Chapter Text
It was morning already, which meant that the night shift got to go home at last. After dismissively waving the rest of the control room away once their stuff and controls were left in proper order, Dyatlov waited for the next shift foreman to take his place.
Finally a calm night at the plant. Everyone did as I said, everything went smoothly and now it’s almost over. I only need to leave these papers neatly for the next shift and I’m free from all these idiots around me. I'll skip breakfast, better have it peacefully back at home. That’ll distract me from all these incompetents at the plant.
When the morning foreman arrived on time, as always, Dyatlov proceeded to inform him about the numbers they got last night, ready to be added into a bigger report. This, of course, took much more time than he originally thought, leaving him exasperated by the time he could finally leave the control room, more than an hour later.
Now he just had to walk down the entire corridor, get changed, and finally leave the facility. Dyatlov took a deep breath and started walking down to the main building, as he focused on the binder in his hands, reading through it for a last final check.
Everything was quiet, except for the sound of the lights above him and the machines in the control rooms around him, but that was soon cut short by quick footsteps heading in his direction, already near the first reactor.
Typical. Someone’s late apparently. Can’t relate.
Not having time to deal with someone else’s problem, he kept on reading as he walked. The footsteps kept on getting closer until whoever was running started screaming behind him, coming from the second reactor control room.
“Tolya!!”
Only one person called him that. And that was…
“Sitnikov?” he asked, confused as he turned around, realizing not only where and who the voice was coming from, but also how agitated he was. It was so unusual for him.
“Oh God, Tolya!” he slowed down before stopping in front of him, gathering his breath, seemingly freaked out for some reason. “Thank goodness I’ve found you. Thought you might have left already.”
“What’s wrong? You’re earlier than usual, so why-” he stopped talking when Sitnikov suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders, looking at him straight in the eyes.
“He just won’t listen to me, no matter how many times I try! You have to stop him!” he said, in desperate resolve.
“Stop who? What’s going on?”
“Oh God, you don’t know…” he sighed, tiredly. “I’ll give you one name: Bryukhanov.”
“What has he done now? Asked for more hours or…?”
“He allowed an outrageous thing to happen! That’s what he has done!”
“Would you tell me exactly what or not?” it was so disconcerting to see his close friend like that, so it must be serious.
“He allowed children to come here with the excuse to learn more about nuclear energy.”
“I don’t see the probl-”
“No. I didn’t mean they’ll go to the main building for an informative tour and that’s it. I mean that they will come right where we are standing, right here, to the reactors’ section. And not when they’re shut down. Now, while they’re fully functioning. My daughter told me about it, in fact, she’s on her way here today. I’m… I’m sure you know why I’m so scared about this,” Sitnikov paused, holding a now thunderstruck Dyatlov tighter, as he stared at him intensely and with sorrow. “That’s why I need you to go talk to him. Please.”
“… I see. I will go talk to him, along with you, of course. I was about to leave, but since he must be here already and it’s urgent, how about we go now?”
“Now?” Sitnikov looked at him hopefully before hugging him tightly. “Oh, Tolya, thank you. Thank you so much! You really are the best friend ever!”
“There, there. It shouldn’t take long, so I might as well leave with that already out of the way,” he said, patting him on the back as he tried to hide a shy smile that started to grow on his face.
“Well, if he’s actually already here, then we should get going and… w-what’s that?” The sound of cheering children soon filled the entire corridor as they made their way towards them, prompting Sitnikov to unconsciously grab his friend’s arm. “Oh no, Tolya...”
“You weren’t lying,” he said, before turning to his friend, finding him pale, his eyes wide open, fixed at the group, which was getting closer. “Hey there. Calm down, nothing will happen.”
“I know, but… but my little daughter…”
“You know how secure this is. So let’s face them first, alright? Together,” the younger deputy chief engineer nodded hesitatingly, and after taking one big deep breath, he tried to appear relaxed as the small group finally noticed them.
“Good morning, Comrades Dyatlov and Sitnikov!” greeted the plant worker in charge of the school group, along with their respective teacher.
“Comrade Tregub,” Dyatlov acknowledged him. “You’ve got company.”
“Yes, they came here to learn and take a closer look at our reactors. Isn’t that right, kids?”
A bunch of approval and excited screams soon stunned them.
“Silence, please,” the teacher said, then turning to both engineers. “Sorry about that. Could you tell us a bit about yourselves, please?”
“We are both deputy chief engineers. Reactors 1 and 2 are under his supervision, 3 and 4 are under mine,” Dyatlov said proudly.
“The two of you? Great! So you have full knowledge of this place; write that down, class. Before we move on to the control room, do you have any word for us?”
“Um, be sure to follow Comrade Tregub’s instructions down to a T, okay?” Sitnikov said, smiling politely. But Dyatlov took a step forward in order to address them, pointing with the binder he had in hand.
“And by that, we mean: Every. Single. Instruction. Keep together in one group within the established limits, away from the control panels. Hands off from them, as well as from the walls. Don’t touch anything unless given permission to do so. Listen not only to your teacher and Comrade Tregub here, but also to the rest of the plant workers. And most importantly, be sure to learn and ask any questions you have. Is that clear?”
A somewhat taken-aback “Yes” was heard in unison. The teacher, quite pleased, thanked them and followed Tregub to the second control room, waiting for the line of students to make their way in.
“Tolya, remember you’re treating civilians. Watch your tone,” Sitnikov whispered.
“I tried. You know some things are hard to get used to. Also, is that her?” Dyatlov asked before pointing at the one girl who stayed behind and was staring at them curiously.
“Dad!”
“Hi, Masha. How are you?” Sitnikov said, smiling as he lightly held both of her hands, still with a concerned look on his face, which his namesake noticed.
“Good! I told the teacher about you,” she exclaimed, and turned to Dyatlov, who had knelt down on one knee before her. “Hi! Are you Dad’s friend?”
“I am, nice to meet you,” he said casually, offering her a hand to shake, which she did while giggling.
“What do you do?”
“The same as your dad. But also… I know some magic tricks,” Dyatlov said with a knowing look to a now starry-eyed Masha. Sitnikov turned his face to him, intrigued.
“What are you… No, you don’t, Tolya,” he said, quite sardonically.
What was he talking about?
“Yes, I do. You just never asked about it. And I could prove it now, but I’m lacking an assistant so…”
“Me!” she said, raising her hand as she jumped in place. “Pick me! I can help! Please, please, please!”
“Very well. Unless Dad has something against it,” Dyatlov looked at his younger counterpart with an ironic smile, making him blush.
“You… N-No, not at all. Go ahead, comrade magician,” he stated, folding his arms as he waited to see what his friend had in mind.
It was so strange to see him act like that, and with a child nonetheless… it was almost as if his old self came back for a while. The thought of that, along with the scene that was developing right in front of his eyes, made a soft smile appear on Sitnikov’s face.
“Great. For this trick, how about we… make your dad smile? He looks down, don’t you think?”
“He does. What do I do?”
“Three easy steps and this will work, for sure. First: think of happy stuff. Second: close your eyes really tight. No peeking!” but upon hearing her chuckle, he added. “Just in case, cover them with your hands as well.”
“Awwww.”
“Come on, Tolya. What are you actually doing?” Sitnikov whispered to him, looking incredulous to what was going on.
“A magic trick, can’t you see?” Dyatlov replied, as if it were the most obvious thing.
“Go on, then,” he said after a sigh, not getting what he was trying to achieve with this act. “Surprise me.”
Finally standing up, the older engineer gave him a rare genuine smile, which made his friend shiver. “I will. Don’t doubt me, Tolya.”
Bemused, Sitnikov could only nod to such a view, feeling his face burn.
What was he trying to do? Calling me like that and he knows how… infrequent it is, even for me, to see him like this.
“Very well, Masha. Third and last step. Also the most important one. I need you to slowly count up to 10. After that, you can open your eyes. Got that?” as she nodded, he added. “At the count of three then: one… two… three!”
Before Sitnikov could react and ask what his plan was with all of this, Dyatlov lunged towards him, locking lips into a shy but decisive peck, his free hand bringing him closer by the small of his back.
“One~…
Two~…
Three~…”
Dumbfounded, Sitnikov stood frozen for a moment, trying to understand what was happening, and yet… as soon as he felt Dyatlov move away, it was he who found himself searching for his lips, kissing him back as he clutched him by the arm to keep him close.
“Four~…
Five~…”
Dyatlov, while surprised, answered back by cupping his face, kissing him back deeply and more intensely, meeting his tongue as he pried past his lips, intertwining them.
“Six~…
Seven~…
Eight~…”
Suddenly, Dyatlov broke away and after giving him a knowing glance, he simply stepped back as if nothing happened. All of these quick actions left Sitnikov perplexed, and as he kept staring at Dyatlov, the whole situation made it impossible for him to contain his laughter any longer.
“Nine~…
Ten!
It worked! Dad, you’re happy!” Masha exclaimed upon hearing him burst out in laughter, uncovering her eyes to witness it.
“It-It did! I didn’t think it would-” Sitnikov said before laughter won him over again, prompting him to grab his midsection.
A very pleased Dyatlov couldn’t help but smile before addressing them both.
“Told you it would work. But now, Masha, you have to return with your group. You have things to learn and we have stuff to do.”
“Right! The class! Bye, Dad and Dad’s friend!” she said, waving them as she followed the group inside the control room.
Once she had gone inside, Dyatlov briefly looked at Sitnikov before starting to walk what was left of the corridor, knowing he was being followed in quite an uncomfortable silence; which wasn't unusual for Dyatlov, but it was unusual coming from his friend. Trying to ignore that, he left the binder he had been carrying into another office for future recompilation. They kept that way until they had reached the administrative section, Sitnikov being the one who broke the ice between them.
“Tolya-”
“You don’t need to say anything, alright?”
“But I-”
“Leave it to me. Let’s just get this over with first,” and just like that, he knocked on Bryukhanov’s office door as Sitnikov looked at him intrigued.
First?
Once Bryukhanov ordered them in, he knew what was coming. Sitnikov again, and this time he even dared to bring Dyatlov along.
“Comrade Bryukhanov, you must know why I’m here again.”
“Comrade Sitnikov, this surely can’t be about what we have talked about already? Seems like I need to say things twice for you to understand,” Bryukhanov said smugly, his fingers interlocked resting on top of his table.
“That’s why I’m here. You’re the one who doesn’t understand,” Dyatlov interjected.
“I thought you’d be on my side, Dyatlov. Let me ask you a question: don’t we all want the next generation to learn more about-” but his rhetorical question was cut off when Dyatlov angrily stepped closer, grabbing him by the neck of his shirt.
“Comrade Dyatlov!” Sitnikov and Bryukhanov exclaimed at the same time, both in total disbelief.
“Let me ask you a simple question: do you think I don’t understand Sitnikov’s fear about this idea? One that not only I wasn’t informed about, but also… one of which I, unfortunately, had experience with?! One that I have suffered a lot from!? YOU HAVE NO IDEA!”
“What are you-” Bryukhanov complained at such insolence.
“Anatoly Stepanovich, please calm down,” Sitnikov tried to make him let go of the plant’s director, but was kept at a distance.
“You might have forgotten, but before I- we got here, we both worked back in Komsomolsk, and you know the accident that happened back there. Well, that accident… t-that accident-” Dyatlov’s throat seemed to suddenly close, but by the look in his eyes, he was fuming.
“Tolya, stop.”
“That accident not only affected me, but it also killed my small son!”
There. He said it. And it did have the effect he wanted. Rather, the effect that it had to have. In front of him, Bryukhanov was clearly shocked, having stopped moving around, trying to be freed from his grasp. And by his side, he could tell after hearing a tired sigh, that Sitnikov was sadly looking down and away, just like every time this subject was brought up.
“So, if I have to make myself even more clear: I don’t want anyone having to go through that, let alone my best friend, understood? Either it’s the main building or the reactors when they’re shut down. Got it?”
“Got it. I- It won’t happen again.”
“Good. Then we’re done here. Have a good day, comrade.”
And having said that, he let him go before turning around, going into the hallway, Sitnikov right behind him. Once outside and when they were at a safe distance, almost leaving the building on their way to the dressing room, Dyatlov spoke.
“That was easier than I thought, wasn’t it?”
“Tolya… You went overboard, although he did get the message. I honestly didn’t want to make you… you know, remember that so vividly. I don’t know how to thank you for that.”
“You already did. Though it was against your will,” Dyatlov said eventually after a short silence, looking away as he felt quite ashamed and guilty.
“You mean…” he stopped with a chuckle. “Tolenka, don’t tell me you didn’t notice that I answered back?”
Dyatlov straightened up before facing him with a surprised look on his face.
“There’s no way. Why?” he asked, with a small grin he couldn’t hide at all.
Did he just call me “Tolenka”?
“I won’t reason with you. But you have to know, it’s not recent at all,” Sitnikov said with a content look.
Already at the dressing room door, Dyatlov went inside, shaking his head in disbelief. A couple of minutes later, now dressed in his civilian clothes, he made his way to the entrance. As he handed in his dosimeter badge, now fully ready to leave, Dyatlov was left astonished to see Sitnikov still waiting for him, now near the entrance.
“You’re still here?”
“Yeah, well, I was thinking. Before you leave, would you mind joining me for breakfast?” whether it was what happened earlier, the hopeful look on his face, or both, it made Dyatlov sigh, a smirk clearly visible.
“I’d stay, but it was a busy night and quite an interesting morning. For once, I really need to sleep as soon as I get home. But next time I’ll properly make it up for you, I promise.”
“I understand. Just one more thing,” Sitnikov lowered his voice, looking around, despite the place being nearly empty. He moved next to a corner, where he couldn’t be seen from the entrance. “Come here, we can’t let anyone hear this.”
Intrigued, Dyatlov got closer, wondering what it could be that he wanted to tell him. But his mind was left blank when Sitnikov pulled him by his tie into a quick kiss before taking a step back.
“We can’t let anyone see either, can we?” he winked at him, a mischievous smile on his face. “Show me another trick next time. But for now, have a safe trip back home!”
And just like that, he turned around and walked towards the first and second reactors, gone in the blink of an eye. Dyatlov, still standing in place, took a couple of seconds to react before starting to walk outside, red as a beetroot.
“I think I’ll take the bus today.”