finally home.

Aleksandr heard the soft tread of Niall as he removed himself from the countertop, could see oout of the corner of his eye that he had moved closer. He kept his movements tight to him, putting the knife down on the opposite side of where Niall was this time as he added the butter, thyme and rosemary to the shallots. He grabbed the pan and lifted it above the burner slightly to swirl the content together, making sure they'd meddled together before placing it back on the cooktop. He turned after stirring the potato, backing Niall to a spot on the worktop closer to where he was cooking now that he'd finished most things and had counter space to spare. "First rule while in the kitchen, you stay where I put you or announce where you are," Alek said, reaching up to cup Niall's cheeks, hoping the earnest looking in his eyes was enough to show that he wasn't mad. "There are hot pans and sharp knives in my hands, and I do not want to misjudge where you are and accidentally hurt you, okay?" He asked before leaning down to seal their lips together once more, swiping his tongue over Niall's bottom lip and nibbling on it softly before pulling back slightly to press his forehead to the other's. "It would kill me if I were to hurt you."

Niall blushed once he realised the error of what he did. "Sorry about that," he said, looking down at the floor before his cheeks were cupped. The look on Alek's face made him feel guilty about not thinking over this. "I understand," he said before lips were on top of his again. He leaned into it, relaxing back against the workspace, laughing softly as he opened his mouth slightly when tongue met his bottom lip. Once the kiss broke, he pressed his forehead back against the other. "It would kiss me to see you worry so much about me. But I promise to make that seat on the countertop my new home. Maybe my ass will be imprinted on it after a few months," he said as he wrapped his arms around the man's neck, pulling him shyly into another kiss as he let out a nervous laugh - that he wouldn't admit sounded like a giggle for as long as he lived.

Aleksandr chuckled against the other's lips as he sealed them tighter together, dipping his tongue between slightly parted lips to run them over Niall's teeth and tangling with his tongue. He reached to lift Niall onto the countertop once more after break the kiss to plant them down his jaw and across his throat. "Thank you," he said, softly against the juncture of his neck and shoulder before pulling away from him, softly kissing his forehead before turning back to attend to their food. He pulled the vegetables from the oven, tossing them with fresh herbs and salt and pepper before setting the bowl near Niall. He stirred the nearly completed sauce, dipping a new tasting spoon into the liquid before tasting it himself before walking to Niall with another spoon dipped in the liquid. He blew on it softly before presenting it to the other, smiling softly as he placed the spoon in his mouth.

Niall scooted further up the counter, as if to make a point he was going to stay seated there. He enjoyed the feeling of a beard against his neck as his jaw and throat were given soft kisses. He hardly even remembered that they were in Alek's kitchen, suddenly remembering that there were people busy all around them, but not paying any mind to them. Niall smiled as he ran a hand through his hair, trying not to get too flustered by the man in front of him. He opened his mouth even before he was really offered the spoon, giving his own precautionary blow to the liquid before taking it into his mouth. He let out a groan, letting his bottom lip jut out slightly. "You have looks and personality, you can also cook, where does the amazing qualities end?" He said with a slight whine, resting his head against the wall behind his back. The bowl next to Niall was almost too tempting, wanting nothing more than to eat everything that was in the bowl even if he physically felt like he couldn't eat anymore.

Aleksandr barked out a laugh at that, turning his head to Niall as he reached for a carrot from the bowl beside the other, taking a bite of the stick before passing it over. "Eat whatever you want, hell, eat all of it. I'm happy you like my food," he said, his cheeks tinting slightly at the praise. He turned to the standing oven, pulling the rested lamb chops from inside, checking their temperature and finding that they were still heated. He placed them on the worktop on the opposite side of where Niall was before selecting the messiest one and taking it over to the cutting board, easily slicing it into slivers. He popped a piece in his mouth before waking over to Niall, presenting his with a small plate of the sliced meat. "Well, this has shaped up rather wonderfully," he said, grinning at Niall as he reached above him to pull two large rimmed bowls from the cupboard above him. He placed them on the worktop before grabbing the mashed potatoes and began plating, leaning four chop together on each plate before scooping the vegetables onto each plate. He grabbed the sauce and a spoon slowly drizzle it over both dishes before smiling over at Niall. "And finished."

Niall let out a small cheer once the other announced he was done. "A dinner and a show is something that I don't usually get, I would like to thank you here and now for that," he sad as he looked at Alek's masterpiece. He thought that he really did get lucky to get someone so into food as well as into Niall himself. "But, Alek, are we going to eat at this counter or should we move it somewhere else?" He asked. He took a small bite of his food, almost nervous about vacuuming his food up since he didn't want the other to think he wasn't sophisticated. He found himself staring at Alexsandr's face, feeling a small grace his features as he realised once more just how great it was to go to the dog park the day and time he did. He wondered vaguely if Boran missed him or not, grinning wider at that idea.

Aleksandr let out a small cheer himself, reaching for a towel to wipe off a splash of sauce that had gotten on the rim of one of the bowls. "Well, we will be moving to the chef's table, which is just right up those stairs," he said, grabbing the bowls to bring them upstairs with him. "Could you grab the glasses of wine?" He asked over his shoulder, quickly making his way up the stairs and settling the bowls at their respective places. He turned both bowls until the faced the correct ways, making sure the various utensils were still in their correct places before turning to the grab the glasses from Niall and setting them on the table. "Right back," he said quickly, jogging down the stairs and going to get his shirt as well as the botle of wine. He was still buttoning it up, the bottle of wine tucked securely under his arm as he made it up the stairs.

Niall got off the counter top and went to follow Aleksandr up the stairs, wine glasses in hands. He took his seat, looking at the food with hungry eyes. He had been excited for this all day, waiting excitedly for the food that Alek had boasted about. So far he hadn't been lying, which was what made Niall so happy to be eating it. He crossed his legs under the table, focusing waiting for the man to come back. He grinned once he saw him buttoning up his shirt. "And here I thought you were already dressed for this, I was starting to think I overdressed for this," he said, adjusting his collar with a grin. He took another sip of his wine, waiting for the man to sit down before he even picked up his silverware. He tipped his glass momentarily before he took a bite of his own food. "This is the best thing I have ate," he said, grinning wide.

Aleksandr easily slid into his seat, taking a long pull from his glass of wine as he watched Niall take the first bite. He smiled brightly at the slightly excessive compliment, nodding his head once with a, "thank you," before he reached for his own silverware. "No, I was simply enhancing the 'show' part of this dinner and a show," he said, winking at Niall as he began eating himself. They were both silent as they ate for a few moments, and Alek didn't feel a need to fill the silence with Niall, comfortable with just being in his presence. He reached for his wine glass, leaning back in his seat to take a slow sip from it, eyes following Niall's movements over the rim. He could feel the soft swell of feelings in his middle, the one that had begun the first time he'd seen Niall red faced and laughing at his own joke as though he thought no one else would, so did so himself. "You were not joking when you said you liked food, huh?" Alek asked, smiling softly at Niall, who'd all but licked his plate clean.

Niall hardly knew what to talk about, but decided that it hardly mattered as he dug into his own food. It wasn't an awkward silence, which he has had his fair share of awkward silences. He still managed to scarf down mostly all his food when the other man asked the question. His face flushed bright red, moving to put his fork down. Niall didn't know exactly why he was embarrassed by the idea of scarfing down his food, having that he done it in front of so many other people. It was just that he didn't want Aleksandr to think of him as just a pig or something like that. "Yeah, I really like it," he said, almost feel too felt conscious at that moment in particular. He was use to Louis or Harry, even Liam sometimes making fun of his eating habits, but this was someone who somehow managed to put butterflies in his stomach. He still offered a small smile, trying to not make himself seem too weird by the comment the other man, probably in good spirit as well.

Aleksandr deposited his glass back on the table, leaning forward with a frown on his face, seeing how Niall was clamming up slightly after his comment. "I did not mean that in a negative way, you know this, correct? I'm glad you like my food, this is my passion and so when people like it, I am happy. I apologise if my comment struck a nerve," he said, reaching out to pat the other's shoulder in a comforting gesture. He picked his own fork back up, grinning over at Niall before he scooped up another bite. "So, in all your worldly travels, what place have you enjoyed the most? I've never been able to travel anywhere besides back to and forth from Russia," he asked after swallowing, eyes glancing down at his bowl as he scooped up his last bite and chewed slowly, laying his utensils in his bowl and wiping his mouth with a napkin.

Niall smiled easily as he shook his head. "No, it isn't a problem, I do eat quite a lot, though," he said, trying to not show how much it slightly did bother him. It wasn't specifically that Aleksandr said it, but just the overall idea that he knew his eating usually was fast and seemed like at any moment it was going to be taken away from him. He mentally told himself to slow down his eating, taking the fork up and putting it into his mouth as he gave the other another smile. "I don't exactly know, I like Asia a lot. Japan is really fun, got a lot of great things to see," Niall said excitedly, already mostly forgetting the other's comment as he thought more about the question. "But Russia is very cold, the fans there are still very lovely, probably could all beat me up though," he joked, a grin spread across his face as he chuckled at his own joke.

Aleksandr nodded his head, reaching for the bottle of wine to fill his glass once more and cradled it in his hand as he listened to the other talk, smiling at his comment about how he perceived Russian people. "Well, with as short and as small as you are, it is no wonder you'd believe that. Though, I doubt anyone actually would, we're not as big on fighting as the movies portray us to be," he said, winking at Niall. "And Japan has always seemed like a wonderful place to visit, though I must admit that I'd like nothing more than to go to South America. The ancient ruins of a civilization so different yet so very similar to those you can find over here," he continued, grinning at Niall before taking another drink from his glass. "So, there is dessert, but I was wondering if we could bag it up and take it back to my place. Watch a movie before ending our night. Do you have anything important tomorrow morning that you couldn't sleep in after a long night?"

Niall laughed as he took a sip of his wine himself, smiling as he attentively listened to the other talk. "When we've been in South America, we were in such a rush, we hardly got to sight see at all. I'd love to go visit there some other time, you know? Like actually take it all in without having to worry about being somewhere in the upcoming hours," he said as he took his last few bites of food, finally deciding that this was the best meal he's ever had. "What is for dessert?" He asked before even answering the other's own question. He thought about what he'd have to do the next morning, only finding himself thinking that he had to work some more on the album, three of the songs close to completion. "No, I think I can manage to watch a few movie and sleep over, no problem," he said with a grin, happily going to text his driver and say how he would be staying over at someone's house and not to worry about picking him up.