A/N: I have a ko-fi page now! If you want to help me stay caffeinated to keep the words flowing, my account name over there is corneroffandom. Thank you! Either way, enjoy the chapter.

Dolph leans against the doorway of their bedroom, watching Zack sleep. He'd shut the alarms off and had kept the drapes shut as he'd slipped out of bed and started breakfast quietly so as not to wake him. His 30th birthday! Dolph shakes his head, a small grin twitching at his lips. Still a kid in Dolph's eyes, considering the age difference between them, but he's grown a lot in the last few years, and Dolph thinks if he continues bulking and focusing on his career the way he is, some good will come his way. Hopefully.

His eyes soften as Zack shifts, reaching out to his side of the bed and groaning softly when his fingers meet with cool sheets and an unoccupied pillow. "Bro," he grumbles, squinting blurrily around the room until he spots him. "What're you doin' all the way over there? Come back to bed-" He quiets as Dolph does just that, laying down next to him and kissing him good morning.

"Happy birthday, kid," he says with a soft laugh as Zack groans and buries his face in Dolph's chest.

"You just had to remind me," he grumbles, pressing closer to Dolph. "I'm not ready to leave my 20s behind!"

Dolph laughs again. "Oh come on, we're going to be the hottest married couple in their 30s in the entire business, kid. But not if you stay in bed sulking for the rest of the day." He pokes his shoulder lightly. "Besides, I made breakfast for you. You really wanna let that pass you by?"

Zack sighs, but slowly sits up. His hair's a mess and Dolph says nothing as he heads out in rumpled pajama pants and no shirt to inhale the eggs, toast and turkey sausages waiting for him, washing it down with a huge glass of orange juice. "Thanks, bro," he says with a small smile, reaching out to squeeze Dolph's hand. He's more awake now and less cranky, and it shows when he grins at Dolph. "Best birthday breakfast I've had in a long time."

"Day's not over yet," Dolph chuckles, standing up and pushing Zack down the hall in front of him. "Change, I laid out some stuff for you."

Zack comes out a minute later, hair fixed up with the usual amount of gel, and purses his lips as he takes in Dolph in his beach ware- obnoxious pink swim trunks with skulls all over them, clashing with Zack's solid purple trunks. "Bro," he laughs. "What are we doing?"

"Oh, you'll see," Dolph says with a smirk, once more pushing Zack ahead to the latest surprise he has set up for his birthday. The beach is quiet, considering it's a random Thursday in May, and it's perfect. Crisp but not necessarily cold and even Zack enjoys diving into the water, splashing Dolph and laughing with mirthful enthusiasm even when the copious amounts of gel he'd painstakingly applied earlier dies quickly, leaving his hair plastered against his head.

They eat lunch from a truck nearby, Zack overly happy about his chili dogs and fries, and when they return to their spot on the beach, a cooler's appeared between their chairs and Zack raises an eyebrow at Dolph, who shrugs noncommittedly, watching as Zack pries it open and peers inside to the cans surrounded by ice. "Bud Light Limes!" he crows, grabbing one and pressing it to his sweaty neck before cracking it open and downing half of it in one lengthy gulp. "Bro, this has been the best birthday!" He beams at Dolph, who takes a minute to enjoy seeing him so happy.

"It's not done yet, there's cake waiting for us at home," he teases Zack, pointing at him when he pauses in mid-sip. "But we still have plenty of time here, so no rushing. Sit down, enjoy the sun. Have another BLL. It's your birthday, kid, and I just want you to relax and enjoy every second of it."

Zack finishes his beer and tosses the can onto his seat before walking over to Dolph. "Well, you've succeeded at that, bro," he murmurs, framing Dolph's face with his hands, brushing the messy strands of his hair out of his eyes. "Thanks for all of this. It's been the best day I've had in a long time." He kisses him then, slow and sweet, and Dolph exhales, squeezing his sides.

"My pleasure," he says, leaning in for another kiss before drawing Zack back to the seats. Even drinks a beer as Zack laughs at him and the face he makes at the first sip. It's all worth it, he decides, as they sit side by side, fingers interlaced, watching the sun slowly set in the distance, the water reflecting beautiful reds, purples and oranges.