Wolves and Bread (COMPLETED)

Special: A surprise for the birthday pup

'Yeah, he isn't one for extravaganza.' His deep snigger pulls the attention of the female students sitting at the table next to ours. My friend locks eyes with one of them, but quickly looks away as his cheeks get a slight pink flush to them.

'You're so cute,' I hum, happily regarding the brief contact between two people whose paths of life are now entwined.

Tae's eyes meet mine. They seem to be shining more brightly after having seen those of the girl, but also have a sadness hidden in them. Were he to involve her in his life, the government would pursue her as well, merely because she knows him. 'Life isn't fair, huh?'

I shake my head, twirling the pen with my fingers. 'No, it indeed isn't. But let's forget about that and get back to planning. Any further ideas?'

'There is this pair of two little black birds that sit on the edge of the balustrade every morning. Kook once said it is his wish he can one day sit so calmly as them with someone by his side.'

The wish is sweet, especially because that which he is has made it incredibly hard to achieve that dream. However, nobody has said that dreams cannot come true. There will come a day he can do so, no matter how difficult the road to that destination will be. I note down the piece of information and look at the dark blue words on the lined paper for a while, doing all kinds of imaginary baking.

Then the ideal design enters the stage and I snap my fingers, surprising the calmly latte macchiato-drinking Taehyung. 'I got it!' I almost scream in a moment of feeling like a genius.

'You do?' His eyes become wider and the edge of the cup in his hands remains on his lips.

'Yes. Come on, we got some baking to do.' We finish our drinks and rapidly head to the kitchen to create a wonderful cake for a splendid friend.

***

Transporting a cake as you carry it with you on public transport is the most inconvenient way, but if you do not have a driver's license, neither does your friend and your mother also does not have a car, then you basically do not have much of a choice. On top of that we are transporting my giant surprise as well, which my partner is carrying along. In spite of all this, both me and Tae keep an eye on the box containing the two-tiered cake, the most fragile present, as we take the bus to the outskirts of the city.

'Do you think he'll like it?' my companion asks, looking at the white cardboard square on my lap.

'I hope so,' I answer with as insecure a voice as his. 'But it's made by us, members of the Bangtan crew, and a true friend already appreciates the effort.'

Not too shortly after we arrive at the busstop nearby their flat and carefully make our way up the steps. Taehyung fishes his keys out of his pocket and opens the front door, letting me in first so that the patisserie is in any case safe from any risks of the outside world.

The delicious smell of handmade pizza hangs in the air and becomes stronger as I approach the kitchen. It is here I find Jin cooking up a storm. On all of the kitchen counters are various herbs and topping displayed. Here and there are still flour residues to be found, but most of the pizzas are in their final stage and merely need to be baked.

'Smells good, Jin,' I say as I enter the kitchen with baby steps to put the box on an empty space in a corner next to the fridge.

'And it will taste amazing.' His confidence always acts up when he is busy with food, even when he is holding a cooking battle with Yoongi, though he mostly loses them by a hair's breadth. 'Is that the cake?'

I nod. 'Yep. Kind of last minute, but we managed to get one ready. Fortunately Taehyung was of great help with whipping up the frosting and molding the fondant.' Due to him we saved a lot of time. Otherwise we would not have been ready until tomorrow.

The beeping of the oven sounds, signifying that another batch is done. As the cook pulls the mouthwatering smelling golden brown crusts with Italian goodness out and replaces them with the last few, I help clean up the remaining ingredients and spices.

The doorbell rings a couple of times afterwards and slowly all the other members gather in the apartment, adding the finishing touches to the party. All we can do next is hide and wait for the leader and the maknae.

As soon as we hear the key turn in the lock and footsteps approach the living room, we jump out and yell on the top of our lungs: 'Surprise!'

Jungkook looks absolutely baffled, rendered speechless by the action. When he is able to move again he covers his mouth with his hand, his eyes beginning to water. Quickly he regains his composure. 'Woah, you all did this? For me?'

'Of course we did. It's your birthday.' Namjoon puts a firm hand on his shoulder and gives him a little shake.

'Happy birthday, Kookie.' Taehyung gives his best friend a big bear hug, which the young chap answers with a bright smile. The rest of us follow suit and embrace him one by one.

'This is nice and all, but no birthday is complete without a cake,' I introduce the baked creation of Tae's and my making as I pull it more into sight. Gently so as not to damage it, I lift the lid of the box to reveal what is inside: a two-tiered white cake decorated with tiny red flowers hanging from black fondant branches and two birds of the same colour and made of the same almond paste on top.

'It's- It's gorgeous. Wow, I don't know what to say.' Except for Tae and me, everyone else is just as much at a loss for words as the birthday boy.

Jin pulls out his polaroid camera. 'Before anyone can talk again and gets a knife, I first want to take a picture of it.'

'Yeah, me too,' Yoongi joins in and grabs his camera from behind the couch where he and I were hiding.

After having taken a few shots each, the honour is Jungkook's to cut out pieces of the carrot cake for everyone to savour. It does suffice to say we all felt a sting of regret as he carved up the pretty sugary center piece. Nevertheless it is all worth it, since judging by the approving sounds that fill the otherwise silent space, Tae and I completed our mission successfully.

Under the enjoyment of Yoongi's composed CD, we watch Jungkook unwrap his presents. Jin bought him a pair of headphones and a pack of white shirts, Namjoon's presents are a pair of monochrome sneakers and a new controller, and Taehyung gifts an acoustic guitar. I begin to feel slightly nervous when it is my turn and I hand him the giant canvas with pictures, wrapped in zebra wrapping paper. I dearly hope he will like it, because the presents by the others are so much more amazing than mine.

The paper comes off and reveals the collage. Unconsciously I fumble with my fingers, awaiting his reaction as nervousness begins to set in.

'Woah, that's so cool! Thank you so much, Scarlet. This is definitely the best present.' His eyes wander over the captured memories and then meet mine, making me calm down. 'Well, besides the cake,' he adds playfully.

'I am glad you like it.' My lips curve up in a smile as I regard how happy he is, and in turn it makes me beam with joy.

Before we watch the video Jimin and Hoseok made, we grab clean plates to attack the pizzas. Impatiently we wait for the oven to reheat the first two, but once they are ready and we all have a slice of cheesy deliciousness, we take a seat on the sofa or on the pillows on the floor to see what the dancers have prepared: a beautifully edited video containing a personal message from the two to the golden maknae and various performances they have done over the years.

Tonight is a good one, filled with joy, food, friends and new memories.

It are these souvenirs of the past we can merely attempt to capture with our camera, but they will never truly convey what we felt in that moment.

But all that does not matter in the present.

For now we are here, creating a new canvas.