above all (m×m) ✔

4) carrot cake

Brandon worked in a small vegan deli called Roses & Bakery, which was owned by two strong-willed women, Gianna González and Sunniva Viklund. The deli was a wedding surprise from Gianna to Sunniva, who had dreamed of running her own bakery since she was a child.

It was a family business, which would be inherited by their son Håkan someday. Brandon was lucky to be considered part of the family, and not a day went by when he didn't feel grateful for that. He loved his job and his co-workers so much that he didn't even mind the early hours.

"Are you sure it's okay with your moms?" Brandon asked for the millionth time.

"Just get to it already." Håkan chuckled, giving Brandon a light nudge towards the kitchen. Håkan was as tall as he was broad, if the straining of his sleeves over the muscled arms could be used as any indicator. He was calm to the point of laziness and kind as a turtle, yet Brandon couldn't help but flinch when he nudged him like that or generally touched him when he wasn't mentally prepared for it.

"Sorry." Brandon mumbled he saw Håkan's smile faltering.

"You know I would never hurt you." Håkan had repeated the same thing so many times it wasn't a question anymore. He was one to speak his mind, and in situations like that Brandon wished he weren't. His habits were embarrassing enough without someone pointing them out.

"I know, sorry." Brandon breathed, turning his back to Håkan. He made his way to the kitchen and started spreading out all the ingredients he needed for the frosting of a carrot cake he had baked that morning.

Håkan followed after Brandon, leaning on the door chink while gazing at him in silence. Brandon tried to ignore his presence, but it felt suffocating in the small room. He hated being like that, but he couldn't help himself. Håkan's size alone was enough to keep Brandon on his toes, despite them being friends.

Steven's love confession had made the memories resurface in Brandon's mind. He had spent years trying to suppress and avoid everything that would remind him of them. Brandon could get by just fine when he had control over his mind, but when he didn't, he became a jittery bundle of nerves. That was another reason he was against the idea of dating Steven, or just dating in general.

"Just remember to lock the door when you leave, okay?" Håkan sighed, starting to unfasten his lavender colored apron.

"I will, thank you." Brandon said, glancing over his shoulder to smile at Håkan, trying to show that he wasn't being difficult on purpose.

"Oh, and have fun with your date." Håkan wished, his lips curving into a warm smile.

Brandon almost blurted out that he wasn't going on a date, but then he remembered that yes he was, and the realization made heat rush to his cheeks. Before he could recover from that, though, Håkan had already left. Brandon sighed, hoping that he could act like an actual human being even for one conversation.

Seriously, what does Steven see in me?

Brandon pushed the thought away, distracting himself by putting another of his favorite artists on shuffle. He probably loved The Cranberries even more than he did Florence + The Machine, but he knew to pick the latter when he needed to cheer up. He was going on a date with Steven and Steven deserved better than to have him there moping around.

And true enough, as soon as Florence Welch's voice and the familiar melodies filled Brandon's ears, he was already feeling a hundred times better.

Gianna and Sunniva hadn't just let Brandon use their kitchen after his shift, but also provided him with the ingredients. He mixed the dairy-free cream cheese, margarine, powdered sugar and vanilla, then frosted and decorated the cake with care.