Eisenknall, or Iron Bang by Moringottocake  

Dinner is ready (years later)

Melkor sat with his laptop in front of him, unsure if he should laugh or cry. He was in a good mind to introduce the screen to his schnitzel hammer still sitting idly in the drawer, but that would mean going to the repair shop again.
Maybe stop looking at Tumblr would be a better choice. Also, he might as well start pounding those schnitzels instead of his screen. Mairon would be back from his trip in three hours and he wanted dinner to be ready. On the bright side, Melkor had remembered to make the potato salad last night before bed. Now there was the question if there was enough clarified butter to fry those schnitzels properly. Nothing was worse than the wrong fat or not enough to bathe the breaded meat to achieve that perfect crispy crust.
The fridge revealed that there was in fact no more clarified butter left, not even some stashed in the freezer, so it was time to put on a pair of shoes, check his armpits for any noticeable odours and tidy up that man-bun he was sporting, or just comb it back into a neat ponytail.
Melkor ended up taking a full shower, washing his hair and was out an hour later with a neat braid held together with one of Mairon's golden scrunchies. He ended up going for Ghee instead of the usual German Butterschmalz and also picked up some of those frozen strawberries enrobed in dark chocolate. Maybe he should also swing by the office and get a bottle of that Champagne that needed to be enjoyed before it turned into overpriced vinegar.
Just as he had lit the candle on the table, Melkor heard keys turning, a huff and a heavy object rolled over the threshold to their apartment.
"My flame!" Melkor left the kitchen door wide open behind him, eager to give Mairon a hand and a much needed hug.
"Your absence made me go coo-coo again!" Mairon's embrace was home returned.
"Good to be home, Chef!" Mairon's lips brushed his cheeks, one finger tugging at the front of Melkor's apron. Before anything more could be said, Mairon rushed off to the bathroom. "If my shirt is stained with fat, you are paying the cleaners!" He half sang on his way, before shutting the door behind him. 
Travellers returned. Melkor rolled Mairon's case into the bedroom, noticing that he had in fact made the bed with the smaller cushions on the bedspread and not underneath.
"Take that off when you are hugging me!" Back in the kitchen Mairon crept up on him from behind, untying the offending apron. "I do not like fat stains on my linen."
"Lucky for you, all the fat you are fearing has remained in the pan to make your dinner." Melkor pulled out a chair. "Would the master smith care for an aperitif before his dinner"?
"If it's not beer, yes!" Mairon sat, his head tilted backwards, staring at the ceiling. "Those folks in the Pott* know their metallurgy better than I do in some cases, but their taste in after work drinks are not my cup of tea."
Mairon's particularities had been unsettling at first, before they got to know each other, Melkor remembered that stem-bolt delivery at the very start of their relationship. But he had begun to agree with him, and found his own standards were not much different.
"I don't have any tea for you, but will Champagne do?"
Mairon watched him open the bottle and pour two glasses. "You shouldn't have!" A smile had spread all over his body, Melkor observed. That meant Mairon would also be able to actually appreciate the meal he had cooked and not merely chew through and be off to bed like some other times he had come home after a long day on the train.
After dinner they moved over to the sitting room to enjoy their desert with a cup of herbal tea. Mairon put his arm around Melkor. "So what made you go coo-coo in my absence this time?"
"Fandom skulduggery!" Melkor hated to admit.
"So you have been scouring Tumblr again?"
"Guilty as charged."
"Shippers just can't let a former ship exist in the past and allow their favourite character to move on with even more love in their heart, ready for a new partner!" Melkor growled into his teacup before emptying it.
Mairon collected their cups and got up to carry them into the kitchen. "You have a big heart, Bauglir!"
"Sometimes it's too mushy for my own sake!" Melkor called after Mairon, getting up himself. "Maybe I should save my mush for you!"
He turned off the lights and headed to the bathroom to clean his teeth. On his way, he gave Mairon a kiss on his neck, who was placing the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.
"What was that idea of yours again? Wood cabin for a week?"
Mairon closed the dishwasher and turned it on. "You were against that, because you need civilisation." Mairon snarked. "Just like you hate camping."
Melkor shivered at the thought of a tent and all the noise form outside that would keep him from sleeping. "If it's not a tent, but solid walls, getting away from all this hassle and overload might not be as bad as I previously said."
Mairon's expression looked satisfied, maybe just a little too much for Melkor's comfort. But it was late and he was maybe beginning to see the point of being unavailable and missing the news for a few days. So he let that smug grin on Mairon's face go uncommented. "So how about we look at that place near Lake Como you had in mind?"
"Wow!" Mairon handed Melkor the tea towel he had just used to polish the Champagne glasses. "At this rate, might be married in a year."
Melkor stood with the piece of linen in his hands, feeling wide awake.
"Was that a proposal?" Sometimes he could not tell if Mairon was joking or sneaking in truth to sew seeds for his machinations to take root in Melkor's mind.
Mairon's shocked expression was almost comical. "When you say it like that, I may not be quite prepared yet!"
"Quite prepared?" That choice of words stunk of a plan. 
"I still need to hear back from Celebrimbor if he has time." Mairon said, taking the dishcloth out of Melkors hands, hanging it up himself. 
Melkor stood silent, contemplating what to say next. Was Mairon intending on branching out into goldsmith territory to surprise him? "What has Celebrimbor got to do with all this?"
"I am tired, let's go to bed!" Mairon made a throwing away gesture, putting on a weary face. 
Melkor understood. "How about we both clean our teeth and then you can tell me all about your secret ring plans I seem to have uncovered?"
"You are too cunning for your own good!" Mairon mumbled, giving Melkor a clap on his backside. "First of all I want that in bed!"