Remark: I wrote this, because today is Mark Knopfler's 75th birthday and because he's an absolute legend and extraordinarily talented man. We love you Mark! Long live the sultan of swing!

Tomorrow would be August 12, 1979. For other people, a completely normal day. But for Dire Straits, it was not a normal day. It was Mark's birthday. To be precise, his 30th. The friends were standing in the kitchen trying to bake a cake for him. It had been John Illsley's idea, as he and Mark had been a couple for three years and he wanted to give his boyfriend a special day on his birthday. David had gone out with Mark to keep him busy and give Pick and John time to bake the cake.

"How about hazelnut?" Asked Pick, holding a bottle of hazelnut flavouring in his hand.

"NO!" John immediately shouted in panic from the living room and came running over.

"Why not? Hazelnut cakes taste good."

"Do you want to kill Mark, you idiot? He's allergic to hazelnuts!" John shouted energetically and took the bottle from the drummer before putting it in the back corner of the pantry.

"Really? I didn't know that." Pick pondered and scratched the back of his head before looking into the mixing bowl in which the dough was ready, except for the flavouring.

"Have you put any of that in the bowl?" John asked worriedly and also looked into the bowl.

"No. Not yet." John breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God. That would have been his worst birthday ever."

"Why is it so important to you that this birthday is special?" Asked the drummer and leaned against the kitchen counter. "I mean...Mark doesn't even really want to celebrate his birthday and will probably pretend it's a normal day." John blushed a little.

"Well...I love him. And you only turn 30 once in your life. He also really made an effort for my 30th birthday this year. And: He always makes so much effort and is such a gentle boyfriend. I think he deserves to be spoiled at least on his birthday." Pick hummed in agreement. "What do you think of vanilla?"

"Just vanilla? Isn't that boring?" Pick pondered.

"Trust me! He'll love it!" The bassist shouted excitedly and poured a little vanilla flavour into the dough before stripping out a fresh vanilla and throwing it in.

"If you say so." Pick shrugged.

*

Two hours later, the cake was baked and had already cooled. John began to mix a vanilla cream before cutting the cake into three layers. When the bassist turned to the bowl of cream, Pick was holding it in his hand and had his finger in his mouth.

"HEY!" John shouted.

"What?" Pick giggled. "Tastes good." John shook his head and grinned.

"You can lick the bowl afterwards."

"Promised?" The younger man rolled his eyes.

"Yes. Promised." John filled the cake layers with cream and raspberry jam before he began to cover the cake with cream. Pick watched him, fascinated.

"I didn't know you could do something like that." He said in amazement as John filled a piping bag with the cream and piped small flowers onto the cake.

"My aunt was a pastry chef. When I was little, I often helped her." John murmured, concentrating. Pick took the bowl and began to empty it with his finger. John wrote a large M on the top of the cake with the piping bag before putting thirty small candles in a circle around the M. The cake was white with red candles and a red M in the middle. Mark's favourite colour was red, which John had found out by chance. "What do you think?" John asked as he pulled away from the cake and smiled at it.

"Not bad." Pick said and put his finger in his mouth to lick the cream.

"You didn't even look at it." The bassist grumbled. Pick giggled a little.

"Yes I did. Don't worry. Mark will love it. Because you made it." John smiled a little.

*

John spent quite a while making preparations and hiding the cake in the fridge before Mark and David came back. The four band members shared an apartment. They didn't stay up very long either, but went to bed soon, as it was already late. When Mark had stripped down to his underwear and dropped onto the marital bed that was in John's and his room, John, who was already in bed, reached out and gently stroked Mark's bare lower back. The guitarist turned around, startled, and looked at him. John smiled as he gently traced the valley of Mark's spine with his thumb.

"I love you." He whispered, looking up at the guitarist. Mark smiled as he lay down and wrapped his arms around the taller man.

"I love you too, John."

"Tomorrow is your big day. You should sleep." The bassist smiled. Mark snorted.

"Big day? It's a day like any other, John." The taller man bit his lower lip worriedly and kissed Mark's bare chest gently before caressing his shoulder.

"It's a special day, Mark. Don't say that. It's your 30th birthday. It's special." Mark snorted again before laying down and turning his back to John. There was silence between the two for a while before John slid closer to him and pulled him to his chest. John kissed Mark's neck. "I love you, you know? And I know you don't think very highly of yourself. And that you think you don't deserve this." Mark turned his head a little and looked at him. "You think you don't deserve gifts and affection. But you do, you know?" Mark took John's hand in his and closed his eyes as he was the little spoon in the hug.

"Let's not think about that now, okay? Goodnight, love." John sighed softly as he closed his eyes.

*

When Mark woke up the next morning, he stretched across the bed, yawning and stretching like a cat, before realizing he was alone. Confused, the guitarist turned onto his side, but found that John was not lying next to him. Mark sat up and looked around in bewilderment before finding a small red envelope on John's side of the bed. It was sealed with a heart. Mark sat up in bed, smiling, and leaned against the headboard of the bed before breaking the seal and taking a letter out of the envelope. Inside was written in John's handwriting:

For your 30th birthday, 30 things and one more thing I love about you, Mark Freuder Knopfler:

1. I love your sparkling eyes. They are as blue as I have never seen anyone's. They are breathtaking, just like you, my darling. I love the way your eyes sparkle when you are happy.

2. I love your strong arms that wrap around me when I'm sad or when you want to support me.

3. I love falling asleep with you in my arms.

4. I love your humour and that we can laugh about the exact same things.

5. I love that you're just as crazy as I am.

6. I love your wonderful deep voice in concerts or when you sing for me.

7. I love when you tell me that you love me.

8. I love your hands and your fingers. Especially when they're wrapped around a guitar neck and you talk to me through the guitar.

9. I love that you care about me so much.

10. I love it when you cuddle with me.

11. I love it when you play me new songs on the guitar. And you're as excited as a little puppy.

12. I love your smile. Especially when it touches your eyes and you get dimples. I love your laugh lines. They look so damn sexy.

13. I love your laugh. The kind you get when you can't breathe and throw your head back.

14. I love your romantic side.

15. I love how honest you are to everything you're asked.

16. I love how you trust me.

17. I love the way you are when you're excited.

18. I love how determined you are. You always know exactly what you want when we start a new album.

19. I love your musical talent and damn, you have talent, my love.

20. I love you for the cheesy nicknames you give me.

21. I love how down to earth you are. No matter how famous you are, my love, you still act the same as when we first met.

22. I love your lips and the way you use them to kiss me.

23. I love sex with you, honey. It's just amazing.

24. I love that you always believe in me, even when no one else does.

25. I love your intelligence.

26. I love your reliability.

27. I love your patience with me.

28. I love you because you take away my fears.

29. I love how crumpled you look in the morning when you get out of bed like a little grouch.

30. I love you, because with you every boring gray, day is a day full of love and laughter.

31. I love you, Mark.

Mark held the letter in his shaking hands and smiled as tears ran down his cheeks. He looked up from the letter and sniffled before wiping his face with the back of his hand. Mark jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed before storming into the kitchen. The big birthday cake was on the table. The whole kitchen was decorated with colourful balloons and garlands. Mark stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the cake with wide eyes. Suddenly, arms wrapped around Mark's waist. The guitarist turned his head in shock, but all he could see were wild, black curls.

"Happy birthday, my love." John hummed. Mark turned in his arms and looked up at him. Tears glittered in Mark's eyes.

"John..." The bassist smiled gently, his arms still wrapped around the guitarist. "Shit, John. I love you." Mark stood on tiptoe and pulled the bassist into a firm kiss. John smiled and closed his eyes before kissing him back just as forcefully and gently stroking Mark's back. When they pulled away, Mark was crying.

"Oh honey. Why are you crying?" John asked worriedly. Mark clung to him and whimpered.

"You did all this for me?" He whispered softly, referring to the cake. John smiled and wiped away Mark's tears with his thumb.

"Didn't you read my letter? I love you, Mark." Mark giggled wetly.

"I love you too, John. So much." John kissed him again before leading him to the table. David and Pick came over to the two of them and hugged Mark tightly.

"Happy birthday, mate." Pick grinned.

"Thanks, Pick." Mark smiled, still tearful.

"Happy birthday, big brother." David wrapped his arms tightly around him.

"Thanks, David." Mark whimpered, holding onto him. "Shit, guys, I'm not worth any of this."

"Of course you are!" David exclaimed, smiling. John pulled out a chair and waited for Mark to sit down.

"Sit down. It's your special day." Mark smiled as he sat down on the chair and John lit the candles on the cake.

"We were actually going to sing you a song, but..." David looked at his friends and they started laughing. "We didn't want to torture you on your birthday." They all laughed.

"Make a wish, my love." John whispered and kissed Mark's cheek. The guitarist smiled as he leaned over and blew out the candles. He cut the cake and soon each of them was eating a piece.

"John! The cake tastes damn amazing!" Mark shouted excitedly with big blue eyes. John smiled gently at him. "You made it yourself, didn't you?" The bassist blushed a little and nodded. "You're amazing, love." Mark leaned over and kissed him hungrily. Pick cleared his throat.

"Guys, sex comes later. Let's eat the cake." John giggled and ate another forkful of cake.

*

After Mark got his presents from David and Pick, they talked for quite a while and listened to music until it was 4 o'clock in the afternoon. The drummer and rhythm guitarist decided to go to a bar. It was actually just so Mark and John could be alone. As soon as the door was closed behind them, the bassist gently put his fingers around Mark's chin and turned his head.

"I love you." He hummed and kissed him tenderly. "Come on, I still have to give you my present."

"There's another present?" Mark asked with wide eyes as John pulled him into their bedroom. "The cake was already so much and..." Mark's words got stuck in his throat as he looked at their bed in shock. There was a large oblong package and a small square one. Mark also saw a large white cage on the dresser. "What's that for?" Asked the guitarist, pointing to the cage, which contained a hamster wheel and many other toys, as well as a small house. John grinned at him and shrugged. "You smug bastard." Mark giggled.

"Open your presents and you'll know. Open the small one first." The guitarist sat down on the edge of the bed and took the square package in his hands. "Don't shake it!" John called out worriedly. Mark nodded and ripped up the red wrapping paper before carefully opening the box. He stared at the contents with wide eyes. John smiled gently as he sat down on the bed next to Mark.

"Is that..." Mark murmured.

"A hedgehog?" John grinned. "Yes, it's a hedgehog. You told me a few years ago that you had one when you were a kid, but unfortunately it died and..." Mark pulled him into a burning kiss. John giggled into the kiss and gently stroked Mark's head. The guitarist grinned like a little kid as he reached into the box and pulled out the little spiky ball. John smiled. Mark gently stroked the spines before the hedgehog rolled out. Its little black nose sniffed Mark's palm.

"Awwwwww." Mark cooed. "Look at it, John! Its little button eyes! It's so cute!" John smiled. "It's a little smaller than Sting was back then." Mark pondered before carefully turning the little hedgehog over. "Ah. It's a girl, John!" The guitarist giggled.

"Really? How do you know that?" The bassist asked, fascinated.

"Males have a little hole on their stomach that looks like a belly button. Females don't. That explains why she's smaller." Mark carefully turned the hedgehog back onto its stomach. Fortunately, the hedgehog seemed to get used to Mark and didn't curl up. "Do you want to pet her?" Mark asked. John nodded, smiling, and reached out his index finger to gently stroke the spines.

"I thought it would hurt." The bassist pondered.

"It only hurts when she raises her spines." Mark explained. "God, she's so sweet, John, you're crazy." John smiled and kissed Mark's cheek.

"She made you happy." Mark nodded excitedly.

"She needs a name!" Mark shouted. The hedgehog rolled into a ball, frightened. "Aw, baby." Mark hummed. "You don't have to be afraid." John giggled. "Mh...we need a name, John..." Mark thought for a while. "What do you think of Mary?" Mark smiled.

"Mh...what made you think of Mary?"

"Bloody Mary?" Mark grinned.

"You want to name your hedgehog after a monarch who is called bloody because she had everything and everyone killed?" John asked incredulously. Mark giggled.

"That's a no, I guess then." John giggled and kissed Mark's forehead.

"She's your hedgehog, darling. You can call her whatever you want." The guitarist thought for a while.

"I'll call her Diana."

"Why?" John smiled.

"Diana was the goddess of the forest and the hunt in Greek mythology." Mark murmured, slightly ashamed.

"I like it." John nodded and kissed Mark's lips gently. "So, it's Lady Diana." Mark nodded, smiling.

"Thank you, John. That means a lot to me. When I...when I lost Sting, I was...very depressed, you know?" John nodded.

"I know, you told me about it, honey." Mark smiled a little.

"Oh, John! Lady D must want to sleep. Hedgehogs are nocturnal, you know?" Mark stood up and opened the cage before carefully placing Diana inside. Diana sniffed around a bit before slipping into the little house. Mark smiled. "She'll sleep in there now." John giggled as Mark came back to the bed. "God, thank you John. That means the world to me." John smiled and kissed him gently.

"Open your other present, honey." The younger man nodded and ripped off the red wrapping paper. His eyes widened. "What's wrong?" John asked, dumbfounded. Mark stared at the box.

"No." He whispered softly.

"What do you mean? You don't even know what it is yet." John said softly.

"You bastard bought me a guitar, right?" Mark asked, wide-eyed. John bit his lower lip and tried not to grin. The guitarist looked into John's eyes and could still see the grin. "John, you bastard!" Mark shouted, laughing and throwing his arms around the bassist. "What on earth has gotten into you!? You get me D and buy me a guitar...where the hell did you get the money? And why do you spend so much of it on me and..." John stopped his babbling by putting a finger to his lips.

"Sh." He whispered. "Open the package." Mark giggled a little before opening the cardboard box and looking down wide-eyed at a black leather guitar case. Mark carefully undid the metal clasps and opened the case. The guitarist gasped sharply. Inside the case was a metal acoustic guitar. It was a Gretsch brand and it was so polished that it gleamed in Mark's eyes. Mark reached out reverently and stroked the shiny silver strings stretched across the wooden fret board.

"John." Mark breathed wide-eyed. "I... I can't accept that."

"Why not?" John smiled. "It's a gift to you, my love. It's as special as you are, darling. There weren't many of them made and literally nobody has a metal acoustic guitar."

"Shit John, that guitar costs over £2,000! I can't accept that! You'll bring this guitar back to the music store where you bought it tomorrow and..." John stopped him again.

"Do you like it?"

"I..." Mark bit his lower lip hard.

"Do you like it, Mark?" John repeated.

"It's incredible. I've never seen a guitar like this." Mark whispered.

"Then you'll keep it." The bassist said firmly. "It's a gift from me to you, my darling. I want you to keep it. I want you to play it and to compose many wonderful songs on it." Mark looked at him with teary eyes and pulled him into a firm kiss.

"I fucking love you, John. I don't deserve you as a boyfriend and..."

"Sh. You deserve a lot more, my darling. Don't always think so little of yourself." Mark smiled through his tears and took the guitar out of the case. He placed it comfortably on his thigh and began to play a melody.

"It sounds fantastic." Mark breathed reverently and repeated the melody.

"That sounds beautiful, darling." John whispered. "We could definitely make a song out of that..."

"John, when we made love, you used to cry. You said: I love you like the stars above, I'll love you till I die." Mark sang. John smiled gently at him. Mark strummed for a while before singing something that came into his mind again: "I can't do the talks, like they talk on the TV. And I can't do a love song like the way it's meant to be. I can't do everything but I'll do anything for you. I can't do anything except being in love with you." John smiled gently and kissed Mark. "I love you." Mark whimpered as he put the guitar back in the case and placed the case on the floor. The guitarist lay down on the bed and John hovered over him. John gently stroked Mark's hair and smiled down at him.

"I love you so much, Mark. You mean the world to me."

"I love you too." Mark whispered and kissed John hungrily. The bassist gently stroked Mark's cheek.

"Let me kiss you 30 times, honey." John grinned.

"30 times?" Mark asked, dumbfounded. The taller man grinned.

"It's your 30th birthday." John leaned down and kissed Mark firmly on the lips. "One." Mark giggled before being kissed again. "Two." Mark's eyes shone with happiness. John smiled into the kiss. "Three." God, he hadn't seen the guitarist so happy in a long time. They kissed for many minutes while Mark played with the curls on the back of John's head. "Thirty." John whispered as he pressed the last kiss to Mark's lips. "I love you, my darling. There are many more things I love about you than what I wrote in the letter."

"I get older every year, you know?" Mark teased with a grin. John giggled and kissed him again.

"I love you, Mark Freuder Knopfler."

"I love you too, John Edward Illsley." The guitarist giggled and pulled John into another deep kiss. In the end, his birthday was something special, Mark decided. Not a day like any other. It was a special day.

END ;)