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Dammit!
They are gonna find out as soon as I get there!
Why didn’t I think this through!?
I’m so stupid!
These and more anxiety-filled thoughts were racing through Toptunov’s mind the closer he got to the power plant. Even though the night was breezy, it was nowhere near cold enough for anyone sane to wear a scarf.
It was already bad enough having to take the bus with all those intrigued looks directed at him. Now the guys were going to make this night hell. That’s why he got there early today.
Now Leonid could only get off the bus as soon as it stopped, run towards the dressing room and… think of something. Fast.
Checking in the entrance. Done.
Avoiding pretty much any curious passerby. Done. Sort of.
Getting to the dressing room. Done.
Now hurry up, Leonid! Before they catch you!
Already out of breath, whether because of having run there almost nonstop or because time’s running low, Toptunov tried his best to grab a uniform and started undressing.
But as soon as he managed to put his bag down and got his jacket off, the door opened and pretty much everyone from the night shift stormed in, talking loudly as always, joking around before work. That is, until they saw him, frozen in place like a deer in the headlights.
“Hey! Look who’s early!” said Brazhnik.
“What’s up with that scarf, Leonid? You better not be sick,” said Kudryavtsev.
“N-No. I mean, a little bit…?” he tried to explain but was cut off when a heavy arm wrapped around his shoulder, talking over him.
“Or maybe… are you hiding something?!” Yuvchenko asked, taking his scarf off before he could react, leaving his neck exposed.
“Ohhhhhhh!!!” everybody shouted in the room at the sight of the evident bruises in contrast with his pale neck. And just like that, the questioning began.
“Would you look at that? Our boy is growing,” Khodemchuk said, wiping a fake tear from his eye.
“Who’s the lucky gal, Toptunov? Maybe if you buy my motorcycle…” said Perevozchenko, attempting once again to sell his vehicle.
“Someone’s been getting lucky~ Good job!” complimented Yuvchenko, giving him a noogie.
“Ouch! No, it- it’s not that…” Leonid replied, trying to explain himself.
“Lucky dude then?” asked Proskuryakov, intrigued.
“N-No! I- I got them while fishing the other day!” he answered, a blush creeping up his face at such suggestion.
Before they could keep asking questions, someone else entered the room.
“What’s going on in here? Your ruckus can almost be heard from the reception!” he asked, slightly annoyed.
“Akimov! Look at our Lenya! Look at the marks on his neck!” said Perevozchenko, pointing towards Toptunov, who was trying to hide from everybody’s prying eyes.
“Marks? Oh, like these ones?” he questioned unimpressed, stretching his neck, revealing the same marks.
“Damn Sasha, you too?” asked Kirschenbaum.
“'Me too' what?”
“Have you been hooking up with someone?” asked Stolyarchuk, nudging him in the arm, a knowing look on his face.
“Of course not. I went hunting on my day off and got this while I was in the marshes,” Sasha said calmly.
“Awww, c’mon! That’s not fun~” a couple of them started saying before being interrupted.
“I’d be careful if I were all of you. Those mosquitoes don’t forgive. And apparently, they are getting near Pripyat. So watch out both in and outside of the city.”
While the guys were talking with Akimov, Toptunov managed to quickly get changed, and as soon as he put his stuff away, he hurried out into the corridor, his hat in his hand. Not long after, Akimov got out as well, staring at him.
“So you went fishing? How was it?” he asked, starting to walk away.
“G-Good. I caught a big one. What about you? Got to hunt something?” replied Leonid, following him close behind.
“Other than these marks, not really.” Once they were out of earshot, he added. “Unless I can count you as a prize. A unique one, that is.”
Leonid chuckled. “Sure. The one I caught was also one of a kind. Quite feisty,” he said, winking at him.
Sasha smiled. “Next time we have to be more careful,” he said, taking the hat from Leonid’s hand and placing it on his head, where it belonged.
With the corridor still empty, they got close, pressing the tip of their noses together, rubbing them while they said in unison. “Zzzzzz.”
Yeah, that little bit of teasing in the dressing room was more than worth it.