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Robert can smell burn as soon as he steps onto the driveway of The Mill, which is objectively pretty concerning, actually - he can’t see smoke, or flames, which is a relief, but the acrid smell of something burning is unmistakable, so there’s something very wrong and that something is happening inside of his flat, where he was really hoping to just go inside, lie down, and pretend today never happened.
Fat chance of that happening.
Robert’s had a shit day. It’s his birthday, but he had to go and cover a meeting for Jimmy in Manchester, setting off long before Aaron woke up, so Robert’s not so much as had a birthday kiss, and he’s mad about it. What’s the point in getting back together with the love of your life a few weeks before your birthday if you don’t get to spend said birthday in bed with him?
“Aaron?” the smell was worse, as Robert let himself into their flat, every window open, and Aaron fanning desperately at their oven. “Aaron, what’s happened?”
Aaron looks on the verge of tears, which immediately concerns Robert. “Oh my god, you’re home,” he practically whined, not sounding the slightest bit happy that Robert had managed to get home from Manchester hours before he was supposed to. Happy fucking birthday to him, eh?
“I can leave again, if you’re really not happy to see me?” Robert couldn’t keep the annoyance out of his voice. Did he mention he’d had a shit day?
“No, no - I was trying to do something nice, for your birthday,” Aaron sighed, discarding the tea-towel he’d been flapping about. Probably for the best - it wasn’t helping. He turned to face Robert, practically pouting. “I know you were annoyed that you had to cover that meeting today - so I wanted to make sure we could properly celebrate your birthday when you got home.”
Robert couldn’t help but soften. Aaron was the biggest - secret - softie he knew, and Robert was the person who got most benefit of his secretly soft ways. Things had been good, since they’d gotten back together - they talked more, now, they were a better version of Aaron-and-Robert, and Aaron himself had been more open, and affectionate than he ever had been before.
“Thank you,” he offered Aaron an encouraging smile. “Has it - has it gone a bit wrong, though?”
Aaron glared at him. “Obviously,” he snarked, and okay, Robert probably deserved that one. He yanked at the oven door, gesturing vaguely. “Ta-da. Happy birthday.”
Robert squinted at the burnt mess inside of the oven, swallowing a panic attack about the state of the very expensive oven he’d insisted on putting in their kitchen. He liked to cook - sue him. “Uh,” he inclined his head slightly. “What is it?”
Aaron banged his head against the side of the cupboard. “Chocolate cake,” he mumbled. “I tried to make you a chocolate cake - Vic gave me your mum’s recipe, n’all.”
Robert bit back a comment about how whatever was in the oven was probably an offence to his mother’s memory - that was a joke he could make later, when Aaron was less annoyed at himself. “Talk me through what you did, exactly,” he still hadn’t quite figured out what the fuck had happened to cause the mess in their oven.
“I followed the recipe!” Aaron defended, waving a hand at the stack of dishes in the sink, having clearly used every bowl, spoon and measuring jug in the house to make a cake. “Vic said it was simple - I couldn’t mess it up.”
Robert glanced back to the fully blackened oven. “That might have been a bit optimistic of her,” he couldn’t quite help himself. Vic should have known better, really - Aaron’s cooking skills were limited to the best bacon he’d ever had in his life, and a stellar Yorkshire pudding, but that was about it.
He stepped a little closer, squinting at the mess in the oven. “Did you cook it in my nice plastic dish, Aaron?”
“What, the blue one?”
“Yeah, the blue one.”
Aaron winced. “This might be where I have to admit I didn’t know that was plastic,” he had the decency to look ashamed, at least.
“Aaron! That’s for salads - not for baking. No wonder it smells like a science experiment gone wrong in here!”
“Look - in my defence, I couldn’t figure out how the stupid cake things worked. I had to make a second batch of batter because when I poured it in, and picked it up, there was no bottom on it!”
Robert only now noticed the chocolate cake mix on the floor, the side of a springform tin dumped by the sink. “It’s a springform! It comes in separate parts, it’s supposed to be like that.”
Aaron raised an eyebrow. “What the fuck is a springform?”
“The tin that you - no, never mind,” Robert wrinkled his nose, looking at the oven again. “I think you might have ruined the oven, Aaron,” he really couldn’t see how the oven could be saved from the melted plastic mess inside of it.
Aaron grimaced. “Yeah - I thought that might be the case,” he sighed. “I’m sorry, Rob - I just wanted to do something nice for you.”
He sounded so downcast, Robert couldn’t possibly stay annoyed about the state of their oven. Aaron had made an effort, and it had clearly gone terribly wrong, but Robert had to appreciate the effort all the same. It was sweet, even if Aaron had created toxic chemicals out of chocolate cake.
“Thank you, for making the effort,” Robert pulled Aaron into his arms, giving Aaron a genuine smile. “I really appreciate it. Even if you did cause a chemical incident.”
Aaron snorted, rolling his eyes. “You’re an arsehole,” he paused. “I am sorry. I wanted you to have a nice birthday - and now we’ve got this to sort.”
Robert glanced at the oven, inspiration striking. Liv was away, visiting her mum, it wasn’t their night with Seb - they had a free house, and no reason to stay. Probably best not to stay, given the whole, burnt plastic situation. “Do we have to sort it out today?”
Aaron looked confused.
“What if - what if we book a hotel, last minute, somewhere nice - and we can order in room service, and you can make it up to me, for ruining my oven,” Robert suggested, already wondering which pocket his phone was in so he could find a hotel to book them into. He loved a hotel stay - a whole night of blissful, uninterrupted peace with Aaron sounded like the perfect birthday. Twice as good, if the hotel had a good bath, and they could order a bottle of champagne.
Aaron grinned. “Your oven? Thought we both lived here.”
“Yeah, but clearly, you shouldn’t be allowed near any kitchen appliance that’s not the kettle,” Robert pulled a face. “What do you say - you, me, a nice hotel and giving ourselves a day before we have to deal with this mess? We could give ourselves tomorrow off - make a proper day of it.”
“Is that what you want, for your birthday?” Aaron’s smile was soft, his earlier tension eased by Robert’s forgiveness of the burned out oven situation. Robert was loath to do anything except forgive Aaron, if he was honest.
“I want you,” Robert conceded. “A fancy bath and some champagne would be nice too, though.”
Aaron kissed him, long, and slow. “Book something - I’ll pack us a bag,” he offered. “And don’t say you’ll pack us a bag, because your birthday present is upstairs, and you’re not allowed to see it until we get to the hotel.”
Robert pretended to pout. “Can’t I have it now? I haven’t had any presents all day!”
“No – because I think as soon as you see what it is, you’re going to want to rip it off me,” Aaron winked, already heading for the stairs. He was a fucking menace, and Robert loved him.
Robert grinned. It was going to be a good birthday, after all.
He couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose as another wave of burnt plastic smell hit his nose. “I’m going to wait in your car, though - it smells rancid in here.”