When the ESBs get back from classes, there's a chocolate cake waiting. It's a little rough around the edges, but that just shows it's homemade. Besides, it's how it tastes that counts, and it tastes... frankly, terrible. Did he get the sugar and the salt confused? Bleh.
Sitting in Iliya's desk chair is a large cardboard box, wrapped in red paper. Inside is a plethora of candy, both muggle and magical varieties.
Buried beneath the candy are two golden apples and a peacock feather. When the apples are in close proximity to each other, they glow softly. When they touch, they play music. One plays a piano part, and the other plays cello, combining to form a familiar musical piece. The peacock feather has a strip of purple paper wrapped around it, with a short note written in very poor Cyrillic: "Честит Рожден ден. Обичам те. - Cameron"
Iliya lights up when he sees the cake waiting in the cabin, because it's not like he could've possibly received enough sugar today from friends and family. The cake's looks matter less than the extremely generous use of chocolate frosting, and the fact that it was Cameron who baked it. It takes all of Iliya's patience and willpower to wait for the cake to be cut and the slices to be distributed to everyone before he digs in.
He suddenly wishes he'd waited longer, although Iliya does his best to not let it show on his face as he swallows his bite of salty cake. "This is..." Words fail him. Someone please say something so Iliya doesn't have to.
Casper, who never eats cake and who hasn't made an exception for this cake, can't say anything to finish that sentence. All he can do is lift his eyebrows when he sees the strange (and vaguely pained?) look on Iliya's face. You all right there, Birthday Boy?
Cameron's mama makes a killer chocolate cake, but he hadn't had time to owl her for the recipe, and he wasn't sure he was up to following it anyway. Instead, he'd tried the shortest recipe he could find in one of the books in the Magical Rudiments classroom. Foolproof, it seemed, but not quite. Cameron hasn't even started to chew when he opens his mouth and lets the cake tumble off his tongue back onto the plate, the way a toddler does, or Elvis when someone tries to feed her supbar food. He wipes the rest off of his tongue with a paper napkin, making disgusted sounds the whole time. "That is not a good cake recipe," he says.
Iliya covers his mouth with one hand as he looks around for one of the water bottles they always have in store, for those impromptu drinking nights. He tosses one over to Ulysses, before opening another and taking a swig.
"You tried," Iliya says tactfully. This is such a waste of chocolate. He holds for a mournful moment of silence for all the ingredients that could've made up a delicious, delicious cake.
"Not that hard, apparently," Ulysses mutters darkly as he catches the water bottle with his left hand and swipes some nice, sweet, untainted frosting off the side of the cake with his right.
Edited (WAIT i assumed it was pre-made frosting but you know what? maybe real cam made it :|a) 2018-04-26 17:54 (UTC)
"Well, it wouldn't be fair if I was good at everything," Cameron replies, yanking the bottle out of Ulysses's hand when he's distracted with the surprisingly okay frosting.
Ulysses picks up the remainder of his cake — he'd cut himself a big ol' slice back when he'd thought it was edible, and now there's a good-sized hunk still left on his plate — and chucks it at Cameron's considerate, yet culinarily impaired, head.
Ulysses has a lot of practice at sports, and he has good aim at a distance from a moving broom. There's no way he's going to miss Cameron's big head, even with an irregularly shaped lump of inedible cake. It smacks against the side of his head with a thud and he sputters, mouth agape, at the absolute injustice, before picking up his own piece to hurl back.
Iliya curses in Bulgarian and scrambles out of the way. He's seen enough food fights to know that if anyone who stands still long enough will become a target, and he's not counting on his status as Birthday Boy to keep him safe from the likes of Ulysses and Cameron.
This...is escalating quickly. Casper had been unprepared for this turn of events and it takes him a moment to intervene, crossing the room to grab the plate with the remnants of the cake on it and snap at the two boys, "I don't care how bad it tastes. You're not having a cake fight in the fucking cabin...!" It doesn't yet occur to him to grab Iliya's abandoned plate, though.
Edited (Dad's no fun. I'm sorry.) 2018-04-26 19:31 (UTC)
Thankfully, Cameron also gifted him with a palette cleanser. "Cameron," Iliya says in his awe as stares at the overstuffed box of sweets. This would've honestly been more than enough for Iliya, but at the hint that there's something hidden inside all the candy, Iliya starts digging around. Yo-Yo climbs onto the lip of the box, to help.
He finds the two golden apples first, and smiles, knowing Cameron remembered the fairy tale Iliya had told him, for their dance theme. It takes another moment to figure out what they do. "Oh!" Iliya sets them on the floor in front of him, watching how they glow in the evening light of the cabin. "Cameron, this is beautiful... Huh?"
A squeak comes from the box. Yo-Yo sits on top of a pack of M&M's, with a peacock feather clutched in his paws. He's chewing on a piece of purple paper. "Yo-Yo, stop." Leaving the apples to continue playing their music, Iliya tugs the feather from Yo-Yo's teeth. The paper unfurls easily, revealing its message. He reads it once at a glance, then again, very carefully. "Oh," Iliya whispers.
Cameron is known for spontaneity and wearing his heart on his sleeve, but that doesn't mean he isn't capable of careful planning and a poker face when he wants to be. He only has to hint that there's something else in the box besides candy to send Iliya pawing through it, which makes him grin with amusement. It widens when he digs out the two golden apples and figures out how they work. It goes a little tight when Yo-Yo discovers the feather and his owner reads over the contents, but still doesn't slip.
"Is it readable?" he asks, voice upbeat, even if he kind of feels like throwing up. That may still be partially from the cake. He can't say he hasn't considered the possibility that this will not go well. In fact, he's pretty sure that it's a stupid idea. However, he has planned for a negative outcome. He's prepared to make excuses to mitigate the outcome. He can barely even draw the characters. The book Ms. Petrichor gave him to translate from didn't provide enough context. Oh doesn't exactly sound positive, but he's more than prepared to play dumb again if need be. And, if it's still awkward, he will at least be gone for the whole weekend to Ilvermorny for the game.
"Ah." Iliya is silent for a second too long, horribly aware of Cameron's eyes on him, and the presence of their roommates nearby. "Yes. You did not do cursive, but..."
It's a simple message, the letters unmistakable even if Cameron's writing isn't the cleanest. Iliya learned both of these phrases when he was only a child, learning from a tutor his father insisted on hiring for him. Cameron could've found it in any book.
Iliya suddenly stands up, causing Yo-Yo to squeak in surprise as the mouse falls back in the box of candy. Iliya takes a step as though he's about to leave, then turns back to carefully pick up his golden apples and put them back into the box, where they'll be safe from anyone accidentally stepping on them. The music stops as Iliya pulls the apples apart. Then he grabs Cameron's hand, and tugs him towards the exit, where there's fresh air and privacy. Iliya doesn't stop walking until they're outside, and the cabin door is securely closed behind them.
"Lord, no. That's hard enough in English," he replies easily, despite the swell of panic that his hesitation is sending through him. For a second, it looks like Iliya is going to run out of the room without saying a word. Cameron is still deciding whether to follow him or not when he turns back, places the apples back in the box, and grabs his hand. He follows behind him without putting up a fight, not that Iliya is giving him much choice anyway. "Is something wrong?" he asks once the door has closed behind them. "Did I translate it wrong and say something stupid?" It might be stupid even it if was right.
"No!" Iliya protests, voice a little too high. His face feels hot; his heart hammering like it's about to beat out of his chest. Iliya drops Cameron's hand, so he can brush his hair out of his face, which he regrets immediately upon realizing what he's done. "Sorry. Sorry! I am being weird. Again. I..."
Why does he always do this? Stumble over his words at the most inopportune times, blurt out things he doesn't mean to say, then try to physically flee any situation that makes him even a little uncomfortable. There were just too many people. And he'd always thought about how he would say this, really say this, and not hide behind a language Cameron doesn't understand, but he hadn't thought... He hadn't been thinking at all, just that there were the beautiful golden apples, like from their story, and the music, and Yo-Yo with the feather—
Iliya steps forward, and throws his arms around Cameron for a sudden hug. He presses his face into Cameron's shoulder, hiding his blush. "No," Iliya says again, this time in a whisper. "Nothing is wrong. You are... You're wonderful. All of this... it's perfect." He laughs. "Even the cake."
Cameron is relieved to see Iliya struggling. Not because he likes to see him suffer, but because he's pretty sure that if he was angry or upset, he might be terse, but he wouldn't have such a hard time getting out what he means to say. If he's stumbling, then it probably means that he's working his way up to saying something cute, which untangles some of the knots in Cameron's stomach. "Weird's okay," he says, waiting while Iliya works through his thoughts.
When Iliya surges forward, Cameron returns the hug without hesitation, squeezing him tight against his body. Even at this proximity, his voice is soft, and Cameron turns his head to make sure he hears every word. "The cake?" he echoes in disbelief, laughing too loud, like he always does. "That cake was not perfect. Bad recipe."
"Oh yes. Entirely the recipe's fault," Iliya says drily, his smile suppressed again, but there's a mischievous light in his eyes when he pulls back to look at Cameron. "Wait. There is still icing on your face." And he puts a hand on Cameron's cheek, thumb brushing the corner of his mouth like he's wiping off a stray trace of chocolate, and Iliya kisses him. Not quick, nor lightly.
Afterwards, he leans his forehead against Cameron's, and sighs. "Thank you. I was afraid you..." Iliya trails off, then shakes his head. He'll never stop worrying too much about everything, but Cameron's affection is one thing he should trust more. "Nevermind. Not important. I love you too, yes?"
"You sure you got the icing?" Cameron teases, still a little breathless, but rarely speechless. He brushes his nose against Iliya's. His hands are still tight around him, hesitant to let go, though he knows they'll have to go back inside sooner or later.
"Come on, what's there to be afraid of?" he asks, a rhetorical question, unless Iliya doesn't want it to be. An invitation, but not an obligation, to tell him why he's worried.
He doesn't try to hide the grin that spreads across his face at that. "Sorry, didn't quite catch that. What was it?"
Iliya rolls his eyes. "You heard me clearly." He tries to make his expression stern and tone flat, a weak defense against the full force of Cameron's radiance. I know I'm a lot to deal with, Cameron had written once, and Iliya had protested, but it is too much, sometimes. If Iliya is afraid of anything, it's that he still can't handle this. He doesn't know what to do with the fact that Cameron sounds breathless just from kissing him, or that he must have put hours into preparing this birthday surprise, or that it was Iliya he was thinking of when he wrote out those Cyrillic letters.
He doesn't know how it makes sense that he's the one who can make Cameron look so happy with only a few words, when Cameron is always full of words, an endless teasing stream that Iliya could listen to forever, if nothing stopped them.
He can't say that. "Nothing." Iliya kisses him again, on the side of his mouth where the imaginary icing was. "There is nothing to fear, lyubov moya."
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gooseberryhigh2018-04-25 08:49 pm
REACTIONS
Birthday Cake!!!!
He suddenly wishes he'd waited longer, although Iliya does his best to not let it show on his face as he swallows his bite of salty cake. "This is..." Words fail him. Someone please say something so Iliya doesn't have to.
Birthday Cake!!!!
Birthday Cake!!!!
Ulysses retches.
Birthday Cake!!!!
Birthday Cake!!!!
"You tried," Iliya says tactfully. This is such a waste of chocolate. He holds for a mournful moment of silence for all the ingredients that could've made up a delicious, delicious cake.
Birthday Cake!!!!
Birthday Cake!!!!
Birthday Cake!!!!
Birthday Cake!!!!
Birthday Cake!!!!
Birthday Cake!!!!
Presents!!!!
He finds the two golden apples first, and smiles, knowing Cameron remembered the fairy tale Iliya had told him, for their dance theme. It takes another moment to figure out what they do. "Oh!" Iliya sets them on the floor in front of him, watching how they glow in the evening light of the cabin. "Cameron, this is beautiful... Huh?"
A squeak comes from the box. Yo-Yo sits on top of a pack of M&M's, with a peacock feather clutched in his paws. He's chewing on a piece of purple paper. "Yo-Yo, stop." Leaving the apples to continue playing their music, Iliya tugs the feather from Yo-Yo's teeth. The paper unfurls easily, revealing its message. He reads it once at a glance, then again, very carefully. "Oh," Iliya whispers.
Presents!!!!
"Is it readable?" he asks, voice upbeat, even if he kind of feels like throwing up. That may still be partially from the cake. He can't say he hasn't considered the possibility that this will not go well. In fact, he's pretty sure that it's a stupid idea. However, he has planned for a negative outcome. He's prepared to make excuses to mitigate the outcome. He can barely even draw the characters. The book Ms. Petrichor gave him to translate from didn't provide enough context. Oh doesn't exactly sound positive, but he's more than prepared to play dumb again if need be. And, if it's still awkward, he will at least be gone for the whole weekend to Ilvermorny for the game.
Presents!!!!
It's a simple message, the letters unmistakable even if Cameron's writing isn't the cleanest. Iliya learned both of these phrases when he was only a child, learning from a tutor his father insisted on hiring for him. Cameron could've found it in any book.
Iliya suddenly stands up, causing Yo-Yo to squeak in surprise as the mouse falls back in the box of candy. Iliya takes a step as though he's about to leave, then turns back to carefully pick up his golden apples and put them back into the box, where they'll be safe from anyone accidentally stepping on them. The music stops as Iliya pulls the apples apart. Then he grabs Cameron's hand, and tugs him towards the exit, where there's fresh air and privacy. Iliya doesn't stop walking until they're outside, and the cabin door is securely closed behind them.
Presents!!!!
Presents!!!!
Why does he always do this? Stumble over his words at the most inopportune times, blurt out things he doesn't mean to say, then try to physically flee any situation that makes him even a little uncomfortable. There were just too many people. And he'd always thought about how he would say this, really say this, and not hide behind a language Cameron doesn't understand, but he hadn't thought... He hadn't been thinking at all, just that there were the beautiful golden apples, like from their story, and the music, and Yo-Yo with the feather—
Iliya steps forward, and throws his arms around Cameron for a sudden hug. He presses his face into Cameron's shoulder, hiding his blush. "No," Iliya says again, this time in a whisper. "Nothing is wrong. You are... You're wonderful. All of this... it's perfect." He laughs. "Even the cake."
Presents!!!!
When Iliya surges forward, Cameron returns the hug without hesitation, squeezing him tight against his body. Even at this proximity, his voice is soft, and Cameron turns his head to make sure he hears every word. "The cake?" he echoes in disbelief, laughing too loud, like he always does. "That cake was not perfect. Bad recipe."
Presents!!!!
Afterwards, he leans his forehead against Cameron's, and sighs. "Thank you. I was afraid you..." Iliya trails off, then shakes his head. He'll never stop worrying too much about everything, but Cameron's affection is one thing he should trust more. "Nevermind. Not important. I love you too, yes?"
Presents!!!!
"Come on, what's there to be afraid of?" he asks, a rhetorical question, unless Iliya doesn't want it to be. An invitation, but not an obligation, to tell him why he's worried.
He doesn't try to hide the grin that spreads across his face at that. "Sorry, didn't quite catch that. What was it?"
Presents!!!!
He doesn't know how it makes sense that he's the one who can make Cameron look so happy with only a few words, when Cameron is always full of words, an endless teasing stream that Iliya could listen to forever, if nothing stopped them.
He can't say that. "Nothing." Iliya kisses him again, on the side of his mouth where the imaginary icing was. "There is nothing to fear, lyubov moya."
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