020.
Sungmin, by the natural order of things, such as age, is in charge. Also those cool things called multitasking and being organised. And he has a hold on the chocolate icing.
"Donghae." He eyes the boy critically. "Are you going to cook shirtless?"
Donghae flexes his arm and wiggles his eyebrows. "Want to be prepared in case any cameras come."
Sungmin makes a sound in his throat before throwing a shirt over from the couch, possibly a week old. Festering in old sweat for a week, Sungmin doesn't want to think about it. Donghae gives it a cautionary sniff before he pulls it on.
Hyukjae's wearing a shirt, at least.
"Can you go get Kyuhyun? He should get out of his room."
Hyukjae slinks off.
"Want to make a cake?" Donghae and Sungmin share a glance, trying not to smile.
"No thank you," is the muffled response. Hyukjae slinks back to the kitchen.
"He says no," Hyukjae relays, forlorn. Sungmin goes in next.
"Kyuhyun, do you want to come to the kitchen?"
"No thanks."
Sungmin returns and pushes Donghae through the doorway.
"Kyuhyun!" Sungmin can imagine Donghae bouncing on Kyuhyun's bed. "We got an early copy of Starcraft II in the kitchen, want it~"
There's a pause, and Hyukjae and Sungmin high five when they hear the slam of the laptop.
"I am fully aware that you're lying," Kyuhyun says as he's walking out of the room. "But it just means you'll have to actually buy it for me when it comes out."
He smiles. Donghae smiles back before he turns to Sungmin, still smiling. Hyukjae smiles at him too. Sungmin pretends to read the recipe again.
This is how Kyuhyun gets a bowl of mixture in his arms and starts mixing it diligently.
"Your fingers and hands and therefore arms must be really good at working it with all the video games you play," Sungmin says before he pauses. "Wait, that sounds wrong."
Donghae's spraying the cake tin, gratuitous amounts of canola spray on it. It's turning white, and Hyukjae licks his finger before he draws a pair of DD boobs in the white. Donghae sprays over it. Hyukjae draws a dick. Donghae sprays it again. Hyukjae draws a stick figure and Donghave leaves it.
Sungmin seats himself on the counter, watching over Kyuhyun as he mixes.
"I think that's enough," Kyuhyun says, arms dead from the mixing, but Sungmin shakes his head and adds an egg.
"More!" he says happily, and Kyuhyun sighs before stretching out his arm and resuming.
Half an hour later, Sungmin's sure that the cake tin has a centimetre thick layer of oil besides the stick figure that keeps appearing, and he pours the cake batter into it. Someone knocks his arm and he sends Donghae a glare.
"Sorry," Donghae mumbles, before he watches the last few millimetres drip out, and Sungmin gives him the empty bowl. Kyuhyun gives Hyukjae the spatula and whisk, and the two start licking furiously, eating up the uncooked cake.
"Gross," Sungmin says, disgust written all over his face.
Kyuhyun makes a small noise in his throat before he puts the tin in the oven and sets the timer.
They burn the cake because all of them are determined to beat Kyuhyun at Super Smash Brothers Brawl. He even switches from Roy to Jigglypuff to fuck with them, but Sungmin watches his Kirby being flung from the small amount of land left, lips downturned.
"You suck."
Kyuhyun smirks before Donghae tries to launch a surprise attack, screaming in real life.
"DIE DIE DIE," he screams, but Kyuhyun just jumps and punches him.
Hyukjae watches from the sofa, eating peanuts.
"We can cover the burnt bits with the icing," Sungmin says strategically.
Kyuhyun laughs.
"Here hyung, try a piece of cake!" He feeds it to Donghae, who takes a generous bite before spitting it out over the sink, eyes watering.
"It tastes like, like. Like tires, burnt out wheels." Donghae makes a face.
Hyukjae takes a bit as well, chewing it slowly before he swallows it, wincing.
"It tastes like I licked the floor of one of the dance practise rooms."
Sungmin holds out the cake as the two scrape of the icing before motioning the actual cake away. He dumps it in the bin, and Kyuhyun bows his head.
"R. I. P. Cake," he says before walking back to his room.