Names and Ideas
Names.
Arksdy walked the house at night.
Their home.
He dragged a hand past the names on the bedroom doors with a smile on his face.
Sylvia, her room just off the hallways. Arkady stopped for a moment. The scratch of pencil on paper and the dull shine of a lamp under the door. He shook his head and continued on.
James, his door was decorated. Painted with shapes and shadows. Along the bottom of the door was a more cartoon painting of all of them. He had made himself taller than everyone of course. James was asleep it seemed. Or maybe thinking. Arkady peeked in the crack of the open door to check. James blinked up at him from where he was laying on his back on the floor.
He really wasn't all that tall. Bald, those blue blue eyes looking up at Arkady. Arkady smiled down at him.
"It's almost midnight Yasha. Sleep" he whispered. James sat up with a yawn. His eyes flashed, glowed, and he pulled a blanket off his bed and around his shoulders with those spectral coils of his.
"Just a minute. I'm thinking." James said. Arkady nodded and pulled the door closed as he moved on.
Gregori across the hall. His door wasn't decorated. And that had worried Arkady at first. But the more time he spent with his oldest son the more he understood him.
Gregori had decided not to keep his old name. The one they told him he had. He had said he wanted to define himself.
And so Arkady had offered a name.
You see, Arkady's fathers name was Gregori. He deemed it appropriate to name his son after the father he truly did love in his childhood.
Gregori was asleep.
Arkady almost left but he pushed the door open a bit more. Gregori had pushed his blankets off. Shaking in a nightmare.
Arkady stood at his side, he reached out with a coil to pull the blankets up from the floor.
He set a hand so gently on gregs shoulder. Whispering as he settled the blankets over him again.
"A dream Grisha. Only a dream." He whispered. He pushed the sweat-stuck hair away from his face. Gregori calmed down some. And Arkady waited to leave until Gregori was fast asleep again.
He walked back down the hall, through their living room to the kitchen.
Arkady didn't need much sleep these days. He hadn't for a long time. He spent most of the night cleaning or planning. From time to time even grocery shopping.
And at other times talking to his children when they couldn't sleep.
Or should be sleeping but aren't.
He didn't need to turn around to see who it was reaching a coil out to grab something from the fridge. Sylvia's were darker than Gregori's. And James' were more ghostly, more whitish blue.
"How many times have I told you to be in bed by 11 Sveta?" He said. She hesitated and out of the corner of his eye he saw her coil snatch a water bottle from the fridge and disappear. He heard her running off back to her room and chuckled. "Go to sleep!"
Arkady remembered a time when this peace seemed so fragile. Too thin to last. Like ice on a stream that would melt come morning.
But it never melted. The other shoe never dropped.
And Arkady, he was free for the first time in his life. Thinking about that always made him smile. He finished putting dishes away and wandered to the table by the door. They all tossed keys and wallets, and on a few occasions shoes, on that table. But beyond that were framed photos. Arkady loved them. The day they found this house, when they were sure they didn't have to run anymore, in one photo. School dances and birthdays. A printed out selfie of Gregori after a fight he had in school. Half of Sylvia's face in frame and grinning.
All of their photos warmed his heart in a way he hadn't felt in a long time.
And behind those, not hidden really but harder to see, were older photos. None of Arkady. He didn't like to think about his past. But one of his parents he had been able to find. Even one of Vassily. He reached out to pick it up, Vassily had been terrible to him. But he was still his brother. Still his big brother.
Arkady set the photo down with a shake of his head and went to fall into his bed.
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Cold air, rain that muddled scents and sounds. Not that Victor's senses weren't still messed up. Gunpower in his nose and rips in his eardrums on one side.
Certain flashbangs do that to a guy.
He was stumbling like a drunk. Thankfully anyone who looked assumed that's what was happening.
It took him almost 10 minutes to unlock the door of his newest safehouse. New. Off record. As safe as can be expected for him.
He didn't make it to the bedroom or the couch. Only kicking the door shut and collapsing on the foyer of the mostly empty row house with a groan. Muffled to his ears.
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He woke up early, he still wasn't completely healed and he lay there confused for a good ten minutes. And then he realized why he was woken up.
"James!" He heard. The neighbors. The row house next to him. He heard something in russian. Fast and only a little angry. Then the voice of a teenager.
"Yes lunch money, yes we know go to the store, no we won't fight Kennedy-" the teen was cut off by another voice, a girl this time.
"Dad bye!" She screamed.
Their voices faded and Victor rolled over with a groan.
He sat up to check himself over. Internal injuries mostly taken care of. Eardrums back in action thank god. But he still had a splitting headache and ribs so sore he was surprised they weren't still healing.
He sat up and dug around.
Only things in the kitchen coffee and a few cans of this and that. And it'd do for now. He wasn't picky, eating most of the stuff in the house and nursing his fifth cup of coffee by the window. Watching out at the street as people started to wake up and move around.
The coffee keeping him on his feet, the food he was shoveling in his face helping his healing factor to fucking get going.
It didn't do anything for the headache though.
At least he had new clothes stashed in the bedroom.
Once Victor was showered and dressed and totally ready to go outside and get some groceries he collapsed on the couch with a groan and passed out again.
Fucking migraine.
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Arkady had found out something interesting in the first week they had lived here.
There was a very nice market just down the way, a strange place with just about everything here and there. Closer than anything else. He befriended a few of the people that went there often. Gained a reputation of helping anyone out if they needed it. Before long he had gotten himself a decent job. He loved it, really. And from time to time he would help his neighbors with small things too. Not that he really needed money.
The point being, he knew everyone who wandered through the place. From teenagers to nice old people. From random internet influencers, you can always tell who they are, to young adults adapting to life without their parents. He knew everyone. And most of them knew him. Mostly.
So standing there, people watching while on a break, it surprised him to see someone he had never seen before. Someone who didn't carry the influencer vibe. Someone who acted like a regular but Arkady could swear easily he had never seen. He tilted his head and watched.
The stranger was tall. Shorter than Arkady. But tall. He was blonde. And his hair was long. Down to his hips and maybe past that really. Curly too. When he glanced that way Arkady saw he had freckles here and there. Brown eyes if Arkady could guess. He was muscled. Built like a brick shithouse really. Arkady wasn't surprised to see some of the other regulars staring at him. He was staring himself.
Arksdy glanced to his left, one of the owners of the place standing by his side, he was an older man. He and his daughter had immigrated to America years ago now. He spoke in Russian. A habit he had when he wanted to talk about someone he didn't want to hear. Arksdy smiled.
(a handsome one isn't he?) he said. Arkady shrugged.
(he is new. What do you think of him Jonas?) he said. The old man shook his head.
(we will see. Now back to work, things won't shelve themselves.) he said.
Arkady laughed and apologized. Jonas swatted at his arm as Arkady got back to moving and shelving and watching the newcomer from the corner of his eye.
Arkady got distracted for a little while, and the next time he caught his eyes on the stranger he was checking out and chatting up Jonas' daughter. Arkady clicked his tongue and tilted his head.
He can make this work.
He wandered that way under the excuse he was going to help. And he did help with bags and the such. The girl, her name was Anika, tossed him a look. Arkady waited for the stranger to finish talking before explaining himself to her.
<Jonas would kill me if I let you talk up the guy Anni. Don't be mad at me. I won't even do anything. See?> he grinned and pointed at the bags he was working on. <helping!>
She giggled and looked back at the stranger.
"Sorry about him. Arkady's a weirdo." She said with a laugh. The stranger grinned. And Arkady took the chance to look closer at him. He had facial hair, his face was sort of blocky. His nose looked like it had been broken too many times. And his teeth were sharp as can be. Fangs really.
"I am not weird!" Arkady said. He shook his head. "But I could be, Anni. If you prefer it?" He said. Anika was quick to shake her head and work on counting out the stranger's change.
"Anni?" The stranger said. His voice was a rumbling thing. Arkady wouldn't say thunder, only because he refuses to be that cliche. Anika responded before Arkady.
"Just a stupid nickname he gave me. But hey he has stupid nicknames too." She said, Arkady crossed his arms and tilted his head.
"Don't-"
"Isn't that right red? Or what about octopus?" She said, Arkady scowled.
"That's evil. I'm telling Jonas." He said.
She stopped to point at him as she reached out to hand the stranger his change.
"If I get grounded I will put sand in every jelly donut you get for the next month." She said,
That got the stranger to laugh. Arksdy glanced his way.
"Feel like I'm missin something but it's entertaining." He said. Arkady smiled at him. Started to apologize but he didn't get the chance. "Names Victor. And thanks. For the," he moved his hands. His bags rustling. "And the free entertainment." He said.
Arksdy was polite and waving until Victor was out of sight. Then he turned to stare at Anika.
"Don't get mad at me Arkady! You're the one who interrupted. I was so close to getting his number too!" She said, Arkady huffed and started to walk away.
"You are 18! You do not need numbers!" He yelled.
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Victor heard the neighbors yelling again.
He decided he didn't mind.
In fact he hovered by the kitchen, it was near the wall they shared, to eat dinner and listen in.
"Greg bit me!" He heard, the girl's voice. And really they sounded like teenagers but he was thinking he might be wrong. He heard a thud and shook his head.
"You deserved it-" came a new voice. One of the boys.
Then another,
"She sneezed on you-"
"Exactly!" The other boy.
This went on for about a half hour until it calmed down some.
Victor left the kitchen to go through his supplies again.
He had decided soon after getting back to the safehouse that his best plan at the moment was to sit and wait. Lay low. Bigger problems would pop up and the Avengers or whatever they were calling themselves now would forget about him soon enough.
Just as he got in bed and stretched out on his back he heard a crash from the neighbors. A lamp maybe? He didn't really care but he tried to listen in.
Swearing in another language, Russian maybe? Now that he heard that the voice sounded familiar. But he couldn't place it at the moment. Half asleep and not caring enough to dig it up. He listened to humming from the neighbors as the clink of broken glass was cleaned up. By the time whoever it was started to sing out loud Victor was dozing off.
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The next day he slept through the commotion of the morning. Around 8 or so he went outside to smoke and think. He liked to smoke but could never stand the lingering smoke smell inside.
He smelled someone approach where he sat on his steps, someone familiar, and they yawned as they sat next to him.
"Hello." They said, Victor looked over and that's why it was so familiar! The guy from the store.
Victor had gotten a decent look yesterday, blonde and pale. Taller than Victor and he had some interesting scars here and there. Red wasn't it? He had a name but Victor couldn't remember it. And the red nickname made sense now. The sunglasses he had worn yesterday on top of his head instead of on his face.
His eyes were red, pale too. And Victor thought albino, maybe. He seemed strong, and his smile was soft. In a sweater that had paint on it spelling something messy about christmas. A real arts and crafts thing. And jeans. His blonde hair wasn't in a ponytail this time. A long braid down his back today.
Victor opened his mouth finally, had his fill of staring, and turned to blow smoke away from them.
"Hey red." He said. Red closed his eyes and sighed. It was a happy sort of sigh though. Seemed like that nickname was an old joke.
"Yes, red. So you're the new neighbor then?" He said. Victor nodded. But he didn't speak. "Welcome I suppose." Red said.
"Thanks." Victor said. He offered a cigarette but red shook his head.
"Never got a taste for that. Not that I didn't try from time to time." He said Victor shrugged.
"Yeah sometimes it just ain't your thing. Half the time I just do it to have something to do with my hands." He said. Red sort of chuckled at that.
"I knit!" He said. "Something to do with my hands." He seemed proud and something about it made Victor laugh.
"I don't think I could knit if I tried." He said with a shake of his head. "But I'm killer at sudoku." He said.
"I can sew too." Red said. Victor thought for a second.
"I bake a real mean pie if I try." He said.
"I have perfect pitch!"
They both laughed at that. And Victor had to think to come up with something better than that-
"I know how to make candles." Victor said.
"I can write in English cursive."
"I can put together the best goddamn margarita you'll ever have!" And damn, Victor has never admitted to that before.
"I know how to win tic tac toe every. Single. Time." Red said. Victor paused for a second then just laughed. Long and loud. It was an easy laugh he hadn't done in a bit.
The wind blew and he smelled rain, he saw red shiver just a bit but shrug it off.
"How does a guy learn something like that?" Victor said.
Red shook his head with a smile.
"Teenager." He said. He stood up with a smile. "Speaking of teenagers. I've got work to get to. But this was nice Victor." He said. Victor grinned up at him.
"Don't be late on my account. And yeah.." He waved. "It was."
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Victor realized later, halfway through baking, that he did not in fact have the right stuff for a pie.
He didn't bother with a jacket or anything as he dashed out to the store again.
He went over a mental list about fifteen times while he was there, going out over and over didn't gel with laying low.
"Hello."
Victor stopped and turned to see who was talking,
Red smiled at him. A girl standing next to him. Victor waved and smiled. The girl tugged on Red's sweater. She mumbled something and he nodded.
She ran right by Victor with a yell.
"Bye love you!"
Victor chuckled and turned to look at red.
"Hey."
"Hello." Red said again. He glanced at what Victor was carrying and tilted his head.
"I uh, I was in the mood for baking." Victor said. Red nodded.
"You'll have to prove you really can make good pie then." Red said. And Victor took a second to respond. But he laughed and nodded.
"Yeah sure. I just might." He said.
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"What's he like?" Greg said. He barely waited for them all to sit down to dinner before starting his interrogation. Arkady smiled. Sylvia had told everyone about the new neighbor it seemed.
"He's polite." Arkady said. Greg groaned. James tried another question.
"Is he hot?" He said. Arkady gave him his best mom glare.
"He's too old for you. Any of you! But yes. He is." He said. His children cheered. Really cheered, and Arkady threw his head back and laughed.
"What's his name?" Sylvia said, she flicked a spoonful of food at James, who naturally phased and let it go through him.
"Behave. And his name is Victor."
The children kept chattering, Arkady just watched. They talked enough for all of them anyway.
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The doorbell rang the next morning. The children had gone already, a little late, and Arkady was hesitant to open the door.
But he saw it was just Victor and so he did.
Victor was large. He sort of filled up the doorway and it took a second for Arkady to realize he was holding something.
"Hey. I might eat a lot but I'm not a guy to scarf a whole pie on my own. Gotta prove myself anyway." He said. Arkady waved him inside and closed the door.
"Put it on counter. there is silverware in the drawer next to oven." He said. Victor nodded and Arkady followed him, after glancing down the street with a suspicious eye.
"Why do you do that?" Victor said. Arksdy took a fork from his hand and tilted his head.
"What?"
Victor sort of shrugged.
"Skip words sometimes. Like, by oven. Instead of by the oven." He said. Arkady chuckled.
"Russian doesn't have words like that." He paused to grab a mouthful of pie, it was some sort of berry. He couldn't place it but it was good. His face must've shown it,
"I told ya I make a good pie." Victor said. Arkady swallowed and laughed.
"You do." He took another bite then continued what he was saying. "Russian doesn't have words like that. And if you need me to tell you what oven then I am more worried about you. If I don't say the oven then what? Are you going to wander into the neighbors and try that one?" Arksdy said.
Victor tried to talk but he was laughing too hard. A belly laugh that bubbled up from his chest and out of his mouth.