Work Text:
He’d been watching his husband effortlessly create intricate and outrageously delicious baked goods for almost half a century now. Surely by now, Kravitz thought, some of those skills must have transferred to him. Taako’s talent was so plentiful and unending, he bettered the lives everyone around him. And he had a nice butt.
Which is why, for their 40th wedding anniversary, Kravitz decided to bake Taako’s elderflower macarons. They’ve long since given up on getting each other extravagant gifts for every year that goes by, and now the couple revels in the more quiet and calm moments they have together. There are many years ahead of them, centuries even. Plenty of time to do anything and everything that tickles their fancy. Tonight, however, would hopefully be one of the calm ones.
Taako announced as he left in the morning that he would be out late, certainly not home until the sun had already set. Hardly taking the time to discern whether or not this was the truth or a plot devised by his husband to give him more time to set up something romantic, Kravitz had already begun making plans for the night. Today was an uncommon day off for the reaper, so he knew he had plenty of time to pull off something special.
He wrapped his arms around Taako from behind, kissing his neck. “Have a good day, beautiful,” he whispered, punctuating his words with another kiss. “And, happy anniversary.”
Taako pulled away, turning to face his husband and taking both of his hands. “Thanks babe, right back atcha.” He blew a kiss as he stepped away, making his way towards the door. “And remember, I’ll be home way late today. Got a bunch of real important shit to do. You know how it is. Peace, handsome.”
Kravitz snuck over to the window to watch as Taako walked down the street, making sure he was far enough away that he couldn’t easily turn back for any reason. Once the coast was clear, he allowed his mind to fill with possibilities.
I need a bouquet of roses, is 24 enough? He deserves only the best. Damn, he looks great today. He always looks great. I’ll get 36. 40. One for every year. Should I make dinner? No, Taako enjoys cooking for himself too much. It’s his time to relax. Oh, rose petals, too. I need to get rose petals. What type of roses? They should match. He would notice if they didn’t. Fuck, I need to do something more than just a bunch of flowers. Flowers. Flowers…
“Okay, I can do this,” Kravitz said to himself aloud, snapping his fingers to change his clothes from disheveled pajamas into a neatly pressed suit. He had a plan. A brief trip to the nearest grocery store was all he needed before he could put that plan into motion. Before he left, Kravitz flipped through one of Taako’s recipe books labeled ‘Fuckin Sweet Desserts’, jotted the details of his culinary conquest down, and was on his way.
Shopping went smoothly, aside from a few other customers recognizing him - even after all these years, the stories of how his family saved the world are still frequently told. That being said, he wasn’t interested in spending too much time in public. Being a reaper for several centuries meant spending a lot of time alone, and although he had been welcomed into his new family with open arms, he still preferred keeping a very low profile when it came to the general population. He hastily went through the aisles grabbing the items he’d written on the list and made his way out.
Only a short walk away was the florist, who knew him by name. He made frequent visits there, as Taako always appreciated a good bouquet, and Kravitz was always happy to deliver. After a brief, cheerful conversation with the woman who owns the flower shop, Kravitz had everything he needed and it was finally time to get to work. He walked a few feet away from the shopping center, found an empty alley, and sliced a portal home.
Eager to rid himself of the many items he was carrying, Kravitz placed the shopping bags on the counter and focused on his first task of the day. He retrieved a large, empty vase from the living room and began carefully trimming and placing the over 3 dozen roses he had just purchased in it. It had to be perfect, just like Taako. The roses came in a multitude of colors, representing the multifaceted love that the couple shared. Red and white to signify unity, pink for appreciation, yellow to represent friendship and joy, orange for burning desire, and a single black rose in the center to represent death. Death is what brought them together.
The reaper stared at the bag of rose petals for a while, debating whether or not his plan for them was too cheesy. I’m overthinking things. Taako lives for the cheesy shit. Kravitz took a handful of petals and began making a trail from the kitchen to their bedroom, where he arranged the rest of the petals in a large heart on the bed.
With that sorted, it was finally time to start baking. Kravitz arranged all the ingredients on the counter and rest Taako’s recipe book, open to the correct page, on the small island in the middle of the kitchen. Looking at everything set out in front of him, the reaper sighed and stewed in his nerves for only a moment before reaching over to put one of Taako’s
Sizzle It Up With Taako
branded aprons on.
“Here goes nothing.”
Preheat the oven. Sieve the almond flour and sugar. Whisk egg whites, add sugar, whisk more. Easy. Add dry to wet in thirds, keep mixing. Done. Now for the hard part.
Kravitz washed his hands quickly and pulled a large baking tray from under the oven. He searched the kitchen for the strange silicone mat that he has seen Taako use to make this recipe once before. I’m pretty sure this is what he uses for cookies… Whatever, it works. Carefully, he began piping small circles of macaron batter onto the mat, hands shaking slightly from nerves and concentration. Unnecessary sweat beads formed on his forehead, rolling down his face periodically.
After piping out 30 perfect little discs of batter (and a few less than perfect ones), Kravitz finally let himself breathe again. He had no need for oxygen, really, but holding his breathe had become more and more grating on his nerves the longer he spent time around other, living people. Taako jokingly expressed some discomfort with the fact that he couldn’t hear his husband breathing, so Kravitz, dying to please his Taako, started breathing more regularly, rather than only inhaling and exhaling in order to speak. It had become second nature; an unconscious decision.
“Let dry for 15 minutes… okay. Filling time then. Okay. We’re doin’ this,” Kravitz assured himself. So far, so good. With a sudden wave of confidence flowing through him and a smile on his face, the reaper waltzed around his tiny kitchen, grabbing a large bowl and a saucepan and returning to his little work station.
Milk and sugar in the pan, mix everything else in the bowl. Sieve the hot stuff, add it to the elderflower cordial mixture. God, this smells good. Put it all back in the pan and boil it again. Alright, done.
“Thank you, Taako darling, for writing such detailed instructions,” Kravitz said aloud, feeling the smile creep back onto his lips as he thought about his husband coming home in a few hours. Impressing Taako still gave him butterflies after all of these years. He doubts that a day will come where Taako doesn’t makes Kravitz feel… alive.
The actual baking process was nerve-racking, but went smoothly. Kravitz didn’t take his eyes off the oven for even a moment. As he let the cookies cool before assembling them, Kravitz took the time to light a few candles around the house and tidy up any messes he had made in the kitchen while preparing the macarons. He spent a few hours fussing over the whole house, making sure everything is immaculate, before he returned to the kitchen to assemble his masterpieces. After more very concentrated piping, Kravitz had a batch of 20 delicious-looking elderflower macarons. And he was beaming. He can’t help himself, so he picked the least aesthetically pleasing cookie and cautiously took a bite.
A few hours later, Taako returned to a dark and empty entryway. “Babe? Are you home? Ya boy’s here, come kiss me already.”
“I’m in the kitchen, darling. Come here, would you?” Kravitz cooed, trying to hide any nerves with his deadly charm. He stood near the kitchen table, where the vase full of roses and his finished macarons sat decoratively in the center, surrounded by candles and petals. He held Taako’s favorite robe in one hand, a glass of wine in the other, and waited for his husband. “Welcome home, baby.”
The elf stood still for a few moments in the archway between the foyer and the kitchen, stunned. His hands reflexively plastered to his mouth, he stared and took in his surroundings for as long as he could before tears started to form in his eyes. Taako forced his eyes shut, letting any built up tears fall down his cheeks. “Holy fuck, Krav, holy fuck, ” was all he could bear to say before he ran over to his husband and kissed him quickly. Kravitz pulled away, helped Taako pull the burgundy robe over his clothes, and handed him the glass of wine.
“It’s all for you, my love. Enjoy, and relax.” Any nervousness leftover in Kravitz’s mind had been entirely replaced by overwhelming affection, and a sudden desire to hold on to his husband, to kiss him, and never let go. But first, cookies. “I, uhh… I followed your recipe. You know, the macaron one.”
“When the fuck did you plan this? Did you go out and do this all today?” Taako laughed, wiping a few tears away. “God, you’re such a sap. Look at all those fucking roses. You’re insufferable.” Taako took a long sip of wine and gave Kravitz an equally long kiss directly after. “You really chose the macarons though? That shit ain’t easy babe. I’m already impressed that they’re not either burnt or nonexistent.”
Kravitz, pulling away, laughed nervously as he reached for a cookie to give to his husband. As Taako took his first bite, the reaper’s anxiety pooled in the pit of his stomach again. Please be good. Or lie to me. Fuck.
“Are you fucking kidding me, Kravitz?” Taako’s expression was suddenly serious.
“Whats wrong?” The reaper replied, noticeably concerned.
“Nothing. That’s what’s fucking wrong. Nothing. How the fuck? No, honestly, did Lup come over and make these or something? Don’t you dare lie to me. She’ll tell me. How the fuck did you manage this?” Taako spoke with a full mouth. He grabbed another, taking the halves apart and inspecting it thoroughly.
Phew. Kravitz grabbed his husband by the hips and pulled him into a kiss. “Baby, I’ve been watching you make these for forty years. You’ve taught me a lot in that time,” he said, his voice slowly transforming into a low whisper. “And I appreciate every little thing you give me.”
“I love you, you huge fucking sap. Holy shit. I just noticed the path of rose petals. You’re unreal.” Taako laughed, leaning against Kravitz’s chest. He dramatically tossed his robe on the ground, grabbing his husband by the hand. “Fuck dinner. I have better plans for you.”
The reaper grinned, allowing himself to be led down the trail of petals and towards the bedroom. Mission accomplished.