--

Hug him.

Location: Shi no Numa

The lifeless island surely held no place to hide. Its grounds filled with piles of rotten bodies. The humid air trapped them with unexplained smells, none of which were pleasant. It was truly a depressing, yet horrifying scene. The slumped trees surrounding their battle grounds were now standing lifeless and looked duller than ever. The many shacks dotted around the area were merely torn and falling apart; none of which looked safe to enter without one potentially collapsing.

A drunk Russian almost stumbled his way around the island, simply in search for a place he would find himself alone. The man found himself upstairs in the central building. Perching himself upon a small crate he was, now downing more alcohol than ever. Nothing more than sorrow did he feel. Though his memories were vague, he could only recall his pastures with his ex-wives. The man himself could not work out whether they were just delusional fantasies, or if they were real.

Echoing through the island, a manic laugh emitted, seemingly from thin air. Someone had gotten the teddy bear from the Mystery Box.

Nikolai paid no attention to the commotion, his thoughts were loud enough to drown out the sounds of reality.

--

Waves of the undead were more frequent than ever. It was becoming harder to keep the zombies at bay. Though (Y/n) simply believed it was due to Nikolai not helping.

She knew something was wrong. The rest of her crew believed he had passed out somewhere, but (Y/n) knew he would not do that, as much as Nikolai would like to, the girl would not allow it.

The last of those brain-dead creatures crumbled to the floor. Instantly, (Y/n) started wandering around the grounds in search for the Russian.

She passed Dempsey after searching for a little while. He didn't seem to concerned for the man, but he didn't like to see the girl worry so much.

"What if he's left the damn place, (Y/n)?" Tank spoke.

(Y/n)'s eyes widened and she came to a sudden halt. "He couldn't have left." She let her gaze fall and her voice was merely a whisper. "Why would he leave?"

She seemed to question herself and looked saddened. Dempsey felt awkward, he didn't know how to comfort her.

Tank placed a hand on her shoulder."(Y/n), I'm pretty sure he's around. I don't think he would leave without you."

(Y/n)'s head shot up to meet his eyes. "What?"

--

His heavy eyes struggled to keep themselves open. Blurred vision caused him to sway. Considering how drained the Russian felt, his mind simply wouldn't allow him to give in and fall unconscious.

"Nikolai!" A feminine voice called out to him.

He looked over to the doorway to see a worried girl. She ran towards him in a panic.

The dried tears under his red and puffy eyes made him feel weak and defeated. After taking a glimpse at Nikolai's depressed state, she cupped his face with both hands and gazed into his eyes.

Nikolai only stared at her through half-lidded eyes. His face was dead of emotion. He shut his eyes and turned his head to the floor. The man had grabbed her arms and moved them from his face.

"Nikolai," She began, "Can you talk to me? Please?"

The Russian lazily shook his head, making (Y/n) sigh. She draped her arms over his shoulders. Nikolai, drunkenly, wrapped his arms around her waist. His head rested on her chest, though still fighting sleep.

Nikolai had taken off his hat and scarf a while ago, so (Y/n) was able to run her fingers through his hair. She had noticed the amount of empty alcohol bottles beside him, making her sigh. She wished he didn't drink so much.

"How long have you been here?" (Y/n) asked.

Lingering on a response for a while, he soon replied. "To long."

"You don't need to do this to yourself." She spoke, referring to the man's drinking habit.

Nikolai had pulled the girl onto his lap. The Russian's grip remained on (Y/n), all he wanted was comfort. (Y/n) placed a sweet kiss to his cheek, soon seeing his features illuminate with a bold pink blush; Nikolai smiled nonetheless.

"I love you." Nikolai drunkenly confessed.

(Y/n) giggled at the statement. "You're drunk Nikolai."

The man sighed and peered away. He felt tears fill his eyes in an instant. From where his head was resting against (Y/n)'s chest, the girl felt a few stray tears dampen her top.

"Oh Nikolai..." She kissed the top of his head and pulled him closer.

While slowly swaying in their embrace, (Y/n) comfortingly rubbed his back. She pleaded for his silent crying to end, but he had most definitely fallen into depressions spiral.

"If you want to talk, I'll listen. I always will." (Y/n) spoke, keeping her voice low.

Nikolai waited some time, seemingly trying to stop more tears from flowing. He breathed a long sigh and sat up right. (Y/n) moved to sit next to him, though as she did, she made sure to hold his hand, intertwining her fingers with his.

The man opened his mouth to speak, but shut it quickly. Then he repeated it once more. It seemed like he couldn't find words to describe how he felt.

"Showing you would be easier." Nikolai slurred.

(Y/n) was a little surprised. "Oh. Well, show me then."

Nikolai turned to face (Y/n). He cupped her face with both hands and smashed his lips onto hers. The girl kissed back, trying to somewhat take control of their half-drunken and sloppy kiss. Once they had pulled away, (Y/n) immediately saw the Russian smiling.

"Was th-" (Y/n) was cut of with Nikolai nodding eagerly in response, an ever-growing grin plastered on his face.

His hands found her body again. He pulled her close enough so that their bodies were touching. Nikolai buried his face in (Y/n)'s shoulder.

"You do not compare to my ex-wives." The man drunkenly admitted.

(Y/n) could only hug him, feeling slightly embarrassed. Soon enough, she was caught off guard once she felt kisses trailing down her neck. She suppressed a moan, but not for long. Her hands immediately dived for Nikolai's body, clinging onto him and letting her hands roam freely.

The girl soon came to her senses. "Nikolai, we can't do this."

Nikolai moved away from her neck. "Why not?" He asked with a mischievous smirk on his face.

"You're drunk." (Y/n) stated.

Nikolai chuckled, slowly dragging his fingers down the girl's body. He stopped once he reached the hem of her shirt, only to let a hand slither under the fabric.

(Y/n) protested. "Nikolai!"

In an instant, he had pulled his hands away, and instead was awkwardly fiddling with them in his lap.

"Come here you baby." (Y/n) giggled as she hugged Nikolai.

Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck. Nikolai grinned like a child, and embraced her in return. The girl peppered his face with tiny kisses, earning a cute laugh. But her affection soon came to an abrupt end...

"You know," (Y/n) paused moving to whisper in Nikolai's ear. "If you want to get into my pants, I need you to sober up." She pulled away, with a smug grin plastered on her face.

Needless to say, Nikolai's beloved vodka was forgotten.