Dimka - (Dimitri Belikov x Reader)
Prompt: Why are you watching Cheburashka?
Description: Dimitri finds his fiancé watching Russian cartoons on his couch.
A/N: I'm not Russian, but when my brother took Russian in college he'd watch Cheburashka to practice. I'd watch too and given the fact I was like 8 it always stuck with me. It’s sorta described as the Russian version of Mickey Mouse. Here’s an episode for reference if you’re interested.
**Also, it can be assumed that dialogue is actually spoken in Russian, but for the sake of clarity it will be written in English.**
The day slid off his shoulders like a coat of responsibility. Every step he took towards the door was one step farther from the day he left behind. His home radiated comfort.
Now something important must be noted. Highly respected guardian Dimitri Belikov was not the same person as the Dimitri that just walked in the door. No, this was Dimka, your fiancé and ultimately your best friend. Sure, occasionally the big and tough Guardian Belikov made it into your home if there had been a troubling day at the academy, but more often he was fantastic as shedding that guarded persona with his shoes at the front door. You were preoccupied however and failed to notice his presence.
There were some blatant tells that you had when you were in a mood, and Dimitri knew them all. One could attribute this to his keen eye for slight changes was embedded in his nature as a guardian, but truthfully it simply came from deep admiration for every detail of who you are. You were not always an open book. So it took time for him to delevop an accute sense for when you were having a day. Now, the two of you had been together for 2 years and he picked up on the signs from a mile away. Wrapped in multiple blankets on the velvet couch you’re currently watching a cartoon, no just any cartoon, Cheburashka. Cheburashka was a little... well, creature of some sort that was found in a crate of oranges. The cartoon follows him and his friends on adventures. It’s a Russian classic.
“Cheburashka?” Dimitri marvels, not having actually seen the show since his childhood.
You crane your neck to look back at your fiancé. "Hi Dimka," you smile, not leaving your pile of blankets on the couch.
"Kisa (kitten), why are you watching Cheburashka?"
"Felt like it." You said with a shrug.
Dimitri was at a loss of what to do. He could tell something wasn't right with you, but it wasn't obvious what it was. Just because he could pick up the signals did not imply he had a sense of what to do with these signs. So, like any good Russian, he sat down next to you and watched as well. The plain and sweet animation was soothing. The soundtrack brought the guardian back to a very vivid memory of his childhood. Dimitri remembered watching it on the shared tv in the commune as a child. The village was remote and did not have television, so the children would watch old cartoons on whatever VHS tapes they could find. He knew you had grown up in a similar situation, so that was likely where you picked up your fondness for the simple show as well. Snaking his arm around, he managed to find your shoulders within the blanket, pulling you into him, blankets and all. You melt into his embrace automatically, relishing in the feeling of his arms around you.
Something you would always cherish was small sweet moments like this. Before becoming a true couple, the eyes of the entire academy were around every corner. No interaction between the two of you was left unmonitored. And while this was not a terribly bad thing, it left little room for soft moments where Guardian Belikov could be just Dimitri. No matter the day you had today, you finally had Dimitri to yourself and that would always be enough.
"Rough day?" He whispers.
Truthfully, your day hadn’t been horrendous, yet it just wasn’t a good day. You went into work tired and you left exhausted. You were at the point where you barely could function mentally when you walked through the door. You had been cuddled up on the couch ever since. You had found this old Cheburashka VHS tape in a box, luckily for you most of Dimitri’s westerns were still on VHS, meaning he had a player. Watching the little orange eating creature gave you a sense of mental escape. Any sort of stress washed away in the little claymation town.
Dimitri being here made you reground yourself to reality. Not in a bad way. Being in his embrace reminded you of the simple joys of life, he being one of those things. You grew more interested in Dimitri then the cartoon.
“How was your day, Dimka?” You turn to face him.
"It was nothing special." Which was exactly how it sounded. It was just another average day at the academy. But normalcy was relative with being a security guard at a boarding school of blood-drinking teenage angst.
You climbed into his lap, bringing the blankets with you. Soon your head was nestled in the crook of his neck. There was no place you felt safer, especially as his arms wrapped around you. No one was around to judge you, only you and Dimitri and no one else.
You were quite at home here. Given it’s close proximity to St. Vladimir’s, the two of you decided that you would move in with him. His place was small, but you feel the need for much space. Though you had yet to actually move in, you were well aquatinted with the space.
"Are you regretting giving me a key to your place yet?" You mumbled cheekily looking up to him again.
"Nyet," he smiled, "Nikogda.” Bringing you closer.
