FIC: Khalva

[splix]

tsarina, here is your Trick-or-Treat treat. Hope you enjoy!


Title: Khalva
Author: Alex
Fandom: Eastern Promises
Pairing/Character(s): Nikolai/Kirill
Rating: PG
Warning: None.
Word count: 300
Notes: Written as a Halloween treat for tsarina.





*

Make yourself useful, Kolya, Kirill says, but his voice is free of rancor. Semyon is away, and he is free; there is no need for brutal posturing. The kitchen hums smoothly, the staff laughs and chatters, and the air is redolent with the fragrances of borscht and blini and pirozhki.

What do you want me to do?

Kirill throws a generous lump of butter onto a hot cast-iron skillet, where it sizzles enticingly. When it’s melted, throw those in -- he hands Nikolai a wooden spoon and points to a pile of chopped walnuts -- and stir them. Don’t let them burn.

The combination of browning butter and the subtle, smoky aroma of toasting walnuts drifts upward, tantalizing, mouth-watering. Smells good, Nikolai murmurs.

Keep stirring. Turn them over. Kirill’s hand briefly closes over Nikolai’s. It’s all in the wrist, Kolya. That’s it. Nikolai learns quickly. He rolls up a sleeve and stirs with quiet competence. His shoulder blade shifts beneath the thin material of his shirt. When the nuts are toasted, he spreads them in a shallow pan. Good. Kirill takes a bowl of milk and sugar, thickened with cornstarch, and hands it to Nikolai. Now cover them.

As Nikolai works, Kirill moves closer, inhaling the scent of starched cotton, bare skin, expensive cologne. Nikolai wears Penhaligon, Opus 1870; Kirill bought it for him at Christmas. Don’t say anything to Papa, he’d said. He doesn’t get it, you know? Old-fashioned.

Nikolai permits it, Kirill’s closeness, the press of their bodies, this cruel, exquisite temptation. Later, when Semyon returns, Kirill will slap Nikolai’s shoulder and make crude jests. For now, they stand together, in perfect solidarity and the sublime accord of butter, sugar, milk, and toasted walnuts.

Aching, Kirill lifts a spoon to Nikolai’s lips. Taste it, Kolya. Taste it.


End.

Comments

[kimberlite.livejournal.com]

Wow, so sensual -- a treat indeed. :)

[eve_n_furter]

A tactile delight. Yummy!

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

This is delicious! How sensual and lovely - it is making me want to go out and buy some walnuts though I don't have any awesome bodyguards to help me in the kitchen. :D

Thank you!

[splix.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D

[splix.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much!

[splix.livejournal.com]

You can't win em all, I guess. I'm glad you liked it!

[colonel-bastard.livejournal.com]

A sublime sensory experience! Loved the subtle eroticism of the activity, and especially enjoyed a glimpse of Kirill's true competence! I always knew he was an excellent cook. I can practically smell that kitchen. Favorite bit: the movement of Nikolai's shoulder blade as he stirs. A tantalizing detail.

The last sentence is perfectly heartbreaking.

Fantastic, thanks so much for sharing!

[mrkinch.livejournal.com]

This is a gem. I love how you reveal Kirill's pain gradually so that the last few sentences hit hard. And "the sublime accord of butter, sugar, milk, and toasted walnuts" is a wonderful phrase.

[govi20.livejournal.com]

What a lovely, tasty treat. Sensual and beautifully bitter-sweet.

[mooms.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, just lovely! I can taste that sublime accord of butter, sugar, milk, and toasted walnuts and smell that kitchen. This is so sensual and so full of longing on Kirill's part.

[splix.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your wonderful comments! I am so fond of the movie, and at the end I always feel so bad for Kirill, and wonder what he might have been like free of Semyon's influence. Perhaps he would have been capable of great love and tenderness.

Thanks for mentioning the details you enjoyed - I appreciate that! I'm so pleased you liked it.

[splix.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It's so much fun to try to compress story and emotion into a small space. I really appreciate your comments! :D

[splix.livejournal.com]

Thank you very, very much, my dear!

[splix.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I always feel so sad for Kirill - his yearning is so palpable. I'm glad you liked it! :)

[redminerva17.livejournal.com]

Wow. I can smell the aroma, hear the sizzle of the butter, and feel the warmth of Kirill's body pressing.... This is amazing. I've never read such a sympathetic treatment of Kirill -- a surprise, though it shouldn't be. We saw Kirill's tender side with the children, with the baby. Thank you so much for sharing this -- I love it!

[splix.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm very happy that you enjoyed it! I don't know if Kirill deserves my sympathy, but he has it nonetheless. There were moments of tenderness on his part, and he might have been a very different man if his environment were a better one. Thank you for reading and commenting!

[mrkinch.livejournal.com]

Fascinating, because it felt to me rather like a drabble in exactly those ways.

[noctuabunda.livejournal.com]

Oh, yum. All around.
Somehow, I loved the image of Nikolai's shoulderblades against his shirt, and the last line was just so perfect - thank you for sharing!

[splix.livejournal.com]

Thank you very, very much! I'm thrilled that you enjoyed it. :)

[splix.livejournal.com]

Excellent!

[foxrafer.livejournal.com]

Wow. This is just amazing. A missing scene I wish we'd been able to see.

[splix.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. I'm happy you liked it.