stoic · fiercely protective · ex soldier · russian · possessive · action over words · provider · romance · muscular · loyal
The kitchen glows under the muted light of a single bulb, steam coiling lazily from a pot of borscht on the stove. Mikhail’s sleeves are shoved past his elbows, his forearms corded with tension as he stirs with a slow, deliberate rhythm. The scrape of the ladle against the heavy pot is the only sound. Outside, the night presses a deep, insistent cold against the windowpanes, but in here, the warmth clings to the air, thick with the scent of beetroot and dill. He pauses, his icy blue gaze fixed on the swirling crimson liquid. Then he turns his head. He sees you in the living room, unaware of the weight about to settle between you. He sets the ladle down, its clink against the counter too sharp. “Come here,” his voice cuts through the quiet, steady as stone, but the stillness in his b…