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In the Snow I Saw You: Russia x Reader

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                                                             In the Snow I Saw You: Russia x Reader




  The snow outside your office window fell gently, lining windows with a silvery flecks and covering the city in a blanket of white. You looked out and smiled.

  Russian winters were always beautiful.

  The clock in the corner of the room showed the time: 6:20 P.M. You should be heading home, you told yourself, but something made you want to stay longer. You still had some paperwork to finish, and the idea of stepping out into the bitter cold disheartened you.

  By the time you looked back up at the clock, it was already 8.

  You pushed your chair back and took your coat off the hook, putting it on and drawing the zipper all the way to the top. You grabbed your scarf and wrapped it around you snugly, and left the office.

  The door burst open to reveal a blizzard. You groaned as you stepped out. Fishing for your car keys, you could see a faint glow flash in the distance. You staggered towards your car and opened it.

  Hopping in as fast as you could, you shut the door, not fast enough to have a mountain of snow melt into the seat and your clothes. You sighed as you fired up the engine, and slowly began driving through the snowy haze.

  You were only able to reach downtown before the blizzard struck full-on, making it impossible for you to drive back to your house. Exiting your car, you noticed a small grocery store on the end of the street that was still open, the lights glowing steadily in the snowstorm. You hurried towards it, trying hard not to be blown away and nearly threw yourself inside, crashing head-on to a leaving person.

  “Ah, I’m so sorry,” you said, frazzled. A hand extended towards you and you looked up to see a man with deep purple eyes and a rather pleasant expression.

  “Are you alright, da?” he asked kindly.

  “Y-yes, thank you…?” you murmured. You looked at him. He was dressed in a very warm-looking overcoat with a long scarf with the ends thrown to the back.

  “Ivan.” he responded. He was so tall. If you hadn’t fallen you would had been extremely intimidated by his height.

  “________,” you said politely. You observed a few other customers also taking shelter from the snowstorm, talking quietly amongst themselves.

  “The worst of the storm should be over in an hour.”

  “Really, thank god. Being trapped here sure is going to be fun!”

  “Where were you planning to go? Is it an emergency?” you asked Ivan. “The storm’s pretty bad right now.”

  He smiled. “No, the residential block in downtown Moscow is closeby. I was just going to try to get there.”

  “Ah I see,” you murmured, shivering. The cold was really getting to you. Your pants and coat were completely soaked.

  “Are you cold?” he asked, beginning to take off his coat. You reddened instantly.

  “Ah no I’m fine, haha thanks-”

  You felt the coat envelope you warmly, and you couldn’t help but want to snuggle into it further. He looked at you and smiled lightly.

  “Did you drive? Where’s your home?”

  You exhaled. “It’s pretty far from here. I still need to take the highway but the roads are probably blocked off for the night.”

  He pondered for a second. “You can stay at my place until the storm dies down, da? You look like you’re going to catch a cold.”

  You sneezed. “Oh no it’s okay I’d be imposing on you,” And I don’t really know you, you thought. But he definitely didn’t seem like a bad person. In fact, he was kind and gentle.

  “No it’s fine, you’ll get sick,” he said, leaning over and buttoning the jacket for you. His silvery blonde bangs fell over his eyes, and you couldn’t help but stare. So captivating.

  You sneezed again in response. Ivan looked at you and smiled. “Shall we?”

  You hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Thank you.”

  He opened the door of the store, the icy wind blowing past your shoulders and snow swirling at your feet. He turned toward you, holding the door open.

  “Hurry, _______! Before it gets worse.”

  You stumbled forward, but he caught you by the arm. You blushed. Ivan peered through the falling snow.

  “Let’s go, _______.” You nodded in agreement.




  Ivan ran a few feet ahead of you guiding the way. The bitter cold was almost unbearable until you could see the apartment complex not too far away. The two of you ran to the entrance and burst inside, scattering snow everywhere. The lobby was definitely warmer, and the feeling in your body came back. You turned to Ivan and laughed.

  “Looks like we made it,” you said, taking off your gloves and rubbing your hands together for warmth.

  “I knew we would,” he said, smiling. He pressed the up arrow button for the elevator and waited.

  The snow that had fallen onto him was now melting, droplets falling from his silver hair. He brushed them aside lightly and you blushed. If it weren’t for the terrible weather, it would be a classic love after the rain shot.

  Still, there was something mysterious about him. If you didn’t know better, you would had thought that he was more “creepy” than romantically “mysterious”.

  The apartment complex was well-maintained. In fact, he must have been pretty well-off in order to even afford an apartment in the heart of Moscow. The elevator rang, and the doors opened. Ivan offered you to go in first and you graciously accepted.

  The two of you silently waited as the elevator climbed to the highest story.

  Finally, when the elevator came to a stop, Ivan exited and smiled to you. “I’m in the very last apartment at the end of the hall. My older sister may be there right now. Her name’s Yekaterina, but she goes by Katyusha. ”

  Internally, you sighed with relief. It would be too awkward for you to stay there alone. Ivan walked up to the door and inserted the key to unlock it, only to have it swing open, revealing a rather cute and excited lady. Her hair was silvery like Ivan’s but it was cut short to her chin, and she smiled at both of you.

  “Ivan! I was worried for a second when the storm kicked in,” she said, phone still in hand. “Oh, who’s this young lady?”

  “This is _______,” he said, turning to you. “She got caught in the storm halfway home so she’s staying with us for a while.”

  You waved awkwardly. “Sorry for imposing on you.”

  “Ah no, we love guests,” she said happily, welcoming you in and taking your jackets to hang up. “Oh dear, both of you are soaked.”

  You tried to squeeze some of the water from your shirt out in the hallway. You must look crazy, you thought, with the waterlogged clothes and straggly hair.

  “_______, I’ll prepare a bath,” Katyusha called from the bathroom.

  You glanced at Ivan, who was now warming up by the fireplace, sparks jumping out, flickering and crackling. You just realized that he had ran through the blizzard without his jacket. Because he gave it to you.

  “Um, I’m sorry for taking your jacket,” you said sheepishly. I shouldn’t have shivered that much, you thought.

  “As long as you’re alright,” he said brightly, without looking up from the fire. “You should go have a warm bath, da?”

  You noticed wet droplets on the nape of neck, one which tricked down to the inside of his loosely-buttoned shirt. You swallowed and slapped your burning cheeks, turning away.

  You thanked him again and headed to the bathroom. You arrived at the doorway and Katyusha looked towards you and nodded. “The bath is ready. Feel free to call me if you need anything, dear.”

  “Ah, thank you so much.” you replied gratefully. “Do you guys always treat your guests this well?”

  Katyusha smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, an incident led us to limit the amount of guests we could have. Ivan hasn’t been able to talk to anyone in a long time.”

  You raised your eyebrows. “He seems like a very nice person.”

  She sighed, getting up and exiting the bathroom. Before she closed it, she said, “Actually, it may be a bit dangerous for you to be around. It’s best for you to go after the storm dies down.”

  With that, she left you in the bathroom to ponder over her words.




  You stepped out of the bath, steam rising from your pores. You noticed a spare change of clothes set on the toilet seat and put it on. It was a strange outfit, with ruffles and lace and such, but you knew it must have been Katyusha’s style of clothes and didn’t think much of it.

  You opened the door. “Ivan?”

  You noticed that he was leaned against the couch, sleeping soundly by the fire. You smiled at the sleeping figure, and turned to see Katyusha making tea by the kitchen counter. She waved you over.

  “Why don’t we talk a bit?” Katyusha whispered, pointing towards the dining room. “Ivan’s been really tired lately, so I usually don’t disturb him.”

  “Of course,” you replied, helping carry the two cups and sugar to the dining table. She placed the cups in front of her, and poured steaming tea from the teapot, the tea leaves swirling inside the cups. You dropped a sugar cube in yours and stirred it. Katyusha took hers and sipped it tentatively.

  “What did you want to talk about?” you asked politely. You hoped she would explain what she had said earlier before you took a bath.

  The snow and wind rattled violently against the windows. You could barely see anything outside, a gray and dark blur. Katyusha clasped the cup with both of her hands.

  “Ivan was in deep trouble a year ago. We have a little sister named Natalia. She was in some financial trouble and Ivan helped, not knowing exactly what had happened. All she told us was to bring the case to court and she would be saved.”

  “She was swindled?” you asked curiously. You couldn’t imagine someone being swindled by a bank unless it had gone bankrupt somehow.

  “No…” Katyusha said quietly. “It turns out the entire thing was bigger than we thought it was. She had lent money from a gang group, well-known for its notorious crimes and violent members. The amount they asked back was too high for her, and she knew if she didn’t pay up they’d kill her.”

  “She borrowed money from a mafia?!”

  Katyusha sighed. “She wasn’t willing to tell us her problems. I think she wanted to try to figure things out herself, but now all of our lives, especially Ivan’s is on the line.”

  You nodded. “If you could somehow locate the leader though…”

  “All we know is that he goes by Agron. That’s the only lead we have.”

  She pushed herself out, heading back to the kitchen. You headed back to the living room, fishing around in your jacket for your phone. You felt around a bit more before turning the pockets inside out. Nothing.

  “Shit,” you swore under your breath. Katyusha popped her head from the kitchen.

  “_______?”

  “I think I dropped my phone in the lobby or something,” you said, feeling foolish. “I’ll be right back.”

  She nodded. “We’ll be waiting.”

  You stepped out of the apartment, shutting the door quietly behind you. You dashed down the hall and punched the elevator button. After you arrived in the lobby, you looked down at the floor, scanning for your phone. You peeped your head outside but quickly closed the door. It was impossible for you to look for it in a blizzard and you might as well had been searching for a needle in a haystack. Another heavily-dressed person stormed inside, slamming the door and scattering more snow. You sighed and turned back to the elevator.

  “What room was Ivan’s again?” you said to yourself. You knew it was on the highest floor, but you decided to check the list of names just in case. You scanned the list, only to have a blade at your throat.

  “What is your connection with Ivan Braginsky?” a voice hissed in your ear. You could barely turn to see a cloaked figure, shadows covering his eyes. It was the person who had just entered the building, and you cursed yourself for not noticing his shady character earlier.

  You swallowed, perspiration beginning to form on your forehead. “I-”

  The person laughed. “Did Ivan finally find a pet? This is interesting….”

  Suddenly, you felt a dull pain at the side of your neck. You clutched it with your hand, turning to see the man holding a used syringe.

  “Ah, no…dammit...” you cursed, trying to get away. The world seemed to be getting farther from your feet and you could feel yourself falling until you hit the ground.




  The air was cold. You shivered, and slowly opened your eyes, only to see large storage bins and sheds.

  Were you in a storage room?

  You pulled yourself up, only to see that your feet and arms had been bound together by twine. You swore and swung your legs around, only to hit a crate nearby with a hollow clang. A guard dressed in back peeped his head around the corner at you.

  “Hey, she’s awake,” the man called.

  Using the wall next to you, you got up, only to find yourself cornered by the same cloaked figure from before. You looked up at him defiantly.

  “What do you want?”

  He smiled, a single tooth glittering. He pulled off his mask, revealing a middle-aged man.

  “They call me Agron.” he hissed, one of his eyes twitching.

  You backed up against the wall, trying not to look scared. “Just because you’re some mafia boss doesn’t mean you’re going to get away with this. Ivan’s going to close this thing down once and for all.”

  “Ah, so you do know Ivan,” he said, pacing around you. “So you know that he, no his sister who he protected, owes me and my gang money, as well as the few bodies that were sent to jail.”

  “So? You were never intent on lending her money in the first place!”

  He suddenly shot up to you, shoving you against the wall and holding you by the throat. “You insolent child, do I-”

  He was suddenly stopped by a violent coughing fit. You stood back as he rasped, saliva and blood mixing and dripping onto the floor. You looked down at him.

  “You okay there?” you said sarcastically.

  Agron glared at you in response. “It doesn’t matter. Ivan’s going to walk through those doors and first thing that happens is that he’s going to get shot. And he isn’t going to have the help of any authorities. Because you’re my bargaining chip.”

  You stared at him. He looked so pleased with himself.

  “You guys are lovers, aren’t you?” he drawled, still wiping his mouth.

  You blushed at the thought. “No, I just met him.”

  “Bullshit,” he said, walking away from you. “Ivan’s never had a girl come looking for his apartment. Of course, that made it harder for me to find him but eventually I did. And you, little thing, just happened to be right there.”

  He turned the corner and left. You hopped to the corner and looked at where he was going. You could tell that you were in a maze of storage crates in some sort of warehouse. You noticed him by the end of the building, filling a gun with bullets. A few of his men walked about on patrol. You cursed under your breath. You couldn’t bribe your way out because you had carried nothing with you.

  “Hey! It’s him!” a voice shouted on the far end of the building.

  “Is he alone?” Agron’s voice shouted back.

  “Y-yes, sir! He may be armed though, so keep that damn girl quiet!”

  Two guards secured your arms behind your back. You struggled against their iron grips.

  “Let me go, you-”

  You were dragged out into the open area, where you could see the warehouse doors open to reveal: Ivan. Fear shot through your heart.

  “Ivan!” you screamed, despite of yourself. “They’re all armed!”

  You could see him tilt his head, in the direction of your voice. You watched as a few guards took shots at him, only to be knocked down by his incredible agility and speed. Agron, noticing that his men were not faring well, picked up his weapon and aimed, the bullet grazing Ivan’s cheek and leaving a red mark.

  “Damn,” you could hear him say. “He just moves so fuckin’ fast.”

  Soon enough, Ivan stood face to face against Agron, the menace on former’s growing. Agron seemed apathetic.

  You heard a gun cock in your direction. “I think we’re at a stalemate here, don’t you think?” Agron snickered. “I must say, you don’t move much when that gun’s pointed on her.”

  Ivan stared hard at him. “_______ isn’t involved in this. Let her go.”

  “I think I’ll keep it on her, until you decide to either let her die or owe up the money I rightfully deserve.”

  Ivan titled his head at him, in thought.

  “Why don’t we play a game?” Ivan said, slowly.

  Ivan retrieved a revolver from deep within his coat. Slowly, he emptied the barrel and held one glistening yellow bullet.

  “Russian poker.”

  Agron grinned, flashing one golden tooth. He did the same, dropping five shining bullets to the ground, and inserted one bullet into his gun. Russia looked on, expressionless, a ghost of a smile playing at his lips.

  “Whoever dies first has ________.”

  “Ivan!” you screamed, struggling against your captors. The guards held you steadfast, preventing you from stopping Ivan.

  Ivan’s eyes met yours, his purple orbs glowing. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine, da?”

  The two simultaneously spun the barrels of their guns, and held it pointed straight at each other. You could see the tips of your captor’s mouth curve as the two pulled their triggers. You squeezed your eyes shut, too scared to see the result.

  You heard two empty clicks. The tension that had built up in the room lessened and you exhaled. You didn’t think you could take another round. The chances that Ivan would be shot were too high.

  Agron laughed, an evil sound. “Guess we both got lucky, hm buddy?” He spun the barrel again and snapped it in place just as he started another coughing fit. Ivan looked at him firmly as he did the same.

  “Why do you sacrifice yourself?” the man wheezed, wiping his mouth with his hand leaving a red streak across his cheek. “Do you actually care about her that much? I think you’re asking for a death sentence.”

  He suddenly aimed his gun and fired, with another empty click. Ivan winced for a second, as though he were expecting to be hit, and opened his eyes and raised his gun.

  “My turn,” he said complacently, and fired. Nothing.

  “This is getting a bit boring, don’t you think?” the man coughed, retrieving four more bullets. “Fill all the rounds except one. I don’t have anything to lose. You, on the other hand, still care about her life.”

  Ivan frowned, but retrieved his bullets from the ground, placed them in, and spun the barrel. The fear that had disappeared momentarily came back stronger than ever, so much that you could feel it coursing through your veins.

  Ivan is going to die.

  You screamed his name desperately, but he simply turned to you and smiled. The sudden roar of a helicopter above the warehouse drowned out your screams. Agron rolled his head upward for a moment and turned to Ivan, enraged.

  “You liar! You called police reinforcements, didn’t you!” the man seethed, spewing red droplets.

  Ivan looked confused, cocking his head to one side. “No, I didn’t-”

  “Don’t give me that shit, fuck you!” Agron shouted, waving his gun furiously. “I’m gonna kill you and your stupid girlfriend-”

  “Stop that-”

  There was a sudden loud bang of a gunshot. Both heads turned to you, Ivan’s horror-stricken, and you looked at them in confusion. You looked down to see a crimson stain rapidly forming near your abdomen. You stared at it until a sharp pain ripped into your side, and you fell forward, unable to support yourself.

  “Ivan…” you murmured, black spots forming in your vision.

  “_______!” You could hear his shouts as more rapid gunfire ensued.

  You struggled to stay conscious. You pressed your hands to the wound protectively, only to cover them in blood. You knew you were going to bleed out at this point. The guards who had held you had long ago disappeared in the rising chaos. A figure loomed over you, and you weakly looked up to see Ivan with a horrified expression, cupping your cheek with one hand and pressing on the wound with the other..

  “_______, you’re going to live, da?” he said, trying to comfort you. His hand felt slick with blood, blood that you guessed was probably yours. Despite the words, the fear in his eyes were unmistakable.

  The warehouse doors burst open, revealing Katyusha and a smaller girl that you guessed must had been Natalia. Officers streamed in, scanning the area.

  “Ivan! ________!” Katyusha called, running over to you. “I followed you here with Natalia. Oh no…”

  “She’s going to be fine,” Ivan said firmly. “We need to bring her to the hospital, now.”

  Your eyes struggled to stay open, the darkness slowly lulling you to sleep. You could hear Ivan’s voice calling for you to stay awake, but your strength faded and you could only close your eyes.





  When you opened your eyes, your vision was flooded with white. Slowly, you looked around to see that you were in a hospital bed, an IV stuck in your arm and blankets surrounding your body. You realized that the scarf Ivan always wore was wrapped snugly around your neck, and you smiled, despite the ache in your abdomen. Glancing at the bedside, you noticed a large vase full of fresh sunflowers.
You crawled out of bed, your feet hitting the linoleum softly. Just then, the door opened and a nurse came in, followed by Ivan.

  “_______,” he said softly, a bouquet of sunflowers in hand.

  It took all your willpower not to run over to him. You embraced him tightly. He smelled of flowers and fresh snow.

  “Ivan, I’m so happy to see you,” you said, nearly shedding a tear. “I was scared back there, I thought I was going to-”

  He wrapped his arms around you, holding you closer. “Don’t worry, ________. They're all gone. I’ll be here to protect you.”

  You smiled against his body and looked at the windows, noticing the soft flecks of snow falling outside.

  “It’s snowing,” you said cheekily, suddenly feeling energetic. You pulled his gloved hand. “Let’s go outside.”

  You pulled out your IV and tugged Ivan towards the door, despite his mild objections since you were still technically hospitalized. You tumbled out into the snow, bringing him down with you. The fresh snow strung in your hair like beads and you hugged him, like a giant teddy bear. You looked down to see a light pink dusted on his cheeks, and he pulled you in and closed the space between the two of you. It was soft and tender just as you had expected, and he wrapped his hands around your waist, bringing you closer.

  You grinned, getting up and intertwining his fingers with yours. “Let’s go,” you giggled.

  You looked back and through the falling snow, you could see Ivan smiling back.

~end~
I actually spent a lot of time on this ((russia deserves some love <3))

Agron was actually a mafia leader after the Soviet Union began deteriorating. I used his character but this is not an accurate depiction of his mafia. at all. LOL.

But hey I would appreciate it if you left some feedback <3 :iconsexyrussiaplz: thank you for reading my dears~

xoxo unknown-chan
© 2017 - 2024 the-unknown-world
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FemGreece6916's avatar
You're such a fantastic writer. I wish I had your talent. Keep up the great work! I look forward to more from you.