Khánh returns the next morning, opens the front door, and immediately falls on their butt.

The wall opposite the front door is absolutely covered in sticky notes, carefully overlapping so that the thick lines of sharpie over top don’t bleed through to the wall beneath. The top half is a large depiction of someone flipping a table (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻, and the bottom simply says I’ve been tricked! –Kai.

Khánh instinctively looks left towards the kitchen and, yes, there is a trail of sticky notes similar to the one they had left to guide Kai to the snack they’d left him.

You said back GARDEN! the first one reads.

Well, I’ve weeded about half of the forest you have back there, reads the second, with a helpful diagram of a bunch of trees.

It’s going to be an absolutely beautiful space once I’m finished with it (•̀o•́)ง

But that will take another day or two.

Because it’s a forest!!!

Khánh chuckles to themself as they peel that last sticky note off a cabinet. They hadn’t thought to warn him because Kai is clearly determined to “even the score”. Khánh had honestly thought his determination meant he already knew about the state of the back garden, but apparently not.

They’ll have to cook something nice to make it up to Kai, of course.

Turning to the fridge to gather ingredients, Khánh finds a different path of sticky notes, carefully noting the exact ways Kai had loved the gỏi. That puts a fond smile on their face, one that doesn’t go away the entire time they are cooking.

Later that afternoon, Khánh catches Kai crunching down the path to the back garden. Hurriedly, they open the window and shout, “Come inside first!”

Kai raises one eyebrow. “I’m not so sure I can trust that you haven’t converted the inside to a forest without telling me.”

Khánh puts one hand over their heart. “I solemnly swear that all forests are safely contained in the back garden only. And yes, it’s a garden.”

Kai grins widely. “You definitely fooled me, then.” He walks up to the side door, and Khánh closes the window and hurries over to the doorway to greet him.

“You’re going to need to keep your energy up if you’re going to work back there again, so I’ve made a pre-work snack!” Khánh beams and flings both arms wide to encompass what they’ve spent much of the afternoon working on. “It also doubles as a small apology for blindsiding you.”

Kai’s mouth has dropped open at the mound of bánh tiêu on the table. The perfectly golden brown outsides are studded heavily with sesame seeds and are still lightly steaming. Khánh picks one up and breaks it open, releasing a puff of heavenly, yeasty steam that spills upwards in a delicious cloud. “It’s called bánh tiêu! Sometimes described as Vietnamese donut, though I think these are much better than Western donuts. I’ve also made some fresh-squeezed orange juice!”

Kai finds his voice then. “All that sugar might send me straight into a sugar crash instead,” he cautions.

“Try just one piece while it’s warm,” Khánh urges. They extend the hand holding half the bánh tiêu.

Hesitantly, Kai accepts the offering and inhales the fragrant steam. “It smells delicious…” He takes a bite, and his eyes light up. “Oh, it’s not very sweet at all! The outside is so nice and crunchy, but the inside is soft and doughy.”

“I know!” Khánh smiles widely. “This was one of my favorite snacks growing up.”

Kai eagerly finishes the rest, then looks regretfully at the rest of the mound. “I really shouldn’t eat any more than this until after I finish working outside, but they might be my favorite snack now too. Bánh tiêu?”

Khánh corrects his pronunciation slightly, then Kai dismisses himself to go to the backyard.

Just before he gets to the door, he turns back and cocks an eyebrow. “Well? Are you coming? I can’t be expected to entertain myself, you know.”

He ends the question with a wink to signify that he’s just being playful, and Khánh’s heart skips a beat again. What is wrong with their body? Maybe they really should book that doctor’s appointment…

Shoving that thought aside, Khánh responds, “Of course, your highness.” With a genuine smile of their own, they follow their friend outside.

*

Bonus scene:

Coworker: Ugh that last client was a huge pain. Hope this one is better.

Kai: Eh, it’s not as bad as falling in a pile of poison ivy and thinking you’re fine only to find out that you really, really are not fine.

Coworker: ...are you okay??

Kai: Just did some yardwork today. I’m fine.

Coworker: It really doesn’t sound like you are!!