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Naive Pig

Naive Pig

PastelCaterpillar

Movie nights between them are usually pretty average.

They’ve been having them for quite a while now. Almost a year, in fact. It was something that Alexei had started on his own just a few weeks after he’d moved in. Having nowhere to go and most definitely not wanting to risk his life in Russia where the other scientists could easily find him, he'd had to weigh his options. And not only did he know Murray, but he also knew that the man could understand him, was intelligent and competent, and lived in what was basically a well-secured warehouse far off from any potential danger. Until Alexei was sure he was in the clear from anymore bounty hunter-related threats, Murray was his best bet. And generously (as well as reluctantly), he'd agreed to it. Even though the idea of being forced to interact with another human every single day made him cringe to his very core, it was still Alexei. Thank God, it could have been anybody else. And anybody else would have been far too annoying for his tastes. While other people in his life like Hopper or Joyce thought yelling and screaming at each other was a natural form of communication, Alexei's biggest flaw was that, well... shit. Did he even have any?

Oh yeah, he has a tendency to blow all his money on supermarket snacks, for some reason. And he also likes children??? Disgusting. How naive.

He seems to really enjoy living with Murray though, to his surprise. Despite everything, despite his overly paranoid persona, and his harshness towards others, and his tendency to be a little overbearing when it came to the privacy of their shared home; Alexei liked to mention to him often that he's "nice to live with," whatever the fuck that means. Perhaps it's understandable though, it must be truly relieving for Alexei to be able to communicate so smoothly with someone close to him in a space so safe. Especially someone like Murray, who somehow, despite all odds, had opened up to him in ways he’d never even thought possible. Like, he’d even started teaching him English somewhere along the way? Having to tell him everything in Russian got irritating after so long, unsurprisingly. And if Alexei was going to live there anyways, why not teach him a thing or two to help him get by?? It was as if Murray was spending as much time as possible making sure that Alexei felt comfortable in a country so foreign to him. The man hated Russians before he met him. Absolutely despised them. He had been a true, unfiltered bigot.

Now?

Now, the two of them continue to spend at least one night a week watching any film of Alexei’s choice.

Which was Murray’s decision, by the way: “it’s always Alexei’s choice.”

This meant that, no matter what, the film was also always going to be animated. There wasn’t a single time when the Russian didn’t pick something animated. At first, he’d shared with Murray about a dozen different Soviet animated films and cartoons (Murray had found himself to be especially fond of the wholesomeness that was Cheburashka. Mainly because it made Alexei smile so damn big). And when they’d had their fair share of Soviet films, they moved on to some of the American ones Murray grew up with during his childhood. It had become a constant cycle of marathoning various cartoons on the VCR every week, and it never stopped. Not a single Friday shared between the two went without an animated film to enjoy. And it’s not like it’s a problem. It’s most definitely not a problem. Not in the least. It’s actually a pretty damn relaxing way to end long, exhausting weeks, Murray thinks (and who can complain about cartoons?) He’s probably watched more cartoons on VHS in the past year than he ever did throughout the majority of his adulthood. Watching them in between his personal, investigative work had proven to be a welcome change of pace from the more empty, lonesome days he’d spent at home in the past. Living in an off-grid, high-security warehouse could get kind of lonely sometimes.