Brothers Romanoff [MMF]

10

"You take one more step and I will splatter your fucking brains all over this goddamn floor,"

Mikhail narrowed his eyes but said nothing. The men on the dock looked to him. He was the one who usually stopped Lev before he got out of hand. Now he stood by a glare on his face as Lev edged his gun into the rats mouth.

"You wanna take a missing boy? I can help you," Lev said menacingly. "Waking me up from a goddamn nap for a kilo of fucking coke? You stupid? I should make you swallow this bullet like your mother should've swallowed you."

"Come on man! We work for you! Don't hurt us just be—"

Lev turned around slowly, his eyes aflame. "If I wanted to hurt anyone here I would've done it already. You call me in here in the middle of the night and ask me not to hurt anyone? That's all I know how to do. That is my function."

He pulled his gun out of man's mouth, spit and blood dripping off the barrel. Lev smirked. Mikhail never let him off his leash. He was always there, in between Lev and everyone else.

"You fuckers are gonna get me sent back to prison," he smirked standing. "Sort it out. I don't care if you have to fuck on the corner for a dollar like a 2 bit whore get me back my money. Every. Single. Red. Cent," Lev growled, pulling a bullet out of the chamber holding it up. "Or this is for you."

Mikhail clenched his jaw as the men scattered. "Thought it was the cops. A kilo. They called for a kilo."

Lev sighed rolling his shoulders. "It won't be long under they catch up."

"Just pay taxes and we won't have to do the time, Lev I keep telling you—"

Lev shrugged. "If it comes down to it, I'll go. You stay with our girl."

Mikhail sneered. Lev liked flirting with fire. He liked prison. He liked fighting his way to the top all over, would pretend he was new, just so he could. Lie about his name, refuse to show his paperwork, just so he could start beating people to death.

Sure they had lawyers to get him off and despite Mikhail's many, many warnings, Lev continued to defraud the government, taunting them, begging them to throw him away, so he could quench his thirst for blood without Mikhail's watchful eye.

Lev salivated at the thought. Prison was ideal. All the ass he could want, all the blood he could want. The only thing lacking was the food.

Lev had two modes: off and on, and once he was on, you'd catch the devil trying to turn him back off.

"We should get back to Mara," Mikhail said, looking up at the sky. "She doesn't like to be alone."

Lev licked his lips, and raised his brow. "So go home. I'm already here. I'll make sure,l" he raised his voice pointedly, "these two hit, sacks of useless fucking shit get my fucking money,"

"You need to get your temper under wraps before you go home to her," Mikhail sighed, taking the gun from Lev. Lev narrowed his eyes in dismay, his eye twitching.

"What temper? This is me. You know me," Lev scoffed, pulling the gun from his hands roughly, putting the safety on, tucking it in his waistband.

"Come on," Mikhail said softly.

Lev rolled his eyes. Mikhail took his hand. "Come on," he said again, softer this time barely a whisper. "Please."

Lev's eyes shifted. "I take in your little second wife. Fine. I keep myself under wraps for you. Fine. What else Mikhail? When will I stone for all things I've done. For losing her? For what I make you do—"

"This isn't about any of that—"

"It's why you punish me. Force me to stay here. You know what I want."

"We cannot leave peacefully if we do what you want," Mikhail swore. "You know that! Like a fucking shark. You smell blood and have no reason!"

Lev stared at him with something akin to contempt. "Then leave me. Go. Be with her."

Mikhail scoffed. "That's what this is about isn't it? You're jealous. Fine. Fine, Lev. If it'll calm you down. I will. I'll leave her."

Lev looked between his eyes and shook his head gently. "No you won't. You'll just see her behind my back. Keep me at bay with the guilt. When have I given enough?"

Mikhail's eyes stung."You will never have given enough to make up for what you've done. But we march on. We are soldiers. Do not you dare condescend to me and pretend I hold it over your head."

"Don't cry," Lev turned around.

"No! You just wanna fight. You can pretend it's Mara but you like Mara. You want permission. A reason. An excuse. So you can go back being the animal you've always loved to be!"

Lev stared unseeing into the distance. "You like it when it serves you."

Mikhail kneeled down with a sigh, squatting. "What do you want, Lev?"

Lev shrugged. "I want...to be happy. Like everyone else."

Mikhail threw up his hands. "I love you, Lev. But I can't keep fighting you. I can't keep holding you back from this monster you yearn to become. You have to do it, Lev. You have to want to."

Lev sighed and offered his hand. "We have the same arguments every day. Let's just put it away. Xiomara doesn't like to alone right?"

"Guess we'll talk about it later?" Mikhail said softly, taking Lev's hand.

Lev nodded, throwing his arm over Mikhail's shoulder. "If we have to."

The two walked off the dock, toward their home.

"What's her deal? About being alone?" Lev asked.

"She lost her family in a house fire," Mikhail said. "Real freak accident. Crazy thing is, they were trying to leave her, but only she got out. She thought she was alone."