MFU Fanfiction: The Après-Ski Affair

[saki101]

Written for sparky955 for Down the Chimney 9 (2012). The prompt was: Napoleon and Illya's first Christmas after their retirement from UNCLE (including slash and an established relationship

Comments

[avery11]

Reading your lovely story is, indeed, a wonderful place to spend Christmas--and every day thereafter. A delightful expression of love between two men who trust one another. And those chestnuts roasting on the open fire...!

[saki101]

Thank you so much for reading. I couldn't resist the chestnut part! I'm woefully behind in my reading, but plan to enjoy everyone's stories this weekend.

[spikesgirl58]

Camping in snow *shudder* Even in a tree house, you would have been hard pressed to drag me out into it. Napoleon must really really trust his partner!

This really captures the sense of love, not just between the guys, but of nature and of the day itself.

Rock on!

[saki101]

Well, Napoleon assumed they were heading for a more traditional ski vacation when he was packing. Once he had a more accurate idea of what was going on though, it seemed more like a dare and he and Illya have always been a bit competitive. ;-)

Quite possibly, Napoleon will be planning their next vacation.

Thank you! I'll be devoting this weekend to catching up on all the DtC stories.

[snailbones]

What a gorgeous idea - the two of them in a tree house in the snow, curled up together, talking quietly, and with fabulous food... I think you've ticked pretty much all my boxes, thank you!

[saki101]

Thank you! It was sort of my odd take on cozy inspired by the prompts. Possibly I was also hungry when I wrote the dinner scene. ;-) It was fun thinking what Illya might have brought along for camping out with Napoleon.

[elmey]

Reading it again, I recognize this as yours, but I can also see why I didn't recognize it right away! Not just the camping, but the way the two of them have grown so comfortable with each other. You usually write their relationship as one that's developing, so there's a lot more tension, and not this easy, amused and tolerant camaraderie. I love the way you've thought through what they would be like after thirty years together, they're so recognizable, yet mellowed. It's something I don't think I could really write.

Lovely descriptions as always, the skiing through the snow, Illya in his snow suit appearing and disappearing among the hills, the plate flying out of the treehouse and turning into a comet; and I love Illya's story of going out with his grandmother to find "the" tree.

I don't know if you saw, but there's a post up at pico for people to put links in the comments to the holiday gift stories they were working on in November. I'd love to read you other Sherlock story too!

[saki101]

Thank you so much for this beautiful comment!! I was quite challenged by that aspect of the prompts and the lack of tension that would then result if it was a happy relationship which, of course, I wanted it to be. Illya seeing stars through evergreen branches as a child was the initial image I had and then I pictured them both in deep snow when Illya finally recounts the memory to Napoleon, essentially as his Christmas present. All the rest of it was the setting for that. I'm very relieved you think it came out all right in the end though, because I had a lot of angst about this one. :-)

I hadn't seen the pico post because LJ access has been in very short supply for me this past week, but I just went and put the links there.

[svetlanacat4]

Love this... and the blue plate with its blazing tail... OMG...
A perfect love trap for Napoleon "Napoleon pictured riding in the jeep while Illya drove between the trees in the dark and snuggled against Illya’s back. “There’s cognac left?”"

[saki101]

A perfect love trap for Napoleon...

I imagine that after all those years, Illya knew exactly what Napoleon liked. ;-)

Thank you!