Work Text:
Mitya was waiting outside the dressing room. A little bit anxious if anything. He had maybe 5 minutes before Valeriy might show up to search the area under the guise of 'routine inspection'.
"Mitya!", Vodyanitsa called, "Come in here real quick!"
"Alright. Give me a moment."
Mitya barely entered the dressing room when he spots a glance of Vodyanitsa half-dressed. His scarf hand helped block his eyes where his arms couldn't fully block.
"Oh, my Tsaritsa! Could you at least be dressed first?"
Vodyanitsa was only in her undergarments, her chest barely covered. She was facing the mirror, her hands behind her back in the middle of hooking her bra on to her chest. Mitya could feel his ears burning with the realization.
"Close the door, Mitya! Before someone else sees!"
"Okay, okay." Mitya turned around to close the door and lock it which only allowed his brain to catch up to the fact that he's locked in a dressing room with Vodyanitsa, the Prima Donna, the best singer in all of Teyvat–er, at least in Mitya's opinion. And being her biggest fan, well, that did things to his overthinking brain.
Mitya averted his eyes to anywhere but Vodyanitsa's half naked form, back pressed tightly against the dresser door.
Was it just him or was the room getting hotter?
"Come ooooon, Mitya. What do you think?"
Mitya blinked. "Huh?"
"Mitya!"
His eyes snapped to Vodyanitsa and he tried very very hard not to blush. She was wearing a bra, or at least something that looked like a bra. It had a lot of lace and jewels and fabric that looked super soft.
His eyes trailed up to see that Vodyanitsa was expecting something from him.
Dumbly, he said, "Huh?"
She puffed her cheeks and stomped her little feet, the motion making Mitya flinch.
"Say. I. Look. Cute." she demanded.
Mitya frantically nodded his head. "YES. YES. You're very cute, now can I please leave this dressing room?"
Vodyanitsa brightened at the compliment and spun back around to face the mirror again. "No. You agreed to go clothes shopping with me so you will help me. You're lucky that's your only punishment."
Mitya blinked and sighed. As long as he's in the dressing room, ever-the-gentleman Valeriy isn't going to find them any time soon.
"Okay, fine. You win. Just-just pick something that's not an undergarment this time."
Vodyanitsa tilted her head. "I thought you liked the bra."
"I DO! I do. I just-don't feel comfortable seeing you naked."
Vodyanitsa deadpanned at him. "Seriously, Mitya?"
"Hm? What?"
"How does your rifle even get into this condition so frequently?" Mitya inquired mindlessly as he fiddled with the dented barrel.
They sat right outside of Alyosha's house, where the warmth of the kristall could reach them without feeling overwhelming especially with their thick layers. Alyosha sat across from him, fiddling with his worn gloves and petting his dog every now and then.
Alyosha rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, I've been busy lately. I haven't had time to do maintenance on it."
Mitya sighed as rubbed out the excess grease. "The firearm's lifetime would be a lot longer if you care to take a little time each day to clean and maintain it rather than these monthly appointments with me."
Alyosha looked guilty and ducked his head into his large coat. "Sorry."
"It's no big deal, don't worry about it! I'm glad you come to me for this. After fiddling around with testing tubes and experiental reports, fixing a layman's rifle is a good change of pace."
Alyosha stared at him. "Is it? I thought you enjoy your job?"
Mitya made a strange face, the one where he scrunched up his eyebrows in contradicting thoughts floating around in his mind.
"No matter how much you love your job, filing the same experimental reports gets old after awhile. I like making theories and proving them, not dealing with the bureaucracy necessary when doing any minor activity with the Fatui."
Alyosha nodded in acknowledgement but stayed silent.
"I was with Vodyanitsa the other day."
A nod.
"She wanted me to go clothes shopping with her because her paycheck just came in and some new clothes were stocked in her favorite boutique."
Another nod.
"But then she freaked out and pulled me into the dressing room with her. She barely had any clothes on!"
Alyosha pulled up his legs as the wind picked up. Mitya meanwhile seemed unaffected by it.
"Did you say anything?" Alyosha said.
"Hm? Oh, not really? She just said that it was part of the date. It was hardly a big deal."
Alyosha tilted his head. "It was a date?"
Mitya was waving his hands now, his scarf barely keeping up with his racing mind.
"Technically, I guess so. Girl's date and all that. Besides, I'm fond of clothes shopping myself. Where do you think I got this cool cape from. Hm, technically I got this custom made by Victoria because Valeriy recommended her. Sister and brother support and all that."
Alyosha rested his head on his hand, his elbow resting on his knees.
"Can you believe that I've known Valeriy for 5 years and I only JUST found out he has a sister?? He gives off so much single child vibes. Plus he never emotes. He has such a stiff expression all the time."
Alyosha nodded along as Mitya rambled on and on, from Valeriy's reserved nature to Vesna's conversations to the work he's done with collaborating scientists. He didn't mind simply listening to Mitya's stories. The way he animatingly talks with his scarf as assistance made his stories very easy to absorb.
The atmosphere was darkening as the sun was setting behind the cloudy sky.
When Mitya's throat was running dry and his arms being tired from waving around, he looked over to see Alyosha leaning his head on his knees in shallow sleep.
He looks so cute like this, Mitya thought.
He leaned over his small form, pulled off the outlayer of his cape, and wrapped it around Alyosha bunched up figure. Satisfied with his work, he placed his rifle close to his seat and prepared to go home for the day.
…
When Mitya was just out of sight, Alyosha pulled the cape a little closer to him.
The scent of ink and paper and cedar wood clung faintly on to the cape. But more importantly, though it was much thinner than his own coat, it halted any of the winds seeping into his body.
The job of a high ranking scientist sure is comfortable, Alyosha thought.
He nuggled closer with the cape and breathed out, watching the fog of his breath be carried away by the wind.
And to himself, Alyosha smiled.
The curtains slowly closed, the red velvet of the material blocking out the spotlight as it has done hundreds, perhaps even thousands of times.
Odette stopped counting after a while.
Her breathing was steady but labored. The last pirouettes took a lot out of her. the difficulty wasn't hard but it required almost all the last of her stamina. She could feel her ankle screaming in pain even as her face remained smiling and calm.
When the crowd had died down and she went backstage to change out of her costume and drink a bit of water.
Then the footsteps of heels.
"Odette! That was AMAZING! YOU were amazing! The leap was beautiful!"
Odette smiled as Vodyanitsa praised her. "Thank you, Vodyachka. It was nothing, really."
Vodyanitsa pouted. "No! I won't let you downplay yourself! The performance was amazing! I would know, I've seen you practice it for countless hours!"
Seeing Vodyanitsa so serious and proud made her heart warm a bit.
"I…I suppose I worked hard to perfect it."
Vodyanitsa tackled Odette with a hug. "Now that's what I'm talking about. You'rethe best, Odette!"
"Is it busy in here?" A voice popped up.
"AHHH!" Vodyanitsa yelled, hopping back. "Who's there?"
Mitya peaked around the corner. "Is this a bad time?"
Odette looked to Vodyanitsa. "Not at all. What can we do for you?"
Mitya stepped fully into the room, closed his eyes and cleared his throat.
A beat of silence passed.
"You were so cool, Odette! That was beautiful@! Your musicality matched the bells so well! And the costuming-I must commend their work. they highlighted your features perfectly! The pink and gold and silver and-"
Odette held a hand up for Mitya to stop. Her face had gradually darkened in bright red as Mitya kept talking.
Her voice was small when it came out, mostly in embarassment but also in some small part of fondness for both Vodyanitsa and Mitya's shared enthusiasm in praising her ballet. It felt…nice, to be recognized.
"Sorry, did I do too much?" Mitys said, now rubbing the back of his head.
"Not at all!" Vodyanitsa chirped.
She skipped around and pecked a kiss on Odette and Mitya's cheek.
She smiled cheekily. "I think Odette is just embarassed."
Odette turned her head away but her blush wasn't fading.
"Oh. Well I'll have you know I'll always praise your performance. Exceptional. Every time."
"Hey! You've only been praising Odette!" She stomped her feet. "What about me?"
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to. I got carried away. I also really enjoyed your performance today."
She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Do you really?"
"Yes, yes! I swear I was paying attention this time!"
"Really? Then name the first opera I sang."
Odette tuned out their little banter, all lighthearted offense and playful interrogation. She could only stare at her hands as they slightly shook with the anxiety of being on stage. But still, that warmth within her was growing and in some part, she knew it was because she was grateful for their support. However excessive it may be sometimes, she liked it.
She really liked it.
Oh, mother and Rosalyne. Would they be disappointed if they knew?
"You're not escaping work much these days." Valeriy comments.
"Yeah, yeah, rub it in, why don't you? You think I want to be here?"
"No."
Mitya waited a moment for a further comment but recieved silence.
An hour passed of Mitya writing scientific reports before his hand was growing numb. He growned loudly and slid down his seat.
"Ughhh, why do I have to do this? Can't we hire someone to do this???"
Mitya was mostly talking to himself but Valeriy answered anyway.
"Because that would also require more paperwork."
"It was hyperbole, Sarge."
Valeriy shrugged, the movement so subtle it would be hard to catch by anyone who was less familiar with Valeriy's body language.
"You seem to enjoy the company of the Theatre."
"For the last time, Sarge, I enjoy the theatre for the performance and artistry, not the people."
Valeriy stared at Mitya for a long while. It slightly unnerved Mitya when he did that but he was feeling stubborn today. he managed to pause his paperwork progress by 10 minutes already. If he could just hold out until the close struck the next hour, he could go into the world of 'non-working hours'.
Instead, Valeriy said. "I suggest you finish your reports, Mitya. The day is almost over. If you don't finish, I won't let you leave."
"You wouldn't!"
Valeriy stared at him, with the expression that was full of seriousness.
Mitya crossed his arms. "You're so unfair, Sarge."
"And you never do your job. Life is unfair. Besides, I'm sure you have ample motivation to finish your reports."
Mitya raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell your theory."
"According to my subordinates, you have a date with Alyosha in approximately one and a half hours."
"Wha-How did you even find out about that?"
Valeriy gave him a different stare in return. The one where it was analyzing Mitya's facial expressions to file for later. But that would mean he had no idea why Mitya was surprised about it and he was most certainly dating the Threatre troupe. Unless…
Valeriy let out a long-suffering sigh.
The head scientist of the reserach of the Energy Commission yet completely oblivious to their advances. Calling an appointment a 'date' should've been a dead giveaway. How Alyosha has gotten away with it for the last 46 times is remarkable.
"What? Did I do something wrong?" His scarf laid limp besides him.
Valeriy took a glance at it and opened his mouth.
The bell toll interrrupted him, the sound traveling across the land, signalling the end of a working day.
As if all thoughts on their conversation faded, Mitya dashed out of the room before Valeriy could even elaborate, leaving his paperwork on his desk.
As it was now 'non-working' hours, Valeriy's duties of safeguarding Mitya was officially over. But the revalation he just recieved…whatever, Mitya will just have to find that out on his own.
The storm had picked up on the cliffs of Svotloledovka but the snow drift wasn't that bad compared to their usual weather.
Despite that, Alyosha was early at Povorlye Restaurant with Odette and Vodyanitsa already ordering a mountain of appetizers. Okay, really it was just Vodyanitsa ordering for all of them cause she wanted to eat lots but Odette and Alyosha wasn't gonna stop her when she insisted on paying.
"Do you think Mitya is going to come?" Odette said.
Alyosha glanced at the clock. 5 minutes past their agreed upon time. Usually Mitya is never late, especially on days where he had no working hours during their meeting times.
Did he flake? Did he see Odette and Vodyanitsa here and ran away? Was he uncomfortable?
"You look nervous, Alyosha." Vodyanitsa said, tilting her head. "Are you thinking about Mitya?"
"Well, yeah. He's usually never late."
The door to the restaurant bursted open, a gust of wind blew into the restaurant, temperarily reminding them of the freezing cold of Snezhnaya. A waiter quickly closed the door behind the intruding guest but the trio's eyes lit up on recognizing the person.
"Mitya! Mitya!" Vodyanitsa waved without reservation. "Over here!"
It only took a few seconds for his eyes to spot the table and run over, the snow only beginning to melt off his coat and boots.
"Sir, a towel." A server handed him.
He accepted it with thanks and wiped his clothes and hair with it before ahnding it back to her.
"Wow! What a crowd!" he said.
Alyosha shifted in his seat. "I know I said it would only be the two of us but they were already here so I asked them to join us if that's okay."
Mitya grabbed the last seat and picked up the menu quickly. "Not at all, not at all! More the merrier, I say. What you guys looking at today?"
Vodyanitsa hummed. "I was thinking of the specials today, crispy fried shrimp courtesy of some visiting Liyuen chefs. What about you, Odette?"
"I'll have the salad."
Vodyanitsa plucked the menu from her fingers immediately. "Nu-uh, no way! When we finally eat out, I won't allow you to have a salad! Today is a cheat day!"
"But the doctor said-"
Mitya cleared his throat. "The doctor said to also focus on eating food for joy too without assinging moral value to 'good food' and 'bad food'."
"Not you too, Mitya."
"What can I say, I'm an expert in nutrition as well as-"
Alyosha smacked Mitya's head lightly with the menu. "You can't talk about nutrition when you've only drunk coffee today."
Mitya opened his mouth to refute but realized his couldn't and crossed his arms to sulk.
"C'mon, let's just choose something we can share. What are you thinking of, Alyosha?"
Alyosha unrolled the menu out and looked on. Vodyanitsa looked over, schooching her chair so she was closer to him and pointed at something on the menu.
"Get the lobster! They're to die for here. It's so juicy and buttery." Vodyanitsa was practically drooling with the thought.
Alyosha frowned at the though of deshelling it. And the price. the price was definitely not worth it.
"I'll pass, thanks."
Mitya looked between the conflicted looks of Alyosha and Odette on the menu and also moved closer to look, shoulders brushing at the close proximity.
"I recommend that one then." he said, pointing at a small ribeye with some roasted vegatables on the side.
Vodyanitsa shook Alyosha's shoulder. "I'm the one paying, get something fancier."
Mitya grinned. "Oh, you're paying? Alyosha, you should get this one!"
Alyosha's eyes followed Mitya's finger to a rack of ribs with 3 sides.
"Mitya!" Vodyanitsa screeched. "How dare you exploit my generosity!"
Mitya raised his arms in faux surrender. "I'm joking, I'm joking. It's good for multiple people though, so I still suggest it."
Without Mitya noticing, Odette had also moved closer but she still held her own menu in hand.
"Hm, I'll get the half-portioned grilled fish." Odette said, closing the menu and sliding it on the table in front of her.
"Now we're talking!" Vodyanitsa said.
"About Odette's choice of meal or the rack of ribs?" Mitya asked.
Vodyanitsa clapped her hands together. "Both! Then it's my turn to decide then!"
With Alyosha still holding the menu, Vodyanitsa reached over to flip the page to the soup, sides, and desserts.
"We'll have one pot of borscht, glupov rye bread, some cheese, medovik, and four ice creams!"
"You know I can't have ice cream, Vodya."
"Nope! Cheat day, Odette, remember?"
Odette sighed. "Fine."
Mitya sighed in amusement. "Well if that's enough for everyone, let me call over a server…."
A server stood there, a pen and pad ready. It seemed they were waiting for a while already.
Mitya and them made eye contact.
They raised an eyebrow, a glint in their eyes. "Are you ready to order?"
Odette, Alyosha, and Vodyanitsa looked up from the menu and stared at Mitya.
"U-um, yes?" Mitya said, scratching the back of his neck.
"Alright, what will you have?"
Mitya recited the order they had agreed upon to the server. A comment on Odette's portion being the half-sized one and not the full size one, a quip of Vodyanitsa asking for extra honey on the medovik and extra white chocolate syrup on the ice cream, and a comment on a side of extra bread and cheese by Alyosha.
After some time, the server left with their order.
Vodyanitsa snatched the menu off of Alyosha's hand and placed it on top of the other menus of the table.
"See? I told you this was going to be simple and straightforward. Don't worry about the money, I'm gonna pay for it."
Mitya smiled at that because he already told the waiter to put the meal on his tab but they didn't need to know that.
"So? Anything interesting going on these days? Alyosha?"
Alyosha leaned on the table. "Nothing much. Village is doing alright after the redistribution of kristall."
Vodyanitsa jumped in her seat. "Do you need more? I can always lend more. The Theatre has some extras the staff can take home at the end of the day."
"Nono, nothing like that." Alyosha sighed. "It's just the locals are struggling with the broken infrastructure. More kristall wouldn't fix that."
"I could ask the Fatui." Mitya chimed in.
"You know the Fatui doesn't fulfill requests like that, Mitya." Odette said flatly.
Mitya waved the air in front of him. "Don't wooorry about it, I can get Valeriy sent over on a free day to help. I'm assuming most of it is the lack of man power?"
Alyosha looked down. "Something like that."
"I'll get him to help. Draw up a plan for effieicnt housing and maintenance and send him your way. Trust me, it'll be good for him."
"You only say that because you can escape work!" Vodyanitsa said.
"I said it was an off day!" Mitya whined defensively. "I promise I'm not sending him to you to skip work."
"If it's okay for you, thanks." Alyosha mumbled.
Mitya patted Alyosha's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, I promise it's no big deal! Just let me know when you wanna meet again!"
Alyosha tilted his head slowly. "Like on a date?"
"Sure! Like on a date!" Mitya blabbered without thinking. "Just like-"
Vodyanitsa innocently blinked at him. "Just like what?"
Mitya's face turned red and he covered his face with his hands. "Nothing! Nothing at all! Just thinking about something else!"
Vodyanitsa's eyes narrowed. "Thinking about something else? On our date?"
"Yes! Nothing important, just-" OUR DATE???
"This was a date???" Mitya said, bordering on telling and making a scene for the other patrons of the restaurant.
Odette made a face. "Yes? Alyosha called it a date."
"But we're not in a relationship!"
Vodyanitsa laughed.
Alyosha calmly said. "People can go on dates without being in an official relationship, Mitya."
"I know that, Alyosha. I'm just saying we-well, you-I…we're dating?"
Vodyanitsa is clutching her belly as she laughed. "Waitwaitwait, you've been going on dates with all of us and didn't know?"
Mitya made a face of panic, as if everything he's ever known has been unraveled. "NO???"
As if the universe gave Mitya time to process the news, the server returned with the entrees.
"Sir, please stay seated. You are causing a scene."
Mitya reluctantly took his seat, his jaw still hanging open in shock.
Odette sipped a bit of the complimentary water. "We called them dates. What did you think it was?"
His mouth opened before his brain caught up. "Well, scientifically-"
"We're in public, Mitya." Alyosha said calmly. "What does a 'date' mean to the common folk?"
"An outing between two or more people with romantic intentions usually by established couples." he replied automatically.
He slapped his hands over his mouth just as he said it as if he'd been shocked like electro.
"So…we're dating? Like, all of us? At once?"
Vodyanitsa took one his hands that began fidgeting. "If you're not ready, we won't push you. But…we all kinda thought you already knew."
"I'M the last one to know???"
Odette took another sip. "It seems so. I'm certain that Valeriy also knows as well."
"That traitor!" Mitya pouted.
Vodyanitsa laughed again. "In all honestly, he figured it out not too long ago if that makes you feel better."
Mitya blew some raspberries. "Not really. But I get it. I didn't specify myself either."
"So? What's the verdict?" Alyosha said.
"What verdict?"
Vodyanitsa poked Mitya's puffed cheeks. "The relationship, dummy. You still in or not?"
"No pressure." Odette added.
Mitya looked from Odette to Vodyanitsa to Alyosha. "I meeean, sure."
"Imma need a more enthusiastic answer." Vodyanitsa said.
"Yes! Please! Uh, yes please, let's keeping dating!"
"That's what I like to hear!" Vodyanitsa cheered.
"Okay. If that's settled, the food is getting cold." Alyosha said, unraveling the utensils. "Let's eat."
"I agree." Odette said.
Mitya and Vodyanitsa immediately fought over the borchst's serving spoon.
But they were laughing, smiling and enjoying the moment.
And regardless of how slow they came together, they were still togther in the end and that's what mattered.
Written by a human in Ellipsus.