Green Tune, Apocalypse Blues
cw: smut, mentions of illness and death, just your average ninah stuff
pairing: homeowner x reader
wc: 10k+
crossposted on ao3!
Your life after the beginning of the End wasn't much different than how it was before.
You worked from home and you had the luxury to be able to keep your job in order to afford food deliveries without having to dip in your savings.
Electricity, gas, water were all still running.
You could easily check up on friends and family with your phone and you all thought it would be something fleeting, passing, an astronomical anomaly that would soon go away.
Besides the fact that you had to alter your sleep-wake cycle in order to deal with the scorching heat emanated from the Sun you weren't that affected by having to act like a shut-in for a little while.
At least, that was before the TV started talking about them. The Visitors.
No one really knew where they came from. At first people thought they were skin walkers who killed people to wear their skin and blend in better in order to avoid being discovered, but after some documented encounters with visitors who actually had memories of their human life, many theories surfaced, ranging from a zombie like infection, people going crazy due to the chaotic situation or them being the result of walking out in the Sun without an hazmat suit.
People started losing their homes to spontaneous fires due to the burning heat who made the buildings catch fire in some cases, due to squatters overtaking them and kicking them out or because of visitor infestations in the area.
Lonely tenants and homeowners were the ones risking the most, especially if they didn't have any firearm or self-defence training.
And that's what made you consider letting people in.
Too many cases of violence reported by the news and the mentioning of a Pale Man stalking homeowners and mauling them if they were alone were a strong motivation to push aside the fear of letting in freaks, killers or sickos.
So here you are, standing in front of your door, looking through the peephole to hear this person out.
It's a man in a blue sweater, shotgun in hand.
His piercing blue-greenish eyes seem to stare in to your soul. His expression is stoic, but you see a hint of worry and awkwardness from the way his lips are pressed tight. A Persian red cat is draped over his shoulders almost like a scarf, it seems to be purring.
"Good Evening" you say.
"'Evening"
"What are you here for?"
"I need a place where I can stay with my cat. My house was burned down by some Death Cultists after I refused to let them in." He replies, his head slightly turned backwards, a bitter look on his eyes.
You see that his clothes are slightly dirty with dust. You've seen enough ash in your life due to growing up with a fireplace in your living room to know how it stains clothes, so he's not lying. Besides, if the cat is so attached to him, he can't be a bad person, right?
"Come in, please. I'll just have to check for signs you might be a visitor" you unlock the door and he comes in. His cat jumps off and goes to headbutt your leg. You give him a little pat and then put yourself to work.
He's already opened his eyes for you to see.
No red, the sclera looks normal.
He brings his hands forward. Except some dust stains on his hands, there's no dirt under his short nails, no skin irritation.
He opens his mouth to reveal his straight, but imperfect teeth. Clean, but not white enough to be considered pearly white. Gums too pink, probably due to the lack of iron in his diet, you can't blame him, the prices of real meat and eggs are rising by the hour.
"Thank you for cooperating, you are 100% a human" you tell him relieved.
"I know how it is to live with the paranoia of doing this daily check. No need to thank me."
You smile at him and he looks away, giving you a nod.
"You can stay where you feel most comfortable, there's a spare bedroom, an office with a pull out couch, a living room... whichever you'd prefer"
"I'll take the spare bedroom, thank you"
"Okay then, I'll be in my office for a couple of hours since I have to finish some work" He raises an eyebrow. You can't blame him, probably not many people are still working in this mess. "If you need me or there's anything weird happening outside, please call me..." You haven't even asked him his name.
He seems to understand what you're going to ask him.
"Dmitrij"
"Perfect, Dmitrij, I'm [name]. See you in a bit."
He grunts in acknowledgement, giving you a nod. His cat headbutts you one last time before following its owner. You see them laying on the couch, probably about to nap.
Work is done. Pay is secured. You thank your past self for choosing to work in a food distribution company, in times like these it only provides security.
You walk out of your office and go to your bathroom to take a shower. When you're done you think you should probably find a change of clothes for Dmitrij.
He's not exceptionally tall, sure, taller than you but not freakishly tall like some of your friends.
You probably have some clothes left from your ex boyfriend, who didn't bother to collect them after being caught cheating, and that you didn't mind keeping because they were very comfortable.
You go through the spare room's closet and here they are. There's a dark green sweater that would actually look perfect with Dmitrij's eyes and you find some black pants that seem decent.
You manage to find him some underwear too and so you go to him with your little gift.
He's already looking at you when you enter the room, probably alert due to what he had to endure. Paranoia isn't easy to dismiss, even when you're safe. His shotgun is close to the couch as a confirmation of what you've been thinking.
"I found some clothes that should fit you. I can wash yours in the mean time, wouldn't want you to sleep in dusty clothes if I can help it."
He looks at you with his undecipherable stare and then raises from his seat and grabs the clothes you're offering him.
"Thank you." It's small and almost whispered, but you suppose that's just how he is.
You smile at him and tell him he can take a shower.
He waves his hand and locks himself in the bathroom.
You sit with his cat, who's already offering you his belly for some rubs.
Dmitrij comes back into the living room and sits next to his cat, but close to you nonetheless.
You hear a knock on the door and both of you stand up.
"I'll go and see who it is, don't worry." You tell him.
He shakes his head and grabs his shotgun.
You both go to the door, he stands a couple of feet behind you, shotgun loaded in case things get bad.
You look through the peephole and see a woman holding a hex symbol made of sticks and with a weird necklace on her neck.
"Evening, the stars say you're lucky tonight. I sense the right energy coming from your house, but in times like these even a small mistake can lead to it becoming stagnant.
I can offer you guidance to learn how to read the stars and the universe so that you'll never wander without a compass."
You turn to Dmitrij, one of his eyebrows is raised and he looks at you like he think the woman at the door is a freak. It's the most expressive he's ever been.
You motion him to come closer and he's behind you.
"What do you think?" You whisper to him.
"You choose. I'll shoot if needed. I'm not a fan of these things though."
You nod, and feel a bit better knowing he's got your back.
"You may come in, but I'll need to check if you have signs of being a visitor." You finally say.
"Thank you, Miss, I won't make much trouble, even a chair is fine by me."
You check her hands, nails perfect and fairly well done, teeth a bit too many, but they aren't perfect, nor the right shade of white, eyes normal, so you decide to lead her to the kitchen.
You tell her where the various rooms are and to call you if she needs anything.
She smiles, thanking you again.
You close the kitchen door, Dmitrij is still behind you.
"Remember to talk to her later. The teeth are suspicious, and I was able to get visitors out of my house before they tried to kill someone by checking how they talk and if their stories make sense."
"Thank you, Dima. I'll make something for dinner and chat with her in the meantime, if anything's suspicious I'll call you."
He nods, hand behind his neck in an awkward manner, before going in the living room again.
Cute.
Dmitrij sits on the couch closest to the wall shared with the kitchen.
You're kind and he doesn't want you to get hurt by visitors or worse, by ill-intentioned humans who use the apocalypse as an excuse to act how they please.
He hears you chatting happily with the Psychic Woman, and lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding, you seem to have gotten lucky tonight. Thank God.
You’re making some fried eggs for dinner. They’re fresh and you don’t want them to go to waste with this heat, also you think they might help Dmitrij’s low iron level, after everything he’s gone through he deserves a good meal. You got really lucky when he appeared at your doorstep.
The fortune teller is probably onto something, she knew your exact date and place of birth and told you everything she thought the stars laid out for you. She might not be that crazy after all.
You hear some footsteps coming towards you and instinctively smile.
“You want me to prepare the table?” He asks.
“Oh thank you Dima, the plates and the glasses are in that cupboard on the left.”
You hear the fortune teller shuffling with something. You turn your head and see that she’s consulting a tarot deck, a pleased smile on her face. Good, whatever she saw is definitely comforting.
Dinner is ready and the three of you gather at the table to eat together.
You and the fortune teller talk about the stars, the universe, her mentor, who apparently changed her life for the better and made her wish to help others by offering her guidance. You tell her about your past, how you moved to Russia from your home country some years ago, wanting to explore the world and how you decided to stay here in Sebezh. The fortune teller asks you more about your home country, where you grew up and what made you seek change. She then tells you that she thinks your stories are similar, different goals and outcomes, but the same driving force nonetheless.
Dmitrij doesn’t talk. He’s never been a people person and not even in his own house, when he still had it, full of guests, he went to dine with them. He mostly looks at you if he’s not paying attention to scooping up his eggs, and sometimes you catch him and smile at him.
He wants to repay your kindness with his protection, that’s the least he can do. If he were in your shoes, a lonely woman with no friends or family in her house during these trying times, he wouldn’t have let himself in. Too many deranged men wander around, humans or visitors it makes no difference if the intent is the same.
The fact that you actually trusted him enough to let him in and cared to make him as comfortable as possible deserved his best behaviour, his vigilance and all the help he can give to you.
-
After dinner, you prepare a small plate with some egg leftover and the last slices of the pack of ham you opened this morning to make a sandwich to give them to the strays that wander around the neighbourhood. Seeing them eat the trash, ribs now visible, makes your heart clench.
The fortune teller offered to load up your dishwasher for you, Dmitrij would have done it but you asked him if he could accompany you outside to leave the scraps for the strays.
He raised his eyebrow at you when you first asked him but then nodded and went to get his shotgun in the living room.
So now here you are, reaching the fence of your garden to leave the plate just outside of it.
Dmitrij is standing behind you, scanning your surroundings. He feels a chill running through his body.
Not a good sign. He looks in front of him and sees a well too familiar figure standing several meters ahead of you two.
“[name], we have to head inside. Don’t look ahead and walk as fast as you can without running. I’ll be behind you”. Chills run through your body and without questioning him, you do as he says.
You hear his footsteps behind you, rapidly making their way through the grass of your garden.
It’s only when you both get inside and you hear him lock the door that you sigh in relief.
“We have to make sure all the windows are locked”
“What did you see? What’s happening?”
Dmitrij looks at you with his piercing eyes, slightly wider than usual.
“Have you ever heard of the Pale Visitor that wanders around town?”
No. No. No. It can’t be. Is he coming for you? Oh God this is all your fault, you shouldn’t have gone outside! He knows where you live now and is probably coming to get you, is he now?
You shouldn’t have stepped outside not even for a second! Such a fool you are!
What if he comes in and kills the three of you! It’s all your fault your fault your fault your-
You feel Dmitrij’s hands on your shoulders, he’s looking at you intensely.
“It’s not your fault. He stalked me too, before my house burned down. He would’ve noticed this house anyways, but now we have the advantage of knowing he might be onto us, okay? Now, we’re going to lock all the windows and close the curtains. He doesn’t come in if you’re not alone, apparently that’s a rule of his, so for now, we’re safe, okay?”
He’s never spoken this much, his calm, deep voice eases your nerves.
You take a deep breath and nod and you both quickly go lock the windows.
The last window is your bedroom’s.
The one that faces the place where you put the dish with the leftovers. You sigh and face the glass.
You bite your lips to avoid making any noise, the pale man is standing close to where you left the dish, with the strays around him, one hand caressing the head of a scrawny German shepherd.
His head snaps upwards, his wide, unnatural smile perfectly visible even at such a distance.
You feel frozen in place.
You two kind of stare at each other for a handful of seconds before he waves. He waves at you.
Oh fuck.
You feel a noise behind you and you jump. Dmitrij has dropped his shotgun and is staring at you, mirroring your shocked expression.
When the Pale Man sees him to his grin stretches even wider, he waves more frantically.
You close the curtains and make sure the window is locked, and when you’re done, you fall on your knees, stress weighing on you.
Dmitrij kneels beside you, with his usual neutral expression, though his eyes convey his concern and his surprise. You’re both too nervous to say anything.
You get up and he follows you to the kitchen. The fortune teller looks at you, not with the pleased smile from earlier, her expression is more…tranquil. Before you even begin speaking she starts talking.
“He who is pale sees the dogs as his equals. Those who help them are those he won’t hurt. The energy hasn’t shifted to a darker axis, this too is good. Expect his visit soon. When he will arrive you won’t be alone, Miss.” She says.
You sigh in relief. She’s probably right, and even if she wasn’t, you can indulge in this comforting lie for a bit, at least, until the Pale Man’s visit.
You don’t know if you want to sleep in your bedroom tonight, what if he’s still outside?
The fear is a bit too much, you decide that the pull out couch in your office will suffice for the night.
You say goodnight to the fortune teller and tell her that the couch is available, if she wants to sleep there. She thanks you for your hospitality but she prefers to stay on her chair, she still needs to finish her readings, so you close the door for her.
"I can guard the doorway, if it makes you feel safer" Dmitrij offers.
"Don't worry about it, get your rest too please.
Tomorrow is going to be another long day and I think we experienced too many emotions for the whole month probably"
"Ok. You want to sleep in the spare room?"
"No, really, you've been doing enough for me today, you deserve to sleep on an actual bed, one night on the pull out couch won't kill me"
He nods and accompanies you to your office.
"Night, [name]" he says.
"Good night Dima, sweet dreams!" you chirp.
You close the door and prepare your makeshift bed, but you're not that tired yet.
You eye the corner where your piano, violin and bass stand. You soundproofed the room a year ago or so, so it shouldn't be an issue if you played something to calm yourself down, right? You go with the violin. You take it out from its case and put it on your shoulder.
Some tango should definitely change your mood right?
It definitely does and sleep now doesn't seem so scary anymore.
You don't really remember much of your dream, except for a pair of piercing blue-green eyes and a malicious, uncanny grin.
Dmitrij wakes up. The Sun has risen hours ago and the heat has become too much for him to sleep decently.
He walks through the house and glances at your office's door, which is slightly ajar.
He can see you sleeping soundly, albeit in a weird position and clearly plagued by the heat too. He huffs and smiles to himself, he's glad to know you're sleeping soundly.
He finds the Psychic Woman wandering around the house with her hex symbol tight in her hand, murmuring something.
He doesn't find the strength to ask her what she's doing, he's not a talkative man, opposite to you. He'd like to get to know you better. He heard you playing, albeit faintly, your violin, it helped him fall asleep.
He used to play the piano, before his wife...his late wife died. Music stopped becoming a safe haven for him and instead turned into another door of his life for him to close.
He's glad that at least in this apocalypse there's still someone with that spark in their eyes.
-
He goes to the bathroom to check himself for any Visitor symptom and freshen himself up.
Now that he's in your home as a guest he feels responsible for his hygiene, that's the least he can do.
He finds his old clothes clean, dry and neatly folded on the sink. He smiles to himself again.
You're so caring.
His self check goes well, he wouldn't want to leave you alone and defenseless, especially with the Pale Man stalking nearby.
He changes back to his old clothes and washes the ones you kindly lent him yesterday.
He should ask you how you managed to have his exact size in your closet, but he's not sure he'd like the answer.
He goes to feed his cat and polish his shotgun, better be prepared just in case.
You wake up sweaty. You forgot to change to your skimpy and most importantly light pajamas due to everything that happened and of course now you have to change the sheets.
Best way to wake up in the morning huh? Lucky you.
You grab your new pajamas and head to the the washing machine with your bundle of sweaty blankets and clothes.
Dmitrij has taken his old clothes, good thing you remembered to lay them out for him yesterday. You should probably just give him the entire pile of your ex-boyfriend's clothes, with this heat you don't understand how he manages to stay in a sweater the whole day.
You go to the kitchen to grab a snack before clocking in and you find Dmitrij cooking something. The smell is promising.
He puts a plate of small pancakes in front of you and prepares one for himself and the fortune teller.
"Sorry if they don't taste good, I'm not...that much of a cook" he says, a hint of bashfulness in his tone.
You taste one and your smile seems to be an acceptable enough answer for him, you see a small smile on his lips.
"Where's the fortune teller?"
"You mean the Psychic Woman? She told me she'd complete a 'cleansing routine'. Said she'd leave in a couple of days after she was done telling you what was needed for the rest of the Apocalypse"
You thought she'd stay longer, but since she felt "guided by the universe", her words not yours, you can understand why she'd leave.
She was on an entirely different plane of existence than yours or Dmitrij's.
You finished your shift when the Sun started setting. You grab you phone and place an order from a store not too far from home.
Tomorrow evening you'll get food you ordered three days ago from your joband the order you just made of first aid kits, cleaning supplies, ammos for Dmitrij's shotgun and other non-perishables.
You hear someone knock on your office door, it's the fortune teller. She came to tell you that she will be leaving tonight because she sensed that somewhere close to your neighborhood there's an abnormal concentration of negative energy. She wrote some notes for you containing 'everything you'll need' to consult the stars at a beginner level and signs to look out for to perceive incoming danger.
You hug her and she returns it.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Miss. May you get back the kindness you're giving out."
"Thank you for everything, be safe out there. If you change your mind, my door will always be open for you".
She smiles at you, and as she's leaving, she turns back to you to say one last thing.
"You should still feed the strays. It will help."
"Okay, I will."
"Good. Farewell, Miss. "
Not long after the fortune teller has left you hear some knocking at the door.
Dmitrij is already by the door, shotgun in hand.
He motions for you to come to the peephole.
There's a guy with his mouth wired shut.
The sight is heartbreaking. You open the door for him and ask Dmitrij to get some scissors.
You check in the meantime for any visitor sign, luckily finding none.
Dmitrij arrives quickly, scissors, bandages and some alcohol in his hands.
The three of you try to remove the wires, and after some minutes you finally manage to.
You're about to disinfect his injuries when the man shakes his head and grabs the tools himself.
After he's done you tell him that he can go wherever he pleases, except for the two bedrooms, which are already occupied.
He seems lost. You repeat it to him a couple of times but he still doesn't get the message.
"Maybe he's a foreigner" Dmitrij suggests.
He's right. What language could he speak?
You knew your native language, English, Russian and a bit of Georgian, from the four months you spent there before settling in Russia.
You go with English, he perks up a bit but he only seemed to understand a couple of words.
You try with your mother tongue, to no avail.
You try with your broken Georgian, and he starts vigorously nodding to you in approval.
He tries to speak, due to his injuries the words are slightly unintelligible, but you understand "Armchair" and "thank you". You tell him it's no big deal and he hugs you tightly, overjoyed.
You turn to find Dmitrij looking at you, expression indecipherable.
"So...where is he from?" He asks after a bit.
"Georgia, I assume. I can speak the language on a basic level, but his injuries are making it difficult for him to speak intelligibly".
"Have you checked him?"
"Yes, while you were grabbing the scissors"
He nods and goes to the kitchen with his shotgun.
-
You hear another knock.
There's a guy with an "amogus" shirt on, his vibe feels off already.
"Evenin' sugar! Mind letting me in?" Ugh. Not the pet names.
"What do you want?" You ask him through gritted teeth.
"Straight to business I see! Well I can offer you a new, plentiful source of cash if you let me in!"
Not a chance. He's definitely involved in some scummy thing like MLM schemes or something.
"Why are you here? If your scheme is so successful, you shouldn't need to beg for a place to go, right?"
His grin falters for a second, before widening again.
"Smart! I like that darling! Someone was definitely too jealous of my success and burned my house down, shame isn't it?"
His clothes don't look like Dmitrij's did when he came knocking at your door, and he creeps you out. You're not going to let him in.
"Sorry, but I have no place for you. Good luck on your search."
"C'mon darlingggg, I'll pay you back if you let me in...in more ways than one, if you catch my drift" he says, wiggling his eyebrows. Ew.
"Leave. I'm not going to ask a second time"
His expression changes completely.
"Fucking whore, the spinster of the neighborhood has already enough men in her home? And here I thought one more would only make you happier since you're a-"
You hear the shotgun loading.
"Leave or I'll shoot. She's already been kind enough to listen to you, I am not."
The guy seems to be scared shitless, he turns on his heels and leaves, you're pretty sure he's mumbling something like "hope you all rot in hell".
You turn to Dmitrij, who actually looks like he would've shoot the creep.
"Are you okay?" He asks. His voice betrays his anger.
"I'm fine...thank you though for helping me"
"He called you whore." He angrily states "He deserved that bullet, but it's preferable to save ammo for actual visitors".
"He didn't deserve death, but I'm glad you scared him off. Creeps like him need to be put in their place" you retort. "I got lucky when you came to my doorstep the other day, Dima, really." You say fondly.
You can see his cheeks blushing slightly, his hand awkwardly scratching his neck.
"I was luckier" he says softly.
"Anyways, we should give some scraps from today's breakfast to the dogs."
"Did the Psychic Woman tell you to do that?"
"Yes, we should of course check the windows to see if the Pale Man is too close to our house but we ought to do that".
"Ok, you prepare the food and I'll go check, alright?"
"Yes, thank you"
-
You tell the foreigner that you're going out and he makes a worried face along with some unintelligible vocalizations. His lips are swollen but they don't seem to be infected or anything.
You assure him you'll be back in five minutes.
Dmitrij opens the door, gesturing for you to stay behind him and makes way to the side of the fence where you left the scraps last time.
It all goes smoothly and you already see the pack of strays coming towards the plate, tails wagging. You coo at them and then quickly return to the safety of your home.
You hear someone knocking at the door, it's your delivery. You thank the delivery man, leave him a small tip and you both wish each other well before he leaves to finish his shift.
Dmitrij grabs the bags, despite your protests, and starts putting everything where it belongs, saying that you "provide enough already" and to let him "do his part" and that dinner will be ready soon, just to give him twenty minutes to pull something edible together.
You go to the Georgian to try and talk to him.
He's petting Dmitrij's cat as you arrive.
"Hello!"
He waves at you, pulling out a small block notes, presumably from the pile of stationery that occupies part of your bookshelf.
He writes something down.
My name is Tamaz. I'm happy to finally be able to communicate with someone else here.
Thank you for your help.
You smile at him.
"I'm sorry to talk when you can't right now, but while I can understand some Georgian, I'm not that familiar with the alphabet yet"
He shrugs, still smiling.
Yeah, being able to understand each other, even if on a basic level, is definitely better than nothing.
You spend your time happily "chatting" away.
Tamaz is quite the guy, you're glad you let him in. The only issue is how to help him get back home, he wants to leave Russia as soon as possible but honestly you aren't so sure that public transport is available, given the state of things. He told you that the embassy should still work but he can't remember their phone number as of now, so you'll have to wait until he does before planning anything.
A soft thud makes you jump.
You turn around to see Dmitrij watching you, expression unreadable, leaning against the doorframe. His shotgun is placed against the wall, not far from him.
"Oh hi Dima! Did we make you wait?"
His gaze slightly softens, though his expression remains neutral.
"No, I've just finished cooking it. I was about to call you."
"Great! Can't wait to taste what you made!"
You sprint to the kitchen, Tamaz seems to understand what's going on due to the pleasant smell of food and Dmitrij follows him to the kitchen.
You all eat together, with you mostly filling the silence by rambling half in Russian, half in Georgian about how the food is good ("I'll make more next time if you like it so much"), what you had done earlier during your shift and just random musings. They both listen to you with interest, Tamaz nodding eagerly and attempting to speak, sounding more intelligible with each attempt. To you at least.
Dmitrij mostly nods and grunts in acknowledgement, besides the occasional reply here and there. He can't really understand what you're saying when talking to the Georgian, which kind of bothers him. He ought to ask you to maybe... teach him some words? He doesn't really like this feeling of exclusion.
-
You hear someone knocking at the door.
Who might it be? The three of you rise to go to the answer.
Dmitrij stops Tamaz, putting a hand in front of his face. He doesn't want him to come.
Tamaz looks confused at you.
"Why?" He mutters.
"He's right, you're injuried and for now we can manage answering the door. Unless it's the Pale Freak you don't need to overexert yourself.” You smile at him and, while he looks worried he obeys and stays in the kitchen.
When you look through the peephole you freeze. It's the Pale Man.
"Howdy! How's everything going here?"
He's polite, his hands are clasped in front of him, reminding you of a salesman.
If it wasn't for the unnerving, unnaturally stretched grin, the lack of spark in his brown eyes and the fact that his skin doesn't seem to fit him well, he wouldn't have been so menacing and off-putting.
"Everything is going well...how about you?" You tentatively ask.
He looks slightly surprised.
"Well, well...though the night is young, who knows how it will turn out to be..."
Fantastic. You can tell that you're shaking.
You know what he's capable of, he knows you know. You truly hope he won't try to break in.
God this isn't how you thought your evening would go.
Dmitrij places a hand on your shoulder. Grounding, comforting. He always is.
"You're right, I'm feeling pretty lucky tonight though."
The visitor grins even more.
"The dogs are happy. You've been feeding them I see...unusual."
"Seeing them starving for something they cannot control saddens me. If I can help it I'd rather share my food with them."
He stares at the peephole for a couple of seconds, before saying:
"Thankfully you're not alone tonight...who knows what could happen to such a gentle soul in these trying times without allies.
Goodnight."
"Goodnight to you too."
You make sure he's gone before turning to Dmitrij and hugging him.
You're shaking like a leaf. He awkwardly holds you while you hide your head under his.
"You were right in following the advice of that Psychic. He's watching and taking notes. If you were ever alone, maybe he could spare you"
"Don't you dare think of that. You're not going anywhere"
"I'm not. I promise."
You give him a grateful squeeze before detaching yourself from him.
Someone knocks at the door again, you hear Dmitrij sighing behind you as you check who it is.
It's a redheaded woman, dressed provocatively but rather appropriately for these days' heat.
"Hello baby, how's your new life treating you? Managed to adapt?" She asks " Oh, how silly of me to ask, you do live here after all."
Oh dear, another pet names user.
"Do you need something?"
"Straight to the point, baby. All I ask you is a bit of space for me to occupy, I won't be much trouble."
"I suppose you can come in... I'll have to check you though" you say as you open the door.
"Check everything you want, baby. I'll show you anything you need to see."
You grab her delicate hands to check her nails.
Her red nails are almost perfect, there's no dirt under them.
"Are you satisfied baby? Or do I need to show you something else?"
"I'd like to check your teeth and eyes please..."
She smiles at you, her teeth are white, but not perfect, and definitely not the pearly white the news said to look out for.
She opens her eyes for you, still smiling.
"Did you know, sweetheart, that the eyes are the window to one's soul? Do you like what you see?" You feel a bit hot. Her deep green eyes gaze at you softly, her warm smile makes you sweat. Her sclera is normal.
"You're clean...besides the two bedrooms you're free to choose where to stay. I'll need the office in the morning to work, so if you choose that room I'd prefer if you left me alone during my shift...to concentrate better"
"Of course baby, you deserve to work in peace.
If you need some...company, I'll be in the living room for now. See you later...".
-
You turn, and another set of greenish eyes is staring at you.
"I'm not putting up with her if she pulls this shit with me." He says. He's clearly fuming.
"Huh? I mean...I get it, the pet names are a bit too much for me too but...it felt wrong leaving her out like this. She's a woman, what if she meets someone scummy who thinks they have a free pass just because it's the apocalypse?"
He huffs and his arms cross tighter.
Another knock interrupts you.
You can hear Dmitrij cursing under his breath and honestly you can't really blame him. Too many people at the door in less than thirty minutes.
You see two kids at the door. They look far too young to be alone.
"I'm...excuse me Miss, could you let us in please? Me and my brother have nowhere to go and I'm afraid of the dark..."
You and Dmitrij exchange a look and open the door for them.
The oldest looks no older than ten.
"What happened to you? Why are you all alone?" You ask him.
"Some scary looking people came into our home...me and my little brother ran away after my mama yelled at us to leave. Please..." He starts sniffing "Don't throw us out..."
You're about to speak when you hear Dmitrij's voice.
"We won't throw you out. Could you just show us your hands? If you're injured we can patch it up right away."
Both kids extend their hands to him.
Besides being sweaty, their hands are perfectly clean.
"Good. Do you want some food?"
Both kids smile at the mention of food, and you see their far from perfect teeth. Some are missing due to their young age, they definitely aren't white nor straight.
"I'll go see if I have some movies for them to watch" you say.
Dmitrij nods and leads the kids to the kitchen.
You smile to yourself, you've never seen such a soft expression on him.
Maybe he had kids before his house burned down? If they aren't with him though...you hope he just has a soft spot for kids.
After some searching you finally find some animated movies suitable for the kids.
You bring them to the living room, where you see the woman you let in earlier flirting with Tamaz, who looks at you gratefully when you enter the room.
You tell them you're setting up some movies for the two kids you've let in to watch.
"All alone? Poor babies, even they were affected by all this. I'll help you with them, it's the least I can do..." The woman says.
Tamaz puts an hand on his chest to let you know he'll help too.
You thank them and go check on Dmitrij.
The kids are eating, and even if their cheeks are still red from crying you can see the relief on their faces.
You go up to Dmitrij, who's loading the dishwasher.
"Thank you Dima, I can finish the job for you."
"Not a chance. Go rest."
"Aw c'mon, you did a lot for us today...at least let me help"
You see a small smile form on his lips.
Together you finish the job much quicker.
You tell the kids to go in the living room, where their new friends will help them set up the movie they prefer, and to knock on your door at any time if they need you.
You go get your phone to call the delivery service.
You'll need a gun if they have it, some laundry soap and much more shampoo and soap.
Maybe some condoms too given how quick your new guest seems to jump to flirting.
The delivery service tells you that they'll come tomorrow night.
You go take a quick shower and change into cleaner and lighter pajamas for the night.
You finally jump on your bed.
The windows are locked and now nothing will be able to separate you from sleep.
You hear a soft knock coming from behind your bedroom door.
"Come in!"
You see the flirty woman open the door.
"I'm so sorry to bother you baby, I just wanted to know if you happened to have some spare clothes for me."
"Oh, of course, let me check my closet".
You get up and bend to reach the lowest shelf where you keep some old clothes and pajamas.
As you turn around to give them to her you feel her arms engulfing you from behind.
Oh Heavens.
She lays her head between your shoulders.
"Thank you for everything you're doing for me, for the kids, for the other guests...it must be so hard to bear such a burden all by yourself...if you need someone to talk with, I'm here for you baby."
"Oh...thank you, really...but I'm not alone in this, Dmitrij is the one who is probably doing the most...without him I wouldn't be able to help you all."
She gets up and puts a hand under your chin.
"Don't undersell yourself, baby. If it weren't for you we all would've died on the streets sooner or later. Be kinder to yourself. If you need a distraction...of any kind, I'll be here to help you" She grabs the clothes and kisses your cheek, before going to the door.
"Goodnight baby. See you tomorrow..."
"G...goodnight to you too..."
You go back to your bed, face still flushed with embarassment.
You don't fall asleep for a while after this.
Dmitrij sees the flirty woman exiting your room with clothes that are undoubtedly yours.
Already upset, the woman has the nerve to wink at him. He saw how flustered you get after each one of your interactions with her and it makes his blood boil. What if you swing that way? But why would you have men's clothing in your house? Ugh, it's too late in the evening for this.
He passes by your bedroom door. He can hear you shuffling underneath the sheets.
He raises his hand as if to knock on your door but...he decides not to disturb you.
What could he even say? He can't just interrupt your well deserved time alone if he doesn't even know what to do about what he's feeling right now.
He sighs and goes to sleep.
You wake up just in time for your shift.
You quickly greet the kids, Tamaz and the flirty woman before heading to your office.
Before you enter though, you go check on Dmitrij.
His door is unlocked and you slightly open it to see if he's awake. Big mistake.
He's shirtless and pantless, hugging a pillow in his sleep.
You immediately close the door as softly as possible and go to your desk.
Hopefully work can stop your immagination, right? Right.
-
You finish your shift. It was a good distraction for a while, but when you eventually see Dmitrij, who apparently found your stash of men's clothing, you can't unsee what you saw this morning. God, you feel so guilty for having what seems like a crush on the man who has helped you stay alive for the past week.
You two are alone in the kitchen.
The kids are playing with Tamaz and Dmitrij's cat and the woman is sleeping in your office.
"So, how did your day go?" You ask, trying to distract yourself from the thoughts plaguing your poor mind.
"Nothing special. I made rounds around the house, kept company to the kids and went to find some clothes for myself." He says. Before you can make a comment you see him fiddling with a string hanging from the hem of a sleeve of his "new" purple turtleneck.
"So...who do I have the privilege to share my clothing size with?"
Oh. You didn't expect this question.
"My ex boyfriend. He...cheated on me and I broke up with him over a year ago. The clothes were nice and comfortable enough to justify their stay here, and I'm glad I kept them, they came in handy. Besides, they look great on you."
He looks away bashfully.
"Only a fool would do that to you."
Oh. You didn't expect this either.
"What about you? Do you...have a girlfriend? A wife?" His expression darkens slightly.
"I used to be married. After two years of marriage she was diagnosed with leukemia. One month later I had to bury her. It's been almost four years now."
"Oh, Dmitrij...I'm so sorry..."
"The only good thing about that is that she doesn't have to witness this apocalypse. That's the only thing I'm glad for."
You put a hand on his shoulder and give him a slight squeeze. He's really been through a lot, and yet, under his gruff and cold exterior, he still harbors enough kindness to keep doing the right thing. He let guests in, knowing the risks, and put his life on the line both when he was still in his home and now that he lives with you in order protect everyone.
He deserves to rest.
"Want to go rest on the couch for a bit? Maybe the kids want to watch a movie and honestly, I need the distraction."
He tilts his head towards you before letting out a hum.
You head to the living room, where Dmitrij's cat is playing with the kids.
The moment Tamaz sees you he rushes to you.
"I remember the embassy's phone number!"
"REALLY? That's fantastic Tamaz!"
Teary-eyed, he hugs you tight, in an almost suffocating grip.
You go to the phone and wait for Tamaz to finish speaking.
You struggle to understand what they're saying, but it doesn't seem good.
After all, you don't expect trains or planes to be running right now.
He hangs up and gives you the biggest smile.
"There's a train that can take me to Georgia, if I make it on time. I'll be leaving now, but I will forever remember your kindness."
"Are you sure? You can stay for as long as you'd like, you're no burden to us, Tamaz."
He shakes his head.
"I must go now, let me just say goodbye to Dmitrij."
Two minutes later, you're at the door, saying your final goodbye to Tamaz.
"Do you think the train is real?"
"I can only hope so."
Dinner is done, the dishwasher has been loaded, the scraps have been fed to the dogs and your order has been delivered.
You and Dmitrij are watching a movie with the kids, the flirty woman, whose name is Anya, is resting in your office.
It's been a while since the last time you felt so at peace in your own house.
When the movie ends, it's time for the kids to go to bed.
Last night you let them sleep on the couch, knowing that they weren't in the living room alone, but since Tamaz left, you don't think you should leave them on your old couch.
"Okay kids, I think that tonight you should sleep in my bedroom, which is way more comfortable than this couch. I'll sleep here instead."
"Are you sure miss? You deserve to sleep well too!"
"Of course! Youu need to sleep well in order to become big and strong like me" you say, flexing your arms in front of them. They start giggling like they don't agree with you. Little pests.
"Okay okay, fine, bigger and stronger than me, got it."
You and Dmitrij tuck the kids in bed and wish them goodnight.
When you close the door, Dmitrij speaks up.
"You can sleep in my bed. I can take the couch, it's comfortable enough for me."
"No Dima, I can't have you both guard the house and sleep like shit, since I only have to work from my computer it won't hurt me to sleep on the couch for a little while."
"I'm sleeping on the floor if it makes you feel better. You get the bed and get to choose if I get the floor or the couch."
You shove him affectionately.
"You're being ridiculous"
"You're being ridiculous, not me."
"Fine...what if we shared? We both get to sleep on the bed and no one wakes up with back pain. I pinky promise you I won't trespass."
He stares at you for a couple of seconds.
"Deal."
You didn't think this throughly.
Dmitrij went to the bathroom to put lighter clothes on, which is great, considering that you would've probably exploded if you had to sleep next to him only in his underwear.
You put your face in your hands, you definitely should've chosen the couch.
You take deep breaths to try and look nonchalant when Dmitrij comes back.
He still looks delicious and you truly ponder whether it wouldn't be more dignified to just go outside to the Pale Man and get mauled instead of, like, having rather inappropriate thoughts about someone who is helping you stay alive with all his might.
"You good? You don't seem okay."
You wish you could tell him everything, but you still have some self control left.
"Yes, it's probably just the drowsiness, don't worry. You? Everything's good?"
He nods and gets under the covers, accurately placing himself to avoid your side of the bed.
Very considerate of him, though you'd rather have him closer. Much closer.
Good God, have you always been like this?
"Are you sure you're fine?" He says, placing the back of his hand on your forehead.
"Oh yes, sorry, just got lost in thought. You know how it is, heh."
He slightly raises an eyebrow, then turns around to face the window. You hear the too familiar thud of his shotgun being placed on the floor.
"If you need me, for whatever reason, you can wake me up."
"Same goes for you Dima. Good night!"
"G'night to you too."
-
You wake up in the middle on the night because of a nightmare.
You try to wiggle around and change position but you discover that you're pretty much stuck.
Stuck under something that holds you closer the more you try turning around.
It's not what you think it is...right?
Oh yes, it's exactly what you thought.
Dmitrij is holding you tight in his sleep, chin protectively placed over your head, arms wrapped tight around your torso.
You can hear him mumble something under his breath, he's probably having a nightmare too.
Who wouldn't these days?
You sigh and adjust your head to fit between his neck and shoulder.
You hear him mumble your name, along with various "no"s. Was he dreaming about you?
You wish you could wake him up, but given the position you're stuck in and can't get out of you settle for something else.
"Everything's okay Dima... don't you worry" you whisper in his ear.
You hear him grumbling something.
"Yes, you can sleep now. It was all a bad dream”.
You hear him grunt and then his grip on you slightly loosens.
You could technically get out of his grasp if you wanted. If you wanted. You don't though, so you decide to close your eyes and bask in his warmth.
He's back home, but everything feels...wrong somehow.
He wanders around. There are three pictures by the entrance door.
One is his late wife's, the other one is his cat's and the third one is new.
He can see both you and him in it, you're smiling whilst hugging him tight.
Why are you among the pictures of his dead loved ones? Where are you?
It's his home of course, you live somewhere else, but he could never leave you alone, especially not with this visitor mess happening outside.
He runs through the hallway of his home, seemingly going straight, but feeling like he's running in circles.
He sees blood splattered on the wallpaper.
He's back at the entrance, but he wishes he wasn't.
He can see the Pale Visitor bent on your lifeless body, surrounded by a pool of your own blood.
Falling to his knees he crawls towards your corpse.
"No, no, no, [name], you can't leave me too, no, no, no, no it can't be. Not again. Not you."
The Pale Visitor grins at him, hands covered in what is presumably your body.
He's about to fight him to death, when he feels something grab his ankle.
"Everything is okay Dima... don't you worry."
Your body is suddenly alive, you're getting up to reach him, ignoring the Pale Freak beside you. You grab his face with your soft hands.
He hugs you tight.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, you can sleep now. It was all a bad dream”.
He believes you. He’d believe everything you say, even if you said that the Moon is made of cheese or another absurd thing.
His house and the Pale Visitor fade around him, you don’t though. You're definitely ok, somewhere in the waking world.
When he wakes up he finds you clinging to him in your sleep, caged in his arms.
He wonders how long he can stay like this before you have to work.
He closes his eyes again and waits a couple of minutes before turning around to pretend you never cuddled up to him and spare you the embarrassment of finding out.
He'd love for you to find out, but you don't deserve new things to stress about given the current situation.
He slightly shakes you to wake you up.
"Mmmmorning, Dima. How's it goin'?"
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, I did. Did you though? I heard you talking in your sleep, I hope everything’s okay now.” you say softly.
He nods. So you were actually speaking to him at the end of his nightmare, that explains why his nightmare faded away so fast.
You get up and go to the office.
He gets a shirt and some pants from the closet, he's not going to walk around half naked around the kids or that flirty woman you let in. He grabs his shotgun and goes to do his rounds around the house.
-
You start your shift with a smile. It’s been a while since you’ve slept this good.
It’s long and boring, you hear the kids approaching the door a couple of times before running away giggling.
It makes you happy to know that they feel safe enough to be silly.
When you end your shift you hear someone knocking on your door.
Anya enters the room and greets you, coming to sit next to you.
She came in to check in you, she says.
"I see you always working so hard to provide for us baby...I want to make sure you're okay."
She grabs your hands in hers.
"Thank you Anya for your concern, I really appreciate it. It's a bit tough working with this heat, even with the fan on, but it's better than having to worry about money."
She softly smiles at you, her thumbs rub the back of your hands.
"Is something on your mind? I can see you're stressed, but it seems that it's not all about the current situation...like there's something else. You can tell me, I'm good at keeping secrets." She winks at you, putting her index finger on her lips.
You nervously glance at the door, which is slightly ajar. Maybe you could tell her about your silly crush on Dmitrij...right? A small girl talk never hurt anybody...
You purse your lips and sigh.
"I'm honestly a bit conflicted regarding some...sentimental affair....I don't know how to go about it."
Her smile widens and a knowing expression makes way on her face.
"This is about your...guest, Dmitrij, right? Well baby, I think I can help you with that. What's going on?"
"I...oh dear it sounds so silly said out loud, I have a crush on him...I don't want to make any wrong move with him, he's been through so much and...and he's always making sure everyone is safe! I don't want to add to the burden he already bears by making him uncomfortable or something...but the more I see him, the more this feeling grows..."
She grabs your shoulders, giving you a warm smile.
"I can help you with that...I too experienced this in the past. I can show you how to make sure he actually reciprocates your feelings before you make any move on him...if you'd like."
Your eyes slightly widen. Talking to her was a great choice!
She gets closer to you, her face almost touching you, as if she's about to tell you a huge secret.
She looks deep into your eyes with her warm, seemingly all-knowing smile for a couple seconds.
Two things happen all at once.
First thing, Dmitrij comes inside to ask you something you can't understand.
Second thing, Anya has leaned in to kiss you exactly when he set foot in the room.
Two seconds pass before you pull out of your shock and away from her.
The damage is already done. Dmitrij has turned on his heels and walked out of the room.
You chase after him and Anya can hear the "what the fuck was that for??" coming from the hallway. She smirks as she lays on the pull out couch to sleep.
You follow Dmitrij into the spare...his bedroom and close the door. You don't need to see his face to know that he's fuming. He's bent on the bed, clearly trying to restrain his anger.
"Dmitrij, please, it's not what you think it is! I don't know why she kissed me!"
"Why...should I care? If that's what you prefer who am I to stop you?" He says through gritted teeth "If you like her, why should you come and justify yourself?" The way he pronounces "her" is full of venom. You see the way his body trembles from anger.
"I don't like her that way! I don't know what came over her! I thought we were just talking about...something and all of a sudden this happened! You were never meant to see that, Dmitrij, please!"
You motion closer to him, aching. He doesn't turn around to face you.
"I don't want Anya, I don't want anyone else! I...I only want you!" You're about to cry. "Please, at least, look me in the eyes when I speak to you!"
He slowly turns around to face you. You see him taking a deep breath before locking eyes with you. It only takes a second for him to almost pounce on you, one hand behind your head and the other arm snuck around your back to keep you close to him.
His kiss is hungry, feverish, angry.
You reciprocate the kiss and open your mouth to make way for his tongue.
He feels your hand in his hair and the other on the back of his neck.
Still tangled you both move towards the bed, where you're unceremoniously thrown over the mattress.
He presses further onto you, your hips grinding against each other, a grunt escapes his throat.
When he repeats the action your moan gets swallowed in the kiss.
You can feel the obvious bulge in his pants, and you lock your legs over his waist.
He pulls away from the kiss, hands placed at the sides of your head to keep himself up.
You're both already panting.
"You're... you're sure you want to continue? I won't be able to...contain myself if you decide to keep going."
"First drawer on the nightstand closest to you."
His eyes slightly widen, even if the cloud of anger from earlier hasn't yet dissipated.
He quickly grabs the box of condoms, searching for his size.
He puts the condom between his teeth and rips the packaging.
"Take all of your clothes off. I don't want anything between me and your body."
You quickly shuffle, removing all your clothes.
When you're done he's on you again, pants low enough for his cock to spring free, sweater discarded on the floor.
He eyes you for a good handful of seconds before getting on top of you.
His mouth is close to your ear, his breath on your neck, making you shiver.
"Perfect. Just like I thought." His voice is low, its vibration sending heat to your core.
He starts peppering your neck with kisses, occasionally marking you with hickeys.
One of his hands is playing with your nipples as he leaves a trail of kisses down to your tights.
He presses his face to your cunt, both hands holding your hips tight. He eats you out like a starved man. God, he could cum just from touching you.
You moan and you feel him smirk against your folds. You want more of him, you want to pleasure him too.
"Dmitrj, pleasngh! Please, I want you...I want oh dear, I want to touch you too!"
He pulls away from your sopping wet cunt, eyes dark with lust and leftover jealousy.
He takes his cock in his hand and guides it to tease your folders with its tip.
Your back arches from the stimulation, but you need more, so much more of him before you can even think of feeling satisfied.
Your legs lock against his waist again, forcing him to grind against your folders.
You hear a restrained grunt coming from him, and you grab him to pull him down to your face.
He slides his cock inside of you as you make out. You can already feel him twitch inside.
His pace is brutal, laced with relief, frustration and all the pent up anger he felt.
He takes it out on you roughly, making you see stars. He teases your nipples with his fingers and mouth and then other hand slides to your clit. Your arms wrap around him for support, nails lightly scraping his back while you moan his name right next to his ear.
It doesn't take long for him to reach his limit between your moans, the way your walls clench around him and how heavenly your body feels against his.
"Tell me who you belong to, milaya."
"I'm yooouhrs Dima, only yours sladkijjj, I only want you!"
He hunches over you, burying his head between your neck and shoulders, leaving you one last hickey before coming undone, his name on your lips.
Even with the condom, you can feel for how long his cock twitches and pulses inside of you.
Your body finishes milking him for all he's worth through your own orgasm and he collapses on top of you.
Still panting, he kisses you on the temple, arms pulling you tight against him.
He doesn't speak, but you feel it in his smile against your skin and the way he holds you close how much he adores you.
You turn your head to give him a quick peck on the lips, before cuddling up to him and closing your eyes.
"I think I'm in love with you, moi sladkij"
He bumps his forehead against yours, and one of his hands intertwines with yours.
"Me too, milaya".
Two months have passed.
Many things have changed.
Approximately a month ago, the Sun showed signs of diminishing solar activity, so after about a week, the government officially ended the state of emergency.
Scientists are trying to find a way to cure visitors, but since their transformation was caused by the anomalous radiations emitted by the Sun, they probably won't be able to return fully human.
The Pale Visitor is still on the loose, and because of that some soldiers can be seen guarding your neighborhood.
Anya left your home when the government finally declared it was safe to be outside during daytime.
The kids, Peter and Mikhail, with the approval of FEMA agents, are still in your home. Even if life is going back to normal, the foster system is overwhelmed by the amount of orphans in its care, so, after seeing how attached to you and Dmitrij the kids had become, they issued you with a written document stating that you were to be their temporary legal guardians.
While you work, Dmitrij tries his best to homeschool them, at least until the schools reopen.
You know it won't be easy to go back to normalcy, but you know, when you see Dmitrij playing with the kids from your office, that no matter what happens, as long as you're together, nothing will ever feel out of place.
