#valana fanfic

[letsriottogether]

Silence, pt.2

As the insomnia is spreading and I’m not sure how the new week at work will go, I’m also adding a second chapter to Silence. Huge thanks goes to @sad-lad-posts, who has volunteered to beta my works. I appreciate all the comments and feedbacks, so please do not hesitate to let a note below. _______________________________________

Minsk, Belarussia The past several days felt like a dream, no, more like a nightmare, something surrealistic that she was observing from distance, even though she was one of the main characters in the whole mess.

She cannot really remember the way back from Chernobyl trial, she can still see the empty space where Valery was just a moment ago, she can hear Boris’ footsteps and suddenly she was in a car, looking out of the window with watery eyes at the deserted land surrounding them.

Entering her apartment once again brought strange gust of normalness. As if nothing of the past 12 or something months existed. Same old walls, her things lying all around, smell of stale air, kind of the same after you return from a vacation. Except for the fact that she changed, she was looking at everything with different eyes, perceiving with her soul transformed into something else that was yet to be discovered. Something  that she needed to learn how to control and to live with.

She drops her small suitcase on the ground in the hallway, not even taking her shoes off, she steps inside the small apartment, mindfully and slowly. Her gaze runs from one thing to another, looking around, making sure that this is really her apartment, she’s back, even checking the calendar that it’s not 1986 anymore.

She stops at a bookshelf full of books, brochures, textbooks, her fingers absently running over the different covers, until they stop over one that’s particularly scuffed, a sign of endless times it has been taken out, held in her hands and read. Her guilty pleasure. 

She takes that one out, holding her breath, browsing until she finds the right page and gasps in surprise.

Late fall 1986 Ulana laid sprawled on her sofa, glasses on, lazily going through Dimitir’s notes he had asked her to check. Her focus was still mainly on Chernobyl investigation, but every now and then when she got to Minsk to check on her apartment, get a new set of clothes, she would, of course, visit the institute and meet with Dimitri. He had his own sort of research and valued her opinion, and she was happy to share. 

Suddenly a squeak escapes her lips as she jerks her right foot closer to her body, her eyebrows flying high to her hairline in surprise both from the attack on the soft skin of her foot and the sound that echoed through the otherwise silent apartment.

She flashed a death glare towards Valery, who was sitting at the other end of the sofa, whose eyes were, with a deep interest, focused on her feet resting in his lap. Well, she wanted to flash him a death glare, but the corners of her mouth gave her way, and she couldn’t help but smile. He turned his head to meet her gaze, a full smile on his lips, looking proud at the results of his experiment.

“Reflex rating 10 out of 10,” he says in fake serious voice, mimicking lab workers at work.

“You are bored, aren’t you, comrade Legasov,” she chastases him, putting Dimitir’s notebook down, her hand smoothing the fluffy fabric of blanket covering her body.

“No no, finnish your job, I have an experiment of my own to finnish as well, you see, this is only the warm up,” he says, adjusting his glasses, the grin never fading from his face. Ulana groans, rolls her head back against the pillow and chuckles, as she rubs her tired eyes.

“Why do I feel that this experiment of yours will pretty much ruin my attempts to edit the notes?” she raises her eyebrows and puts her foot back into his lap. “Why don’t you read something, I’ve got plenty of books here,” she says, gesturing with her head to the bookshelf behind them.

He thinks for a moment and then stands up, his shadow moving with him around the walls of the living room that is lit with standing lamps, creating warm orange light. She pouts as soon as her feet slide down to the cushions of the sofa, missing his warmth and skilled hands, giving her a nice massage just before the vicious attack. 

Her attention turns back to the notes, lost in thought she is just vaguely aware of Valery moving around, examining her belongings. He mumbles several names of the textbooks he had back home as well, chuckling about the fact she kept almost the same pieces he did. And then his eyes fell down to a small brochure, or notebook. The curiosity rises within him. He looks over his shoulder at her, still deep in thought, that lovely wrinkle of hers going down her forehead between her brows. He smiles, and as quietly as possible, takes out the file, careful not to lose any sheet, as the conditions says it has been read many times.

He opens it and to his surprise it’s not a diary (would she even keep one?), but a handwritten copies of various poems, some of which he recognizes from the school days, some completely new to him. He reads through them, sometimes the whole piece, sometimes he turns pages within a moment, lost in thought when one catches his eye.

Small railway station

There are places, where the children still wave at passing trains We always feel a bit of sorrow Waiting at small railway stations As no one is there, nowhere to go

Suddenly our soul is of white edelflower Suddenly there’s too much human in us

He stares at the words, the letters, consuming him to his surprise. He never was a poetry person, nor a book person after all (except for textbooks and encyclopedias of course), and suddenly he could picture the children of Pripyat, standing at the railway station-no- at the railway bridge, happily awaiting the train to go somewhere, anywhere. How many of them are still alive? How many of them will live to adulthood?

He feels her eyes on him and makes himself lift his attention from the small book. He finds her resting against the sofa’s armrest, her head slightly tilted, resting on her hands, a soft smile on her lips, glasses gone.

“Which one?” she whispers after a moment, hesitant to break the sacred silence of the intimate atmosphere that suddenly embraced the room.

“The railway station,” he says and before he can continue, she chuckles and closes her eyes. Of course it’s that one.

She turns her body, pushes the blanket away and stands up, slowly walking to him, until her body is pressed against him, her warmth spreading through him, as she lays her chin on his shoulder.

“This is my favourite one as well,” her hand goes up to the poem, fingertips gently caressing the words, and then does the same to the skin of his hand. He takes a deep breath, looks down at her, and as much as her face shows how tired she must be, there’s that small, happy smile, with her eyes still fixed on her book. 

And in that very moment, it’s just the two of them, like any normal couple, with no exploding reactor cores, no radioactive particles, no mysteries to solve.

Present: Every now and then he would suddenly appear with that notebook in his hands, usually when they would lie in her bed or sofa after sex, and read her out loud. With Vienna and the trial, his visits stopped and she was usually the one to travel. With the tension among them, he never read her that poem again and she avoided it.

Now, to her surprise, a single dried rose was resting as a bookmark to their poem.

Next day, Belarusian Institute for nuclear energy: Echo of her steps resonated through the empty corridor with dozens of closed door, leading to various labs and offices. She remembers how the rhythm of her shoes against the tiled floor used to sooth her, knowing exactly where her feet are taking her, how her day is going to go.

And now? The building was the same, but people different. Already as she was passing through reception at the entrance, they stopped her right at the tourniquets, taking her  aside to check her card, the old lady in thick glasses calling someone over the phone, whispering urgently. 

“Is there any problem? I’m the chief nuclear…,” she tried to explain, as the door of the small office shut right to her face. Before Ulana could even get angry, they opened again, the old lady in brown suit with polite smile holding her card. Silent, not a single word of explanation, but the glare in her eyes said everything. She’s not welcomed here.

She knew that this was only the beginning, and mentally slapped herself for not expecting it sooner, being almost angry with herself for being unprepared. As she neared elevator, she could see a noisy group of her colleagues, not really her friends, but somewhat people she knew. They were chatting happily, waiting for the elevator door to open. Yuriy, a tall man in his forties notices her first, and nods his head to greet her. Suddenly the conversation dies out, as the others turn around to look at her, all curious and much to her surprise, scared. Is this how the animals at ZOO feel?

Bitter laugh escapes her lips as she turns on her heels and heads for the stairs. So much for going back to normal life.

Note: The poem is in original called „Malá nádraží“, written by Jan Skácel, a Czech poet. I’d like to believe as former Czechoslovakia used to be a part of SSSR, this poem might have actually been translated and available in rest of the Soviet Union.

[dank-hp--memes]

If Only (Chapter 1)

Hello loves,

I know it has been a LONG time since I posted any writing (Yes I know I still have loads of unfinished work, but hey, stuff happens). I hope I can actually finish this story and finally write a good conclusion to a fic rather than just writing long one-shots. As always, your feedback and comments are greatly appreciated.

I hope you enjoy it,

Liv

They never listen… Why would they? The uneducated bureaucratic bastards always think they know what's best. They think they know everything… That is the problem. When a mistake is made, instead of stepping up and fixing the issue, they slink back into the shadows and bury the issue, concealing it so perfectly that it appears there is no issue at all. Is there no decency, no respect for the lives of our people? For all those men who died gruesome deaths? For all the mothers who have lost or will lose their children? For the many who will get sick? For me?

What happened that night- Im not sure- there are words to describe it. It was like a dream, no, a nightmare. A nightmare that causes one to wake up in a cold sweat panting, one that makes it impossible to fall back to sleep. But… you'll never wake up from this one… This night in question was Friday, April 25th, 1986…

Darkness began to consume the city of Pripyat on the evening of April 25th, 1986. The night shift workers at the Vladimir Ilyich Lenin nuclear power plant would have been getting ready for their shift. Some were likely having a late dinner, others may be reading the paper or listening to the radio while spending time with their family. But not the senior engineer that would be on shift that night. As the deputy chief engineer of the power plant, Anatoly Dyatlov took much pride in what he did. He prided himself on his knowledge of the reactors he worked with and on his hard work, which had allowed him to climb to the position he was at now. He was a stubborn man, he did not like carelessness, incompetence, or when people neglect their duties. So when the test on reactor 4 had been pushed to the night shift last minute it obviously made him irritable.

While his subordinates were likely preparing to come into work, Dyatlov had just arrived back to work. Not wanting to let the pleasant spring evening go to waste, Dyatlov spent a few extra minutes outside having a smoke. He had noticed an unfamiliar car in the car park. It struck him as odd at first, nobody had mentioned that a visitor would be in today, well nobody had mentioned it to him. After finishing his cigarette, Dyatlov walked inside to the locker rooms and changed into the oh-so-familiar white uniform. As he entered the main building, heading to the control room, he was greeted by the sight of a young woman who was studying a painting of Lenin on the wall while drinking from a thermos. She was in everyday clothes and had a long white lab coat over them instead of the classic white scrub-like uniform. She was rather tall for a woman, with fair skin and hazel eyes. Her hair was collarbone length and loosely curled. She had rather chiseled features, prominent cheekbones, and a sharp jawline. She was just generally pretty. Dyatlov stopped in his tracks and surveyed her, trying to figure out just who she was. He could feel his irritation creeping back over him because his mind was pulled off of his work. As he approached her, the woman turned a little as she noticed him. Now that she was properly facing him, Dyatlov recognized her. Not because she had been there before, which she very well may have been, but because he had seen her face in science articles and newspapers and maybe even on the news if he remembered correctly.

The woman was Anya Dimitrovna Koshkova, age 30, born in what is now the town Troitsk in the Moscow Oblast to a rather high-ranking state official and his wife. Anya grew up loving science, but her parents often discouraged her from following her love of science and mathematics. Though her parents tried very hard, they could not keep her from her studies. They did, however, teach her how to act as a woman in society, even with her unconventional interests. Anya was taught from a young age how to “succeed��� as a woman in the Soviet Union. Of course, Anya was told about how politics worked and was taught how to play the game so to speak. Her father always told her about towing the party line and ensuring that she and her family were always in good standing with the party. This knowledge is likely what got Anya to where she is today. Being able to tow the party line, and do so very convincingly, quickly helped Anya succeed in becoming one of the most if not the most prestigious scientist in the Soviet Union.

Of course, it was just not her intelligence or her political ability that helped Anya rise to the top, her husband also greatly helped in her accomplishments. She married her childhood sweetheart, Aleksander Ivanovich Koshkov or Sasha as Anya affectionately called him. He has always been very smart in the world of military and politics. He held a high-ranking position in the government and worked directly with the central committee and Mikhail Gorbachev. Aleksander was a trusted member of the central committee and one of the highest-ranking men, especially for a younger man. He was very friendly with the other members of the central committee, though not all of them were fond of him, he had good relationships with most of the men, including Gorbachev. Of course, the couple worked very hard both separately and together to achieve their goals but benefited greatly from the others' success. Though the couple was successful, the need for success was not the source of their love.

As Dyatlov approached Anya she took notice of him and turned to face him, lowering her thermos from her lips. She looked him over, studying him with her glimmering hazel eyes. Dyatlov had stopped right in front of her and was surveying her as well. After a moment he begrudgingly extended his hand to her. His hand was quickly enveloped in hers as she gave his hand a firm shake, much like one you would expect a good politician or businessman to have.

“Good evening, I am Anatoly Dyatlov, the deputy chief engineer. I was not told that we would have any visitors tonight…” His voice was rather stiff and if one listened closely they might be able to pick out the slight tone of irritation.

“Good evening to you too, comrade Dyatlov, I am Anya Koshkova. I was sent by Moscow to check in on how things are running here in Chernobyl” Anya stated.

Anya was not at all intimidated by Dyatlov. Her hand dropped to her side and she paused. There was the slightest bit of tension in the air and Anya could tell that Dyatlov had something to say to her. She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head slightly as if prompting Dyatlov to speak, which he did.

“Well, I was not informed of this. I never would have left you here alone. It is very unprofessional”

Dyatlov seemed to grow more irritated as he spoke. Subconsciously, he crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrow slightly. He did not want to show it, but Dyatlov was furious that he had not known there would be a visitor that evening. It was even more infuriating that the visitor was someone important from Moscow.

Anya raised her hand slightly. She was no stranger to plants like this one. She had helped design them and the reactors they ran. So, Anya never felt uneasy or lost in the power plants. Not to mention, Anya had been to the Vladimir Ilyich Lenin nuclear power plant a few times before. Those times she had been accompanied by Bryukhanov, and Fomin had joined them for a while. Of course, the two of them always showed off how “flawless” the plant was to satisfy the officials in Moscow, so Anya always enjoyed her visits to the plant. Not to mention, Bryukhanov seemed to have a slight infatuation with the beautiful young engineer.

“I am no stranger to this plant comrade. I was going to observe the day shift, but I heard that the test on reactor four was moved to tonight” Anya said calmly.

Dyatlov stood there silently for a few moments as he fought the urge to practically interrogate Anya on why she needed to observe the test and why she had not just observed the day shift's work. Instead, Dyatlov nodded slowly.

“Well, I am heading to the control room to prepare. You may join me now, or you can wait for the rest of the night shift to turn up” Dyatlov said as he began to head toward the control room once more.

Anya followed Dyatlov in silence. She stopped on the walkway overlooking the roof of reactor three. She studied the roof and the quickly darkening night sky with her vibrant hazel eyes. A bus was pulling up to the plant and the night shift employees for the four reactors began to trickle in. After taking a few sips from her thermos, Anya continued down the corridor and entered the reactor four control room.

The familiar monotone room was almost comforting to Anya. She wandered from station to station, stopping at each one and checking them. She paused as she read the reactor's power level and raised an elegantly arched eyebrow in confusion. The power level was much lower than she would have liked it to be. Anya kept an eye on the power level as she moved from the reactor operation panel to the pump operation panel. As she looked over the panels and ensured that all of the sensors and meters were calibrated and reading properly. As she finished up, Anya glanced at the power output 1600, why on earth was it being held so low. She turned to look at Dyatlov, a concerned expression on her face.

“The power output… it's only 1600 megawatts… Why? How long has it been held at this?” She asked, quite confused.

“That's what it's supposed to be at. The day shift ensured it would be ready for us to test” Dyatlov said, brushing off Anya's concern.

Maybe it was simply because she was a woman in a man's world, or because he had simply forgotten just how smart she was and that nuclear power and weapons in the Soviet Union were what Anya had been studying and working on for, essentially, her whole life. Anya nodded a little as she looked over everything.

“I would recommend against running this test under these conditions. We should restart the reactor” Anya said as she walked over to the operation panel, prepared to shut down the reactor.

Anya was cautious because she had no idea how long the reactor had been holding at this power level. As she looked over her shoulder at Dyatlov she could see the rage in his eyes.

How dare this woman come into his power plant and question him. Dyatlov clenched his fists and glared at her, absolutely enraged.

His bellowing voice filled the room as spit flew from his lips;

“No, we are running this test tonight!”

[sad-lad-posts]

A Ghost from the Past (Valana AU)

[amaidsconfession]

So, I've been writing a Valana fanfic for a while now and I'm not a english born speaker, so I also know that might be tons of grammar mistakes and typos, but I would very much appreciate some thoutghs about the story.

[elenatria]

Don't really get why such a fuss over Valoris ou Valana. I've been shipping Valana so hard I even forgot the show was based in real facts. LOL I found about Valoris looking out for Valana fanfics and I got suprise how popular Valoris fandom is. People don't understang that the fact something is based on real facts it's not the real thing. The Valery Legasov of the show has many things that came from the script and a tone that came from Jared. Anyway at this point I'm shipping Valery and me. LOL

Are people making a fuss over Valana too? o__O Ok that’s wild. But… sigh, why should I be surprised?

Valoris is popular? I’ve been hearing this more and more lately, so nice!

Yeah people don’t understand how MUCH of Craig Mazin’s (and Stellan’s) headcanons were put in a tv SHOW (not a documentary). 

1) Legasov wasn’t a bachelor and he didn’t live in a dump.

2) Ulana as a person never existed. 

3) Legasov wasn’t present at the trial. 

4) The last scene with the KGB chief never happened. 

5) Shcherbina would never dare threaten to throw off a helicopter an esteemed scientist.

6) The real Shcherbina didn’t look like THIS.

If they can accept Mazin’s and Stellan’s COMPLETELY made up headcanons about very real people, they might as well accept ours too.

I keep getting people telling me “this is a documentary, it’s historically accurate, how can you ship them!!!1″. Not it’s not a documentary, it’s a tv show. With two beautiful sexy actors. Actors who, unless they make us talk about them in any way we choose, they have failed.

And no it’s not 100% accurate. The disaster is accurate, the deaths and consequences are accurate. The characters are not. As far as I know Legasov wasn’t a socially awkward loner. And I’m quite sure that he never left the trial, any trial, having Shcherbina bid him a silent farewell with eyes welling up with tears.

I regret having explained those SIMPLE things to a couple of antis because they weren’t here to understand, they were here to criticize and hate.

I have no sympathy whatsoever for people who come to our blogs looking for a fight, who are aggressive and judgmental from the get go.

And absolutely no respect.

[letsriottogether]

Silence, chapter 3

Pairing: Ulana Khomyuk/Valery Legasov Characters: Ulana Khomyuk, Valery Legasov, Boris Scherbina, Charkov, Dimitri Warnings: Strong language so far Chapter: 3/?

Just a little something for the Valana shippers. I’m sorry for such a long hiatus, it has been living hell at work and my friend is getting married this weekend, so I’m glad to find some time to sleep at least. Next chapter will be finally more Valana, I promise :) Thank you all for your support and comments!

[dank-hp--memes]

A Companion: Chapter 3 (i think...)

So I obviously haven't been writing lately. I just spend all of my free time doing calculus... so... here is something.

Valery was snapped back to reality by a soft groan and Ulana moving in his lap, her hands held her lower belly and her lips parted to allow short breaths in and out. Tears rolled down her cheeks before she leaned back against Valery. He looked down at her belly and felt tears begin to well in his eyes. He knew even the slightest of movements caused Ulana to be in extreme pain and discomfort. Their child caused her an immense amount of agony, and slowly, it was killing her. Her body leaned against Valery limply as she took in deep breaths just as the pain dulled to the level she normally endured. There had been a particularly violent movement from within her womb. Valery gently rubbed the side of her belly, his chin resting on Ulana's shoulder. He pressed his nose to the crook of her neck, letting out a soft sob. Seeing her in pain was one of the hardest things for him, for there was little he could do to take away her pain.

It takes two to make a baby, but Valery could not help but feel responsible for the immense amount of pain she was in. His heart ached for her, for she was his other half. She was his soulmate and he knew they were meant to be together, one way or another.

Eventually, Ulana gently reached up and ran her boney fingers through what was left of his hair. Valery sniffled and managed to smile somberly at her. He could not help but wonder how their life together could have been different if Valery had stuck to the party line. Would she have hated him for it? Would she have aborted the child, unable to fathom being with him again? Would she have even told him about the baby? Sure he would have had his 'freedom' but would he have had his happiness? Ulana seemed to be the only source of true happiness in his life. Before her, Valery's life had been dull and colorless, for he had always spent his days alone. All of that changed when he met Ulana, for she was someone who could understand him, and her presence made his life more interesting to say the least.

A few hours passed, Ulana had gotten up and moved to a rather plush armchair that Valery had next to the window. She had fallen asleep there, sitting in the sunlight. Sasha had crawled onto Ulana's belly and proceeded to lay down, purring quietly. Valery watched her for a while. She looked extremely peaceful, her feet propped up on a small ottoman that matched the chair. The chair reclined a little, and it was at just the right angle to keep Ulana comfortable, besides the fact that her uterus was squishing her organs as she seemed to slowly wither away, her life shortened by the little life she grew within her. Valery smiled solemnly and proceeded to cover her with a blanket, which disturbed Sasha a little, but she returned to her rightful place on Ulana's large and swollen belly. Valery smiled solemnly as he brushed a few grey hairs off of Ulana's pale face.

Out of nowhere, there was a gentle knock on the door that made Valery jump. He glanced over at the door for a moment before approaching it. He pulled open the door to see his neighbour, Maritza, or Mara. She had been a nurse for the longest time before she became too old. She was a Polish woman, who had grown up. Mara was quiet and hated socializing, but she had quickly befriended Valery when he had been moved into this new, small apartment. She was on the tall side for a woman, but her frame was rather slim. She smiled kindly at Valery, her deep-set, coffee coloured eyes glimmering at him. She held up a small tray of tea and biscuits. Valery nodded and silently let her in, so as not to disturb Ulana. Somehow, Mara always had the most exquisite tea. The scent of an extravagant earl grey Mara had brewed filled the apartment, making Ulana stir slightly.

"I noticed you had a visitor" Mara whispered as she set the tea tray down on the table. 

Valery smiled and nodded response, feeling embarrassed.

"She is my… my lover…" Valery said, struggling to find the right word to describe his relationship with Ulana. 

Mara raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ulana before shaking her head, holding back a laugh.

"Your Lover?" She said chuckling softly.

"My… My soulmate" Valery whispered.

His heart began to ache horribly as he looked over at Ulana.

Mara chuckled a little. Valery knew that this woman did not believe in soulmates. Her whole life had been fairly rough, to say the least. He was roused from his thoughts by light footsteps. The strong scent of tea must have roused Ulana, for she was now making her way to the table. Valery watched as Mara went to Ulana's side, helping her silently to the table. Ulana groans a little, her hand resting on her belly. Mara looks at her, examining her closely. Ulana sits back in the chair, gingerly rubbing the side of her belly. Ulana looked at Mara silently, studying the older woman. She did not know that Valery's neighbours were allowed to speak with him, let alone come into his apartment. Mara grinned a little already liking Ulana and they had yet to exchange even the simplest of hellos.

[dank-hp--memes]

Lied for My Life

Tags: @johnlockismyreligion @royaltydowntonandlife

What if Valery lied at the trial?

---

"... and that is how an RBMK reactor core explodes," Legasov says, his eyes meeting those of the judges. 

He had towed the party line and blamed user error, he had not even mentioned the flaw with the control rods and AZ-5. 

In a flash, the hearing was adjourned. Legasov looked over his shoulder to the table he, Shcherbina, and Khomyuk had been sitting at. It was swarmed with people leaving the makeshift courthouse. His eyes searched the crowd, and as they made their way along with the table, his heart sank. She was gone. The only person left standing at the table was Shcherbina. Legasov looked at him, wishing he could go back, for it was not Shcherbina he wanted to see, well not who he wanted to see most. 

"Where is Comrade Khomyuk?" Legasov asks, trying to be indiscreet, trying to hide his attraction to her. 

They were friends and had been on a first-name basis for a while now, but in this situation, Legasov found that using her surname seemed most appropriate. 

"She left as soon as you finished speaking. She seemed quite upset" Shcherbina said with a cold laugh. 

Though there was a part of Shcherbina that had wanted Legasov to tell the truth, he was thankful he hadn't. He could not imagine what the KGB would have done to Legasov if he had spoken the truth. Well, he could imagine, but he would rather not.

Legasov frantically began to pack his things, he had to catch her, to speak with her. He had to set things straight. Not that he had particularly liked Khomyuk, they were simply friends, he just could not bear to have her angry at him, it was his life after all. He had already given it up by going to Chernobyl, and now he wanted to live out his remaining years in peace. 

As he stepped outside, Legasov saw a car pull past, Khomyuk was sat in the back seat, straight-faced and refusing to look at him. 

"Ulana!" Legasov shouted, waving the car down. 

It did not stop, disappearing over the horizon moments later. Legasov stands there, wanting to go after her, but he had no clue where she lived. All he knew was that she lived in Minsk. In the end, Legasov first decided it was best for him to return to his apartment, he could call Ulana in the morning at work, though he would later decide to call her home. 

The entire ride back to his apartment, Legasov could not stop wondering, no, worrying, she might not answer. Khomyuk was definitely the type to hold a grudge. She was an extremely serious woman, especially about her time spent working. Legasov knew, deep down, that she would not answer. He knew that she did not care to speak to him or see him, or even acknowledge his existence. Legasov simply yearned to know if he could set things right. Khomyuk could not hate him, right? She just couldn't. 

When he finally arrived back at his apartment, Legasov decided that instead of simply showering and getting some work done, he would attempt to contact Khomyuk. It was rather late in the evening, and he had thought over what he was going to say. He had the words planned out in his head, all the things he was going to say. He would start off professionally and casually make it friendly. He stood in the hall and picked up the phone. His hand was shaking. His breath hitched in his throat as he stared at the number pad. He couldn't think of the number, but his fingers were still able to remember all of the digits. The line rang and rang; suddenly, it stopped. 

"Hello?" Khomyuk's voice answered, rather groggy. 

"Good evening Ulana" Legasov replied smoothly.

"Oh, Professor Legasov, did you need something?" She says stiffly, obviously rather irritated that it is him calling. 

"I was wondering if you would like to go out sometime. I would love to have you come help me with some experiments and calculations, and maybe we could go out for tea or something" he says, doing his best to improvise and keep his voice smooth. 

There was a pause and he heard her gag a little. Was she disgusted by him? Was this because of him? Then, suddenly, she spoke. 

"I am feeling a bit ill as of late, professor, so I am unable to take you up on that offer. I would ask you don't contact me again unless it is important" she growls before placing the phone on the receiver.

Valery stands there with his mouth slightly agape. That couldn't have gone any worse. Valery gingerly placed the phone down on the receiver. What would he do now? 

Valery sighed and decided it was best that he attempts to go to bed. He changed into his pyjamas and sat down in his bed, leaning against the backboard. His cat, Sasha lays in his lap, purring softly. Valery sighs, still quite bothered by the way Ulana is acting. How could she not understand his decision? It was his life, after all, he couldn't just throw it away. The reforms would come in time, she would see. He had kept his job at the institute and he was more than happy to keep his position. Valery just wanted his life back, but he could not bear to have Ulana hate him, even though his feelings for her were indifferent. He thought for a moment. After all he and Khomyuk had been through, his feelings were more than indifferent, he considered her his friend. 

Hours passed, Legasov struggled to sleep, still worried about his relationship with Khomyuk. It was around two in the morning when he finally got up and wandered to the phone. He dialled her number out of instinct. The phone rang and rang until he finally heard her voice. First, she sighed then that led into “Hello?”

Legasov paused, suddenly unable to find his words. 

“Comrade Khomyuk… Ulana, I must speak with you…” Legasov said, his attempt not to sound desperate had failed miserably. 

There was a pause and on the other end of the line, Legasov could hear her breathing softly.

“Comrade Legasov, it is the middle of the night… What could possibly be so important that you had to disturb me…” Khomyuk grumbles.

From the sound of her voice, it is obvious that she was only half awake, and she was obviously frustrated. 

“I just need you to understand why…” Legasov begins, pausing to collect his thoughts.

“Comrade Legasov, this is a waste of my time…” Khomyuk mumbles, pausing.

Valery swears he can hear her groan softly before she continues.

“I have more important things to do than deal with your feelings comrade” She finishes before setting the phone on the receiver. 

Legasov listens to the dial tone for a moment before putting the phone down. Was that it for them? Their friendship seemed to be over, and that thought seemed to hurt much more than Legasov had anticipated.

[dank-hp--memes]

Guess who is writing a Valana AU

Is there truly ever love at first sight?

"Have you always been alone Valera?"

"... no, not always... there was a woman, with passion like a raging fire, and as stubborn as the most deep rooted of trees"

There is a pause

"We were both so focused on our work Boris. That was what we both had prioritized, and we sort of grew apart"

"She had hair as soft as silk and skin like the finest porcelain. Her eyes were the most beautiful aquamarine..."

[dank-hp--memes]

Valana AU: Simply Love

It was a particularly cold autumn night, Ulana was curled up in bed with her back to Valery, his arm was wrapped around her as he cuddled against her. His arm gently squeezed her swollen belly, as he slept, causing Ulana to squirm a little discomfort, now half asleep. The light patter of footsteps caused her to open her eyes just the slightest bit. She watched as a tiny figure crawled up the end of the bed and proceeded to cuddle against her. Ulana could now help but smile a little as she reached down and gently ruffled the nappy ginger hair of her little girl. "Bad dream, bear?" Ulana whispers as she feels her daughter press her head against the crest of her swollen stomach. There was only a drowsy whimper in response. Suddenly, Valery moved his arm down Ulana's belly, caressing it gently with his thumb. She was a sight to behold these days, looking almost like she had swallowed an inflated beach ball. Her stomach was stretched to its capacity over her uterus, which not only held one baby but two. Ulana smiled a little as she felt Valery lean forward and press his cheek against her back, sound asleep. On the other hand, the small figure which lay in front of her began to squirm around to get situated in the bed, which was barely big enough for Valery and Ulana alone. The little girl pressed her head against Ulana's chest, her arm slung over her mother's side. Ulana gently wrapped her arm around her daughter, cuddling her gently as she readjusted. She sighed as she felt the slightest movement from within her womb. Ulana let out a soft sigh and did her best to readjust to make everyone happy. A few hours passed, and Ulana snoozed lightly, roused by the pale morning light being filtered in through the thin curtains. She felt Valery release her from his grip as he rolled over. The alarm clock beside the bed read 7 am. Ulana sighed and rolled onto her back, gently readjusting the tiny girl that was cuddled against her. She saw Valery lift his head and look over at them. He smiled and reached over, placing his hand on Ulana's belly. 

"So that's why I was given the smaller fraction of the bed…" he grumbles, teasing as he looked at their daughter, Katja, who was still fast asleep. 

"Oh hush, you can make do, you aren't the pregnant one" Ulana whispers, gently ruffling his hair. 

Valery smiled and rolled over, his back to Ulana as he adjusted his pillows, desperate for more sleep. Ulana simply smiled quietly, watching him as she readjusted. Katjas head lay limply on Ulanas chest as the little girl slept peacefully, her arms wrapped around her mother. Ulana closed her eyes, exhausted from a night of little sleep, like the many before it. She pressed her nose to Katjas head and sighed softly as she began to drift off.

It seemed like no time at all before Valery was gently prodding Ulana's shoulder. As she opened her eyes, she saw that his hair was damp and he was half-dressed. 

"Good morning," he says softly, leaning over and kissing her softly as he gently caresses her belly. Ulana sighs and sits up, leaning back on her elbow as Valery gently picks up Katja, who sleepily mumbles a good morning. Valery gently placed Katja down where he had been sleeping before sitting down on the edge of the bed. He gently placed his hands on either side of Ulana's belly, caressing it softly as he kissed her.

"I'll make some breakfast so you can go and get cleaned up," he says softly, still caressing her belly.

Ulana smiled a little as she sat up straight and stretched her arms up over her head. Valery smiled and took her hand, helping her out of bed, taking a moment to marvel at her. Ulana was still very thin, besides her large belly. Her legs were still rather toned and slender, and her body was just rather petite and dainty. Ulana wrapped her arms around Valery, leaning against him for a moment before turning back to the bed. She then picked up Katja, who was half awake and simply laid in Ulana's arms. Ulana then waddled awkwardly down the hall to the bathroom, where Valery had already picked out some clothes for their Katja. Ulana held Katja with one arm, supporting her on her hip as she leaned down and turned on the shower, making sure the water wasn't too hot. 

Around 40 minutes passed before Katja came running from the bathroom, fully dressed, her hair tied back in a short ponytail. Another 20 minutes passed before Ulana emerged, wrapped up in her large plush robe. By then, Valery had just about finished breakfast and was having Katja help him set the table. He could not help but smile as he watched Ulana make her way to her seat. As soon as the table was set, Valery carried a large frying pan over to the table, he had used the pan to keep everything warm.

Ulana leaned back in her seat, smiling as Katja adjusted, sitting on her knees in the chair with an eager look on her face. Valery served Katjas food first, giving her a small portion of everything to try. Then he made his way around the table and served Ulana, gently kissing her forehead as he finished. 

"It smells divine in here…" Ulana says as Valery goes to take his seat. 

Valery grins a little and takes her hand.

"Well, I would hope so," he says softly.

Ulana smiles and leans forward, her belly resting gently on her thighs as she begins to eat.

They finish breakfast rather quickly, for Valery must take Katja to daycare. He helps Ulana over to the sofa, planting a soft kiss on her lips before ushering Katja out the door. Ulana smiles a little as she watches the door close behind them before laying down on the sofa. She pulls a thick blanket over herself, laying with her back against the back of the sofa, gently rubbing the side of her belly. Ulana assumed she must have fallen asleep, for she awoke to a gentle knocking on the door. She was still in her robe, her nightgown underneath it. She sighed and slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes as she got to her feet. Ulana waddled to the door, a bit confused. Who on earth would be bothering her in the midst of the day?

[dank-hp--memes]

Valana Oneshots: In the End

For some context, Valery is around 30 and Ulana is around 26.

A cool breeze blowing against his back awoke Valery. He opened his eyes, and looked over the figure in front of him, smiling as he saw his lovely Ulana readjust. He could just barely hear her soft snores as he sat up a little, looking around at the beige walls around them. He looked up as he heard gentle footsteps in the hall. A tall figure appeared in the doorway. Valery blinked his eyes to clear his vision, sighing as he recognized Kaia, an old friend from University. They had taken organic chemistry together, long before Valery had met Ulana, and had even dated for a while before going their separate ways. Kaia had gone on to become a midwife, and Valery continued his studies to get a doctoral degree. Kaia being Valery ex had bothered Ulana when they first met, for she was unsure of Kaia's intentions. In the end, Ulana realized that Kaia and Valery had long moved on from their relationship and were happy as friends. Valery had called Kaia a few nights prior because Ulana had been having contractions. Kaia had determined that Ulana was in labour, but things were progressing rather slowly and it seemed that their little one was taking her sweet time making her way out of Ulana. Valery smiled and shared a look with Kaia as he realized that Ulana was finally getting some sleep, for she had been fairly exhausted as of late. He laid his head back on the pillow and scooted closer to Ulana. Valery gently pressed his nose against the crook of Ulana’s neck, taking in the sweet scent that seeped from her skin and hair. He wrapped his arms around her, gently caressing her belly. He heard Kaia's footsteps depart, for she had only come to check in on Ulana before returning to the sofa to lay down. Valery sighed softly, rubbing Ulana's belly as he felt her begin to squirm. A groan began to escape her as she readjusted, feeling her belly become tight as another contraction began. Ulana rolled over and wrapped her arms around Valery, pressing her forehead against Valery's chest. Ulana still hadn't opened her eyes, but she was definitely awake now. Valery smiled and planted a gentle kiss on Ulana's forehead as he rubbed her back. Ulana slowly opened her eyes to look up at him. She looked exhausted but managed a smile as the contraction faded away. Slowly, Ulana began to sit up, rubbing the side of her belly. She was grumbling something barely audible, which made Valery smile a little. He sat up and pulled her against him, allowing her to lean against him. Valery gently rubbed Ulana's side, feeling her shudder against him as she relaxed. Valery looked up as he heard Kaia's footsteps coming down the hallway. She was humming softly as she approached the doorway. Kaia smiled kindly as she entered the room. Slowly, she sat down on the edge of the bed. Ulana groaned and readjusted so Kaia could examine her. Ulana jumped a little as Kaia reached up inside of her to examine her cervix. This makes Valery smile a little as he gently strokes Ulana's hair. Ulana groans softly, glaring at him. Kaia smiles a little and presses on Ulana's belly, determining the position of the baby. Ulana groaned softly, adjusting her hips. 

"What? Is this funny to you two?" She growls.

"Funny? No, I just think you are adorable…" Valery mumbles, rubbing the side of Ulana's swollen belly.

"I don't feel very adorable…" Ulana growls, her head laying in Valery's lap. 

Kaia simply smiled and patted Ulana's belly with her soft hand. She knew what Ulana was going through, for she had helped many other mothers go through the same thing. She had experienced many women becoming quite upset and depressed, just wanting to hold their baby in their arms, just wanting their labour to end. Kaia exited the room to go and make some tea, leaving Valery and Ulana alone. 

A few hours passed, Valery cuddled Ulana as she laid on her side, cuddling one of Valery pillows. She was drenched in sweat and Kaia had predicted that within the next day they would finally meet their daughter. Ulana's contractions continued, getting stronger and closer together, but her water still hasn't broken. The tea Kaia had prepared had improved Ulana's mood temporarily, for once it was gone, Ulana went back to laying uncomfortably in bed. A few days before, when she had first received the call, Kaia had encouraged Ulana and Valery to got to the hospital, where Ulana could be helped and given drugs to help her progress, but Ulana had been adamant about not going. There was something about doctors that simply terrified her. So, Kaia had reluctantly agreed to stay with the couple, but she had informed Ulana they if there was an emergency she would be taken to the hospital without a second thought. Ulana reluctantly accepted these terms, for she definitely needed the help Kaia could provide. 

By late afternoon, Ulana was absolutely miserable. She had been in labour for around two days now and the contractions slowly got stronger, and they were finally becoming more regular. Deep down, Ulana knew this was it, the home stretch. Though she was exhausted, starving, and in pain, she was excited to finally get to meet her baby. What little sleep she did get came in the form of small naps between extremely intense contractions. Her water had finally broken just before lunch, and Kaia was keeping Ulana updated on the progress she was making. The young midwife had a voice that commanded respect but was rather soothing at the same time. But her words seemed to go in one ear and out the other every time she examined Ulana. Ulana simply could not focus on anything except the hand examining her cervix. 

As Ulana began to quickly progress, Kaia ushered Valery out into the hall. Though he wanted to stay and support Ulana, he knew this was something he was not meant to be a part of. Ulana's low groans and screams carried through the apartment as she began to push, now desperate to meet her baby. She was exhausted and all she wanted was to hold the life she had created in her arms and finally get some sleep.

It was not long before Valery heard the loud cries of a baby, he smiled tiredly and stood up from the sofa, wandering down the hall toward the bedroom. The door opened a few minutes later and Kaia stepped aside, revealing Ulana, propped up against many pillows, cradling a pudgy baby girl with brilliant ginger hair and ocean blue eyes. Ulana smiled tiredly at Valery and he couldn't help but smile back. Before he knew it he was standing beside the bed. He sat down and wrapped his arm around Ulana, cuddling her quietly and looking down at their child. 

"She is perfect…" he whispered as he planted a soft kiss on Ulana's forehead.

[dank-hp--memes]

A Companion

So my power went out today... so i wrote this on my phone in google docs. If you would like another chapter following this storyline, please let me know 😊. I really want to hear your opinions on this. It is sort of inspired by "Circles" by @letsriottogether so if you have not read that, please go and do so. I send much love to all of my readers and would like to thank yall for all of the support.

Tags: @shit-in-silk-stocking @johnlockismyreligion

(P.S. if you want to be tagged leave a comment letting me know)

---

It was a few months after the trial. Valery was struggling to become accustomed to his new life on his own. It was just him and his tabby cat, Sasha. It was a rather rainy day, Valery was sat at his kitchen table having a cup of tea when there was a knock on the door. The now unfamiliar sound made him jump. The knock was gentle and timid, definitely not like that of the KGB agents. Reluctantly, Valery stood up to answer the door. His hands trembled as he reached for the doorknob. Valery's head began to buzz with thoughts. Who could possibly be looking for him? Who on earth awaited him on the other side of the door? As he pulled open the door, he was left dumbfounded. Standing before him was Ulana. Her wet coat and clothes were clinging to her now rather a thin body. Valery's eyes wandered over her, stopping on her stomach. His mouth went dry as he stared at the round belly that protruded from her frail frame. They stared at each other for a few moments, realizing it looked as though the other had aged significantly. Valery could see that Ulana had become extremely thin and boney. Her hair had begun to grey and her skin looked extremely pale, almost lifeless. She looked absolutely exhausted and sickly. As Ulana looked at Valery, she realized just how badly the radiation had affected him. He too appeared thin, and his skin seemed to have aged significantly. His hair was thin and greying. Valery's eyes looked tired and sunken in, but he definitely did not appear as exhausted as Ulana. One moment they were stood in silence, the next, they were holding one another in their arms. Valery nuzzled his cheek against Ulana as the water that soaked her clothes seeped onto him. This must have been the best and worst surprise Valery had ever received. Seeing her was one of the few things he had wanted since being exiled, but seeing her in this state shattered his heart. 

"You're soaked" Valery mumbled as a greeting, still holding her in his arms.

"Oh really? I had not noticed" Ulana whispered as she pressed her nose to the curve of his neck.

Valery slowly pulled her into the apartment. Ulana wrinkled her nose. The scent of cigarette smoke plagued the air. A thick dust-coated many of the surfaces. Ulana smiled a little as Valery's hand wandered down to the side of her belly. 

"Is this my doing?" He said as he pulled away from a little to look at her.

Ulana nodded, a faint smile crossing her face. Valery stood in silence for a moment as he looked down at her protruding stomach. After a moment he looked past her belly at the puddle that had formed on the floor beneath Ulana.

"You must be freezing…" Valery said softly as he looked back up at Ulana.

She chuckled a little as water dripped from her hair.

"I suppose I am a bit chilly," Ulana said softly.

Valery smiled a little before saying: "why don't I run you a hot bath?"

"That would be very nice…" Ulana mumbled as she began removing her soggy coat.

Valery retreated into his apartment, heading into the bathroom and drawing Ulana a warm bath. Suddenly, Ulana was standing beside him and undressing while he placed some clean towels beside the bathtub. Valery allowed his eyes to wander over her body as she stripped down to her underwear. Ulana's bones seemed to protrude from under her soft and pale skin. Her swollen stomach and breasts seemed out of place. Valery felt the sudden urge to undress and join her, for he longed to hold her body against his. It seemed as though his love for her seeped from his pores as he stood there and watched her finish undressing. 

"Care to join me?" Ulana said as she squeezed the water from her clothes.

"Would you like me too?" Valery asked in response, smiling cheekily at her.

"I would love you too," Ulana said as she turned to Valery. 

Slowly, Ulana began unbuttoning his shirt after Valery removed his sweater. Once they were both undressed, Valery climbed into the bath and sat down. Ulana sat in front of him as he straddled her between his legs. Slowly, Valery wrapped his arms around Ulana, his hands resting on her belly. Her skin was soft to the touch and her body had relaxed in the warm bath. They sat in sweet silence as Ulana leaned back against Valery. His touch was comforting, and she could feel the slight movements of their child beneath his hands. after taking some time to warm up, they climbed out of the bath. Valery changed into some clean clothes and offered Ulana his robe. Gratefully, Ulana tied the large fluffy robe around her and followed Valery into the living room. Ulana instantly sat down on the sofa and propped up her slightly swollen feet. After a moment, Valery sat beside her and placed a blanket over both of them. He wrapped his arm over her shoulder and held her close. His other hand rested comfortably on her belly as they listened to the rain pelting the windows. Valery looked at her and smiled, gently caressing her belly with his thumb. As they sat in silence. At that moment, there seemed to be nothing to worry about. He now had a companion, and it was not just anyone, it was the woman he loved. His many lonely nights were now behind him. Valery could now share his life with the woman he loved and their unborn child. It did not matter how sickly they both were, for they brought joy into each other's lives.

[dank-hp--memes]

Plot Potatoes: Chernobyl The Fire Extinguished

Tags: @shit-in-silk-stocking

---

February 1988

Valery’s Apartment, Moscow

-

It was a cold and dreary day. The sky was a light grey, and a flurry of snow fell over Moscow. Valery was sat on his sofa, wrapped in a thick wool blanket. Sasha, his cat, dozed peacefully in his lap while he slowly read through an old novel. A gentle knock on the door made Valery jump. Valery gently removed Sasha from his lap and placed his novel on the coffee table before making his way to the door. Upon opening the door, Valery felt his lips part and his eyes widen. His heart instantly began to ache as he laid his eyes upon Ulana. She looked rather sickly and thin. Her once well-fitting coat seemed to hang from her boney shoulders. Her skin appeared to be papery, and despite her paleness, her cheeks were flushed. She looked as though the life was being sucked out of her, Ulana looked up at him with tired and sunken in eyes.

“May I come in?” she said, her voice quiet and weak.

Valery nodded and stepped aside. He could see her trembling slightly as she walked into the apartment. Silently, Ulana removed her thick coat and her hat, revealing her frail body and her thin greying hair.

“Lana…” Valery whispers as he looks at her, tears coming to his eyes at the very sight of her.

“I-I have leukemia, Valery…” She says softly, her voice raspy and weak, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wraps her arms around him.

She did not need to explain, for he knew this meant she was dying. Valery presses his nose to the top of her head, taking a deep breath. The sweet scent of her silky hair brings tears to his eyes. He holds onto her tightly, feeling as though she would disappear as they part.

Ulana nuzzles her cheek against Valery’s chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. She is overwhelmed with emotions, but her tears are not tears of sadness. She is overwhelmed with joy at the very thought of being in his embrace. They stand there for what seems like hours before parting.

“Why have you come here?” Valery whispers, fearing for her safety.

“My final wish was to see you again…” Ulana mumbles, tears welling in her eyes.

She pauses and swallows the sob building within her.

“I have thought about you every day…” Ulana begins as she looks up at him.

She is silenced by the long and soft kiss that Valery places on her lips.

“How long do we have?” Valery whispers, his face only centimeters from hers.

“Not long enough” Ulana replies, her eyes watering.

Valery sniffles and bites his lip for a moment, choking back a sob as he wraps his arms around her once again. He can feel how frail she truly is, and it makes him feel as though his heart has shattered.

“I do not want to spend a second without you…” Valery whispers as he looks into her eyes.

Ulana’s lips curve slightly into a weak smile as she looks up at him. Her hand wanders up to his cheek, caressing it gently.

“Then I will not leave your side…” Ulana mumbled, lost in Valery’s eyes.

Slowly, they make their way over to the sofa. Valery sits back down in his usual place. Instead of sitting beside him, Ulana sits down across his lap. Her legs propped up on the sofa as she lays her head against his shoulder. She stifles a cough as she nuzzles her cheek against Valery’s chest. Valery cannot help but smile as he wraps the wool blanket around them. He holds her against him quietly, leaning his cheek against her head.

“I love you more than you could ever imagine” He whispers, tightening her hold on her.

Ulana smiles and looks up at him as she cuddles against him.

“And I love you a million times more than that” She mumbles, the traces of a smile crossing her lips.

Valery cannot help but sob, tears coming to his eyes as he presses his forehead to hers. He can hear her faint and raspy breathing as he looks into her eyes. Ulana reaches up and places her thin and dainty hand on his cheek. Valery closes his eyes, unable to keep the tears from streaming down his cheeks. The sight of him crying brings tears to Ulana’s eyes. She leans in and kisses him softly.

“Please don’t cry. It breaks my heart” Ulana whispers, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tightly.

She presses her nose into the crook of his neck as she feels his arms tighten around her.

“I-I always thought that I would be the first to go…” Valery admits, his voice shaking.

Ulana manages to calm him down after a while. They sit in silence, held tightly in each other’s arms. Valery’s cat, Sasha, climbs into Ulana’s lap, settling down on her stomach, bringing a smile to Ulana’s face. Ulana gently strokes the cat as she snuggles up to Valery, laying her head against his chest. They watch as heavy snow begins to fall, beginning to talk. They talked for hours about silly and irrelevant things. Valery held her close, never wanting to move from that spot. They watched, engulfed in trivial conversation, as the sky began to darken. Ulana readjusted in his lap and looked up at Valery.

She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it.

“shall we go get ready for bed?” He says softly, his lips curling in a slight smile.

Ulana nods and gently evicts Sasha from her place on Ulana’s stomach. Ulana sits up and pauses for a moment before standing up. She stood and stretched her dainty arms up over her head as Valery got up beside her. In silence, Ulana gathers the small travel bag she had brought with her and follows Valery to his room. She placed her bag on his dresser and proceeded to pull out a slightly hideous nightgown. It was something one would picture their grandmother wearing. Valery chuckles a little at the sight of it.

“Oh, hush” Ulana says, kissing him softly before walking down the hall to the bathroom.

While she is in there, Valery silently changes into his own pajamas. Though he did not realize it, that day Valery had started believing in God. All day, he had been begging any higher power for her life. Though he could not admit it, he had started believing in heaven. He had never really believed in an afterlife, but the very thought of losing the woman he loves has changed that. Valery knows that he must see her again somehow. In another lifetime perhaps they could spend their lives together and have a family. Ulana’s footsteps made him jump a little as she entered the room. He had been lost in thought. Thinking about the life that could have been theirs. Ulana approaches him and sees the tears in his eyes. She quietly climbs into his lap, placing one of her hands on his cheek.

“Are you alright Valera?” She whispers, caressing his cheek gently.

“I am, now that you are here,” Valery says, pulling her into a rather tight hug.

A radiant smile crosses Ulana’s face as she looks into Valery’s eyes, and for a moment, everything seems fine, as though neither of them was sick. Her smile melts Valery’s heart, making him smile as well. A few moments pass as Ulana rests her head against his shoulder, and they sit in almost serene silence. Valery lays back on the small bed, leaving barely enough room for her. Ulana shakes her head and climbs onto the bed, laying on her stomach on top of Valery. Her head rests on his chest, just below and his collar bone. A faint smile crosses her lips as she listens to the faint sound of his heart beating. Valery wrapped his arms around her, adjusting the blankets as they got comfortable. He could not recall when he had last shared his bed with a woman, but he was glad to be sharing it with Ulana, especially now, for he had been growing exceptionally lonely.

A few weeks pass, Ulana’s condition deteriorates rather quickly. She has almost completely stopped eating, and she had slowly gotten a fever. It was late one night; light snow had fallen that evening and the house was rather cold. Valery was sitting on the sofa reading, Ulana was positioned in his lap. She had fallen asleep a few hours earlier, but it was obvious she did not have much life left in her. She had spent the day talking with Valery, cuddling him on the sofa. They had talked about their lives in great detail. Valery had greatly enjoyed hearing about her life, savoring every little detail. He would have roused her and taken her to bed, but he did not have the heart to rouse her. She was breathing weakly, each breath seemed shallower than the last, and Valery knew he would be unable to sleep, not with her in such a state. So, he held her in his arms, and Sasha had settled herself in Ulana’s lap. Ulana’s head rested gently on the left side of Valery's chest. She had fallen asleep listening to the pulsing of Valery’s heart. Tears welled in Valery’s eyes as her breathing became raspy, and in the early hours of the morning, she finally drew one last raspy breath before falling silent. Valery felt tears rolling down his cheeks as he let out a soft sob. He pressed his running nose to the top of her head and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Goodbye, my love… I will see you again, someday” He whispered.

He held her in his arms until the warmth began to leave her body, crying softly as he nuzzled his cheek against her head. His heart ached for her and only her. She was the one thing he had craved all of those lonely days, cooped up in his apartment. She had been the only light left in his life, and now, her fire had been extinguished, leaving Valery trapped in the dark.

[dank-hp--memes]

The Lives of Others: Chapter 4

It was later that night, Shcherbina  was sat on the edge of Rukovskaya's bed. She was in horrible condition, a few burns now visible on her pale skin. Light footsteps could be heard in the hall. A few moments later, Legasov entered the hotel room. He had two plates of food that he had managed to prepare. It looked absolutely horrid, but the scent of it still made Shcherbina's mouth water. Legasov quietly approached, sitting on the edge of the bed, beside him. He glances at Mirra, his eyes following the IV in her arm up to the IV bag. 

"What is happening to her Valera?" Shcherbina  whispers as he takes one of the plates of food.

"In short, she is dying" Legasov says, looking at the hideous carpet of the hotel room. 

Shcherbina  looks over at him, his face solemn, but his eyes questioning Legasov. Realizing this, Legasov sighs and swallows the knot in his throat.

"She was exposed to ionizing radiation. So she is probably suffering from acute radiation sickness. The ionizing radiation tears the cellular structure apart. The skin blisters, turns red, then dark and necrotic. There's nausea, dizziness, fever, loss of consciousness... This is followed by a latency period. The immediate effects subside. The patients appear to be recovering. But they aren't...This lasts for only a day or two. Then the cellular damage begins to manifest. The bone marrow dies, immune system fails, soft tissue and organs begin to decompose. The arteries and veins will spill open like sieves, to the point where you can't even administer morphine for the pain, which is... unimaginable. Within three days to three weeks, she could be dead" Legasov says, not looking up from the floor. 

"Could be dead?" Shcherbina  says, holding on to those few words, giving him hope.

"If this doesn't kill her, cancer or anemia or something more will..." Legasov mumbles. 

Shcherbina  looks down at the ground, a steady rage building within him. He stands up and suddenly swings his fist at the wall in a fit of fury and grief. There is a loud thud and a crack as his fist makes contact with the drywall. Legasov jumps a little, looking at Shcherbina  wide eyed. Shcherbina stands there shaking his hand out, cursing quietly, having left a deep dent in the drywall. Legasov stands up and places his hand on Shcherbina ' shoulder.

"Boris..." he says softly.

Shcherbina  looks at Legasov, tears of grief and rage in his eyes, but he did not pull away as the other man said his name. They stand in silence for a moment, the sound of their breathing filling the air.

"You two really don't know how to be quiet hmmm?" 

Rukovskaya's silky voice startles them. They look over at her and watch as she sits up.

Her eyes meet Legasovs and he feels like he has eaten a rock. She is doing much worse than she is letting on. Slowly, Rukovskaya looks at them both. It is obvious she is sedated from the many drugs she was given.

"Its alright… don't look so nervous…" Rukovskaya says, giving them a weak smile. 

Both men remain frozen, watching as the skeletal like woman crawls out of the bed. Suddenly, Legasov comes to his senses and hurries over to her, gently pressing her back onto the bed.

"Mirra, you need to rest…" he says in a soothing voice. 

Rukovskaya smiles lethargically up at him, struggling a bit as he pressed her wrists to the bed. 

"But there is work to be done…" she mumbled, her words slurred. 

"No Mirra, no more work for tonight" Legasov says, gently putting his hand on the side of her head, caressing her badly tanned cheek with his thumb. 

He gently climbs into the bed beside her, allowing the petite woman to cuddle against him, her head resting on his chest as she cuddled him, in a drug induced haze. Her IV cord stretched over the bed from the place it hung. The bedside table was scattered with the few pill bottles they had taken from the now vacant hospital in the now vacant town. 

Shcherbina watched quietly as Rukovskaya drifted off, laying against Legasov, cuddling him as one would a loved one. A knock on the door startled both Legasov and Shcherbina, it swung open a few seconds later, revealing general Pikalov. He entered the room in silence followed by a mysterious woman. Her deep brown curls bounced as she followed him into the hotel room. She wore a large brown coat, which covered most of her outfit, except for a teal paisley patterned silk scarf that was tied around her neck. The woman's eyes wandered to Rukovskaya who had not stirred at the violent knock on the door, and was still fast asleep, her eyes widened and she seemed to be at a loss for words, realizing that this woman had gotten a radiation dose larger than Ulana could fathom. 

The silence is broken by Pikalov, saying:"I'm sorry to interrupt. The guards arrested this woman at the south checkpoint. I would have put her in a

cell, but-" 

"-but he thought you should know

that I know" Khomyuk interrupts, coming to her senses and watching as Legasov gets to his feet. 

Before Legasov or Shcherbina could comprehend what she said, Khomyuk continues.

"I know your reactor core is exposed. I know the graphite is on fire, the fuel is melting, and you're dropping sand and boron on it. Which you probably thought was smart. But you've made a mistake" 

She pauses for a moment, watching as the men's faces register only shock and confusion. 

"Ulana Yuriyvna Khomyuk, chief physicist, Byelorusian Institute for Nuclear Energy. And You're Valery Alexeyevich Legasov?" She says, thinking it better to introduce herself now rather than later. 

Legasov nods in response, absolutely bewildered by the flood of information she brought. Khomyuk swallows the pit of nerves that seemed to have formed in her throat and continued.

"Smothering the core will put the fire out, but the temperature will eventually increase. It will melt

down-" She begins, but she is cut off as Legasov raises his hand. 

"Believe me, I'm perfectly aware. But I estimate at least a month before it melts through the lower concrete pad, which gives us time to-" he begins, getting a bit irritated by this woman trying to come in and run everything. 

"You don't have a month. You have approximately two days." Ulana interrupts, holding eye contact with him, her eyes cold, like the water coursing through the arctic. 

It was apparent that these two scientists were about to but heads as Ulana's hand dove into her bag for the blueprints. Suddenly everyone in the room froze. The tense silence had been broken by weak coughing from the bed. All eyes were now on Rukovskaya. The thin woman pushed herself up from the bed, sitting up a little, her back to the group of people. Her thin arms trembled as she swung her boney legs over the edge of the bed. She stood up and turned to face them, taking a moment to look over Ulana with her glazed over, emerald green eyes. It was obvious that the many medications had yet to wear off, but she still had enough sense to join this conversation. Rukovskaya stumbled around the bed until she was standing beside Valery. She took one more step toward Khomyuk before stopping. The room was dead silent, and it seemed as no one was breathing. Rukovskaya reached out her hand toward Khomyuk, tilting her head a little.

"The blueprints…" she says, her voice weak and shaky, causing Ulana to slowly pull out the plant blueprints. 

With a single glance Rukovskaya knows, she knows exactly what Khomyuk does. She looks at Khomyuk for a moment. 

"Why didn't I think of that…" she mumbled, handing Khomyuk back the blueprints, so she can explain it to Legasov. 

Instead of speaking, the room, once again, goes silent as Rukovskaya takes a step back, stumbling as she loses her balance. Her nude heels catch on the carpet and she grabs the wall to steady herself. A bead of sweat rolls down her badly tanned forehead. She looks from Khomyuk to Legasov, then to Shcherbina with glassy eyes, obviously not in any state to be making a statement.

Khomyuk takes a moment to process everything before walking over to the bed and laying the blueprint out. She points to the bottom of the reactor.

"...Yes, the fuel would take a month to reach the concrete pad here, but first it's going to burn through the biological shield here by Tuesday. And when it does, it's going to hit these tanks. Bubbler pools. Reser-"

"Reservoirs for the ECS. I understand your concern, but I confirmed it with plant personnel-- the tanks are nearly empty." Legasov interrupts. 

He sees a glint of irritation in Khomyuks icy eyes. Why can't any man ever just let me finish. She thought, letting out a short huff.

"No, they were nearly empty…" Rukovskaya mumbles as she stumbles forward, catching herself on the bed frame.

Khomyuk looks at her for a moment and smiles a little. Finally, someone else understood.

"Each of these points, here, here, here in the reactor hall... all drain to the bubbler pools" Khomyuk begins, gesturing, once again, to the blueprints. 

"I'm guessing every pipe in the building ruptured. And then there are those fire engines I saw on the way in…" 

Pikalovs eyes widen for a moment.

"The fire hoses are still connected.They've been gushing water into the structure this whole time" Pikalov says, the words tumbling out of his mouth. 

"T-The tanks are full…" Legasov whispers, looking at Khomyuk, his eyes wide in horror and disbelief. 

All the color seemed to drain from his face, and he looked more likely to collapse than Rukovskaya. Khomyuk simply nodded the look on her face saying finally, you understand. Rukovskaya did her best to straighten up, her legs trembling beneath her, the room seemed to spin, but she looked at Khomyuk in silence for a moment before looking at Valery. 

"The tanks must be drained as soon as humanly possible…" she says, shooting Shcherbina a look as if to say he must comply. 

The room stayed silent, and she watched as Legasov nodded, knowing it must be done.

Rukovskaya shot Khomyuk a glance as she stumbled toward the door, almost pulling out her IV before Valery jumps into action, wrapping his arms around her waist and catching her. It was obvious that she needed a doctor more than they could fathom.

[dank-hp--memes]

Valana AU: Simply Love pt.2

Tags: @johnlockismyreligion @royaltydowntonandlife @celebenedetto

As Ulana pulled open the door, she saw a rather tall, lanky, young man, with a head of dark curly hair. It was Dimitri, a college student who Ulana allowed to study under her. Dimitri had begun his internship under Ulana shortly before her first pregnancy.

Ulana had worked through most of her first pregnancy, having been able to stay on her feet for long periods of time. She only took a leave of absence around a month before her due date. This time around, things were much different. Ulana had been extremely sick for most of her early pregnancy. She was constantly nauseous and light-headed. Later into her second trimester, Ulana was prone to passing out from low blood pressure, and she was in quite a lot of discomfort. Luckily, her boss was fairly understanding and allowed her to take some time and work from home, for Ulana was doing mainly calculations, and not doing any lab work while pregnant. Though she still suffered from low blood pressure, Ulana had learned her limits fairly well.

Dimitri stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Ulana in a friendly embrace. Though they both would much rather be doing lab work, Dimitri refused to work under any of the other physicists, knowing Ulana was one of the best. Ulana smiled and awkwardly leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him and gently patting his back.

"You're early…" she mumbles, glancing at the clock. 

Dimitri grins a little and looks down at her, "I'm just eager to get to work" he replies.

He begins to pull away and gently places his hand on the side of her swollen belly.

"How are you? You look great" Dimitri says, smiling brightly at her.

"Oh, I'm alright. Just constantly tired" Ulana says, smiling up at Dimitri. 

Dimitri smiles and gently removes his hand from the side of Ulana's belly, reaching down to pick up his briefcase. 

"I've brought some paperwork for you to look over," he says as he helps her over to the sofa. 

"Hmmm" Ulana grumbles in response as she sits back down, putting her feet up on the coffee table.

Dimitri simply grins as he sits down beside her, handing her a thick stack of files. Ulana groans, her eyes widening at the sight of them. Dimitri chuckles a little in response.

"There's more where those came from," he says, making her groan again as she tosses her head back. 

"I hate paperwork!" Ulana exclaims as she reaches for her reading glasses that are sitting on the end table.

She gently places the glass on her face before picking up the first file. A few moments of silence passed before Dimitri stood up and quietly turned on some soft classical music. Ulana glanced up at him, mindlessly caressing her belly as she sat there, an open file in her other hand. 

"I can't stand the silence," Dimitri says as he looks back at Ulana. 

Ulana simply smiles and goes back to reading the report before her. She managed to get through almost four reports before Valery returned home for lunch. He came in quietly and smiled as he saw Ulana leaning back with her feet propped up, and Dimitri hunched over the coffee table scribbling away, working on his calculations. He quietly set down his briefcase before wandering over to the sofa and leaning over, wrapping his arms around Ulana.  Ulana leaned her head back against Valery and smiled a little. 

"Busy day?" Valery teased, his hands resting on either side of Ulana's belly. 

Ulana rolls her eyes and turns her head to look at him.

"Well, busier than normal" Ulana replies, leaning her head against his neck. 

She silently closed the file she was working on and placed it on top of the stack beside her. Valery smiled and gently kissed the top of her head. 

"What would you like for lunch?" He asked quietly, gently caressing either side of her belly with his thumbs.

"You know I will eat anything you make," she says softly, glancing up at him. 

Valery smiles and gently kisses Ulana's neck, feeling slight restricted movements from the two tiny lives growing within her. Ulana groans uncomfortable, squirming a little. Valery bit his lip and gently wrapped his arms around her.

"I know love" he whispers, pressing his nose to the top of her head. 

They took a few moments to cuddle before Valery released her and went to prepare lunch while Ulana got up and got herself situated at the table. Dimitri remained on the sofa, working on his calculations. Valery set a small plate in front of Ulana before sitting beside her. Ulana quietly picked at the sandwich Valery had made her. Valery sat beside her and cuddled her quietly, gently rubbing her upper belly, just beneath her breasts. Ulana laid her head against Valery's chest, smiling a little as she cuddled him, finally getting comfortable. Valery smiled and planted a kiss on Ulana's forehead, holding her close. 

"How was your food?" Valery says softly, rubbing the side of her belly.

"Good" Ulana replies, smiling at him, a bit drowsy.

Valery smiled and pressed his lips to hers, gently nuzzling his nose against hers. Ulana allowed his tongue to slide into her mouth as she locked her lips with his. There was a soft thud on the table, making the couple jump. Dimitri was grinning a little and had plopped the files down in front of her. 

"Sorry Comrades, but we are behind on our work…" 

[sad-lad-posts]

What should I write? (ChernobylHBO)

Kinky oneshots with weird kinks/ideas

Or

Full well rounded stories

Or

Both...