#every moment of fluffy-hearted tenderness they can get they've more than earned

[johannstutt413]

(requested by wealmostaneckbeard) Tachanka becomes the USSGG’s surrogate dad

Tachanka had had a family at home - at least, he had an ex and a couple of kids, and they’d made it work better than quite a few of the homes his coworkers had come from or kept - so the idea of being a father figure wasn’t new to him. What had been new to him, shortly after arriving at Rhodes Island HQ on special request from the Doctor herself (which was...well, a story in its own right), was a small group of Ursus girls that brought out the Papa Bear in him like nothing else.

“I’m not asking for a miracle,” the petite woman in a long coat explained, looking up at him from behind a mask, “but I think you could do them a lot of good.”

“...They were in Chernobog.” It wasn’t a question. The weight in his words nearly matched that of his own helm.

She nodded. “More than that, they were in a middle school where...Ever read ‘Lord of the Flies’ when you were studying English?”

“Yes.” He cocked his head. “Not Columbian?”

“Let’s not get into that right now; suffice to say, you’re not the only one from Earth.”

The ‘mercenary’ relented; he had a feeling they’d have more chances to talk later. “Later, then. How old are they?”

“They were attending middle school at the time of the incident-” Tachanka’s fist clenched, “-but it’s been some time since we got them out of there. 15, 16 or so?”

“Fifteen? And you send them on missions?” What kind of irresponsible-

The Doctor reached into a desk drawer behind her, pulled out a folder, and handed it to him. “Look at these.”

“I don’t see how-” Looking at the pictures in said folder, however, the four-war veteran had other concerns. “So much blood...Too young to be forced to see it. I didn’t know.”

“You already know them, don’t you?” She didn’t need to see his face to notice the change in attitude.

He looked her dead in the eye. “We did shots together last night. They drink even younger than I did.”

“That’s Ursus for you - those bear ears aren’t just for show.” She sighed. “They also are practically immune to alcohol, which I think is a bit more than even a grizzly back home could do. You’ll help them out, though?”

“I don’t know if I can help them, Doctor. What I will be is there for them. I go to them now. Keep the folder.”

That’d been the plan, but it was good to know he agreed with it. “Thanks. How’s your Ursine?”

“Я уже давно говорил по-урсийски, Доктор [I’ve spoken Ursine for a long time, Doctor],” he replied in his mother tongue. “Спасибо [Thanks].”

“Для чего? [Thanks for what?]” She replied, almost casually.

Tachanka didn’t turn back around as he replied, “For a chance to make this right.”

----------

It wasn’t hard to find Istina’s room, thanks to the handheld RI had given him to navigate around the base, but the mercenary didn’t go there directly from the Doctor’s office. There were customs to observe, after all.

“General, can you get that?” Rada called from the kitchen. “I have to watch these pierogies like a hawk right now!”

“Da, da, I’ve got it.” Sonya got up from the couch, which left a void between Anna and Rosalind they filled of their own accord, in order to do that.

There was Tachanka, helmet on his head even now, with a brown bag of vodka bottles in his hand. “How’s it going, сестренка [lil sis]?”

“Rada!” Zima called back to the kitchen. [Going forward, everything’s in Russian/Ursine] “Got enough stuff for one more at the table?”

“Sure!”

Sonya smiled back at her guest. “Doing great. Wanna come in?”

“I didn’t come here to stand in the door.” He rustled her hair with his free hand and stepped inside, beelining for the kitchen table to set down the alcohol. “Pierogies tonight, Radachka?”

“Oh, Tachanka! Good thing there’s plenty here! Yep, more than enough for you to have seconds!” She stepped away from the stove for a moment...in time to watch him take off his helmet.

Unlike Ash, he didn’t have anything to hide the lack of animal ears on his head, but that didn’t matter. She needed to see his smile. “Glad to hear it. I brought enough vodka to match.”

“Thanks.” Gummy was momentarily stunned, as if she’d hit herself with her third strike. Thankfully, she recovered as her boiling water was just about to boil over. “Ah!”

“Heh. Careful with that pot, lil sis.” The Sapiens looked back over at Zima, who’d similarly watched him remove his face-shield.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have an easy excuse to stop staring. “And I thought you were squishing your ears in that helmet of yours, bratan [brother].”

“What the Doctor doesn’t know won’t hurt her.” The mercenary took his helmet to a coat rack by the door and set it on a high spot. “Alright, Razz, Annechka, I know you heard me come in.”

“There’s a fight on, Big T, give us a break!” Leto leaned her head over the back of the couch, a bright smile on her face quickly turning to a gasp looking at him.

Istina followed suit, managing to keep her reaction to herself for the most part. “We still have some time before Rada finishes dinner, if you want to join us.”

“No thanks, lil sis.” The smile faded slightly, seeing the red spatter on the screen. “Combat is a life-and-death matter. Now wrestling, that’s different.”

“Oh, then we’ll turn on UFC, then! Hey, Anna, where’d you put the-” The halberdier began glancing around for the all-powerful device-

The TV turned off as the advisor hit the power button on the remote in her hand. “It’s not a good match, Razz. We have cards if you’d like to play, Tachanka.”

“Call me Aleksandr, Annechka. Cards would be perfect.” He looked around the open-format dorm, looking for where they kept their drinking glasses but finding them in Natalya’s arms as she rounded a corner. “Good evening, Tasha.”

“Good evening, Sasha. To what do we owe the honor of your presence?” Despite using formal pronouns, Rosa could easily say her relationship with the mercenary was one of her most casual. She wasn’t even that surprised at seeing him without his helmet on, after the other night.

The Sapiens shrugged. “Just wanted to visit.”

“Mmm. Anna, do you know where we put the cards? No, I’ll get them, I just can’t remember which drawer they’re in...”

Gummy had been closer to finishing dinner than the group expected, but that simply meant they could eat and drink along with their card game and the full gang ready to play. Even his Soviet veteran status wasn’t enough to let Tachanka keep up with the girls on the drinking front, but he held his own at cards to make up for it. At some point, Leto pulled out a gift from her friend Beehunter - a flask of mead, which the girls passed around - and the night steadily dissolved as they forgot they were playing cards.

“So if you’re not an Ursus, or from Ursus, how come you speak the language?” Razz asked, having long forgotten it was her turn to play a card in the center. “You’ve got an accent, but it’s better than the Doctor’s at least.”

“Ursine and Russian are basically the same, lil sis, and I’ve spoken Russian my entire life.” The mercenary threw a card in the pile, not as a play but simply to get it out of his hand.

Sonya, somber even somewhat intoxicated, followed up with, “How long have you been a soldier?”

“Thirty years. I’m not an active soldier now, though; I’m an Operator.” Not in the Rhodes sense, but there was convenient overlap in the terms. “The motherland is safe, even without me there protecting her, and going home isn’t possible yet.”

“Because of the Watchtower thing?” Rada added.

He nodded. “Yes. Whatever happened means me and my team can’t go home, so we’ll make the most of our time here. This world...This world needs us.”

“We certainly do,” Natalya whispered, setting her head on his shoulder. “Anna, what time is it?”

“Time to find the clock...There it is. Twenty-three forty...something.”

The heiress yawned. “As good a time to go to bed as any.”

“I agree.” Tachanka stood up and then plucked Rosa from her chair. “I’ll clean up.”

“Ya don’t hafta do that, Big T,” Leto said as the group followed the mercenary and cradled Sniper.

He walked through the open door to Natalya’s room and tucked her in bed. “It’s not about what I have to do, Razz. Peaceful night to you, Tasha.”

“Likewise, Sasha.” She pulled a stuffed Originum Slug plush to her chest as the procession left to continue down the line. “Peaceful night, indeed...”

Rosalind climbed into bed herself, but she waited for the Sapiens to toss the wad of sheets on it onto her to ambush him with a hug. Anna and Rada settled into the chef’s room, nightlight on and cuddling to keep the nightmares at bay, which left Sonya and Tachanka to themselves as they opened the door to her room.

“Peaceful night to you, Sonya,” the mercenary said, intending to depart once she was in bed, but a hand reaching for his stopped him.’

“Do the nightmares stop?” She asked, for a moment not the General she’d had to become, but the girl who’d simply wanted to live. “After thirty years, is it easier?”

Tachanka settled into a squat by her head, taking her hand as he did. “I can’t promise that. What made it easier for me was being with the people I care about. You have good friends, sestrenka.”

“Yeah...but I...” The words caught in Zima’s throat.

“Do you want me to stay?” Her eyes lit up, but she simply nodded. “Alright, make some room.”

An hour later, the mercenary opened one eye as the door creaked open; four sets of Ursine ears and eyes peaked through the crack. He wordlessly beckoned with his free hand, the other gently holding Sonya to his chest, and the cuddle pile arranged itself.

Finally, a good night’s sleep for the USSGG.