Work Text:
Mitya is a playboy. That was Valeriy's conclusion when he first walked into his office with lady Vodyanitsa on his lap. She was playing around with the ends of his hair as he was busy regarding his paperwork as well as some energy conservation efforts, that of which was more meticulously arranged which meant for the lady to step off his lap and into a chair nearby.
But, that was only one occasion.
Why did Valeriy believe that Mitya was a playboy if that was only a one off thing between two people?
Well, the next day he found Mitya at one of the local cafes talking up Alyosha. They were both laughing and talking while their hands were interlocked! It was already quite suspicious enough that he would allow lady Vodyanitsa into his office, much less to sit on his lap as she dangled her fingers into his hair, and now this!
He shook away any of these thoughts, his business was none of his concern, only that he do his work when work was needed. And so, he left it at that, the next week nothing wild or out of the ordinary happened. Valeriy worked, he went and looked for Mitya as always, and he was diligent.
Until… another incident occurred.
This time with lady Odette and this time he would confront him head on.
Valeriy watched as the two of them walked around town, it seemed as though the two of them were in deep conversation, perhaps they were going to the hotel to chat? He wasn't quite sure just yet, and Mitya was on break so there was no need for him to follow along, but he had grown curious as to what their relationship may be. Could it be much like his relationships with lady Vodyanitsa and Alyosha? He just had to find out.
He followed them into an apartment complex, one that he was quite unfamiliar with, this left him standing out in the cold, perplexed at how he could follow them in now. So, instead he decided to take the risk and try to find out their location through the windows.
He was lucky to be someone who was very flexible, each step he took up the wall he searched through every single window trying to find Mitya and Odette.
At the fourth floor, second window of the hallway he finally found them.
And it wasn't just the two of them there, in fact it was all four of them! Vodyanitsa, Alyosha, Mitya, and Odette. Each one of them sat together on their couch, snuggled together while they were each busy with a book.
Valeriy couldn't believe it. All four of them, together, reading books while snuggled up? It was hard to imagine 3 defining figures and a hunter being all snuggled up to one another like it was nothing out of the ordinary!
Valeriy scratches his head in confusion. Then what he had seen just a while ago, all those times that he had gone out to eat with Alyosha, spent time with Odette and Vodyanitsa, they were all dates and they were all dating each other…?
"This is absurd…" he mutters under his breath. Now that he had found the root of the cause he leaps down from where he had been standing, on a lone brick of the wall, and made his way back to head quarters.
The next day he found himself looking towards Mitya, his moments where he would leave his sight he in his heart already knew where he was going, and yet he found himself letting him go.
He felt like a hovering parent who was trying desperately not to be hovering over his personal life. Yes he was a researcher and it was in his duty to continue on with work, but this whole… situation had him very curious.
So, despite his better judgement he decides to suck it up and talk to Mitya about the situation. He knocks on the door, three knocks a pause then another two knocks and he is let in. On the desk was a large pile of papers that seems to not have been finished just quite yet, Mitya was by the fireplace, a book in one hand, his cheek in another.
"Lord Mitya," Valeriy says, he stood by the crook between the seats, four in total, just like his relationship with those three… he wonders how many times they must have snuck into his lab, it was unauthorized and dangerous for anyone to be in, lest they find out some sort of top secret information that the public should not be privy to.
"Valeriy," Mitya asks, "is something the matter?" He didn't seem to be in much haste, his eyes never leaving the book in his hand, flipping to the ext page not soon after.
"Nothing too important… its just," he hesitates, and this perks up Mitya's curiosity, his eyes now gleaming brightly towards Valeriy. He continues, "what is your personal relationship with lady Odette, lady Vodyanitsa, and sir Alyosha?"
The air stills for a moment, Mitya blinks a couple times before he begins to laugh as if he had told a very funny joke.
"Sir..!" Valeriy exclaims, "I'm being very serious…"
"Right right, so is that why you've been stalking me so viciously these past few days?"
"So you have realized."
"I'm not stupid, why do you think I landed this job?"
"Right…" Valeriy says, a little downcast.
"Anyways, me and them have been talking."
He asks, "just talking?"
Mitya shrugs, "maybe more than that, but still!"
"So… you're together?"
"I guess you could say that… we're not really dating but we aren't exactly just friends, yknow? We're deeper than that."
"I see…" Valeriy felt quite satisfied with that answer, however Mitya himself, considering himself to be quite the chatterbox, continues to meander on.
"I mean, you'd be welcome to join us!" He says, Mitya's scarf gave him a thumbs up before waving then drooping back down again.
"Uh… no thank you."
"Suit yourself."
Mitya walks into the gang's shared apartment, Alyosha was already on the couch lounging with Tugarin, Vodyanitsa was in the kitchen and Odette was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Odette?" Mitya asks Alyosha who only shrugs and smiles.
"Probably busy with Fatui stuff, I'm going to head out in a bit as well. I have some business downtown that I need to settle."
Hearing the clatter Vodyanitsa comes out from the kitchen and joins in on their conversation. "Oh, does it have to do with the hunters up north?"
"Yup, how'd you know?" He asks curiously as Vodyanitsa began to snuggle up next to Alyosha and Tugarin, Mitya moves to sit beside them as well.
"You told Mitya and Mitya told me!" She says with glee, squeezing Alyosha's arm with her own slung around his.
He looks towards Mitya's direction and sighs, "not like it matters."
"Most matters that come to any of us should be discussed between us all you know?"
"Yeah, yeah, you're right. I'll tell you all about my next hunt later on."
Vodyanitsa smiles, "you better!"
And for a while the trio snuggled into one another, light chatter amongst themselves as they did. It was mostly nothing much of note. Small things that they already knew about one another, details that have been left forgotten now resurfaced between the cracks in their conversations.