#just realizing i never gave valeri a last name whoops

[c0smic-c4stle]

oh yea u guess i can post these now take some boys

[gwaciechang]

We Are Better

Inspired by The Picture of Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgard hugging. You known which one. Azure High School is named for the abandoned Azure Swimming Pool in Pripyat. I figured, since the reunion takes place in the gymnasium, and a lot of gyms have swimming pools, it was a fitting name.

Apologies to anyone named Harper, it just so happens to be the name of somebody who thinks Chernobyl didn’t deserve best writing (aka, the exact kind of idiot who would do what Harper does in this fic).

Edit: due to popular demand, you can also read this on AO3.

The hallways are just the same, no amount of streamers and shiny tinsel could cover that. Valery Legasov’s bespectacled eyes lingered on the walls he had been shoved against, on the linoleum floor that his fellow students had stared at in order to avoid him, on the doors to bathrooms that he had frequently run into to avoid the bullies (which usually went nowhere). Except for one time, when Boris Shcherbina had been washing his hands and successfully drew the bullies away while Valery trembled in the stall in fear. That was probably when the crush had started. Of course, that went nowhere, too. The bullying abated a little when Ulana Khomyuk became top of the class (because Valery would frequently start fantasizing about Boris, causing his grades to slip), but that just meant that Valery became completely invisible to everyone.

Valery stood in front of the library door, recalling his bravest moment. Through some stroke of luck, Boris seemed to like the same tea shop that he did, and Valery had taken advantage of it to observe him for weeks. Finally, with Boris’ favorite flaky pastry in hand, he thought he was prepared to ask the handsomest boy in his class to prom.

He wasn’t.

He got up to Boris, but rather than his prepared poem, a hoarse croak came out of his mouth. He threw the pastry at Boris to distract him, and ran into the library to calm down. His face was so flushed that the librarian insisted on taking his temperature to make sure he didn’t have a fever. By the time she let him leave, Boris was talking to the prettiest girl in school, Harper. They were laughing, probably over the idiot who threw food at him. Tears in his eyes, Valery had resolved never to speak to Boris again. He succeeded for the rest of the school year, but tonight would be a different story.

Boris was one of the main organizers of the ten-year reunion, and when Valery opened the door, his worst fears were confirmed: Boris was going around greeting everyone. And he somehow looked even more handsome now than he had back in school. His heart leapt to his throat when Boris spotted him and waved, heading straight for him. Valery waved back, trying desperately to clear his dry throat when he saw Boris starting to walk over. Then, a beautiful woman in a beautiful lace dress tapped him on the shoulder. Valery looked down at his own ill-fitting, shabby suit. Once again, Valery saw his minuscule chance with Boris disappear to Harper. He turned to leave.

“Valery Legasov!” Ulana Khomyuk entered and gave him a hug.

Valery hugged her back awkwardly, breaking the embrace as soon as he could. She didn’t seem to mind, but then again, she was the only person who understood that he couldn’t stop associating touch with being hurt. She was, after all, top of the class.

“How have you been?”

“I’ve been well. I, um, adopted another cat,” he rubbed the back of his neck. “I heard about your position at the Minsk institute. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. And I believe you’ve got a promotion coming up?”

Valery felt a genuine smile on his face as he described his job. He ended up being so engrossed in their conversation that the spotlight on Boris came as a complete surprise.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to Azure High School’s ten-year reunion. It’s so good to see your familiar faces grace these hallways we love so much. I’ve been lucky enough to speak to most of you, I could not be prouder of how well you’ve done for yourselves. Give yourselves a round of applause!”

Clapping, cheering, and whooping echoed off the gym walls.

“Of course, there is one person I’ve especially missed,” Boris continued. “Someone I haven’t been able to speak to enough, both now and back when we were in school. I’d like to make up that time now, with our first dance.”

We were staying in Paris, to get away from your parents

Ulana giggled. “That’s the first song they played at prom,” she said wistfully.

Valery shrugged, trying not to feel bitter. “I didn’t go,” he admitted.

“Tonight is about how far we’ve come, and I’d like to think I’ve finally become a person brave enough to ask the person I’ve been in love with for the last ten years to dance with me.”

Valery turned to see Harper extending her hand toward Boris. He knew it would break his heart, but to see Boris happy, so he could always keep that face in his memory, was worth it.

To his surprise, Boris turned away from Harper and walked toward...toward...Ulana?

He didn’t realize what was happening until Boris reached for his hand.

“May I have this dance?”

Valery was too shell-shocked to do anything but let Boris lead him to the floor. Only when the song was halfway over did his tongue start working again.

You looked so proud, standing there with a frown and a cigarette

“Why me?”

Boris chuckled. “You were so smart! So much smarter than me, and so cute. I could never work up the courage to talk to you. I almost did, one day. You gave me my favorite pastry and I asked Harper to find the correct words to ask you to prom. She laughed at me and asked how I could have made captain of the football team if I couldn’t even speak to a cute boy. God, I was so intimidated.”

“I was trying to ask you to prom, but I couldn’t find the correct words either,” Valery was astonished.

One of Boris’ long arms slid up Valery’s back so the taller man could cradle the scientist’s head. They were standing so close, Valery could just lean forward and-

“I’ve spent the last ten years yelling at myself for being a coward,” Boris said sadly. “Every time I would follow you into the tea shop, I would dream of a night like this.”

If we go down then we go down together, they'll say you could do anything, they'll say that I was clever

“It’s getting close to the end of the song,” Valery said sadly, holding Boris’ shoulder tightly and not wanting to let go. “Our dance is almost over.”

“Oh, but our night is just beginning,” Boris’ smile disappeared in a flash. “Unless you want to dance with Ulana,” he started to back.

“I’ve wanted you for the last ten years,” Valery’s grip tightened. “Only you. I’ve wanted a dance like this, and more.”

“So I wouldn’t be crossing any boundaries if I do this?” Boris dipped Valery down and kissed him on the forehead.

If we go down then we go down together

Valery knew his face was flushed from the way Boris’ expression was worried. But this time, he probably did have a fever, because he put both hands on Boris’ face and pressed him closer for a proper kiss.

“Do you know how long I have wanted that? Wanted you?” Boris growled when they finally broke free.

“You can have me,” Valery whispered.

We'll get away with everything, let's show them we are better