Liability

Chapter 38 - Dmitri

WARNING! An underage teenager propositioning an adult, discussion of murderous intent, loss of a friend, brief mention of an execution

Writing one part of this almost made me cry...
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Sunday
September 16, 2018

Dmitri feels like he should have learned long ago that shit hits the fan in increasing waves only to fly everywhere like pungent missiles and hit you until you are covered from head to toe, while also drowning in it. And maybe that metaphor has run away from him but it doesn't change the fact that Dmitri is a hair-breadth away from packing his things up and moving to the sun.

Thommy's cheeky grin as the boy looks at him from the cocoon of Dmitri's blanket, alive but only just, doesn't help his mood either.

"You're staring, Dim-A," Thommy comments, one of his brows lifted and the right corner of his mouth ticked up into a smirk. "You wanna join us? Look at mah boy, Rhys, he's all comfy but my other side still has some room left. Should be enough for you. Looks like you could use some good ol' cuddle time to exorcise the dark shadow monsters from under your eyes." The infantile asshole has the gall to pat the empty side of the bed right next to his hip.

The past three days have been like the aftermath of one of those benders college students like to go on to burn the cruelty of the American education system out of their minds, and the two brats occupying his bed, beaten down and fractured around their edges, have little idea of what really is going on around them. And they still have enough energy to sass him.

Dmitri bites back the retort about whose fault his dark circles are.

He's not going to argue with a kid.

Then he feels Sasha's warm breath waft over his neck, and Thommy's upturned lips transform into a thin line out of nowhere.

"Wow, toddlers these days sure have guts, huh?" Sasha points out with a low whistle. "Bambi Legs snarks at you like there is no tomorrow and now Humpty Dumpty tries his hands at getting into your pants... or is he trying to propose a threesome?"

Dmitri closes his eyes for a moment that may turn into five before he steels himself and walks into the room, sitting down in the lone armchair by the window. It gives him perfect view of the whole room. Sasha follows behind and hands out the food in his hands, earning a strained sunny smile from Thommy and a nod from Rhys, who is still tucked into his best friend's uninjured side.

"So..." Thommy prompts between two bites of fried rice. "Any news on our savior? So far I've only seen you, your hunk of a doctor friend, and your third-rate choice of a babysitter with a dog fetish in the corner. Although the dog is cute, I'll give him that." The smile is gone from his face and the look he cuts Sasha is anything but nice. Dmitri has no idea what the kid's problem is. Sasha is genuinely one of the sweetest people Dmitri has ever met. Apparently, Thommy doesn't agree.

"Armand sent her after us," Rhys states, his gaze flashing with defiance as he stares at Dmitri. "Didn't you?"

Dmitri can't help it, he snorts at the presumption. "Please, enlighten me how I should have known where you were planning to execute the hare-brained plan that nearly got both of you killed. I don't remember suddenly gaining prophetic or mind-reading skills," he retorts, not even bothering to temper the derisive curl of his lips.

They are clueless, he tries to remind himself as he returns Rhys' glare without blinking. They have no idea the size of the mess they caused.

"I already told him it wasn't you," Sasha pipes up from his place on the floor. Ada is curled up with her head in his lap, quietly begging for food. They make the perfect picture of innocence and Dmitri wishes he didn't know better.