City Lights Sparkle {Male!Ukraine x Reader}

His eyes filled with tears, “I-I’m sorry… I-I just can’t help that it’s this big…”

 

You sighed contentedly. Life seemed perfect today.

…Which was a little weird, due to the fact that on any other day you would’ve said life was boring as hell.

But, today was different. The sun was shining, it was a warm Saturday afternoon, and yesterday you had gotten an A on a test you’d previously been worrying about all week.

Oh, and then there was the fact that you were currently at the mall. The one you’d just moved down the street from, that is.

Yup, you loved your new house. Apparently your parents wanted to live in the big city now. And your new place was only a walking distance’s away from one of the biggest malls in the state, a movie theater, a famous ice cream shop, and your favorite restaurant. You spent nearly all of your spare time at one of those places at least.

For right now, you were planning to spend all of the money on your gift card. It was a special one where you could use it at any store—almost like a credit card. A distant relative had given it to you for a super late birthday present; which you didn’t mind, since it had one-hundred-freaking-dollars on it.

You had stepped into a Victoria’s Secret because why the heck not? You could use a new bra or two anyways.

“Hmm… these ones are on sale…” You said aloud as you looked down at the table of brightly-colored bras. After a few seconds, you laughed lightly to yourself—because hello? You had a gift card with a Benjamin worth of money on it.

Moving over to a table with more lacy, expensive bras (which were probably made of silk or something), you chuckled and picked one up. It was gigantic—but truth be told, it would probably fit your large tracts of land quite well.

A bit curious, you held it up to your chest. Strangely, it actually seemed like it would be comfortable. Twisting it around, you experimented with it a bit more.

Just as you were seriously thinking of buying it, you heard someone clear their throat from behind you.

You immediately whipped around, still holding the massive bra to your chest.

“Excuse me, I-I was wondering if-” The boy in front of you instantly blushed, his jaw dropping at the sight of you holding up the silk undergarment.

You noticed his widened eyes and embarrassed face. Giggling a bit, you set down the bra.

“Oh—I suck! I’m s-s-so sorry~!” This time, your jaw dropped at the sight of him. He was reduced to tears that fast?

“Hey-! No, no… you don’t have to cry! It was an acci-… I mean, it was nothing!” You tried to soothe, but he was already sniffling and trying to wipe away the on-coming tears.

You didn’t know what to say in that moment. Standing there awkwardly with a sweatdrop down the side of your head, you slowly tried patting his shoulder. “Hey… you’re a big boy. You don’t need to cry.”

He sniffled once more, and looked up at you. Wiping away one final tear, he removed his fists from his face. That was when you got your first good look at him. And, indeed—he was a big boy. Tall, toned, and roughly your age. “I-I’m sorry…” His innocent blue eyes were still a bit wet, cheeks tinged pink.

You shook your head. “It’s okay. Really. So, what were you going to ask me?”

He looked down and quietly mumbled, “If you needed any help.”

Your eyes widened a bit, “You work here?”

He tried to smile. But it came out weak-looking. “…I do.”

You didn’t want to look surprised. But, with someone as sensitive as him, was it really okay to let him work at a Victoria’s Secret? “Oh…” You looked him up and down.

Indeed, he did look a bit feminine. Acted like it too, it seemed. His blonde hair was shaggy, straight, and a bit choppy at the ends. You noticed his bangs were pinned to the side of his head with two thin black medal clips, shaped into an X. Without a doubt, he looked adorable in his own way.

But, his clothes were something else. He wore a white long-sleeved, button-up shirt, a blue neck tie, and matching blue suspenders. They were clipped onto his light denim jeans, which were tucked into his knee-length, lace-up boots.

All and all, he was giving off this farmer vibe. Which completely contradicted his surroundings—he was in the middle of a big city. You almost thought a pitchfork would go better with him than that Victoria’s Secret worker nametag.

“I’m doing fine, um…” You peeked at the name again, “…Demitri. But, can I ask you one thing?”

He instantly piped back up, “Oh, anything! This is actually my first day working, dear.” He laughed nervously, but still gave off a warm-hearted aura. Okay, so he’s actually really cute… you couldn’t help but think.

“…Since when does Victoria’s Secret hire male workers?”

Your question must have caught him off-guard. Instantly, his shy smile disappeared. It was replaced with a slight tremble to his lips and more tears in the corners of his eyes.

Oh no—what were you thinking?!

“No, no… Shhh, it’s okay…-!” You said quickly, gripping his shoulders and speaking gently.

He tried (and failed) to discreetly wipe away the shiny beads of tears. “My… little sister Anya is the manager…”

Hmm. I guess that makes sense then, you thought. Noticing him calm down a bit, you smiled cheekily. “I never meant to make you cry. But hey, why don’t you walk around with me for a bit? Maybe that’ll make you feel better?”

His eyes widened slightly, and he looked away. Flustered, he sputtered out, “Y-You want to be my friend?”

‘Want to be his friend?’ I wonder what kind of life this guy has lived… you couldn’t help but think. Grinning, you instantly responded back, “Sure. I’d love to.”

You noticed him blush again. How cute. “Oh, well um…” He avoided eye contact and scratched his cheek. “My lunch break just ended though…”

Boo. You kind of wanted to hang out with him like, right now. “Aww. But hey, wait—didn’t you say your sister was the manager here…?”

As if on cue, a passing woman stopped by you and Demitri. “Hello there.” She smiled gently. “Is everything going alright?”

You turned to face her, and noticed her name tag said ‘Anya’. She also happened to look like Demitri; which gave you pretty solid evidence that she was the manager. “Oh, yeah—except, can I hang out with your little brother here?” You tried not to laugh as you thumb-pointed behind you to Demitri.

Her lilac-colored irises flashed to her brother. As she eyed him and grinned again, you couldn’t help but admire her beauty. She was wearing a knee-length, fluffy, pink-and-white coat despite the warm weather. Her long hair was beige-blonde, non-layered, and very straight. Across her mid-forehead were straight-cut, short bangs. “Oh, Demitri. You’ve really made a friend. I am so proud of you.” Her smile was motherly and sugary-sweet. Turning to you, she responded, “Of course. I’ll have his twin sister Katyusha cover for him right away~”

You weren’t exactly sure why at the moment, but you were very excited to hear that. You really didn’t think she’d let Demitri off on his first day working. What mattered now was he. You suddenly had this unexplained urge to get to know him a little. He didn’t seem so bad—he was just timid and cute. Overall, he seemed… interesting. That was for sure.

“But An-”

She held up a hand as if to cease his disagreement. “It is fine by me, little brother. Go have fun with your new friend~!” She waved goodbye to discreetly end the conversation.

…

“…That was nice of her.” You mused as you skipped out of the store with a flustered Demitri in tow.

“Er, yeah…” To be honest, he was getting this ‘What-the-Mother-Russia-just-happened’ feeling.

Out of nowhere, you felt your stomach grumble. It was past noon, so you were about ready for some lunch. “Hey, wanna head to the Food Court? I know you just had your break, but maybe we can just sit together and talk a bit?”

…Are people normally this nice?... he couldn’t help but wonder. He wasn’t very experienced with making friends. But, there was something about you that told him you weren’t like the other people.

No one is this kind. “…Okay,” He agreed.

You both made it into the Food Court. As you got your food from the mall’s large array of restaurant choices, you took your tray and walked over to the table Demitri was sitting. “So, pretty-boy. Have you even asked me for my name yet?” You half-teased.

His eyes instantly widened in surprise, “I-I was going to! But… I hadn’t yet seen the right opportunity for it and…” He trailed off, and looked down in shame. Poor guy. Was he not used to meeting new people?

Giggling, you sat down in the seat to his right. “It’s okay. My name’s _____.”

He smiled apologetically, “Nice to, um, meet you.” He then cringed at how wrong that felt.

You couldn’t help but laugh. But you soon stopped when you noticed he wasn’t also laughing. Leaning down to start eating your food, you mumbled after a moment, “So, um… How’s life?”

This time, you almost cringed at your words. That question was completely random. But you hated awkward silences.

“It’s okay,” He responded, just above a whisper. You noticed him look down, a small hint of sadness in his eyes.

You nearly dropped your fork. How could you have not guessed? Maybe he was this sensitive because of some personal problems.

“Hey… is everything alright?” You asked gently, turning to him and placing a warm hand on his shoulder.

The gesture made him flinch. Immediately, he looked back up and tried his best to smile. “Of-Of course, why wouldn’t it be?” You could tell he was avoiding eye contact again.

Well, if he didn’t want to tell you, then he didn’t have to. With a sigh, you looked him over again. He was sipping on the coffee he’d purchased from Starbucks. But you could tell there was still something off about him.

And it wasn’t just the fact that his legs were spread abnormally far apart.

Trying to forget the earlier moment, you decided to change the subject. “So… what’s with that sitting position?” You joked lightly as you picked up your beverage and took a long drink.

His face instantly burned. You wondered if this was another touchy subject.

“Oh, I…” He blushed even harder, and nearly whispered: “…I can’t cross my legs.”

You almost spewed your soda.

Had it not been almost down your throat already, you probably would’ve really spat it out in shock. “W-Wait, you don’t mean…?!”

He nodded in mortification, “Uh-huh…”

“It’s really…?”

His eyes filled with tears, “I-I’m sorry… I-I just can’t help that it’s this big…”

You felt your cheeks blush. You couldn’t believe you’d made him tell you something like that.

But then again…

You couldn’t help it—you just had to take a short glance. One quick, super-short look. He wouldn’t even notice. Probably.

Face burning red, you flashed your eyes towards his… large tract of land. And you felt like the world’s biggest pervert for doing it, but who wouldn’t be curious? The guy couldn’t even cross his freaking legs!

As your eyes met the zipper of his light-denim jeans, you nearly gasped.

It. Was. Huge.

How could you have not noticed it before?! Not like you went around glancing at peoples’ crotches or whatever, but this just seemed impossible to miss.  Even through his jeans. What was he, eight inches?!

And not only that, but he was probably still limp. If it’s this big while completely normal, I don’t even wanna know what it’s like when fully-erected…!

You instantly facepalmed. Why were you even thinking about such things?!

“_____? Are you alright? Did I scare you…? I-I’m really sorry, I just-”

“-No, it’s okay!” You waved it off frantically, face still burning, eyes squeezed shut; trying to forget the image of a naked Demitri in your bed in all of his huge-you-know glory.

Placing an elbow on the table, he rested his face against his palm and smiled gently at you. “Oh… good. Thanks for understanding.” You heard him sigh in relief.

Once you calmed down a bit, you managed to finish up your food. Strange—you were the one still blushing and a bit flustered while he appeared relatively normal.

After you’d finished your lunch and thrown it into the nearby trash can, you sat and chatted with him a while longer. As he spoke to you, that same adorable accent always caught half of your attention.

“So. Just curious, is that a Russian accent I’m hearing~?” You asked, hoping your accurate guess would impress him.

Instead, he looked away and blushed. In response, he whimpered out quietly, “N-No, it’s Ukrainian…”

You almost wanted to slam your face onto the table. Hard. Stupid, stupid… you scolded yourself. He probably gets that all the time.

Afterwards, you still had a bit of time left. Well… to be completely honest, you had all day. There was nothing for you to do at home. No chores, no homework, no parents. They had left in the morning and wouldn’t be back until nightfall.

So you decided to stay at the mall with Demitri a while longer. “Let’s walk around the mall a bit, yeah?” You cheerfully suggested.

He agreed, and you both walked out of the Food Court.

Although, it didn’t take long to run into someone.

“So, what kind of video games do you like?” You asked absentmindedly as you glanced around for a cool store to check out.

You didn’t notice Demitri instantly stiffen and look away. “Oh, you know, just whatever…” He trailed off, hoping you wouldn’t catch the vagueness in his response. Truth be told, he did not want you to know what kind of video games he liked.

But unfortunately, you did catch it. Maybe it had to do with the fact that you’d caught sight of a Game Stop. “No—really. Which one’s your favorite? Do you have a favorite genre at least?”

“I-…”

“-He likes guro.”

You stopped walking. First off, what the hell? Demitri did not and could not like guro! And second, who was this person to cut into your conversation like that?

A bit irritated, you whipped around.

Only to come face-to-face with Demitri and a different boy who looked very similar to him. Oh no… don’t tell me—they’re related?! You thought in shock.

Demitri was shaking his look-alike, tears in the corners of his eyes, brows furrowed, while shouting, “Nikolai! I told you not to tell anyone-!”

You almost choked on your own spit, “Y-You mean it’s true?!”

The silver-haired boy smirked, and broke away from Demitri’s grip. “Of course it’s true. He’s completely addicted to those grotesque horror games.”

Your heart was pounding. No way. Innocent little Demitri…?

“Nikolaiiii,” Demitri whined, “You’re so mean.”

The boy called ‘Nikolai’ simply scoffed, and crossed his arms. He eyed you down and smirked again, “What’s the matter? Don’t believe me?” He teased.

Well, even if he didn’t seem like the most honest type, you knew it was true. Demitri had already confirmed it.

“_____, I’m sorry. I-I’m not actually addicted to those like he said. I just-”

“-Who is he to you?” You couldn’t help but interrupt.

Demitri’s eyes widened a bit, as if surprised to hear you wanted to know. “Oh, right. This is my… little brother.” He pointed a trembling finger towards the other, clearly a bit intimidated by his own family member.

He did a small wave at you, “Hi, I’m Nikolai, and I think you’re pretty cute.” He dropped his hand and shrugged, as if it was perfectly normal to call someone he just met attractive.

You felt your face burn. Because of both the compliment and the fact that he was pretty cute himself.

You couldn’t help but sneak another peak at him. His silvery hair was straight, chin-length, and had a particularly long, peculiar strand of hair that stuck up at the side of his head. He was wearing a long, knee-length gray coat with thick black fur around the sleeves and collar. Seriously, what is up with people wearing long coats on such a warm day? Besides that, he was wearing white pants and plain black snow boots.

His thin purple eyes were still locked on you. “Hey. Let’s ditch my crybaby brother, yeah? Wanna come walk around with me instead~?” He smirked suggestively—a look that you didn’t like.

“Uhm, no thank you?”

You noticed his smirk disappear. Hah, that’s what you get, you almost wanted to say.

“Yeahniceseeingyoubrotherbutwe’llbegoingnowbye.” Demitri grabbed onto your wrist and pulled you away from the scary-looking male before he could respond.

As you both made it behind a moderately far away corner, you couldn’t help but ask, “What was that? Are you two actually related?”

Demitri placed a hand on his pounding heart, “Yes… surprisingly.” You were both nearly out of breath due to the running away from Nikolai.

“Wow, I’m so out of shape—feel my heart.” You said, looking downwards and feeling your quick pulse through your wrist.

“Hm? Okay.” He moved his hand away from his own heart and proceeded to place it overs yours—until his clumsy coordination made him feel a bit lower by accident.

You immediately felt your cheeks go pink. Whoa, not there!... you thought in embarrassment.

Of freaking course, he just had to grab one of your boobs by mistake. You knew he didn’t mean to, but that just made things awkward. Although, you had to admit, his touch was soft and the sensation was something you’d never experienced before. It sent chills down your spine as Demitri’s jaw dropped in pure mortification.

…Absolutely horrified, he jumped back and nearly fell over. His face was red as fire as he sputtered out, “I… I am so sorry! It was an accident! P-Please forgive me, I-” He was trying to cover his face, trying to hide the tears. But you’d had just enough of those tears. You didn’t want Nikolai to be right—Demitri wasn’t just some ‘crybaby brother’ of his.

Without thinking straight, you lunged onto Demitri and hugged him tight. “Shhh. It’s okay. There’s no need to cry.” You whispered into his ear, voice soothing.

As soon as he felt your arms around his neck, he calmed down a bit. Sniffling, he awkwardly moved to place his arms around your waist. “_____...” He whispered, placing his cheek to rest over your head, “…I’m sorry about causing you so much trouble. I’m sorry about crying so much.  I… really do want to be friends.”

You squeezed him a bit tighter, “Don’t be silly. You haven’t caused me any trouble,” You sighed into his embrace. He was so warm. He smelled of fresh air and countryside fields. Maybe the poor guy just needed a hug. “Promise me you won’t cry anymore?” You suggested with a sunny grin as you pulled away.

He smiled, “I’ll try.”

He looks so cute. You reached up and affectionately ran your hand through his soft-as-silk hair. The golden locks slipped easily through your fingers; but in the act, you accidentally knocked out the thin black X-shaped medal clips that were pinning down his bangs. They fell to the mall’s tile ground with a clink-clink. Oh well—you thought he looked manlier without them anyways.

~* City Lights Sparkle *~

A couple hours later, you were still at the mall with Demitri. Earlier you’d walked into Barnes & Noble with him and looked through books. The entire time, he still seemed a bit feminine, but cute. Although, it was strange—at random times, he would seem more masculine than girly. And then revert back to feminine.

He even reminded you of an older brother or fatherly-type. He seemed very protective—in a good way. That was one of the traits that made you overlook his girly-ness. He’d told you he was the oldest of three siblings, so that could explain his good responsibility.

He even gushed about them and how much he loved them—including Nikolai. Besides him and Anya, there was his younger-by-five-minutes twin sister, Katyusha.

Interested, you’d started asking more about him.

Apparently, he’s from the country. He told you he didn’t like the city, but had never really been here due to money problems. He recently moved into Anya’s house so she could help him out. He was still trying to adjust to city life. But, as he told you—he really, really missed the country.

“But the city is amazing too.” You’d told him, while looking through racks at Forever 21.

To which he’d responded with a heavy blush, “Well, you’d have to show me...”

Although you were fond of the country, you were a city girl through and through. So you explained how all the city lights sparkled at night. About all the conveniences, entertainment, and easy transportation. The countless shops, museums, movie theaters, clubs, and cinemas. 

He’d never been out after dark in the city because he’d never seen a reason to. But all the interesting places you were telling him about made him think it over a bit more.

“The stars aren’t visible out here.” He mumbled as you both sat on a bench outside the mall.

Looking up, you nodded quietly. “I bet without all the city’s lights and pollution, the stars are really pretty out in the country, huh?”

He smiled and looked down. “They are. The sky looks so vast. And you can even see the Milky Way. Out here in the city, you can’t.”

You also looked back down. Checking your phone, it seemed to be getting late. Your parents were probably almost home. “So, Demitri…”

He glanced back at you, “Yes?”

You smiled apologetically and stood up. “I have to leave soon,”

He instantly looked away, “Oh—right. Of course. Sorry to have kept you here for so long.” He was slightly avoiding eye contact.

You couldn’t help but grin. He deserved what you were about to do. “Hey—you have a phone don’t you?”

He peeked back up at you, “Sure. Anya made me take it so she’d be able to contact me.”

Holding up your own device, you responded, “Then what are you waiting for? Get it out so I can give you my number, silly.”

As expected, a pink blush took over his cheeks. “R-Really? I mean, of course!” He cringed. He thought he’d sounded a bit too excited. Slipping out his phone, he smiled shyly at you. “Maybe… we can hang out again sometime?” You noticed his voice was full of hope. As if he didn’t think you’d ever talk to him again and was surprised you were even giving him your number.

You mentally facepalmed. This guy had a lot to learn.

“Sure. We can go skating or see a movie tomorrow. In the city,” You added with a cute wink.

He couldn’t help it—he let the biggest, goofiest grin stretch across his face. “I can’t wait, _____~” He looked down, adorable grin still on his face, and cheeks still tinted bright pink.

Truth be told, you’d had mixed feelings about him all day. He seemed girly yet masculine at the same time. Young but grown-up. Cute but totally sexy too. He was worth a shot—even if he was a crybaby. Maybe you just needed to toughen this country boy up into a city guy.