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Shane was a bit nervous about how Ilya would react. He'd been wanting to make it since he saw the pictures Ilya had shown him late one night, curled up in bed together, photo album balancing on their laps. Ilya had pointed it out so non-nonchalantly.
It was a cake.
Multiple layers, covered in vanilla frosting, outlined with strawberry slices. The same cake Ilya received each year on his birthday. His favourite cake. Not because it's inherently his favourite but because it's the cake she had always made him. That's what made it his favourite. The cake he hadn't received since his 12th birthday. In fact, after that, he told Shane, his birthdays were either forgotten or not cared about by his father and brother.
So the night before Ilya's birthday, while Ilya slept, Shane was busy in the kitchen, baking. Was he any good at it? No, not really. But he tried. He really tried. Attempting to make it look as close to the pictures as he possibly could.
By morning, Shane hoped Ilya couldn't smell the sweet vanilla scent that faintly lingered in the air. To his relief, Ilya didn't mention a thing. When they drove to the cottage later on, Shane had the cake stored tightly in a cooler in the trunk of the car, praying to the bakery gods that the cake wouldn't topple over on the drive. To his relief, it didn't.
After an intimate dinner, just the two of them, Shane dimmed the lights and lit the candles, just as they were in the pictures. Then he brought the cake out to his love.
The moment Ilya laid eyes on it, he froze, just staring down at it until tears were welling up in his eyes.
Pulling Shane into his arms, he cried on his shoulder.
"I hope I didn't upset you," Shane said.
Ilya shook his head. "You have no idea how much this means to me."
Shane just held him.
Once the tears had let up, Ilya blew out the candles and Shane cut him a slice.
Ilya began to laugh after the first bite. "It even tastes like hers did."
"Really?" Shane asked, surprised to hear that.
"Well, maybe not as good. But I know you tried. Thank you, Shane."
"You're welcome. I just wanted it to be special for you. You deserve that, Ilya."
Ilya placed his plate down on the counter, bringing Shane back into his arms, giving him a tender kiss.
"I am feeling special. You make me feel that way. And thanks to you, her memory lives on."
Shane shook his head. "Not only because of me." Gazing steadily into Ilya's eyes, he took Ilya's hand in his. "She lives on through you."