Sablinstel

Patrick was at his computer, chatting on the Nice Regent discord server. It was a warm summer night, and he had nothing to worry about. He was just having fun, discussing his favorite HOI4 mod The New Order – The Last Days of Europe. Then, somebody posted a genderswapped version of Buryatia’s leader Valery Sablin. Patrick thought to himself – “*Man, she actually looks kinda cute. I wish she could be my girlfriend.”* But, he had to come to reality – Sablina is not real, and she won’t be his GF. Thinking about it made him a bit sad. He wished his homies goodnight, turned off the PC and went to the balcony to think for a bit. The view from the window was boring as usual – the same houses, same roads, same trees. The only differences from the usual view were the crystal clear sky and a full moon, which was covering the city with a dim, but pleasant white light. “*I never felt so lonely before. If only Sablina was real…”* He stood on the balcony for a while, thinking about how his life would go if Sablina were his girlfriend. His hair fluttered in the wind, an occasional passerby was passing under his windows. Then, suddenly, he noticed a falling star. He looked at it, and smiled. *“It looks beautiful, but it never works. They say that it grants wishes, but it’s all just tales for children”.* But something was telling him that this time might be different, even though he refused to believe it. After some consideration, he decided to give it a try. He looked up, took a deep breath and said audibly, but not loudly – “*I wish that Sablina was real and also my girlfriend.”* He stood still for a minute, but nothing happened. He sighed. *“Just as expected. That was stupid, I hope that nobody heard me.”*  As Patrick stepped back into his room, black smoke suddenly started to fill it. He tried to run, but he suddenly was paralyzed. He tried to scream, but he couldn’t. As black smoke fully consumed the room, he was ready for impending doom…

     …Patrick abruptly sat out of bed. Drenched in sweat, gasping for air, but alive. It was just a nightmare. He looked around – he was still in his bedroom. Next to him was lying a young woman with long brown hair. She grumbled in her sleep, and then woke up. Patrick couldn’t help but smile – the nightmare, the fear of loss made him love her even more. The woman asked him – “*Patrick, are you okay? You look like you just run five miles straight”.* He replied – *“It’s ok Valerie, It was just a nightmare. Good morning.”* She smiled back. “*I’m going to make us breakfast, sweetie. What do you want – bacon and eggs, buckwheat porridge or cereal?” – “I’d pick eggs, Val.”* The woman, dressed only in her underwear, left the room. Patrick got back into bed and started to think. He was happier with his life than ever – he had a high-end job he liked, a wife he that loved and great friends. How did he achieve this? He started to remember his past, to find out that his memories of those days are still as fond as if they happened yesterday. Immersed in memories, he started to lose himself in them…

    …It was a sunny June morning, the year 2026. The 3rd and second to last uni year was almost over, and Patrick was excited for the summer break. It was much shorter than back in school, but an entire month of freedom was still greatly appreciated. Almost all of the exams were passed by this point, and the students had pretty much nothing to do in the last days. Some were getting ready for latest exams, some were on their phones, some were doodling something in the textbooks, some listening to music, some sleeping. Patrick, alongside with a few others, was doing absolutely nothing. His phone died, he didn’t want to draw and his friends were either absent or busy. Just when he thought that he’s gonna die of boredom, a door opened, and one of the head teachers walked in. The class’s attention was drawn to him as he was walking to the teacher’s desk. The teacher greeted the class and started talking about student transfer programs for the next year. Normally Patrick wouldn’t even draw attention to something like that, but he was so bored that listening to a lecture was a good option for him. As he listened, he was actually starting to take interest in it. A lot of foreign universities offered good programs, and he got so invested that he decided to give it a try and pick one of them. Why not? He never his home country for more than two weeks, that could be a great opportunity to see the world. The teacher was listing the options – Munich, Milan, Madrid, London, Bucharest… they sounded interesting, but not interesting enough. One of the options really caught his attention – Moscow, specifically the MGU – Moscow State University. It had the highest welfare, the views were pretty, and it’s degree opened a lot of job opportunities. Besides, he was always interested in the Russian culture, so this option was perfect for him. When the last lesson ended, he went to the principal’s office and applied for the transfer program. Patrick was very excited for the next year…

     …”*It felt like forever. Thank god it’s finally over”, -* Said Patrick, walking to his plane seat. The service at Schwechat was particularly slow today, and what normally would take an hour ended up taking three. The lines were very long, and the staff was doing It’s job without particular enthusiasm. But it was over, and he was finally in the plane, ready to take off to Moscow. The flight took two hours, and he arrived at the Sheremetyevo airport. He took a taxi to a hotel near the university and dropped off there. The schoolyear started in two weeks, and he’d get a room in the Uni’s hostel only after the 1st of September, so he had to stay here for a while. Besides, it would be a good opportunity to learn about the city a bit. As he stepped into his hotel room, he went straight to his bed and fell onto it, exhausted…

     …The schoolyear was starting in 3 days. Patrick some basic knowledge about his surroundings, and even discovered his favorite café. After a long day of messing with university-related paperwork, he went there to have a light dinner and relief some stress. As he sipped his tea, he noticed her. She was walking to her table with a plate in her hands, swaying her hips cutely. She was dressed in a plain red polo shirt and mid-thigh-high blue jean shirts. Her elbow-long, silken brown hair was waving loosely on her back. She had some nice tits and a good ass, but they weren’t the main things that caught Patrick’s attention. It was the face – the prettiest face he’s seen in a long time. She had big, deep, kind blue eyes, a cute nose and pouty lips, making her look like a princess from a fairy tale. Patrick felt as he was hypnotized – he just couldn’t look away, even though he realized that it’s rude to stare. She sat down and started to eat, but he was still looking at her. Then, she noticed him, and smiled with the warmest smile Patrick has ever seen. He gulped, and awkwardly smiled back. After that, he finally looked down, overwhelmed with emotions. Somehow, he calmed down and finished his dinner, and then left the restaurant. Once Patrick was in his hotel room, he thought to himself – *“I should’ve asked for her phone number. Why did I suddenly pussy out? I hope that I’ll meet her again.”…*

  …It was an average September study day for Patrick. The uni year has started quite smoothly, and he had high hopes for the year. The first week went well, the second one was going alright as well. As he was walking to his last lesson of the day through the school hallway, he noticed that girl again, as charming as she was when he initially saw her, maybe even more charming in the strict white shirt and knee-high black skirt. She noticed him as well, and smiled. Patrick found enough courage inside to introduce himself. “*Hello, my name’s Patrick. What’s yours?” -*  “*Hi, I remember you, you was that shy guy in the café. The name’s Valerie.”  - “So, you’re studying here as well?” – “Yes, on the politics faculty.”.* After that, she stopped for a second, looked at her wristwatch and said – “*I’m sorry, but if I’ll stay here any longer, I might be late for class. How about we meet tomorrow at the cafeteria? See you later!”* . After that, she rushed off to the end of the hallway. Patrick stood silently, processing the conversation. After a second or two, he regained his composure and continued his path into the auditory…

   …Seconds felt like hours. Patrick was sitting in one of the canteen chairs, looking at the at the entrance every now and then. Only five minutes has passed, but they were the longest five minutes in his life. But she arrived. She smiled, making his heart melt again. *“That smile. That damn smile.”* He thought to himself as he stood up. He went to the serving table, taking some mashed potatoes, a cutlet and a cup of coffee. Valerie took her food as well, and they both sat at the same table. Valerie asked Patrick – *“So, did you want to tell me anything?” – “Nothing that important, just wanted to know you better.” – “Well, in that case, listen closely. My name’s Valerie, Valerie Sablina. I’m 20, from Ulan-Ude, but I managed to apply to MGU because I did really well on my school finals. My dad is a fleet officer and my mom is a school teacher. I like reading books, board games and cosplaying.”* After a short pause, she continued – “*What about you? I’m sure that you’ve got some interesting things to tell me.”* Patrick replied – *“I sure do. The name’s Patrick, Patrick Stel, and I’m a transfer student from Austria. My parents are just ordinary office workers. I like playing video games, hanging out and going hiking. That’s about it.”* Valerie smiled softly and took a sip from her cup. “*You seem like a fun guy. How about we go and hang out this weekend?”* Patrick’s insides exploded with emotions, but he managed to keep a relatively restrained expression. *“Sure, sounds great.”* After that, they talked about topics like weather for a bit, and Valerie left. Patrick sat there, with his lunch unfinished. He thought to himself – “*I think I’m in love. I’m in love big time.”…*

*…*The last two months were going great for Patrick. His studies were doing well, and he got to know Valerie pretty close. Today was October the 30th, Friday. That meant that tomorrow’s Halloween was on Saturday – not only it was a holiday, but he also could party all night long without feeling like a zombie on Monday. As he was thinking about how he would spend tomorrow, his phone rang. It was Valerie. She said – *“Hello! Tomorrow me and my friends are organizing a cosplay Halloween party, and you’re invited too! See you tomorrow at 8PM.”* Patrick felt butterflies in his stomach, and he knew that tomorrow could be his chance…

     …The club where the party was going to be was less than two blocks away. Patrick felt a little nervous, he didn’t have any actual costumes, so he just dressed in his grandfather’s old suit (that was several sizes too big for him), an old-timer black bowler hat and brought a cane. The trees were completely stripped of leaves, and it was pretty cold outside – almost zero degrees. Patrick slightly shivered and walked faster to warm up a bit. When he reached his destination, he gently knocked on the door. A smug-looking woman in a Korean dress opened the door.  “*Quite a gentleman we have here. Let me lead you to the party.”* Patrick complied and followed her. Along the way, she asked her why did she pick a Korean dress and not something else. “*It’s kind of embarrassing, to be honest. I HATE k-pop, but all of my friends are total fangirls. So we made a bet, I lost and they forced me to wear something Korean to the party. Should’ve picked the North Korean uniform.”… “The name’s Irina, by the way. Irina Serova.”.* Then, they finally reached the party hall, and Irina dropped Patrick off there. The party gathered a few dozens of guests, but the hall was big enough to not be overcrowded. Patrick noticed that there’s almost no men there – only 3 or 4, five at best, excluding him. The rest were women, wearing all sorts of costumes – from goofy and wacky to sexy and revealing. He hovered his eyes over the crowd, but couldn’t find Valerie amongst it.  Patrick decided to have some fun anyway – it was a party, after all. He chatted with random people for a bit, drank one or two shots and ate a few snacks. Then, Valerie appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and she looked gorgeous. She was wearing a uniform of a marine officer – a white coat with fake medals, a knee-high white, wavy skirt, a pair of white low-heel boots, and a hat of a marine officer. She exclaimed – “*There you are! It took a while to find you. I must say, an impressive costume, very strict and official, although a bit too out-of-fashion.”* Patrick struggled not to blush, but kept his composure. “*Thanks, it’s my grandpa’s costume. He only worn it on his wedding 60 years ago and haven’t touched it since, so it’s almost factory new. I see that your dad helped you with your costume? It looks so unique.”*  She replied – “*Yeah, my dad “borrowed” one of the women uniforms from his ship, if you know what I mean, hehe. The medals are hand-made though, personally by me in 4th grade. Doesn’t they look adorable?” – “They do, pretty impressive for a 4th grader’s work”.* After about ten seconds of awkward silence, Valerie asked Patrick – “*Well, should we go and have some fun now or will we just keep standing there?” – “The former sounds preferable”. – “In that case, let’s go!”* They partied almost all night, keeping it up all the way until 3AM. By that time, only a couple of people were still there, most of them drunk. Patrick and Valerie were tipsy, but not drunk enough to do stupid shit. Well, besides one stupid thing. Valerie approached Patrick, who was eating a cookie on the couch, and leaned over him. She said softly – “*You’re the cutest guy I’ve ever met. All of the others are either perverts or jerks, but you’re something else. I’m glad that I met you.”* Then, she leaned even further and kissed Patrick on the forehead. Patrick couldn’t take it and blushed violently. After that, she checked her watch and exclaimed -  “*Oh my, it’s this late already? I have to go home now. See you on Monday!”* She put her hat back on and rushed off outside. Patrick sat on the couch for a few more minutes, tired, but happy…

   …”*Man, Russia is damn cold!” –* Patrick thought to himself as he was walking to his hostel. It was -15 degrees outside, and he was wearing only a pair of pants, a leather coat and a shirt, freezing him to the bones. The last study day before the winter break – 25th of December, was over. Technically it was Christmas today, but the Russian Christmas was on 7th of January, so today was just an average December day. It took excruciatingly cold three minutes, but he was finally inside, enjoying the warmth. The two-week long winter break just started, and he could spend it however he wanted. First off, he took a nap. When he woke up, it was already dark outside. *“Wai- wha-…  how long did I sleep?”* He looked at his phone – the time was just 5:30 PM. *“Oh yeah, I forgot about how short the day is in the winter.”* After remembering how cold he felt in the day, he decided that he needs proper winter clothing as well. Just as he was about to go out of his room, his phone rang. It was Valerie. He picked it up and she said – “*Hi Patrick! I was thinking about going to the Red Square to celebrate the New Year, but all of my other friends are busy. Would you like to go there with me on the 31st evening?” – “Yes, of course. I will be up.” – “Great! See you in a week.”* – Then, she hung up the phone. Patrick’s head was full of thoughts and doubts. He loved Valerie, and got to know her really well over the past few months, but they were still just friends. He wanted to asked her out and make their relationship more than just friendship, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it yet. But now was a perfect chance, and Patrick decided that it’s now or never…

  …As Patrick walked out of the subway station, he was greeted by a myriad of multicolor garlands and heavy, but gentle snow. There were hundreds and thousands of people excited for the new year of 2027, which was just three hours away, but he needed only one person. The Red Square was less than five minutes away, and Patrick walked there slowly, without a rush. When he arrived there, it didn’t take him too long to find Valerie. She was wearing dazzlingly white clothing, whiter than the snow, standing out from the crowd of other people, dressed mainly in brown or black. A white ushanka, a white overcoat, white winter pants and white boots, making her look like an angel. She warmly greeted him, and they went to the nearest restaurant. By the time they finished having their dinner, it was already 23:50, and they rushed back to the square to see the fireworks. Patrick saw fireworks before, but all of them were small. Valerie said that there were going to be hundreds of them all across the city. By the time they arrived, the Kremlin tower showed that it was four minutes before the midnight. Patrick knew that it was the moment. It’s now or never. He first started a casual conversation, slowly drifting it towards Valerie and their friendship. And when it was just a minute before the clock struck the twelveth hour, Patrick gathered all of his courage and said what he was wanted to say for half a year – *“Valerie, I’m very glad that I met you. All the time spent with you, all the parties, all the times you absolutely wrecked me in Monopoly… remembering it fills my hearth with joy. I have feelings for you, feelings stronger than friendship… will you be my girlfriend?”…* After a few seconds of silence, her face expressed pure happiness. *“I was waiting for you to say it. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, I will!”* She tightly hugged and passionately kissed him. The kiss lasted for about ten seconds, and it were the happiest seconds of Patrick’s life. Just as the kiss was over, the clock finally struck midnight. Everyone started cheering, and the sky filled with fireworks of all colors. Patrick and Valerie looked at them with awe…

  …”*Oh for fuck’s sake! I hate Russian spring!” -* Yelled Patrick, standing on the pavement. His pants and lower jacket were covered in dirty snow mixed with water after a careless driver swept past him at high speeds. “*Well, at least the flowers are intact.”* It was the 8th of March, the International women’s day, and he was going to Valerie’s room block with a bouquet of flowers and a pack of candy. Their relationship was official for a little more than two months, and it was great. He was particularly excited for today, the only things that slightly lowered the mood were the incident and the weather. The weather was terrible – the temperature was just above zero, heavy wet snow was falling and the ground was covered in soaking wet mix of snow, water and mud. What made it even worse is that he stepped on a nail a somewhere along the way, and one of his boots was full of water. But he tried to keep his head up, and arrived at Valerie’s place without further incidents. He knocked on the door, and was caught off guard by her appearance – she was only wearing her underwear – a white bra and white panties. He blushed, but smiled and awkwardly said – “*Happy Women’s day!” ,* handing over the flowers and candy. She was dumbfounded for a second, but then got herself together and thanked him. *“Had a rough path, I see?” – “Yeah, I’ll have to clean it this evening.”* Valerie smirked – *“Well, if they’re so dirty, why won’t we take them off?”*  - Patrick knew what she was talking about, but wasn’t too sure is it the time. It felt too early, too rushed. But at the same time – isn’t it what he secretly wanted, secretly desired for? Besides, his clothes indeed were dirty and wet, at least the boots and the pants. After a bit of reconsideration, Patrick complied – “*Sure, why not*”­, though in a relatively innocent tone. He took most of his clothes off, leaving him wearing only a t-shirt and his underwear. They sat down at the table for some tea, but Patrick knew that tea wasn’t what Valerie was thinking about. She was looking at him with such adoration that he never saw before. They sat there for a while, occasionally exchanging short conversations. After they ran out of tea, Valerie approached Patrick and said – “*That was enjoyable. How about we go to the bedroom now so we can do “other” cool stuff?”* – *“Alright, let’s go.”* After they both entered her bedroom, Valerie softly closed the door…

    …”*We’ve been walking for an eternity, my legs are starting to hurt. Are we there yet?” – “Jeez, Pats, why are you so impatient? I told you that we’re less than a kilometer away like a minute ago! Be patient.” – “Actually, I think we’re almost there now. It’s right after that turn.”* Indeed, right after the turn, behind the pine trees, a beautiful view unveiled – there was about ten meters of grass before a ravine, and the forests could be seen spreading out to the horizon. It was only early May, and the tree leaves haven’t fully developed yet, and their color was that of a tender salad. In the ravine there was a slowly flowing river, and there were ducks swimming down it’s stream. *“Wow, this view sure is beautiful.  How did you even find out about this place, Val?” – “Oh, one of my friends told me about it, and I was there once already. I think there’s even a secret stash they left.”* She began searching the nearest bushes, leaving Patrick confused. After scavenging through several bushes, finding a few bottles, tin cans and a dead crow, she finally found a big bundle covered in plastic bags. After she unwrapped it, two bundled tents fell out of it! Patrick asked – “*What’s that?” – “That? Oh yeah, we’re gonna be staying here for the night! Isn’t that cool?” – “It does sound cool.”* Patrick helped Valerie to set the tents and the campfire. They spent the entire day sitting around the campfire, cooking sausages, chatting and playing with a Frisbee. It even ended up in the ravine (twice), and they had to get it back. On the way back from the second incident, Patrick twisted his ankle, and Valerie had to help him to get out of the ravine. When the sun was about to set behind the trees, Val and Patrick sat at the edge of the ravine. She started – “*Today was one of the best days in my life. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun.” – “Same here, it feels so good to be with you.” – You know, it wasn’t even a year, but I can’t even imagine my life without you anymore. I feel so alone whenever I have to go somewhere without you even for a day.” – “I think about you almost every minute. Think about all the fun we had together…I can’t believe that I’ll have to leave you in less than two months.”* They looked at the bright red sunset together, holding suns. The warm May sun was sharing it’s last glimpses of light, about to disappear completely until the next morning. Valerie’s face suddenly turned serious, and she tugged her jeans’ pocket, like if checking something. “*You know what, Patrick?...It doesn’t have to end. And it won’t.”* She took a tiny black box out of her pocket and opened it. Inside was a golden ring with a small ruby on it. “*Will you marry me?”* Patrick was absolutely stunned. He didn’t expect it, it caught him by complete surprise. He had some thoughts about proposing to her, but after he’d pass his final exams and get everything sorted. But he just couldn’t resist it, he loved her too much. “*Y-y-yes. I will.”* After he said it, they passionately hugged and kissed eachother. As they were embracing eachother, the sun finally disappeared behind the trees, making the sky scarlet. After some time, the sunset slowly faded away, opening the sky for hundreds and thousands of stars. Patrick and Valerie laid in the soft grass, looking at the Milky Way and thinking about the future…

  ...”*You’ll move to Austria with me? Really?” – “Yeah, I don’t have much here. My parents would’ve find me a mediocre bride in my hometown, and I’d have to live in an old two-story block for the rest of my boring life. I love them, don’t get me wrong, but they’re just a bit too… overprotective. It took me several weeks to convince them to let me study in Moscow… besides, I always wanted to go abroad, and it’s the best chance I’ve had my entire life.” – “What about the language barrier?” – “Don’t  worry about that, I’ve studied a bit of German already.  Es ist fast gut!” – “I see, not bad, not bad at all.” – “Anyways, you better get ready for the wedding. The laundry’s almost done, get them out of the washing machine in 10 minutes. Don’t forget to put them in the dryer! Also, go to sleep early tonight, we have to be there by 9AM to get everything set up.”…*

*…”Do you consent to become his wife?”* Valerie nodded. “*Very well. And you, do you consent do become her husband?” – “Yes, I do,”. – “Excellent. Now, if anyone doesn’t want this marriage to happen – say it now or remain mute forever!”* Nobody said a word. After that, Valerie and Patrick kissed eachother. The crowd went wild, flowers and hats were flying into the air, champagne was opened and wine was flowing in rivers. Everyone were cheering, but Valerie and Patrick were by far the happiest people in the wedding hall. Both of them looked gorgeous – Patrick was wearing his old suit, the same one he worn on the Halloween party, this time without the hat though. Valerie was in a snow-like white dress, so white that you could go blind just by looking at it for too long. After their union was sealed, they went to the party with everyone else. All the delicacy foods, all the fine wine, it was truly a grand feast. Patrick celebrated it like there was no tomorrow – drinking every sort of alcohol he could reach and trying every kind of luxury food and pastry, some of them never seen before. After a few hours he got noticeably drunk and very full, and was sitting in a chair in the corner of the hall. Valerie, who was even drunker than him, was sleeping at his shoulder. He was gently hugging her with his left arm, feeling like he was in heaven. After some time, someone shook his shoulder, Patrick turned around to see who it was and…

    …”*Hey, hey! Did you fall asleep again, sleepyhead?”* Patrick opened his eyes and noticed Valerie standing over him in his bedroom, looking slightly frustrated. “*Oh yeah, sorry. I must’ve fallen into a daydream.” – “I wonder about what were you thinking.” – “I was thinking about you, remembering how I met you and our best moments together.” –* Valerie leaned and kissed him on the cheek. “*Aww, you’re so sweet. I also think about these times a lot. I can’t imagine where I would’ve ended up without you.”* She straightened herself. “*Well, the breakfast is ready. I was calling for you for an entire minute. Had to go there and check if everything’s alright.” – “It’s all fine. Just, can you give me another minute? I need to process everything that I thought of.” –*She looked at him, slightly surprised, but didn’t ask any further questions. “*Okay. I’ll wait for you. But if you won’t be there in two minutes, I’m eating everything without you.”* After that, she left the room again , leaving Patrick laying in his bed. He quickly went over everything that he thought of earlier and smile. He was happy, his dreams came true, and now he experienced the best moments of the last year again, almost like he was there. Then, he stood up from his bead, changed his clothes and went to the bathroom to wash his face. He turned on the cold water and gathered a handful of it in his hands, and washing his face after that. Patrick looked in the mirror. He briefly examined himself – it was still him. He remembered his earlier days, how he looked and what he thought about back in 2021. “*Heh, young me was such an idiot. “SaBlInA iSn’T rEaL, sHe cAn’T Be YoUr GiRlFrIeNd.” Well, technically, he was right. She’s isn’t my girlfriend, she's my wife."*

*Author: u/TheFunnyClockMan*