Work Text:
It was a chilly spring evening in Tokyo. A light spray of rain pitter pattered against the windows of Bokuto’s and Akaashi’s small apartment. The couple found themselves in the kitchen which for the moment was pristine and organised. All the dishes, were neatly arranged under the counter, a handful of pantry ingredients were stacked in the intersection of the fridge and kitchen counter, and the sink sparkled having been cleaned by Akaashi during the weekend. This was all about to change because tonight, Bokuto was in charge of making dinner and his specialty was making a giant mess. Also comfort foods like, Mac and Cheese.
“AKAAASHHIIII-“ Bokuto paused, looking at his partner apologetically “sorry that was loud … anyway are you ready for me to show you how to make the world Bokuto-est Mac and Cheese?” He said excitedly.
Akaashi was certainly intrigued by the idea but “Bokuto, the last time you cooked something the apartment almost caught fire. Are you sure this a good idea?”
He pondered, Akaashi didn’t intend there to be any malicious undertones. Luckily Bokuto loves showing off so he doesn’t let it get to him. He chuckled scratching the back of his head “it’s Mac and Cheese, how card can it really be?”
Akaashi paused and took a deep breath “You said this last time, but I’m ready. We can handle it together.” He said smiling softly.
“HEY! HEY! HEY!” Bokuto fist pumped the air as he made his way to the fridge. On his way he reached inside his short pockets for the remote to his speakers. He popped on some music that they both liked, something easy to listen to and upbeat.
Maybe Akaashi doesn’t verbalise it as much but he absolutely adores it when Bokuto is excited for anything be: it volley ball, cooking, or a new season of their favourite comic book.
“Uhhh Akaashi? Where’s the evaporated milk?” He asked emerging with cheeses and butter. He closed the door with a swish of his butt.
“I’ll grab it, it’s not the kind of milk that will be in the fridge” Akaashi made his way to the dining table and rummaged inside a plastic carrier bag for the milk.
“Huh, wont it spoil?” Bokuto questioned setting everything down on the kitchen counter.
“Well, I guess any food items will spoil if given enough time. But I’m guessing because some of the water has been evaporated and sterilized giving it a longer shelf life than regular milk.”
“I have no idea what you just said but I love your funky words.”
“I guess we can say its advanced magic?” Akaashi couldn’t help but giggle as he made his way back to the kitchen.
With all the ingredients in order they were just about ready to begin. “Alright! Let’s do thi-“
“Wait, Bokuto” Akaashi interrupted. He popped a blue apron that said ‘kiss the chef’ over Bokuto’s head and planted a little kiss on his cheek. Bokuto’s face turned red as his eyes sparkled with a swell of energy.
Bokuto clapped “OK! First step we gotta get our nudes!”
Akaashi snorted and spluttered for air. “Ummmm wording??”
Bokuto pouted, Akaashi could see the gear turning before he finally caught on. “AKAASHII?!?!? I meant past noodles, the mac.”
“Oh of course” Akaashi coughed
Bokuto set the macaroni to boil and took a fistful of salt and slammed it into the boiling pot causing a small splash of water.
Akaashi dabbed the puddles with a kitchen towel. “Bokuto, be careful. We don’t want a big mess to clean up.”
Bokuto chuckled nervously “Alrighty while the mac is boiling now would be a good time to get the cheese ready.” Akaashi looked over the assortment of cheeses Bokuto picked out. As a completely objective third party outsider Akaashi’s favourite is Gouda, although he does enjoy Cheddar and Mozzarella.
“Bokuto, have you got enough-“ out the corner of his eye he could see Bokuto starring down the can of evaporated milk. In each hand he hefted a chef’s knife and a can opener, with his face scrunched up, trying to get the feel for the tools. He put the can opener back down on the table and cracked the can with his chef knife.
Akaashi could help but gawk in awe and confusion. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. “Bokuto, I love you but why?”
“We’re gonna use the knife later, right? So why dirty the can opener.” Bokuto put the evaporated milk to one side and made his way over to the cheese.
“So any thoughts on the cheeses oh wise chef?”
“Well Akaashi we want a good mix of meltiness, flavour and consistency soo that means Gouda, Cheddar and Pecorino Romano.”
“Wow you took all that into consideration, you sure are amazing”
Bokuto’s eyes sparkled “aww you’re in love with me aren’t ya”
Akaashi’s cheeks glowed red. He handed Bokuto the cheese grater. He went to town grating the cheddar into a large cheese mountain, bits of cheese went flying as he raced through half a block of cheese. He then went and hacked the gouda in to small cubes with the chef’s knife.
“So they say the secret to a good cheese sauce is to feed your partner some cheese a peace offering to the God of Dairy.” Bokuto said as he pinched some cheddar and gouda.
“That … can’t be a real thing can it?” Not Akaashi minded.
“I’m not gonna dispute the sacred recipe” Bokuto retorted handing Akaashi the cheese.
While Akaashi was munching his way through the cheese he could hear the pan fizzle and spit “MY PASTA!!” Bokuto rushed over to the stove. Most if not all the water had been boiled off. “Ah man, it might be a lil too dry…”
“Here let me check” Akaashi pulled out a fork and stabbed one of elbow of macaroni.
“Don’t forget to blow it, it’s still hot” Bokuto advised nodding proudly.
Akaashi popped the macaroni in his mouth, there was a little less salt than he would have liked but the cheese should be salty enough and they could always adjust it at the end. The pasta had some chew to it, and would get more cooking time in the sauce.
“Yeah it will be ok”
“Awesome, let get the sauce going.” He said as he dumped the milk into the same pot as the macaroni. “Would you mind keeping an eye on this please imma grab some seasonings.”
“Should I be worried about what you are grabbing?” Akaashi stirred the pot making sure the milk doesn’t come past a simmer. Bokuto rummaged through the spice cabinet, he couldn’t decide on what he wanted so he just carried an armful of herbs back to the counter.
“You’re going to put all that in? Seems a bit much…”
“Might not need aalll of them but I couldn’t decide, we’ll taste as we go! But first we need to add the cheese. We’ll take it off the heat. Don’t want the cheese to split.”
“R-right” Akaashi hefted the pot from the burner to the counter.
Bokuto gradually sprinkled in the cheddar as Akaashi gently stirred the mixture. Bit by bit he added more until there was no cheese left. The sauce began to thicken into a nice velvety and cheesy emulsion.
And now for the finishing touches. In a mad flurry Bokuto added a teaspoon of mustard, mixed herbs, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika and as many cranks of black pepper as he could manage before his arms got tired. The final thing was a nob of butter, which made it all the creamier.
Akaashi gave the pot one final stir to combine. Akaashi took a spoonful to taste, and Bokuto wasn’t kidding this is quite possibly the world finest’s mac and cheese. The pasta was nice and toothsome, the sauce was as cheesy as he could’ve wanted, and the seasoning provided a nice mild heat which balanced out all the fat of the cheese.
“Wow Bokuto, this is amazing. Can we plate up now?”
“Hold your horses” Bokuto slammed the lid on the pot. “We just gotta let it sit for a couple minutes and it should all be ready.” Bokuto beamed proudly. “But yeah grab a few bowls and we can eat as soon as.”
And once the mac and cheese had come together, Bokuto and Akaashi were able to sit down in front of the TV, and watched a movie as they tucked into their hard earned dinner.