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Dmitri liked the window in the kitchen. There was a small table next to it with two little chairs, and he liked to sit next to it, and look down at the people. Sometimes he'd count them. Sometimes he'd think of all the things they looked like. Ants. Grains. Sand. Don liked to sit with him sometimes but always got antsy after a not too long and had to leave.
Today Dmitri wasn't thinking about the people puttering past the apartment building. Instead he kept glancing up at the empty seat across the table. Don had left much earlier that day and had promised to be home fairly early. Dmitri told jokes to the chair, but it didn't laugh. Why wasn't Don home yet. He stared out the window some more. Maybe he would see Don coming back. He could greet him on his way up! Yeah! He focused even more intently on the ground far below. Too intently.
When Don finally got home (public transportation delays if you'll believe it) he was surprised by how dark the house was. The other guys wouldn't be back for a few days, he knew that, but at least wasn't Dmitri home? Dropping his bag by the door he began to poke his head through open doors (doors with x's made out of tape weren't to be opened). Finally he found Dmitri, still in the kitchen, feet on his chair, head pressed against the window, mouth slightly slack. He'd fallen asleep. Don couldn't help but smile.
He shook Dmitri gently by the arm. Dmitri looked at him for a few seconds, eyes blurred with sleep, before recognition dawned on his face and he threw his arms loosly around Don. "I thought of a really good riddle for you" he slurred, "but now I can't remember." Don smiled again and pulled the Dmitri to his feet. "Did'ja eat?" Dmitri paused and shook his head, he'd completely forgotten. They walked slowly to the living room, a still sleepy Dmitri leaning on Don for support. "Well then lets pull out the bed, and maybe we can eat something while we watch some TV." He felt the head against his shoulder bob a little in agreement.
He deposited Dmitri on a chair in the living room and set about pulling the cushions off of the couch. He hummed to himself while he worked, and in no time at all he had unfolded the bed hidden in the couch and was straightening the sheets. Dmitri still looked pretty out of it. How long had he been staring out the window? It worried Don a little sometimes. He knew that the kid enjoyed it but damn, was that normal? Well, normal for him.
Don worried about Dmitri sometimes. He didn't know what was normal for Dmitri, so how was he supposed to know what wasn't? The events in Deluth seemed like so long ago, but he knew Dmitri still woke up screaming over it. He felt guilty sometimes. If he had never started any of this then the other would still have his father, his family.
But then they wouldn't be here. It was selfish, but heck, so was the way they all treated him back in Deluth. Poor guy. He'd heard her talk about him, her own son, and from what Dmitri said, his dad had been the same way. No, it was better for Dmitri here, with the big fellas, with, well, him.
"Alrighty then!" he said, straightening up, "get on over here!" Dmitri flashed him a grin and practically leapt from the chair to the bed in one bound. Don chuckled to himself and went into the kitchen to microwave something for the two of them to eat.
An hour later they had eaten dinner and were curled up under the blanket with a bag of instant popcorn watching Pirates of the Caribbean with enough intensity to fry a hole in the television set. Dmitri laughed as Johnny Depp fell off of another ship and Don took the opportunity to reach over and shove some popcorn into his mouth with a snicker. Dmitri started but recovered quickly and soon they had delved into a full on food fight. When they finally stopped they were both covered in little dots of greasy butter and sprawled out on the mattress.
Dmitri laughed again softly and turned to look at Don. "Never done that before. Another first." Don smiled back at him. They could keep a tally chart of "firsts" at this point. Dmitri really hadn't gotten out much back home. "Well you know I like to help. Any other firsts I can help with?" he said, rolling over onto his stomach, head propped up on one arm. "Zoo, maybe? Ice cream floats?" Dmitri's gaze shifted away and Don saw him wrestling with something. His thumb came up to his mouth and he began nibbling the nail. Don waited, Dmitri would say whatever he was thinking in his own time.
Finally Dmitri turned back to face him. "Well, uh, I've never...." he shifted a bit, "I've never been kissed." Don's head slipped off his hand and hit the bed with a loud thwack. Dmitri looked at Don, wide-eyed and expectant, waiting for a reaction (probably waiting for someone to yell at him, said the back of Don's head). Don bit his lip, thoughts tumbling around in his head. He heard Dmitri shift nervously again and made a quick decision. "Well, uh, close" he swallowed, "close your eyes, huh?" He heard a tiny sharp intake of breath and saw Dmitri eagerly oblige.
With his brow creased and his body so rigid, he almost looked like a puppy playing dead. Don shifted up again and adjusted himself to the other side of the bed. Oh geez oh man this was really happening oh wow. Gosh. He shut his own eyes and leaned down, very aware of the growing closeness of the warmpth Dmitri always seemed to radiate. He took a small shaky breath before pressing his lips gently down on Dmitri's.
When he finally pulled back Dmitri was still lying tensely, eyes closed. "You can, uh, open 'em now." Dmitri's eyes fluttered open and he looked up at Don. Wow were they still that close? Funny. A small smile tugged at the corner of Dmitri's mouth. It wiggled up and down until it was a big sheepish grin. Don couldn't help smiling back and gave a nervous sort of laugh. "Thanks...." Don nodded his head up and down "Yeah, yeah, no problem, yeah." He rolled off of his arm and onto his back again. He cleared his throat. Don could still hear the television in the background. An ad for soap or something. He didn't care.
They stayed that way for a bit, neither one saying anything. Don was startled out of his head by a head pressing into his side. Dmitri curled up against Don as best he could. "I'm sorry" he said. Don closed his eyes and wrapped an arm around the other man. "Nah nah. Don't be. It's" he grabbed for words, "It's okay. Better than okay. I, uh, yeah." he sighed again. God could he be any worse at this.
The head poked up from under his arm and its eyes looked at him. Finally it pushed itself back under and Dmitri wrapped his arm around Don, bringing himself even closer. Don did the same with his free arm and watched the light flickering on the ceiling. Gosh, he should come home late more often.