Brothers Romanoff [MMF]

44

Mikhail stared at the discarded bracelet on the floor, cigarette between his fingers, his eyes narrowed.

Lev followed his eyes and cleared his throat.

"Think I'll go check on Mara," Mikhail murmured.

Lev swallowed roughly. "I'll do it. She's...not happy with you right now, understandably—"

Mikhail shouldered past him. "No. I'll check myself."

Lev watched as his Mikhail's hand turned the knob, his eyes narrowing. He put his hand into his pockets. Mikhail glanced back at the trembling hands he was trying to hide.

"When I open this door she's not going to be here is she?"

Lev walked away. Mikhail's hand left the knob, opting to follow him.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Lev murmured, his shaking hand wrapped around his throat. "We made her stay here just her for a week and she tried to hang herself. What if she disappeared?"

"We could've stopped her. Padded the room. Taken out the sheets—"

Lev scoffed. "What kind of life is that?"

"Since when do you care?" Mikhail spat, spinning around. He raked his fingers through his dark hair his glare intense, burning into Lev's flesh.

"That's not fair," Lev whispered. "You brought her into this why don't you care?"

Mikhail clenched his jaw, pacing. Lev watched him, his eyes darting to the door and back. "She'll come around—"

"To captivity? Not likely." Lev finished, making Mikhail shoot him a rabid glare. "Look, Mikhail. We have each other. That's always been enough hasn't it?"he pleaded.

"Has it ever been enough?" Mikhail whispered.

Lev reared back as if he'd been slapped. "I know I haven't always been the best husband but I was good to you. I'm good to you. If anyone has suffered because of my actions it's me."

Mikhail scoffed and turned around. "You suffered?" He said eerily quiet.

Lev stepped back. "I mean...I make bad decisions and it backfired sometimes, but this is not one of them. This is right—"

"You suffered?!" Mikhail shouted, stalking toward him.

Lev swallowed.

Mikhail huffed. "You fucked other people even when I begged you not to until I didn't say anything about it anymore even though you knew it hurt me." Mikhail advanced on him. Lev stepped back looking.

"I—"

"You kept Jean in prison even though you were fully capable of getting him out just so you could have a replacement husband when you in!" Mikhail stepped forward.

Lev swallowed. "Well I—"

"Oh and prison! Even though I begged you to stop going you just had to fight! And I was asking too much of you to just stay with me!"

Lev licked his lips, taking another step back. "I know and I'm sorry—"

"You let our daughter die! You didn't even hold her hand when she did!"

Lev went pale his back against the door, his gaze on the floor.

"And now, when I finally have someone who makes me happy, have a chance for a family again—" Mikhail slammed his hand on the door next to Lev's head turning the knob, forcing Lev to fall back on his hands as the door opened. "And you let her go."

Mikhail loomed over him. "But you've suffered. Tell me how you've suffered, Lev."

Lev looked down silently. Mikhail widened his eyes, clapping his hands over his mouth. "I'm sorry," he whispers breathlessly. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have—"

Lev shook his head. "No, you're right. You're right I—" he chuckled ruefully. "It's my fault. All of it."

Mikhail looked away. "That's not true. And I forgave you for that stuff I really did—"

Lev rested his arm on his knee raising her brow. "No, you didn't. And that's alright. A lot of things I do are unforgivable. I'll be honest, Mikhail I've changed. But maybe not enough."

He shrugged. "I'll be honest you two could be happy without me. You'd be happier without me. You don't need this. You don't need me."

He stood. "But I made a promise to Xiomara. I told her I wouldn't tell you where she was and I won't. But that's doesn't mean, we have to stay together."

Mikhail reached out to him. "Don't say that. Hey, we're the Romanoffs."

Lev smiled softly. "You deserved more than the man I was to you, Mikhail. You've been faithful you've been patient. You've been kind. And I was none of those things. And it took someone else, someone new who wasn't used to my shitty behavior for me to see that."

Mikhail's eyes stung. It felt like a goodbye.

"I loved you. I love you. And I thought that would be enough. But it's not. And it never was." Lev swallowed and cupped his cheek with a smile. "Was it, my love?"

Mikhail tears spilled over, leaning into his palm. "Don't leave me, Lev. Not you too."

Lev just smiled because he knew Mikhail, and he always had. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

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