Work Text:
"Get out of my kitchen." Caesar grumbled as Joseph craned his neck over his shoulder to examine the pan on the stove.
"I'm bored and you said I could help!" He bounced back off of his tip toes out of the way of Caesar's swatting hand.
Caesar sighed. He did promise to let Joseph help in someway, however minor. "Fine. Dice up a quarter of an onion."
He motioned to the cutting board and knife already set up from the other veggies he'd prepped earlier. Joseph hopped up to the board and brandished the knife, waggling his eyebrows.
"Prepare yourself for some five star Michelin onions!"
Caesar rolled his eyes. The garlic was starting to brown and he shook the pan. The toasted aroma wafted up to permeate the small kitchen. He glanced over at Joseph, tongue out to the side focusing incredibly hard on his awfully uneven dice on the onion. Five star my ass. More like a toddler with safety scissors.
Caesar slid around Joseph and gathered the peppers into a bowl to move them to the pan. They sizzled angrily upon hitting the hot oil and he quickly tossed them around as they settled and started to cook. The water in the pot finally came to a boil and Caesar quickly shuffled himself around Joseph again to grab the pasta.
"Could you be more in the way?" Caesar gently plopped the pasta into the rolling salted water.
"I'm not in the way!"
"Your thick head is right in front of what I need." He pointed to the cupboard in front of Joseph.
"Where else am I supposed to go? This is the only counter space we have!" Joseph swept his arms over the two feet of counter space that wasn't occupied by small appliances or dishes crowding around the sink.
Caesar scoffed and opened the cupboard anyway, not so nicely smacking Joseph on the head. Joseph yelped, dropping his hold on the onion to duck down and rub his head. He looked up to Caesar with watery eyes.
"Cry baby." Caesar retrieved the sauce and closed the door.
"Shut up! It's the onion!" Joseph wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, dangerously swinging the knife around.
"I told you a quarter! Not half of it, you dope!"
"Whatever, I saved you work for something tomorrow. Fuck! My eyes are on fire!" He sniffled, tears streaming down his face, nose starting to dribble.
"Go get yourself sorted. You've helped enough." Caesar shooed him out of the kitchen, gathering his onions and adding them to the sweating peppers already in the pan.
Joseph haphazardly dropped the knife on the cutting board and backed out of the kitchen, mumbling about onions and shitty tiny New York apartments and making food instead of getting take out, rubbing his eyes all the way to the bathroom.
The pan sizzled and spat as Caesar tossed the veggies about. He cracked open the jar of sauce and emptied it into the pan. The vegetables fizzled out and the sauce hissed at the sudden change in temperature. He gently stirred, incorporating the veggies and flavor into the sauce.
Joseph and his heavy footed stomp made his way across the small living room to open the window and stick his head out to get fresh air. The sounds of the city settling into the evening hours flooded the apartment. Car horns and far off ghostly sirens mingled with the hiss of the stove. Foot traffic and rumbling engines fought against the bubbling of the sauce. A cool spring breeze snaked its way across the floor, nipping at Caesar's bare feet.
He curled his toes away from the chilly linoleum as he drained the pasta, adding a splash of the water to the sauce, then added the al dente pasta. He stirred, covering the pasta in the sauce, encouraging the sauce to thicken.
Joseph's hands slithered around his waist and he tugged Caesar backwards to fit the line of his body. Joseph's warmth embraced him from behind, the sizzling heat of the pan enveloped him from the front. Any residual stress from the day left with the sigh that escaped his lips and the slump of his shoulders. Joseph slowly swayed their hips side to side, gently humming along with a song in his head. He laid his head on Caesar's shoulder and watched him expertly toss the pan, pasta and sauce curling up and out of the pan in a smooth curve.
The sauce, now sufficiently thick, clung to the pasta beautifully. Caesar dipped a spoon into the sauce and lifted it up to Joseph's mouth. He pushed himself forward to take the spoon into his mouth. He hissed and huffed, forgetting how hot it was. Caesar leaned away from his sputtering with a scowl.
"Holy fuck that's good!" He shouted in his ear.
"Told you I could make it better than take out." Caesar barked back without enough bite to really bother him.
"Fine, you win this round." Joseph grumbled, pulling Caesar back in close and burying his head into the crook of his neck. He took a deep breath, reaching deep into Caesar and pulling the air from his lungs for his own selfish wants. And Caesar let him. Gave him every breath and every ounce of blood he desired. He knew Joseph would give it right back tenfold.
Caesar flicked the burner down to low. The dish was done, just needed the finishing touches on the plate. But he wasn't done with this moment. Just another minute or two of sauteing and slow dancing to feed his soul.