their heads away. Creating enough distance to take Bentala’s hand off Caleb’s ear.

“I’ll help.”

Chapter Text

“Does this mean I can have another one after this?”

The boy’s eyes were twinkling at Sylus. His mouth covered in ice cream and rainbow sprinkles. Sylus gave the boy a small pat on top of his head. “Finish this one first.”

He nodded to the boy’s family then took his leave. Waving at several other people of various ages who echoed their thanks and praises. Normally, if he accidentally popped a child’s balloon while trying to retrieve them, he’d simply buy him another one. But today was a special day, his mood was too good to do something normal. So he’d approached the ice cream truck, buying every product sold so the seller could give free ice creams to every visitor of the park.

If Zayne were here, he would definitely tease Sylus for his action. Then he’d get stressed trying to choose what flavor should he get for his own ice cream. Sylus would bring them to one of the park’s benches. Enjoying the sweet treat and let the conversation flowed through until the sun set.

But right now, his beloved was busy preparing a surprise. A lovely celebration that would fill Sylus’s heart once more. So while he was anticipating for what was coming tonight, Sylus made a few quick errands himself.

As a good boyfriend, he wanted to give Zayne a little something in return.

The Red Petals was the perfect choice.

Not only it was walking distance from the park, it was also located next to a chocolate store called Cocoa Atelier. Sylus appreciated their marketing strategy, for these two stores must’ve filled to the brim on every Valentine’s Day.

The flower shop was small, with only one elder woman standing by, whom Sylus assumed was the shopkeeper.

“Your lady is incredibly lucky.”

Sylus watched the shopkeeper tied a gleaming blue ribbon around the bouquet. She made it look so seamless. A graceful, pristine shape of a bow in one go. Truly the work of hands with decades of experience.

“No.”

It wasn’t long for her to catch on. She nodded, “A gentleman, then.”

By the way Sylus’s smile widened, she knew she was right this time. After Sylus tapped his card, the Shopkeeper ripped the receipt coming out of its machine.

“You see, this set of flowers represent respect, tender devotion, and eternal love,” the Shopkeeper continued. “Rather than letting them rot in a boring vase, I’d much prefer you make something out of them. Potpourris, candles, soaps, anything. Love isn’t just a beauty to be displayed. It seeps in everything we have, everything we can sense, making life just a little bit sweeter.”

The sudden drop of wisdom caught Sylus off-guard. The Shopkeeper’s words made him think of Zayne. The first time he spent a night at his place, Sylus had woken up to Zayne pacing around the room. Hair sticking out of his head and eyes squinting hard as he searched for his glasses. Mumbling something about him running out of milk and hazelnut syrup. Ever since that, without him knowing, Sylus had grown fond of the morning sun.

A wave of warmth cradled his heart.

“Yes, ma’am.”

After carefully placing the bouquet and a box of chocolate truffles in the passenger seat, Sylus drove to the last destination for the day. A cafe near Akso Hospital him and Zayne frequently visited. There was quite a line, but so long as the raspberry macarons were still on the display, Sylus didn’t mind taking his time.

“Skye!”

He hadn’t heard that name in a minute. Sylus looked over his shoulder. Bentala’s teammates, Tara and Captain Jenna just left their table. Making their way towards Sylus.

“Hello. It’s been awhile.”

“It truly is. How are you?”

“I’m doing well, thank you,” Sylus stepped forward as the cashier welcomed the next customer. “I saw Tara’s Moment Post last night, did you..?”

With an excited squeal, Tara lifted her hand. Showing the diamond ring enveloped her finger. Jenna let out a giggle and did the same gesture to show Sylus the matching ring. Their excitement amused him.

“Congratulations,” he said. They accompanied him in queue for the next few minutes. Sylus asked how their proposal went, with Tara admitting it was a complete mess and they both ugly cried the second Jenna went on her knees. Then Jenna got embarrassed and shifted the topic to Sylus’s (Skye’s) fruit business. They ended their small life update with them promising each other to do another get-together with the rest of the UNICORN team. As the couple went towards the door, Sylus couldn’t move his eyes on the rings between their intertwined fingers. The way the diamonds gleamed under the cafe’s soft golden light.

“Next customer, please.”

Only then did Sylus find himself at the end of the queue. The cashier’s annoyed tone pressing on every word indicated he’d been calling for awhile. Sylus apologized and quickly made his order. Not wanting to hold the line any longer.

Chapter Text

5.30 pm

The sound of car’s engine being shut off had the birthday crew scrambling around. Xavier carefully set down the charcuterie board. Stealing the smallest slice of cheddar and a cracker and shoved it to his mouth behind Caleb’s back. Luke was busy holding Mephisto down who cawed wildly at his owner’s arrival. Meanwhile, after her seventh attempt, Bentala managed to lit the candles and protected them with her hands while Kieran carried the cake to the living room where they all gathered.

The moment Sylus opened the front door. Caleb, Rafayel, and Zayne cracked the party popper. Everyone said in unison,

“Surprise!”

Their enthusiasm was met with awkward silence. The hype died down the second it started. From the dapper suit he was wearing, the large flower bouquet and the boxes of sweets, Sylus looked more than ready for a celebration. As the confetti swirled down to his head and shoulders, the man stood still. Frowning hard.

“I’m sorry, I’m confused.”

Zayne watched his friends exchanged glances. The tension in the air thickened. Sylus’s gaze met his, demanding for an explanation, which Zayne could only respond with raised brows. What was there to explain?

Sylus examined his friends one by one, now equally confused and hesitant to make any move. With a sigh, Sylus placed everything he’d been holding to a drawer next to him. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m only dating one man here.”

“We know?”

“Then why are you guys here?”

“To… celebrate?”

Sylus’s face scrunched up even more. “Why?”

Zayne looked at the bouquet and the chocolate box and the macarons. It finally clicked on him.

“Darling,” he said gently. Trying so hard to stifle his laugh. “Our anniversary is next month. Today is your birthday.”

It was then Sylus noticed what was written on the cake. The frown on his face turned into a huge smile. Cackling so hard his head was thrown back.

“I guess I am getting old, huh.”

Cheers and laughs exploded in the air. Brightening the room once again. Zayne wrapped his boyfriend in a hug, giving him a light kiss on the cheek while his friends brought the birthday cake closer to them.

“Did you not read the banner over there??? Or the cake?”

“Damn, happy birthday, grandpa.”

“I should’ve bought glasses for a gift. And a walking cane.”

“You should start making your phone fonts bigger.”

“Ha ha. Very funny. Continue while Grandpa eats all of your dinner portions.”

“HEY.”

Two years ago, Sylus thought getting birthday wishes from Luke and Kieran for the entire month was enough of a celebration. Then his beloved came to his life, bringing colors and joy he’d never thought he could experience. Tonight, Zayne surrounded Sylus with friends. As if reminding him that he wasn’t the only company Sylus had. They made dinner and bought him presents. Throwing jokes and sharing fun.

To have his existence celebrated instead of feared. To be welcomed with open arms. Sylus wasn’t going to lie, it felt nice.

A part of him had yet to accept he deserved this, but that didn’t matter.

He was happy.

“Who the hell paired cheese with gummy worms?”

“Don’t knock it until you try it. Even Zayne said it’s good!”

“It’s an interesting combo.”

“You can literally dip bitter gourd into sugar and simple syrup and Zayne would love it. Respectfully, I don’t trust him.”

“Hahaha, fine. Let the birthday boy decide, then!”

Sylus sneaked a glance at Zayne, who argued that he had his own standards for sweets. Then proved his point by grabbing a cheese slice and a gummy worm out of the packet Rafayel brought and fed it to Sylus. The salty and artificial sweet combination had Sylus made a face that sparked another endless debate.

Between the endearing chaos, Sylus drew back to his own space. Slipping one hand into his pocket. The small, velvet ring box felt soft under his fingertips. His gaze hadn’t left Zayne who was laughing at their friends’ antics.

Well, Sylus did have an extra month to prepare, but his heart had never been so sure.