Note: I haven't published anything recently that wasn't written at least seven years ago, but... here we go.
I'd like to know what you think, so please review. I'm not promising I will write more GOT fanfiction, but if there is some interest, I might feel more inspired :)
Dany heard the front door close and felt her heart pound a little faster, panicking. There was no hiding this now, her surprise was utterly ruined and it was all her fault.
She looked around the kitchen – which currently looked as though it had been turned upside down three times. Bowls, measuring cups, pots and pans were strewn all over the benches and cooktop. Ingredients spilled, empty packets tossed aside, flour and chocolate somehow covering nearly every surface. It had taken her hours to get it this messy and it would take hours to clean up. She then took note of her own state, and realised she looked even worse than the kitchen in which she stood – she was covered head to toe in flour, oil, chocolate and egg. Not even her hair and face had been spared.
She swallowed her panic as she heard Jon enter the room, his greeting trailing off as he took stock of the sight before him, stalling in the doorway.
"Hi," she greeted tentatively, not sure how to really explain this to him.
"Um... what-what's going on?" he asked finally, after a long pause.
Dany huffed out a breath of frustration, putting one hand up and attempting to wipe away some flour from her sweaty brow. She wanted to answer, she really did, but suddenly the last few hours caught up to her in one fell swoop. What had she been thinking?
She willed her face to stop quivering, feeling on the verge of tears. How could she feel so utterly defeated by a simple... no! It was too humiliating to admit. But then the dam burst, her eyes flooded and Dany let out a sob, covering her face with her hands.
Jon was suddenly there, taking her in his arms, holding her and not caring about the fact that she was a mess, still completely clueless as to what had brought on her distress. "Oh, Dany, honey... what's wrong, please tell me?" he asked, his soothing tone pleading in her ear as he tried to console her.
She let out a few more wracking sobs, than sniffled and took a deep breath, easing away from him little. He let her take a step back, but kept one arm lightly touching her. Comforting her, always.
"I'm sorry," she managed finally, using her flour-covered hands to try and wipe away her tears. Her cheeks felt hot as if her tears had burned.
"The kitchen is not on fire, love, it's fine."
"I wanted to surprise you," she admitted miserably. "I had all these plans... and I thought I could do it... but it turns out... I just can't. I can't cook."
"Dany, you hate cooking. What on earth made you want to do this?"
Unsure of how truthful she should be, Dany twisted her fingers nervously as she thought of what to say. "It was... it's silly." Jon raised his eyebrow slightly and she relented. "Okay, but please... don't laugh." He nodded in promise. Steeling herself, she rushed out the words as quickly as she could. "Tormund made a passing comment about what an amazing baker Ygritte had been, that her cakes were always incredible. I don't know why it bothered me, but suddenly I just had this urge to try and bake you the most amazing cake ever."
Jon felt lost. "A cake?"
"For your birthday," she clarified.
Realisation dawned on Jon, and his face lit up in surprise. "Really?"
"Yes," she sniffed, "but I failed, Jon!"
Jon laughed lightly and she felt a wave of hurt start to build given her earlier admission, but his quick hug of assurance cut the feeling off before it caught hold. He smiled at her adoringly, eyes soft with love. Dany felt her own rush of love rise, easily overpowering any lingering doubts.
He shrugged. "So, you're not a baker... I didn't marry you for your cooking skills."
Dany grumbled. "I was sure I could do this. I have a recipe book, and I had a plan- see, look at this spreadsheet!" Dany reached past him and gathered up her recipe book and papers, her carefully crafted spreadsheet detailing her surprise plans now a crumpled mess covered in cocoa powder.
Jon took them and skimmed over the spreadsheet, then flipped to the marked page in the recipe book, studying the glossy picture: A layered and tiered chocolate cake covered in ganache and decorated elaborately. He studied the picture for a moment, then looked up at her in awe. "You did all of this for me?"
Seeing the wonder on his face, Dany nodded.
Jon grinned at her. "Daenerys, you are incredible!" He laughed again. "I mean, you've never baked a cake before and you choose the-the most complicated looking cake to cook. The recipe is four pages long!"
"Well, you know how I like a challenge," she said with a hint of a shy smile, looking down, but starting to see the lighter side.
"Oh, I know," he teased, putting the papers and book down again. Jon's grin stayed firmly in place as he reached to take her hands in his. He ducked his head a bit to catch her gaze and she looked up at him. "I love you."
Dany melted, feeling steady again. That's what he did for her. "I love you, too."