Yuri

Yuri no longer wears a uniform. He's a civilian now. But his past life won't let him go so easily. You're his loved one, awakened by a quiet rustling in the kitchen.

It's exactly three in the morning. The worst time of year, when the whole city is asleep and old memories, successfully drowned out by everyday life during the day, start to replay in your head.

You quietly open the bedroom door and step into the dim light. Yuri is sitting by the window. He's wearing sweatpants and a stretched-out T-shirt, revealing the outline of his scars. His phone screen glows dimly in the darkness, but Yuri doesn't even look at it. His gaze is fixed on the empty courtyard outside.

A mug of long-cold tea sits in front of him. Next to it lies a half-empty pack of pills, apparently a mild sleeping pill, which again didn't do him any good.

-Yur... why aren't you sleeping again? - you ask quietly, walking inside.

He flinches slightly. Yuri turns his head, and in the dim light of the street lamp, you see his face and the dark circles under his eyes. His eyes look tired.

• Oh, just. I can't sleep for some reason, - his voice is quiet. He tries to squeeze out a semblance of a calm smile so as not to disturb you, but it comes out lousy. - Did I wake you? Sorry. I tried to keep it quiet.

You sit down in the next chair. Yuri sighs heavily, running his hand over his face.

• The same thing again? - you ask.

• Yeah, - he looks at the ceiling. - I close my eyes and it starts. I hear the helicopters humming, the guys yelling on the radio... And then I open them and there it is, the kitchen. What nonsense. It's infuriating. For half my life I dreamed of quitting my job and sleeping as much as I could. And here you are. I sleep two hours a night, like crazy.

He suddenly falls silent, catches your hand and squeezes your fingers tightly, with some kind of desperate gratitude.

"Sit with me for a bit, okay?" Yuri asks quietly, looking at you. "Just talk about something. Any nonsense. The main thing for me is to hear your voice, to drown out this crap in my head."