Don't Touch Me. [ON HOLD]

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴇɪɢʜᴛ - ʜᴇᴀᴅ

I HAVEN'T BEEN this unsettled by a person in a while.

His eyes were ice blue. He had the most intense, piercing stare I'd ever seen. He was looking directly into my eyes, as if he could read my mind. I held his eyes for a moment before looking away, goosebumps forming on my arms. Anastasius didn't say anything and instead walked into the dining room, taking a seat next to Dimitri. Realizing they were waiting for me, I hurriedly walked around the table to Nick's side and sat down gingerly, as if any sound I made would kill me.

"Why were you late?" The calm yet bitter voice rang out again. I stared down at my plate, trying to find the right words. I'd be able to answer under normal circumstances, but seriously, the pressure this guy was giving me was unbearable. I could almost feel his eyes drilling into my skull.

"Vasi." The brown-haired man said calmly. I looked up to see him and who I now assumed was Vasiliy staring each other down. Could they speak telepathically or something?

"Wow, getting on Vasi's bad side on the first day. I'm impressed." Nick exclaimed after a couple of moments. Only the sound of Dimitri eating followed.

"Well, it's not like he has a good side." The other curly-haired boy commented, taking a bite of his food. Vasiliy turned his head to stare at him. His expression never changed. He just had that creepy, half-glare stare stuck on his face. Was he a psychopath?

"Introductions." Dimitri reminded, putting down his fork. I looked down at my silverware. There were two spoons, two knives, and three forks. What?

The platinum blonde cleared his throat before turning to face me.

"Mitri is correct. I apologize if I came off too strong on our, first meeting." Vasiliy had paused before finishing. I hesitantly nodded.

"My name is Vasiliy Vadimovich Azarov. I am the current head of the family. I am 25." He spoke with a powerful voice this time. I was beginning to understand why these guys were afraid of him.

"I am Sergei. We all share the same middle and last name. 23." The brown-haired man continued, calmer but still speaking with strong influence.

"I'm Alexei. Call me Alex or big bro, though. Oh, and I'm 21." The dirty-blonde smiled at me.

Yeah, I'm not calling him big bro. Does anyone even use that?

"...It's nice to meet all of you. I'm Ana. I'm 15." I smiled coolly, trying to make myself relax. I'm only surrounded by six rich guys, which are my new 'family', and don't know how to use their silverware. I felt a drop of sweat drip down my face. Not a big deal.

"You should start eating, Anastasia." Sergei, the brown-haired man, glanced at me. Ugh, why did he have to say that?

"Yeah, of course," I said robotically, raising my hand to pick up one of the forks. It's a one in three chance. Just pick one. Maybe they won't even notice.

"That's the salad fork." Anastasius stated, not even looking up from his food. I set it back down.

"Dessert fork." He corrected again, without looking up. Agitated, I snatched up the last fork and began eating.

"How is the dress?" Vasiliy's harsh voice broke the awkward silence.

"It's nice. Thank you, Vasiliy." I replied. He stared at me for a couple more moments before returning to his food.

"He wants you to call him Vasi." Alexei interjected, speaking quickly and quietly, as if someone was going to kill him before he finished. Vasiliy violently stabbed at a piece of meat with his fork.

"Um, okay. Thank you, Vasi." I repeated, Vasi now aiming his disturbing stare at Alexei as he ate. He's going to throw up all his food later, I swear.

"...is there anything I need to know? Since I'll be staying here." I asked, uncomfortable as Vasi's eyes turned to meet mine. He looked deep in thought before turning to Sergei. They stared at each other, narrowed eyes, thinking. Maybe they really are telepathic.

"Yes."

"No."

Vasi and Sergei decided after a moment, speaking in unison. They blinked at each other.

Nevermind.

"Do not go outside without permission. Do not buy things without permission. Do not talk to outsiders without permission." Vasi began his list, each one ending with 'without permission'. My willingness to follow along draining as he continued.

"And finally, do not go downstairs." He ended the list of ridiculous rules with what sounded like more of a warning. Had Dimitri told him about earlier?

"Can I go with permission?" I asked, my voice sounding more sarcastic than I intended. Vasi went quiet for a moment before replying.

"No, because that will not happen." He looked at each of the boys, especially Anastasius, before returning to his food. What were they even trying to hide? The rest of them clearly know what's down there.

"Why are some of your ties red and some blue?" I inquired, changing the subject.

"We have red ties because we have debuted into the company." Vasi responded shortly, finishing the last of his food.

"So the blue ties haven't debuted?" I glanced at Anastasius and Nick. Well, that would make sense. They looked like they were still in high school. What about Dimitri though? He said he was nineteen, wouldn't he debut by now? I then looked down at my dress. Blue.

"Yep." Nick replied, sounding distant. He had already finished his food and was leaning back in his chair. I looked up at him and caught him staring at my dress from the corner of his eye. It was blue. Did that mean I could debut into the company as well? Or was it just a coincidence?

And why's he looking at me like that? Does Nick not want me to debut? He'd have more competition, so that'd make sense. Or does he think I'm not worth it?

"What's your company about?" I began eating again, a bit faster considering the others were starting to finish.

"What?" Vasi replied immediately. All of them stiffened.

"Like, what's your company name? And what's it do?" I looked at all of them. Why were they acting like that?

"You'll find that out when you debut." Alexei sounded like he just choked on his food. Well, that was a lie. Anastasius and Nick clearly knew what was going on.

"I can debut?" I continued my interrogation, suspicious. Their gazes, which had been looking off into the corners of the room or up into the air, suddenly all focused on me. Vasi stood up abruptly, his chair falling and clattering to the floor. I dropped my silverware, frightened by their reactions. Vasi looked like he was going to say something, but shut his mouth. He then opened it again.

"You are all dismissed." Vasi's eyes bore into me, harsher than ever. I don't think I could have messed up worse. He was clearly pissed. The rest of them rushed out of the dining room. I nodded my head slowly and put my hands out in front of me, as if I was trying to appease a wild animal. I pushed too far. An outsider, suddenly intruding on their home, asking if they could take part in what was clearly an incredibly closed off and important part of their lifestyle. What was I thinking?

I took a couple of steps back, looking him in the eye, before turning tail and racing out of the dining room.

DOGWOOD

✨fun fact✨

russian middle names are typically paternal, as in the middle name will have their father's name in it. in the azarov's case, their father's name was vadim, so their middle names would be something like vadimovich for boys and vadimovna for girls. my mother explained it (she's russian) but im dumb so i apologize if these names don't make sense lol

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