In honour of those having birthdays =)
You grin as Chen walks in, carrying a cake with burning candles.
"Happy Birthday Alice," he says, mirroring your smile.
The cake is cute, decorated with cream, shaves of dark chocolate and glace cherries. "Kyungsoo made it right?"
He sighs. "Do you not remember the time when the others refused to eat my delicious open-fire meat? I worried you would too. So..." He gestures to the cake with 'Happy Birthday Alice' written across it.
You have a better look at the cherries, and you realise one of the red fruits is crowned with a sweet little box... And you reach out to have a closer look.
Chen moves your hand away. "You're not allowed to touch it."
You pout. "Aww... But I'm the birthday girl," you argue.
He shakes his head, long used to your whining.
"But I really want to see what it is."
"Do you?" he asks with a wry smile.
You nod furiously, eager to find out what the box is.
"Well, you'll have to see which one's the real one."
You look at him in surprise. "Huh?"
He points to the cake. "There's one on each of the cherries." And indeed there is, each looking identical to the other.
"And what's the catch?"
"You only get 3 tries to get the real item. All the rest are edible."
"Only 3?"
He smiles again. "Yes."
You scowl, a frown marring your pretty features. "And what if I don't get it?"
"Well you don't find out what the real thing is."
You sigh. Of course; this is Chen you're talking about. The Troll King.
You pluck the cherry and box off one of the slices, and Chen shakes his head. "Eat the slice of cake as well..."
You narrow your eyes at him, as if daring him to say otherwise to you. It's your birthday. Come on. He looks away. Satisfied, you bite the fruit and box together, chewing carefully and slowly.
It's not edible, contrary to what he says. You spit out cardboard, wiping your mouth disgustedly. Sure, the cherry is, but not the box. It's just covered in coloured sugar. As should have been expected from him.
"Chen!"
He jumps a little at your tone. "Yes?"
"Cardboard joke? On my birthday? Really?"
He looks at you unabashedly. "Yeah. What did you expect?"
"I'm going to kill Kyungsoo."
Chen remains silent, though an amused smile plays on his lips. "Second go."
You grab another cherry and eat it, expertly ripping the box apart while swallowing happily. "Mm... Glace cherries taste so good."
But to your disappointment, there's nothing in it.
"Are you sure you're not trolling me? Is there anything in these?"
"Yeah. The box with the real thing is actually edible. Go on, third time lucky!"
And your last chance. Randomly, you choose another one and it begins to crumble in your fingers.
You grin triumphantly and crush the set sugar. Something silver falls out onto the floor with a slight clink. Chen picks it up as you lick the sugar off your fingers. Yum. You're a major lover of sugar, though perhaps you love Chen a bit more. As the last speck of sweetness disappears, you close your eyes in bliss. Nahh... I love sugar better.
"Alice?"
You look at Chen, who still has not gotten up.
And that happens to be because he's kneeling, with the silver thing in his palm.
It's a ring.
"Marry me?" Chen asks.
"No."
His expression is one of utter horror and surprise. "What?"
You smirk. "Got you. Yes, yes, yes, you idiot!"