A Slice of Life

He's a Good Catcher

Ever since Sam got invited to come over by Aleksei's mother, he had been nervous. He didn't exactly know what to expect, or what they expected from him. He had probably put in too much effort to look good. He had dressed up a bit, he had taken the time to fix his hair—though the wind had probably already messed that up—and obviously he had brushed his teeth.

Twice, if he was being completely honest.

Then he had checked what address Aleksei had sent him, and he was a bit confused at first. Didn't Aleksei claim he lived close-by the other day? Whatever he had claimed, it was false. Sam didn't think he lived close by at all, and it had caused him to be a bit late.

He had no idea in what kind of house Aleksei lived, but it was all but what he expected. It was rather... small, for a family like his.

Once he arrived, he tried to fix the mess he called his hair, but with the wind still blowing he knew it was a lost cause. Eventually, he gave up, and rang the doorbell, hoping Aleksei would be the one to answer the door.

Aleksei was at the door in less than a second, which probably gave away he'd been waiting on the other side. But what else was he going to do? With five snooping siblings and two parents, he couldn't risk one of them making it there before him. His family was already enough to handle and despite what Sam had said, Aleksei still didn't want them to scare Sam away.

"Hey," he greeted Sam after a deep breath. He stepped aside to let the other boy in, noting how Sam had gone through the trouble of dressing up. He cared, and Aleksei had to take care not to melt into a puddle on the doorstep.

"Hey" Sam greeted him back with a smile, before stepping inside. "Is this what you call living close by?" He teasingly asked Aleksei, nudging him playfully. "I guess distance is different in Russia."

"Yes, exactly. Russia is huge." Aleksei let out an embarrassed chuckle. "No, to be honest, I made that up. I just wanted to make sure I'd see you again. While not making you think I was a crazy stalker for always taking your orders."

Sam felt his ears burn, not because he felt embarrassed but because he didn't really know how to handle something that sounded like a compliment. At least, that's how he took it. "Oh, right..." He drawled. "I kinda kept ordering in, hoping I would see you again too. I usually don't eat pizza that often."

Aleksei also didn't know how to respond, feeling his cheeks turn red. Fortunately, or unfortunately, there was never much privacy in Aleksei's house.

Little Natalia came walking into the hallway. She glanced up at Sam with wide eyes, smiled, and ran to the living room door. "Mom! Mom! Mom! He's here!"

Aleksei watched his sister go, then turned to Sam with a sheepish expression. "You sure you know what you're getting into?" he asked again.

"Eh, yeah, I'll be fine." Sam unsurely answered. "As long as I get to spend time with you..." he shrugged, but didn't finish his answer. He wasn't completely sure he was ready for this if he was being honest.

Sam was a bit overwhelmed once Aleksei's mother greeted him with a hug, before she ushered him into a tiny kitchen. Sam felt awkward after the hug, and when he realised their own hallway was bigger than this kitchen. But it looked cozy and warm, like a real family home, and Sam liked it.

While Natalie had only called for her mom, word of Sam's arrival spread fast and everyone wanted the scoop. Before long, the tiny kitchen was filled up with Aleksei, Aleksei's parents, and all Aleksei's siblings.

"Hey man," Stepan greeted Sam before taking the seat on his left. Mark climbed into the spot on Sam's right, nicely sandwiching him.

Aleksei scowled at them, because he knewthey were doing it on purpose. No matter how he felt about it though, Aleksei was forced to take the seat next to Mark, while Roman sat next to Stepan. Dad, Natalia and Sofiya shifted into the seats opposite Sam, with Natalia grinning widely at him.