Chapter Text
Weirdo.
Easy.
Dangerous.
Different.
All words Alyosha had heard to describe him. However, just how different was he from the other kids? He was the same age as the others, he was the same weight, and the same height, and of the same physical ability.
The 'problem' about him that he heard the most about were the fae-like features he was born with. It wasn't even much, just the ears and tail of a husky, and also very hard to see pawpads and sharper nails if he were to let them grow out on his hands, as well as sharper canines. The rest about him was normal for a human.
It didn't exactly take long before he started hiding those features. He'd managed to figure out how to use magic just enough to hide most of his animal-like features, and the pawpads were always covered by gloves anyway. Eventually others left him alone, and yet he never let others see him with them again, even going as far as having them hidden in his own house.
Cut to the current moment. He was strolling along the streets of Sneznograd with Tugarin by his side. The husky never seemed to mind when he couldn't keep his features hidden after two or so weeks. Not that it mattered. He could deal with not having his tail visible. It was his ears that bothered him. It felt odd having to wear his earmuffs to hide the fact that he didn't have human ears. He... "substituted" the lack of sillhouette with his coat, which he made to have ears that at least slightly resembled a dog's. It's gotten mistaken as an owl though.
He'd been so lost in thought that he didn't see the girl in front of him until it was too late. They bumped into each other and she fell backwards with a small gasp. Acting quickly, he caught her by the waist to prevent her from getting injured by the concrete.
"I'm sorry ma'am, I wasn't paying attention. Are you alright?" He asked, straightening the girl up and taking a step back to give her space.
"Yes yes, I'm fine! Thanks for catching me." She replied, before giving him a quick onceover. "Say, can you do me a favor and allow me to borrow your coat for a bit? I'm currently trying to get some shopping done without being bombarded."
He blinked. Oh, was she famous? He'd never seen her before.
"Sure." He replied, unclipping the coat from around his shoulders and transfering it onto hers. So much for his sillhouette. However... he found he didn't mind as much as usual. Maybe it was because this girl seemed quite nice.
"Oh, thank you so much! Just drop by the theatre this evening, I'll return it then." She responded, pulling the hood over her head before rushing off towards the consumer streets. He watched her for a second, making sure she'd be safe before turning towards Tugarin. The dog was sitting and staring up at him, somehow having a knowing look on his face.
"Don't give me that..." Alyosha muttered out, patting the good boy's head before continuing on his way. He made a mental note to stop by the theatre in the evening.
Errands were run, locals were helped, animals caught and exchanged with the butcher for a few extra mora. Today was the typical day for him, save for accidentally spacing out and tripping a girl. Speaking of... it was growing closer to the evening. He could tell by the sun's position in the sky. He needed to head over to the theatre to collect his coat. Unless the girl tricked him... he got the feeling she was being genuine though.
"Tugarin, come." He called out to his dog, who was busy sniffing in a bush. Typical dog activities. The husky perked up at the command, before trotting over to him while panting happily. He huffed in amusement at the dog, then turning his direction to the theatre. He stretched his arms over his head as he started walking, lowering one just enough to cover his mouth while he yawned. Not only was it a bit rude not to cover, but he also never figured out how to hide his canines.
It took about ten minutes to get to the theatre. Granted, he had to stop a few times to call his boy back to him, but it was what it was. However, when he got there, he noticed that there was a crowd outside. Was there a show tonight? The people all looked quite rich, too. He'd be sure to stand out. He'll wait outside the theatre, he decided, not wanting to deal with that at all.
He took a seat on the edge of the stairs, away from anyone wanting to walk up them. Tugarin gave a quiet bark, wagging his tail. Alyosha chuckled at his excitement.
"Go on, go play." He told the dog, earning a lick to the cheek before his boy was off towards a small nearby field to mess around in the snow. He kept an eye on him for a few minutes, before closing them with a sigh.
He could hear the guests cheer once the theatre doors opened, and could hear as the volume decreased as more patrons were let inside. Eventually he was able to only hear the fountain outside and a soft murmuring from inside. He yawned into his arm, settling down for a long night. The girl looked famous, so chances are she was a performer at the theatre. It wasn't like he could walk up to the ticket taker and tell him "Hey, I lended my coat to a performer here and am here to get it back. Mind if I go in?" It sounded so fake.
Or so he thought, because he heard footsteps walk up to him.
"Excuse me sir, are you the gentleman who lended his coat to Miss Vodyanitsa?" A man's voice asked politely. Alyosha opened his eyes, noticing this was a theatre employee.
"Ah, is that her name? Am I good to assume she returned safely then?" He responded, standing up after stretching out his limbs. The employee nodded.
"Indeed, she did. She's told us to lead you backstage and into her greenroom. What's your name, by the way? She never told us." Made sense, he'd never told her his name.
"Alyosha. The dog over there, he's mine. His name's Tugarin." He introduced, pointing towards the field. Tugarin was busy trying to eat snowflakes out of the air. The employee chuckled at the sight.
"Well, nice to meet you. Let's get you out of the snow, yeah? Tugarin can join, but he's gotta stay in the lobby." Alyosha nodded at that, before whistling to the dog. Said dog stood up straight before bounding over, shaking the snow from his fur as he moved.
The three of them made their way into the theatre, Alyosha telling Tugarin to stay put once they entered the lobby. The dog whined once quietly, but obeyed the command nonetheless and lay down by the wall. Alyosha then silently followed the employee through a door, which led to a hallway that led to backstage. Eventually they ended up in a smaller room, with a couch and vanity that looked more expensive than his house. They probably were.
"Here we are. Please, have a seat. There's half an hour until the last show starts, so Miss Vodyanitsa will be with you shortly." The employee bowed before exiting the room. Alyosha glanced at the couch. He'd bring down the value of it just by touching it. However... he was told to sit. But it still felt like he wasn't supposed to. But he was told to. And also, it'd look weird if he sat on the floor.
Oh boy.
The turmoil was the result of his fae genes as well. Essentially being half dog-person meant that his logic warred with the instinct to follow commands quite often, leaving him hesitant about a large bit of things. This time... his instinct won out, and he took a seat on the very edge of the couch, fidgeting with the hem of his jacket awkwardly.
He was sitting on the couch. He did it.
...
Could he get up now?
No, no one told him to get up. But he was a human, a grown man. He could do what he wanted. But no one told him to get up yet.
Fucking hell.
He was so lost in thought and spaced out that it took someone tapping on his shoulder to startle him out of his thoughts. He flinched, looking around the room with wide eyes to figure out who touched him. There were two girls in the room, the one from before (Miss Vodyanitsa, he reminded himself), and a ballerina with icy blue hair and gorgeous purple-ish eyes.
Vodyanitsa giggled at him. "You're really prone to spacing out, aren't you?" She greeted, going to cup his cheeks with a smile. He allowed it, mainly because he was still shocked. But also... her hands felt nice. He didn't say a word when she shifted him to be further on the couch, nor when she moved her hands from his cheeks to grasp his own hands.
"... Ah. Sorry about that." He apologized, voice quieter than usual. The ballerina approached the two, her hand coming up to smooth out his hair.
"Mind introducing me to this gentleman?" She asked, her voice soft. Pretty, and fitting from her looks alone.
"Actually, I was hoping he'd do the same. Unfortunately, I never got your name."
Oh goodie, now he held the attention of two girls who could have him executed with the lift of a finger and a word. He hid his nerves, definitely not wanting to give away how offput he was.
"Right. I'm Alyosha, a hunter from outside the city." He introduced, lightly freeing a hand from Vodyanitsa's hold and putting it on his chest. "And you two are..?" He asked, instantly feeling shamed at the girls' faces. He felt bad for not knowing them, by names or by appearance... Well, he'd found out Vodyanitsa's name like five minutes ago, give him some slack. But their faces told him they were used to people already knowing about them.
The ballerina spoke first. "I'm Odette. I perform here at the theatre. Same with Vodyanitsa, though she does opera singing and not ballet." Vodyanitsa nodded, before turning fully towards him.
"Have you seriously never heard of us!? That shouldn't be possible, I thought everyone in Snezhnaya's heard of us."
"They've heard of our titles, not our names or faces." Odette told her, moving to sit on the other end of the couch. Vodyanitsa's eyes widened slightly in realization.
"Oh, right! Prima donna and prima ballerina. Do those sound familiar?"
It was Alyosha's turn to have a realization.
"Oh, alright. Nice to put faces to names, and nice to meet you two." He said, nodding his head once. Silence fell for a second, before Vodyanitsa perked up.
"Oh, oh! Are you free for the next hour or two? I hope you are. I saved a VIP ticket to the show for you, as a thank you for lending me your coat. There's dinner provided, and you get a really good view of the stage!" The singer rambled, confusing him. All of this because he lent her his coat for a disguise?
"Surely this is a bit much..?" He whispered out, reaching up to idly scratch his cheek. Vodyanitsa instantly grabbed his hand.
"Nonsense! You did me a huge favor, so I'm repaying it in full! Oh, here's your coat by the way. It was really warm, so I thank you once again." She bounced up, rushing towards the vanity and picking up a bundle of neatly folded fabric. She then rushed back, delicately placing the coat into his lap.
"Ten minutes." Odette announced suddenly, her snowy voice drifting through the air. Vodyanitsa gasped lightly.
"Okay, c'mon let's go! I'll escort you to your seat, puppy!" The singer beamed, grabbing his hand exactly one second after he put his coat back on and dragging him out of the room. He didn't even have time to process what she'd called him.
They rushed down another hallway, which led to a set of stairs. Managing to get up those without stumbling over their own feet, Vodyanitsa led him into a private room with a window overlooking the stage. She pulled him into the room, sat him down in the chair provided (he didn't have the chance to think about how he'd ruin the chair), and pulled a trolley cart with a wide assortment of foods up to him.
"There. Now, eat and enjoy the show. Don't be afraid to critique it." She rambled out, before rushing from the room to make it downstairs in time. He blinked. Once. Twice... Thrice. What a weird girl. He got a... slightly familiar feeling from her, though he couldn't pinpoint it.
He suddenly heard a small bark from the corner. He turned to see Tugarin looking at him happily while wagging his tail. Alyosha sighed, smiling at the dog before taking a sausage off the trolley and tossing it to him.
"How'd you get up here, boy?" He asked in a whisper, as if Tugarin was able to answer. He took a look at the trolley, noticing a... really... really good looking steak on it. His mouth watered. He glanced at the stage, noticing the timer above said that there was four minutes left before the show starts.
He glanced back at the steak on the trolley, the thought of the meat making his stomach growl. His hand crept forward, anticipation coursing through him. Was this really going to be his..? It probably cost more than his entire life, and he was just about to eat it..? Just like that..? The realization made him almost drool.
His hand was two inches away from the fork.
"Just so you're aware, VIP tickets come with a meetup with the prima donna after the performance." He heard from the doorway. He jumped back, yelping before covering his mouth to keep quiet. Odette was there, quietly watching him with her hands folded over each other.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. However, I assumed you didn't know about the other benefits of a VIP ticket and came to tell you." The ballerina explained, approaching and sitting in the other chair in the room.
He moved his hands off his face, instead opting to run his fingers over his jacket.
"It's fine... I wasn't paying as good of attention as I should've been..." his voice was barely audible. He saw her nod from the corner of his eye.
"What... what other um... things does the ticket come with..?"
"Free bedding if you need it tonight. Alcohol if you drink it. Basically it's a 'spend the night at the theatre' thing." She explained. The lights dimmed. "Guess I'm spending my time in here. Feel free to eat that steak, by the way. I don't eat meat."
He gave a small relieved whine, finally getting his hands on the steak just as Vodyanitsa started singing. Her voice was absolutely beautiful, and the steak was the best thing he'd ever eaten. Tugarin stole more sausages from the trolley, earning a very slight smile from Odette.
"Vodyanitsa's the one who brought your puppy up here, just after you left the lobby. She also added extra sausage to the trolley." Odette whispered out, reaching over to take a plate of salad. The two ate in silence, watching Vodyanitsa as she performed multiple songs with really impressive vocal range. He'd never imagine himself singing like that... much less singing in general.
By the end of the performance, he was lulled into relaxing, his stomach full and clothes warm. The only thing he realistically had focus on was keeping his disguise active. At some point a table had ended up in front of him, and he'd rested his head against it using his arms as a cushion. He was so close to dozing off...
There was a gentle tapping on his upper arm.
"Alyosha... the performance is over, c'mon... gotta get up..." Odette's voice broke through the comforting silence, the tapping turning into shaking. He groaned, groggily sitting up and rubbing at his eyes.
"There you are. The meet and greet is five minutes after the general admission guests leave. Let's get you downstairs in order to hide you from other patrons. I doubt you want to be seen?"
He nodded his head slowly in agreement, standing and stretching his legs before turning towards her and waiting for her to lead him downstairs. Tugarin stood as well, staying by his side. The trio made their way downstairs, Alyosha still trying to blink away sleep. He noticed Odette was taking him backstage again. But wasn't the greenroom to the left of it? He was about to ask when she answered, as if she could read his mind.
"You're less likely to be questioned back here, as it's darker and people may just assume you work here." She led him over to a small table with chairs, sitting down in one and motioning for him to occupy the other. He did so, Tugarin deciding to rest comfortably over his feet.
He rested his head against the table again, idly tapping it with a finger this time to not fall asleep. He could feel her gaze on him, studying his face. He probably looked so dirty in her eyes... he hadn't been able to have a shower in a few days, so no doubt he had some dirt or blood on himself. And his hair... it felt greasy and he didn't like it. Alas, nothing he could do right now. In a day or two he'd have access to enough water to bathe himself. Either way, he compared himself to a stray dog while comparing her to a cute dressed up one belonging to nobles. He sure felt like a stray dog here...
A hand in his hair startled him. He perked up slightly before calming once he realised Odette had just reached over. She started adjusting strands of his hair to her liking, learning pretty quickly not to touch his earmuffs. He'd jerk back every time he felt her fingers press against them before resting again. He wasn't able to see how she was styling his hair, so he just hoped it wasn't something too... out of the ordinary.
"There. Just in time, too. Hello Vodya." She finished, sitting back before greeting the girl that had approached them a short moment ago with a small groan.
"Oh my goodness, people need to stop being so comfortable with saying things that would get them exiled about ten years back! I don't care about any of it!" The singer rambled, plopping down onto Alyosha's lap once she'd sat him up properly. He tensed slightly. How was she already this comfortable with him? He was practically a stranger. He hovered an arm around her, just to make sure she didn't fall off him.
Vodyanitsa huffed at that, taking his arm and pressing it to her body, his hand landing near her thigh. She was sitting with her side facing him, which made it easy for her to rest her head on his shoulder.
"A pretty girl is on your lap and practically screaming at you to hold her, and you don't?" She pouted out. He gave a barely audible whine.
"It's rude to assume stuff like that..." he defended himself, tilting his head back to give her more room. Odette gave a sigh.
"Sorry about her. She's still getting used to the more intricate parts of human life." The ballerina spoke out. "Such as... not sitting on the lap of someone you've spoken to twice."
Vodyanitsa stuck her tongue out at her friend. Alyosha went over what Odette had said.
She's still getting used to the more intricate parts of human life.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked, covering his mouth with his free hand as he yawned. Vodyanitsa smiled at him.
"I'm a water imp! I've only been interacting with humans for about ten-ish years now." She explained. A hand of hers found its way to his hair, right where his ear would be. He flinched subtly.
"Oh, alright." He replied, voice low as she giggled at his reaction.
"Anyway! You sir seem to be open to critique my performance whereas other will not, so what did you think? What areas should I improve in?" Vodyanitsa piped up suddenly, cupping his cheeks in her hands and staring into his eyes with a sparkle in her own. He opened his mouth to speak.
"He fell asleep near the end." Odette offered, standing to walk behind him. He tensed.
"What!?" The water imp shouted out, tensing as well but for a different reason. "Was I that boring??"
"No no, you aren't boring." He stammered, reaching up to hold one of her hands to his cheek. "Your voice was just... really soothing. Pair it with a good meal and I'm bound to be comfortable enough to doze off."
The girls were quiet. Vodyanitsa had narrowed her eyes at him, and he wasn't able to see Odette.
"If you're looking for an improvement... I know it's not anything to do with you specifically, but the speakers peaked at some points in the show. Those could do with some adjusting." He told the singer, feeling bad for upsetting her. Involuntarily, he softened his eyes and pouted gently, letting out a small whimper. It was quiet enough that Odette probably didn't hear it. Vodyanitsa however... she was a fae. And a confident one at that. If she wanted to, she could call him out on the noises and the magic usage. And yet she didn't.
All she did was waver in her sterness.
"Oh, how can I stay mad at you when you look like the cutest puppy in the world!?" She exclaimed, shifting her whole body to face him and pulling him into a hug. He paused, before slowly melting into and returning the embrace.
Nine chimes suddenly went off throughout the building, signalling what time it was. Tugarin perked up from his spot, giving a small "woof" before putting his snout to Alyosha's hand.
"Oh, we have to go. I gotta get home so I can feed my dogs." He sounded out, pulling back from the embrace and staring up at Vodyanitsa. She was pouting gently.
"Awh, but you make a great pillow... fine. Promise you'll stop by again?"
He thought about those words. She wanted to see him again..?
"If I save enough money." He replied, lightly tapping her thigh to get her off. She huffed but complied, getting off him and standing up before going over to Odette.
He stood and glanced at them from the corner of his eye, watching as Vodyanitsa whispered something into Odette's ear. He pretended not to notice, stretching his arms up and adjusting his coat once he brought them back down. Tugarin barked quietly again, prancing over to the door leading to the lobby with his tail wagging.
"Let's hope we see each other again." He called out to the girls, waving goodbye before departing to get home as soon as possible.
As he walked, he thought back on the events of the day. To think he'd have never even met the two girls had he not given Vodyanitsa his coat. They were nice, quite unlike what he thought they'd be like. They never commented on his appearance, at least. Even if they did like tidying up his hair... for some reason. Though...
How was Vodyanitsa so open and confident about being a fae? Maybe... maybe he could learn a thing or two from her. Maybe he wouldn't have to hide his ears and tail forever. Speaking of... he'd have to give them time to breathe soon. It was getting a bit painful keeping them concealed. Maybe tonight... when he sleeps... maybe.