O'Knutzy Week! Prompt: cooking mishap
I'll be posting parts of the same story each day this week! It's a cubs au where Finn's spending the summer at his parent's house in the Hamptons and Leo is their private chef. Established LeLo. Characters by @lumosinlove and parts of this were written by the incomparable @allhalloweve (specifically most the flashback cooking scene is by them, and the last few lines, and some more scattered in there too 💗)
Part 1 here
for @oknutzyweek2023
Part 2
Leo travelled home that Monday morning with his heart fluttering. He felt pulled to get home to Logan, their summer days in the city together were as sweet as the tea that accompanied them throughout the hot sticky days in Brooklyn.
But his mind also drifted over the past few weekends with Finn. Finn usually worked on his laptop, but sometimes had pages printed out, marked up with an indecipherable code of color pens. Leo had laughed with his full chest when he sat down and pulled the same pens out of his own bag to write his grocery lists and meal plans for the next weekend. They had shared the space and shared their pens, and even if Leo was no closer to understanding when Finn used the violet or the sage green, he could admit they were sharing something special. Friendship, of course.
Leo was so happy with Logan, they had been joined at the hip and the heart since Logan had attempted an evening cooking class that Leo had been teaching.
Logan was, quite possibly, the worst cook Leo had ever seen. He was hesitant to trust the man with anything sharper than a cutting board. Not for lack of competence–no, Logan was brilliantly smart with wit to match–but rather a complete inability to cook more than an egg. Even that was risky on occasion.
But bless his heart, Logan had the most refined palette Leo ever had the pleasure of finding. Despite not being able to find his way around a recipe with a flashlight and a map, Logan could taste a dish and know in a moment what it needed—not just salt or pepper, either. It needs spice, he had said the very first time Leo let him breathe near the industrial ovens, rummaging in the spice racks. It needs…this. This smells right.
The ensuing mac and cheese had tasted just as good as any Leo had eaten in a restaurant, yet came from the hands of a man who had nearly dropped a mallet on his foot mere minutes before. Leo’s plan had been a tenderised cut of beef, to be seared and then baked, teaching skills in basting, marinades, testing temperatures, and plating. This plan had been officially abandoned after the incident with the mallet. And the pan that may never recover. And better not to mention the smell.
When Leo switched his intention from ‘cooking lesson’ to ‘let’s just feed this adorable, wrecking ball of a man’, this glorious mac and cheese had unfolded. They had shared the dish over stainless steel counters while purposefully ignoring the mess that Leo was unreasonably glad wasn’t in his own home, in favour of enjoying their food and each other. They had been the only people left in the building, and Leo was gone on him. Logan spent half an hour rambling about the spice and silk trade of the 14th century—Leo spent half an hour admiring his bright eyes and soft mouth. Three years later, he had come to love those eyes more than anything.
Leo stepped off the train while the sweet memories swirled around his mind, and began the short walk home to their apartment, ready to try a new recipe that had also been percolating. He sent Logan a text letting him know he was home, and Logan responded.
Leo ☀️
I’m off the train now, loveLo. Home soon. Going to make a recipe i saw, like a apricot tart
Logan💚Ok i’ll be home soon, love. Just at the library. Can’t wait to get my mouth on you it
Leo ☀️
mmm but which first?
Logan💚
You, obviously. xxx
Leo smiled to himself and set to unpacking and prepping the veggies for dinner and dessert. He fully planned on allowing himself to be interrupted when Logan got home.
Steam sizzled on the stove and Leo turned the burner off, the kitchenaid joining music as the background noise wafting through their apartment. A warm chest pressed up against his back, bare rather than hidden beneath a carefully-ironed button down.
“Hi Tremzy,” Leo sighed, letting his head drop back into Logan’s shoulder. “Why don’t you have a shirt on?”
Logan turned his head to nuzzle Leo’s hair with his nose and wrapped his arms firmly around Leo’s waist.
“Is hot,” Logan murmured.
Leo turned to press a kiss to his forehead, brushing messy curls out of the way.
“Won’t catch me complaining. How was your weekend?”
“Fine, good. Met up with Noelle, did workouts in mornings, read that new biography book. Missed you,” his nose wrinkled. “Missed you way too much. Fuckin’ richies.”
“Your family has a summer house in addition to their regular house,” Leo pointed out with a snort. “And those richies pay our bills right now.”
“They steal my boyfriend.”
“They are perfectly nice. Haley and Ramsey treat me like family and, well I don’t know their oldest that well, but Finn’s sweet. You’d like him.”
Logan levelled a sceptical look on him while one hand slipped away to snag a bite of apricot. That seemed unlikely. “I would?”
“He’s funny. He’s smart, like you. An editor for novels ‘n shit. Total bookworm. You’d amuse each other, I think.” And it would keep you both out of my way so I can cook in peace. What Leo wouldn’t give to see them set each other off about a pedantic historical detail. If anyone in the world could make Finn’s ears go red in a little fit of crankiness, it would be Logan. Bullheaded, the both of them.
Logan seemed suspicious. “Isn’t this the same Finn who freaked out about seaweed?”
“Well, yes, and, um, so he invited us to stay next week. You can grill him for more details about phobias then.” Leo kissed his cheek again, then turned fully in his arms for a proper one on his lips.
The kiss appeased Logan’s huffiness enough to earn Leo a second one; he sank into it, settling one hand in the dip of Logan’s waist where his skin was warm and soft.
“Je t’aime,” Logan said into his mouth. His thumb ran in circles over Leo’s jaw and sent goosebumps over his body.
“Love you more,” he whispered back, and started walking Logan backwards towards their bed.
Some time later, after their traditional Monday reconnection, they lay in bed together. Logan had his head resting in Leo’s bare chest, and Leo was running his fingers through Logan’s hair rhythmically.
“Would you want to go?” Leo asked.
“Quoi?” Logan said.
“Finn really did invite us both up for the week. Might be nice to get away for a week?”
“I guess, but isn’t it a bit weird?”
“Yeah, I can see why’d you say that,” Leo sighed. “But Finn really is sweet. Haley and Ramsey - they would be around for the weekend, and I would be working then. But then we could have 4 days of relaxing… sitting by the pool, I’d take you to the farmer’s market, maybe down to the water… all the stuff I don’t have time for on the weekends.”
Logan rested his chin on Leo’s sternum and hummed.
“Sounds like you really want to go, hmm peanut?”
“Yeah, I guess I do. But only if you’re there,” Leo said, shrugging.
“D’accord, of course. Getting out of the city for a week sounds amazing. I do have that planning meeting with my principal and the other social science teachers this weekend though.”
“Oh shit, right, I forgot about that.”
Logan turned to kiss Leo’s shoulder, ran his tongue along his collarbone. “I’m pretty sure only a Saturday worked for some of them. But, one more weekend apart, and then I can be your sous chef for two whole weekends,” Logan kissed the dip between his collarbones, “help you, spend time with you,” he murmured and his kisses travelled up Leo’s neck.
Leo laughed, and pulled Logan up to kiss him, revelling in the softness of his lips.
“I can’t wait, love.” Kiss. “But, sweetheart?”
“Hmm?”
Kiss.
“Absolutely no knives.”
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