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With the smell of dinner being even more tantalizing than usual today, Eijirou followed his nose to the kitchen, where Tenya stood over a bubbling stockpot.
They hadn’t noticed him come in; at least, he could only assume such by the lack of response to his presence.
Tenya’s face was scrunched in fastidious scrutiny after tasting a spoonful of the broth, completely absorbed in his task of perfecting dinner before pivoting to a small rack over the fire beside the pot. There, small slices of a yellow rind sat roasting in neatly prepared rows.
A tilt of Eijirou’s head broadcast his confusion before he approached, finally garnering Tenya’s attention.
“Good evening, it should be ready s-”
“What’s that?” Eijirou interjected, questioning with a slight point of his jaw.
Tenya took off his glasses to wipe with a cloth as he answered, “I’m making yuzu peel candy,” prior to putting them back on. Coincidentally, they had just finished. So he wrapped his hands and removed the hot rack from the fire to dump the peels into a basin of sugarcane granules. Slowly, each peel was coated in a generous amount of the crystals before being placed on a tray, where it was then given a modest drizzle of honey.
Eijirou, wanting to taste it right away, dove for the treat, but Tenya swiftly withdrew it from his husband’s reach.
“You may not have sweets before dinner!” He scolded.
Eijirou sighed with a puff of smoke escaping from his lips, “...fine.”
As expected, Tenya’s cooking was marvelous, but the dragon remained impatient with an air of expectancy until he was served a bowl of the yuzu peel. The citrus had a pleasant candied taste and a delicate mix of sour and bitter that balanced it all just right.
“Norktalii…! It’s so good!”