♛ : Sharing a dessert
Paklava--or baklava, as most people knew it as--always had taken him trial and error to get the recipe just like how mother used to make. Aside from how much of a perfectionist, even if Arthur insisted on things being kept casual between them, there was nothing wrong with wanting to make something fit for a king, was there. It had been a bit of a waiting time, but once the drizzled honey had finally soaked in at the last step, garnished with finely ground dried fruit instead of nuts, carefully cutting the strips into individual shares were both men finally ready to sample them after cooking up a storm. “Alright, here’s hoping this is the first and best baklava you’ll ever have, Arthur. Otherwise, my dear mother might actually come back from the dead and smack by knuckles with a ruler. Which, would only be fair.” All said in jest, there was that moment of hesitation where they intended on eating at the same time, watching hawkishly for every minute reaction. His companion chewed slowly after the first bite, savoring the flavor. When Arthur smiled in sunny approval did Stephen fell all the tension deflate like a balloon, chuckling in sheer relief.
“I think my knuckles are safe--for now,” Stephen teased with a wink before taking a bit himself. Yes, the Stepanyan legacy was intact.