Surviving Winter
Chapter 7
Step by Step
Columbia stared at the bill, twitching. She knew she should find Ivan or track down the nutso sister of his and make one of them pay for it, but it wasn't really an issue for either of them. Katyusha had approached her, concerned, and Columbia had apologetically said that she would not be taking them back to Nation.
Sorry Katyusha, your family is too messed up. I'll see you sometime soon maybe? Without your brother of course...
She shooed the thought from her head, deciding that it was best to just not say anything. She ended up staying two nights in town, making SURE to call Feliciano this time and buying new clothes and a cell phone charger just for the stay. She wanted to stay close to her truck.
It was dumb, she knew it was, her attachment to the vehicle. It was the first thing she bought after the fire, after all the fucking drama. It was her freedom, the first thing in what seemed like years that she had picked out on her own, and she could just get in it and go wherever the hell she wanted and there was no voice next to her screaming about slowing down before stops or omigod watch that driver he looks like he could ram you!
She stared at the ceiling of the hotel room, counting the squares absent-mindedly. Was it weird the hotel room felt roomier than her own house? It took her a day and a half to find out why. There were people in the lobby at breakfast, she could hear the shadow of conversations through the thin walls, and even though everything was cleaned it looked used, lived in, there was always people here. Milling or talking and the pool area was filled with laughter. She thought was she wanted, what she needed, was some peace and quiet.
She missed her full house. Even if the relationships were loose, she missed the noise of life. She vaguely thought of the Braginsky Mansion, and how much bigger and lonelier it felt than even her own large farmhouse. He wouldn't end up living much longer if he stayed there by himself, would he? The loneliness could eat you away -
She frowned. Wasn't the same happening to her, on some level?
She cursed herself in her own mind. He just needed help, everyone needs a little help. That wasn't the problem. The problem was him accepting help, accepting he had an issue. Katyusha kept throwing glances, muttering things under her breath, like she was expecting Columbia to do something in some way. She realized Katyusha may be the only person to hang around Ivan on a regular basis. And the way he was staring into her, not angry but so utterly desperate at that point and saying how he wanted her company...she shook her head. Maybe it was just too risky. Why did her thoughts always return to him anyway?! Was he that infectious?!
Forget it.
Three days being away from home was too long, especially without work. Her thoughts were consumed, her mind obsessing over the violet eyed Russian and other unwanted ideas. She cursed her own thoughts. He needed to leave her mind, and she hoped to distract herself today. Feliciano was working outside when she pulled into the driveway, and the young man nearly dropped the wood he was carrying when he spotted the truck. He bolted towards her.
"What are you doing out here?" She asked, jumping out of the vehicle. She was immediately given hugs and kisses on the cheek, something she had really grown accustomed to, and he smiled brightly.
"You said we had to have the wood organized and there's the wire fence around the garden, and I cleaned out the shed and organized the wood and- " She put a hand over his mouth.
"Have you been out here every day without me?"
He nodded, amber eyes growing wide and clear.
She gave him a wary look, but grinned. "Thanks, Feli. Come on, help me take some of this junk inside." She opened the backseat of the truck and started shoving bags in his hands.
"You did alot of shopping, veee!" He exclaimed.
"I didn't have much of a choice Feli. Take those in." She slammed the door shut and opened the bed of the truck, grimacing.
Katyusha's and Ivan's bags were still in here too. Dammit. She didn't want their junk. She would have to go over sometime and drop it off. Grabbing only her own bags, she locked the vehicle and stormed to the front porch, where Feli was waiting for her to unlock the door.
After fumbling with the keys, she kicked the door open, grumpily taking the bags up to her room and flopping the stuff on her bed. Feli followed suit. Looking at her furnished but still seemingly bare bedroom, a sense of loneliness settled into her chest. Her house really did feel empty. An idea popped into her mind. It might be stupid or rushed, but she thought it was good anyway.
"Feli."
"Vee?"
"Would you like to live with me?"
"Wh-what?!" He squeaked, staring at her in surprise.
"Seriously. It's boring when you leave at night. I get depressed." She poked his forehead playfully. "You know what, I think I'm closer to you than I ever was with my brothers." It was an odd realization. Not one she didn't welcome, but still.
"I- I don't know - "
"Aw come on. You wouldn't have to get a ride to work anymore, you could be a permanent farmhand, we can have every meal together every day - " She stopped herself. "I mean, if you wanted to. I mean. You were right, you know."
"Vee? Right about what?"
"This house is lonely." God it was. She felt so empty on the inside when he wasn't there.
He shuffled his feet. "I don't know, Coli..."
She realized she must sound really desperate. "Sorry. I'm being clingy..."
"No, no, it's not that...it's just..." He sighed. "Vee...I don't know if Lovino would like me out here. Coli, you're my friend. I feel really close to you, you know?"
"I...I feel the same, Feli." She paused, smirking slightly. "I'll give you pick of rooms."
He stared at her, eyes growing big. "Vee?! Really?!"
"Why not? It's not like we - I, don't have the space. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have - hey!"
He grabbed her wrist, which caused her to wince because the bruising hadn't gone away yet, and dragged her to the office at the end of the hall. "This one! This one this one!" He chanted excitedly, practically jumping.
"What, the study?" It was easily a size and a half of the master bedroom. Then it clicked. "You want a studio."
He flushed, trying to hide a smile.
"I don't care. Like I'm gonna use it anyway. Oh, and you're cooking. Often. You are WAY better than I am."
He hugged her again, more tightly and extremely excited. "Si, si! Grazie, Columbia, GRAZIE!"
"Feli! Carefu-" She tried to steady herself by grabbing something, but nothing was behind her, and they fell to the floor.
"Oooh, I'm sorry! Veee..."
Columbia just laughed. It felt good to laugh too, she had been so stressed lately, and seeing her friend so excited was a welcome event. "Well...I suppose we better get started."
They clambered from their fallen position on the floor, Feliciano rushing out the door and bouncing up and down impatiently as he waited for the truck to be unlocked.
Lovino and Antonio were more than a little surprised to see Columbia and Feliciano walk into the store together, Feli speaking very fast Italian to his brother. Antonio eyed the two carefully, trying to pick up the words he knew and make coherent sense of the conversation.
Before anyone knew it though, Feliciano bolted upstairs to his room. Dark haired Lovino eyed Columbia wearily. "You...why are you being so good to him?"
She shrugged. "He's been good to me. I'd go as far as to say he's quickly become my best friend." She smiled, surprising the two men that were looking at her.
Antonio just shrugged. "I am happy for Feliciano." The Spaniard smiled. "It's good for him to be so cheerful. I think moving out to the country will be a healthy direction."
"SI, I agree..." Lovino's scowl didn't leave his face, though.
"Oh. Lovino. That thing we talked about...was it, two weeks ago?" Columbia asked.
"Si, it's done."
"Help get him packed? I have an errand to run then."
"What 'thing'?" Antonio asked, confused.
"It's-a surprise for mio fratello. I'll show you later."
Columbia left. When she returned, it was case after heavy case of paintings being loaded into the truck.
"I'll come up later tonight with the trailer." Antonio said after they packed her truck full of all the easily movable objects. The only things that couldn't be taken was the bed and the dresser, since they didn't want to leave them exposed. Other than that, Feliciano had very few belongings other than the shit ton of art supplies. He was excited to unpack. The small man had never moved so fast. The tarp he had was old, and she shook her head as he started to unravel the tattered material.
"That is gonna be the garden tarp from now on." She stated, tossing him a plastic package.
"Oh?" He fingered the plastic, opening the new tarp and unfolding it. The creases were crisp, it was brand new. "Oh!" He exclaimed, spreading out the material neatly on the floor.
"Bigger room, bigger tarp..." She muttered, unpacking another box of paintings carefully. "Where are you putting your bed?"
"Far wall." He said, pausing his work to point. She frowned. It was a dark side of the room, but it left more space for his work.
"We'll get a better ceiling light for you in here sometime." She said, looking up. Maybe even a skylight, she thought, thinking hard. The study came with a small desk, it would do for now, but she mentally noted to browse Yao's shop later for a more suitable piece.
"Hello?!" A Chinese voice rang. Speak of the devil.
"Yao, hey!" Columbia called, descending the stairs. "Right on time."
"What is going on, aru?" He indicated the open door and her half full truck. He seemed a little bewildered.
"Oh, Feliciano is moving in with me."
The man's expression morphed into a scowl, and he put a sleeved hand to his forehead. "You are impossible, aru!"
"We won't bother your work! What did you bring me today?"
"Mantle shelving." He stated. "Very simple. And the table."
"The table's done?!" She said, growing excited again. "Cool! Feli will be busy putting his room together today but we can go ahead and bring that in."
Yao huffed. "Fine, aru."
The day was a crazy blur of activity. Feliciano was running back and forth with empty and full boxes. After Columbia helped bring in the table, she took a surprise box out of the back of her truck and carried it upstairs to Feliciano's new room, which was starting to fill up nicely.
"Vee...that isn't mine." He said, curiously watching her as she took a pocket knife and tore open the tape. "Yes it is. Give me a moment and I'll show you." Lovino had approached her a couple of weeks ago about his brothers art situation. She had all too readily agreed to help, and a plan had been formed.
He shrugged, returning to organizing his paints the way he liked, and she slowly and carefully began unpacking the desktop computer. The monitor and everything was easy enough to set up, and she chime of the boot up is what ultimately received Feli's attention.
"Coli, too much!" He started, staring at the computer in disbelief.
"You're gonna need it!" She insisted, fingering her cell phone. "There's no internet yet, I mean - I have one of those portable hotspot things - but people will be over tomorrow to install something a bit more solid. Here- " She pulled up a web page on her cell, shoving the object into his hands. " - consider this an early Christmas present."
Confused, Feli stared at the small screen, and he felt tears well up in the corner of his eyes. An inviting web page, beautifully laid out and easy to read, had his art on display. He recognized the paintings shown immediately, and curiously, there were numbers next to them. He realized these were prices, and people could bid on the pieces like an auction. The banner at the top of the page read The Art of Feliciano Vargas in both English and Italian.
His jaw dropped, some of the numbers were moving, going up steadily. One painting was at over two hundred dollars.
"I had to have Lovino help with this part. I didn't know what pieces were off-limits to sell or what to put the minimum withdraw as. You're gonna have to thank him too. Oh, and you should put in a bio or something, with a nice picture."
His breath hitched, and he looked up at her with shimmering eyes.
"Haven't you cried enough lately?" She asked, smiling at him.
He nodded vigorously, wiping the tears away and returning her grin. "Si, plenty. Grazie, Coli."
"When you start making enough I expect you to pay rent. We can work on the details later though. And don't forget to thank your brother! He was the one that wanted to help."
He nodded in agreement.
Antonio and Lovino arrived a bit later, helping get the small dresser and put up the stairs and where Feli wanted it. Columbia busied herself with helping Yao and bringing chairs before taking out the old table and starting to hack it to bits. She looked up at her driveway, two trucks, one trailer, and one large delivery truck. It was a full house today, and the idea of that made her chest feel warm.
Yao approached her first. She was outside, checking to see just how much work Feli had gotten done in her absence. "I am all finished." He said, nodding curtly.
"Ooh, let me see!" She grabbed his sleeved hand, having trouble finding it through the material of her gloves and his shirt, but succeeded anyway and taking him with her back into the house.
The table was large, and a total of eight chairs, all perfectly matching and carved with ornate, dark wood. The color was almost black, with a touch of red. The edges of the table had small, intricate designs carved into it. "It's GORGEOUS!" She said, and hugged the man. "Thank you!"
Yao blinked, surprised at how excited Columbia was. "Um...no problem, aru...you paid me, so..." He coughed. "I should get going, aru...your house is very busy today-"
"Nonsense! Stay for dinner." She asked politely. Maybe having a full house for the evening is what she needed.
"Wha-?"
"Hold on. Hey Feli!" She called up the stairs, waiting for the auburn head to bob into sight.
"What is it, Coli?"
"Sorry, you've been working so hard today, but do you think you and Lovino are up to cooking dinner for everyone?"
"Ooh, si, I can make pasta! How about...an alfredo? Or maybe linguini?"
"Surprise me. It'll be you, me, Lovino, Antonio, and Yao."
"Oh, Yao is staying too? How fun!" He smiled. "Fratello! Could you go into town and buy some ingredients?"
"You want me to pay?!"
"I'm sure Coli will pay her part..."
"He was teasing, mi amigo, just get some things from the store. I don't mind for a family dinner."
Columbia's gaze returned to Yao, and she grinned. "See? No problem. I'm gonna go up and see if they need any help. Make yourself at home."
Yao was a little taken aback as he watched her ascend the steps. Frowning, he looked around the house. The kitchen still needed worked on, but as big as it was, the cabinets only held a few dishes. She didn't even have a dishwasher. The living room had a nice television and stand, but no movies were on the shelves, there wasn't a reading book or shelving unit to be seen other than the end tables, and a phone and phonebook were neatly stacked. He noticed the empty feeling the house gave off, the floors were wood and rough. He sighed, settling into the couch and waiting for his host to come back downstairs.
"Lovi, Lovi, give me that spice."
"NO! You'll just ruin it!"
"Then pass me the cheese! Lovi, you are making this very difficult -!"
Columbia giggled as the two Italians in the kitchen bickered while they cooked.
"The water's boiling over-!"
"Fratello!"
From there it was strings of Italian, and Columbia sighed dejectedly.
"They are fighting over who will watch the pasta." Antonio said, laughing.
"Oh?" She brought her head up. Yao and Antonio sat in the couch and she had reclined in her chair.
"BASTARDO!" Lovino shouted.
"Ah Lovi. You and that foul mouth of yours." Antonio sighed, grinning.
"He is foul-tempered, aru. Why is that?"
Antonio shrugged. "Beats me. I still think it's cute though." The mans thick accent was handsome, Columbia thought.
"I guess I never asked. How do you know the Vargas's?" She figured the fact they weren't related by blood was obvious.
"Oh, I took them in." He said, smiling fondly. "I found them, wandering the streets one day, digging for scraps at the bag of my store. My father still owned the placed then, and I was just a teenager. I'm only about eight years older than them. Father and I helped keep them out of trouble after that."
"So they were orphans?" She asked slowly.
"Not even they know what they were doing on the streets. It's kind of strange. They were young when we found them, but they talked like all they knew were the streets. Lovino was pretty beat up too, he had all kinds of injuries. Probably because of that foul mouth of his. He's always had it. Actually, he almost always came home scratched up somehow."
Yao's face pulled into a sad frown. "I never knew that about them, aru."
"Not many people do. They've done well for themselves, regardless. Crybabies, both of them, but hard workers."
"I know." She didn't miss the slight pink that graced Antonio's cheeks when he talked about Lovino. "So Lovino works in your store with you?"
"Si, he told me if he was ever forced to leave he would never come back to see me out of spite. I couldn't let that happen!" He laughed heartily.
"He is lucky to have such a good role model, aru. I knew your father a little, he was a good man. Where did he go?"
"He returned to Spain to be with his mother. She wasn't doing so well. I don't know her that well, but it's his mother so it's good. We still talk on the phone."
"That reminds me, I really should call my family sometime." Columbia said thoughtfully.
"You have parents, still?" Antonio asked, and she giggled.
They talked the entire time Lovino and Feliciano were distracted with cooking. Yao has a little brother and a couple of cousins he's close to, his parents were still around but lived elsewhere. She surprised them when she explained her own expanding family.
"Coli! Someone is pulling into the driveway!" Feli called.
"Really?" She asked, standing. "Who on..." She went to her living room window, which was large and pulled back the curtain.
"Who is it, aru?"
Columbia rubbed her forehead with the palm of her hand, groaning quietly. "Oh, it's Katyusha..."
"Ivan's sister?" Antonio asked, and Yao grew downright alarmed.
"I shouldn't have stayed, aru!"
"Oh calm down. I can handle this." She watched as Katyusha and Ivan exited the vehicle. She sucked in a low breath. Ivan too huh? She let the curtain fall back over the window, stuffing her hands in her pockets to wait to inevitable knocking at the door.
She deliberately delayed in answering, not really wanting to face the two when she was having such a good time with the people already here.
"Privet." Katyusha greeted shakily.
"Hey. Um. I'm assuming your here for the stuff you left in my truck?"
"Oh? I forgot about those...um, da, we can take them but..." She turned to face Ivan, who was glancing sideways. He seemed downcast. "Ivan." She urged, and he inhaled slowly.
"Prosti." He said the word so quickly she barely caught it.
"Sorry, what was that?"
"Ivan." Katyusha almost scolded.
"I said...I am sorry. For hurting you. That is." He mumbled the last words, fiddling with the little wheel on his water pipe.
Columbia blinked in disbelief. Was he really apologizing. "Seriously?" She asked.
"D-da." He spoke again, biting on the word. It was like he didn't know what to do with himself.
Columbia rested against the wall on the inside of her house. Between the fire in the living room and the cooking in the kitchen the warm air and smells were contrasting heavily with the cold outside, and she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. He was trying. That was a start. She still wanted to try to be friends, real friends, if he was willing. Yao would be shaking, but this might be a good idea.
"Come in. We were just about to eat."
A loud, short yelp of Chinese burst from the living room, and Ivan peered around the corner as he walked inside. "Oh. You have company." He observed.
"Lots of it! Oh, I hope we're not intruding..." Katyusha added, spying the Italians in the kitchen.
"Feli, do we have enough food for - holy geez! How much pasta do you guys need?!" Large pots and pans full of sauces and soaking noodles filled her kitchen. The counters were messy and food was absolutely everywhere.
Feli just laughed.
"Nevermind." Columbia said, turning back to the Russians. "There's plenty to eat. Make yourselves at home."
Yao looked like he was going to have a heart attack as Ivan casually sat next to him, his water pipe tapping against the floor evenly. Antonio also seemed a bit unnerved.
"How much longer, Feli?" Columbia asked.
"It should be done now! Lovi, finish while I set the table?"
"Si, fratello."
Katyusha smiled with jubilance. "I had no idea you were so popular, Columbia!"
"Oh, Feliciano just moved in with me today." Ivan stared up at her in surprise. "I was tired of being in this house alone. So Lovi -"
"You don't call me that! CHIGI!"
" - and Antonio helped him get his stuff in his room today, and Yao just delivered my new table and set up the new mantle. So we decided to have one nice big dinner."
"That's so nice!" Katyushas continued. "Thank you for inviting us as well."
Columbia grinned. "No problem." She was trying to remember the last time she smiled so much. Today was being so nice to her. The past few years suddenly seemed to empty and lonely in comparison to what was happening in front of her right now. She glanced at Ivan, recognizing his unease. He was smiling, but fidgeting.
"All right everyone, come and eat! Lovi and I are done!"
"Great." Columbia waited for everyone else to file in the kitchen first. "Ivan." She grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, taking special care not to grab his hands.
He stopped, looking at her in confusion. "What?"
She lowered her voice. "Sit next to me." It was a warm invitation.
His head tilted slightly, wondering what the smaller girl had in mind. She walked over to the table with him, realizing they were using the new furniture made her happy. "Feli, it looks delicious!" Steaming pots of chicken alfredo and fresh vegetables nearly filled the large table, and the room was filled with the clinking of glasses and silverware.
"Lovi helped." Feli said, sitting down next to Columbia. She took the head, Ivan on her left. Yao quickly took the seat furthest from Ivan. She watched with interest and Katyusha placed herself next to her brother, Lovino already and the end in between Antonio and Yao. There was only one empty seat between Yao and Feli. She almost frowned. One more and the table would be full. The thought was greedy, and she realized it was a negative thought and tried to push it from her mind.
Wine was poured. The food was passed around. Two main pasta dishes, the chicken alfredo and a cheese-filled shell pasta, packed with vegetables and a tomato sauce for the cheese pasta. Fresh rolls steamed from their basket and the butter went all around the table.
"Don't let Francis know, but I think you give him a run for his money in cooking skills, guys." Columbia said, thinking she had never had better pasta in her entire life.
"It's only because Feliciano is so talented." Antonio offered.
Feli flushed. "N-no, Lovino is a good cook too."
"Chigi - Non ti azzardare a dire questo a nessuno, ma tu sei meglio di me ..."
"Fratello - "
"Lovino was complimenting Feliciano's skills." Antonio translated.
"Tomato bastard-!" Lovino's face turned red.
Columbia laughed. "There must be something you're really good at Lovino, huh?"
His blush deepened, and he went back to shoveling food into his mouth.
"Oh it can't be that embarrassing." Yao asked, suddenly curious.
The shrinking Italian gave a pleading glance at Antonio, who just chuckled. "Lovi has deft hands, though he isn't that great at art. Pickpocketing and lockpicking are something he's really good at though."
There was an awkward silence that followed.
"Those are...unique skills to have." Katyusha offered, and Lovino remained silent and rather still.
"I was-a thinking of joining an undercover police force or something...I can spot any pickpocket in-a mile."
"I didn't know that, fratello."
"I didn't want you to-a worry about it!" His face was still red.
Columbia giggled. "I think it's a great idea!"
"But then I would lose my favorite worker..." Antonio whined, wrapping an arm around Lovino's thin shoulders. "Lovi, don't leave me!"
"Off of me, tomato bastard-!"
This earned several laughs, and Yao flapped a sleeve towards the smothered Italian. "You should come to my store sometime, aru. Someone keeps swiping candies from my front counter."
"You're worried about those little Chinese snacks?" Feli asked.
"Yes I am! I have them imported special, aru. And inventory keeps coming up short. It's weird, aru..."
"Mmph. I might-a do that." Lovino said, twirling his fork again.
"Oh? Coli, do you want some wine? It's fine Italian!" Feliciano offered. She shook her head though. In the back of her mind, she thought of the vodka she had with Ivan on their 'date'.
"No, could you get me the rum from the liquor cabinet?" She asked pointedly.
"Sure." He stood.
Lovino sent a harsh glare towards her. "He's not-a butler, you know."
"Huh?" Columbia paused, a bite of food halfway in her mouth. "Sorry?"
"You order him around a lot."
"Fratello, it's fine!" Feli interrupted, setting the heavy glass bottle down. They switched to Italian, confused faces watching the exchange carefully. They went back and forth for about half a minute. The tension was obvious and Columbia could only stare in disbelief. Lovino was really worked up, and she had never seen Feliciano so defensive before. He almost looked angry for a moment, which was very strange for the humble young man.
"CHIGI!" Lovino finally said. "Fine then. As long as you're all right."
"Si, fratello, si." Feli said calmingly. "Coli?"
"This one is great, Feli, thank you." She did not miss the narrowed glare sent her way by Antonio either, but his face returned to normal after Feli's spoke his part of the conversation.
"My my, everyone is so lively!" Katyusha said. She hadn't had much to say.
"You work at the office, don't you, aru?" Yao asked, surprising Columbia.
"Da, I file utility checks and keep paperwork straightened out. It's part time, because I have family duties. Though I don't always do such a good job. I am better at gardening."
"Ooh. I might hire you, Katyusha." Columbia gave her a sly smirk.
"Oh, you would have to tear me away from my job first!"
"Challenge accepted." She offered back, grinning. "Feli, meet your new co-worker."
"Ciao!" Feli smiled and waved across the table, earning another bout of laughter.
Ivan frowned. The exchange of words and conversations were strange to him. Welcome, but strange. They all seemed so...relaxed. Someone mentioned something about the sauce and how it was made, and they all put in their two cents. More wine was poured. Columbia passed around her rum, filling her own glass high with the dark liquid. Laughter rang through the air occasionally. How could they interact as such? Someone asked him something. Who was it?
"Do not mind me. I was just thinking of how fun it would be to overpower you with my overwhelming presence!" He said, smiling. The uncomfortable looks he received made him question his own words as silence fell.
Columbia was the only one that gave him a sideways glance, taking another drink and shrugging. "I dunno how you expect to accomplish that."
Conversation slowly resumed as wary glances were thrown his way. Their behavior was weird. They were weird. And she was the strangest of them all. Why had she gathered this many people? He realized he was feeling jealous. Jealous of the company she had managed to bring together on her own and in just a short amount of time. She reacted the strangest to him as well. They all grew quiet in acceptance and she challenged him. He wasn't sure he liked that, but he could not deny what she had accomplished. He wanted people to come visit him too. He wanted someone to want to live with him again. And strangely enough, he wanted her to come and see him with a smile like that.
"I don't...understand." He muttered, and Columbia's light-hearted mood shifted as she sent him a sharp gaze. He was quiet, maybe Katyusha heard, but definitely no one beyond the females flanking him. He picked at his plate, forcing a small smile that was quickly disappearing. "I...don't..." His hand gripped his water pipe more, giving her a sideways glance. "These people..." How had one young woman shaken him so? That strange attitude of hers.
Stone faced, she acknowledged that he was addressing her. "These people are my friends, Ivan. I care for them."
The creases on his face deepened, as he tried to work what she had just said into his brain. He knew this was normal. He knew what all of it was, what it was supposed to be. It was accepting it that was the hard part. The inkling feeling that this was the truth of things and everything else he knew was wrong kept creeping into chest. It's a feeling that had grown over the years, that threatened to shake his very being. He wanted what she had. He wanted normalcy. In a sudden instant he realized that the reason she bothered him so was because she was solidifying his fears. That he was wrong. That this difference was normalcy.
It was just so different.
Too different.
He stood abruptly, not saying anything as he walked towards the front door.
"Ivan...?" Katyusha asked after him, watching him nervously. He didn't stop and the room fell silent. "Ivan!" She called again. He walked outside. She stood quickly to follow him. "Sorry, Columbia. Thank you for the meal. Ivan!" Her pace quickened as his did, and she ran after him.
Columbia frowned, looking after them as Katyusha grabbed her coat and tried to run out the door, forgetting to close it behind her. A stream of harsh Russian finally stopped the taller man in his tracks, and they had a conversation...or an argument, she couldn't tell, outside.
"Coli...should I close the door?" Feli asked on a whisper.
"No. Hold on. Sorry to sour the mood." She rose from her seat, taking her drink with her, and marched outside to follow them.
"Coli-?!"
Columbia took a large drink of her liquor, her feet falling heavily as she walked. "Ivan." She called, the tall man looking as bewildered as anything. "Is there something bothering you?"
He stared at her, shaking his head in annoyance. "I really don't understand you. Why do you approach me?"
"I thought you wanted to be friends." She was starting to doubt she could even try. Actually, the only reason she was still trying was because she kept thinking about him.
"I do...but this is weird. Approaching me so casually. It's weird!"
"This isn't weird at all! I'm just trying to be sociable, Ivan. I actually kind of like you! How hard is that to understand?! Don't you get - " Her world spun as she was forced to the ground. The sound of glass shattering. Someone screamed in a foreign language and fingers gripped her throat.
"NE, you don't understand! I can't believe you! IT ISN'T MY FAULT!" The grip tightened, and she was being shaken. She was vaguely aware of Katyusha trying to pull her large brother away. What wasn't his fault?
She figured something like this might happen. She stared hard back into his eyes, looking for that murdurous intent that wasn't there. His fingers were around her throat, yes but she could still breathe fine. "STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!" He screamed. His face held no anger. Just...heartbreak. "WHY AREN'T YOU AGREEING WITH ME?!"
"This isn't what you want to do!" She spat, shocking him. She didn't notice the people rushing outside. "If you're going to hurt me than stop acting and fucking DO IT!"
His hands twitched. "You're mean! You don't do what you're told!"
"And you're just desperate, huh? I already told you, you can't control me! You like me, right? You want to make me your friend? It's not going to work this way!" In an instant she pressed her knees into her chest, kicking straight up, hard. Her feet hit his ribcage, and he gasped, being flown backwards and stumbling with a grunt. Free of his grasp, she smoothly jumped to her feet.
"See? If you were serious you would have torn my throat out. You're strong enough for that."
"Confused..." He mumbled. "Why?"
Katyusha glanced nervously between the two before darting to Ivan's side. He was gasping for air.
"...I'm sorry." Columbia said quietly. "You guys should..." She looked up at him, he was staring at her between ragged breaths. He looked pathetic. Like he was about to cry.
"Don't look at me like that, you attacked me!" She cried.
"I don't...understand..." He breathed unevenly. "I'm supposed to be strong..."
She frowned, looking down on him.
"What did I do wrong?" He continued, his voice wavering.
Columbia slumped her shoulders with a sigh, and leaned down to face him. "You can't just...force me to get along with you." She glanced back to the shocked faces that were staring from her front porch. "Listen...this isn't something to talk about right now. If you want to stay...you can. But you gotta chill out. You want to come back in and have a few drinks?" She offered a hand, and he stared at it with a large, innocent face.
"D-da..." He mumbled, accepting her hand and she helped him up. He placed a hand on his chest and rested his weight on his water pipe.
"Hey, it's all right." She gave him an encouraging smile. "Just relax a bit."
Nodding slightly, he and a very relieved looking Katyusha followed her back into the house. The rest of the guests had retreated back inside on their own, Columbia giving Yao a confident wink that said 'I told you I can handle it'. His speechless face was all she needed in response.
"Sorry again, everyone!" She said, grabbing another drinking glass from her cabinet. "We can move to the living room and just relax. Ah...sorry about the seating. We can drag some of the chairs out of the kitchen..." She busied herself with pouring another glass of rum, sipping at it eagerly. Her guests were still a bit dumbfounded though, and it was Feli who started pulling chairs across the wood floor.
"Let...me help." Ivan offered slowly, hesitantly following suit. He was a little slow about it, but Feli was willing to accept the help, if not a bit wary about it. Odd, he seemed to take the hit to his chest and just shrug it off pretty easily.
When he and Katyusha were out of earshot, Yao approached Columbia, whispering harshly. "What are you doing?!"
"He's a friend, Yao. Just a few little problems is all. Let's just have a good time, huh?"
"You've got balls, aru!"
"Drink?" She offered.
He sighed. "I'm going to need it, aru..." He pouted. "I really feel like I should leave, if I am being honest..." He stayed.
With a little help from the Italian brothers, the mood lightened considerably by the time everyone had a drink in hand. Bottles lined the end tables and sat next to chairs. Ivan sat with Columbia on the couch, Lovino and Antonio on the other side.
"So I pick the lock on the safe, yes? And by the time he finds the keys, I've broken the damn thing and we have to send it in get fixed!"
"Lovino, I never knew you were so good at that!"
"I'm better at pickpocketing. Besides, it would be better to be good at something constructive. Your art is amazing."
"Ooh, I don't know Lovi...I still have a lot to learn."
"I don't think I've ever seen you paintings." Ivan asked, and the chatty atmosphere fell silent again. His head turned, confused.
"O-oh. Well I have some upstairs..." Feli replied quickly in an attempt to save the mood.
"Oh? I will have to see some before I leave."
"Sure...is...there anything you like to do?"
"Me?" He frowned, and then flushed slightly. "I...like to dance."
The entire room, minus Katyusha, looked surprised. "Brother is a wonderful dancer! We would go to balls together sometimes."
"Ah...da I remember those. There were strange though. It wasn't like dancing at home..."
"Too stuffy?" Columbia offered.
"Yes! That is good way to put it. You are good at expressing things, Columbia."
"I'm the oldest of eight...almost nine, kids. I was the one that related my siblings feelings to my parents often, since they were always really busy."
"That makes sense, aru." Yao added. "My younger cousins would usually ask me to help them talk to my parents often."
"Ah, Lovino, all this talk of kids is making me remember how cute you were when you were small." Antonio had gripped the younger man in a hug again, who looked less than pleased.
"Tomato bastard."
"You want kids someday?" Katyusha asked.
"Si, I love kids! I almost thought about leaving the store to teach someday, but I just couldn't do it. I grew up there! It's important to me too. We still get lots of kids in when people go grocery shopping. I sometimes help occupy the little ones who come in so the parents can actually get something done."
"Oh, that's so sweet!"
Columbia grinned, leaning back into her seat and drinking deeply. The mood had returned to a relaxed stance, and Ivan was even talking a little. She noticed he wasn't drinking from her stores, but kept pulling a silver flask from his pocket and drinking from that. The way he spoke was still odd, the occasional comment about something malicious sounding was off putting, but Columbia set an example by shrugging it off as nothing.
About halfway through her third drink, Columbia was thrown into a giggling fit.
"Lightweight." Ivan observed.
"Oh shush. What have you been drinking out of that thing, water?"
"It looks like water." He stated mischievously, grinning.
"I don't believe you."
"Then try it yourself." He said, thrusting the silver canister in her palm.
"Fine." She unscrewed the cap and took a large gulp. Messily she wiped her chin where the liquid missed her mouth. "Mm. Definitely not water."
"Haha! I told you."
"How much have you had?"
He paused. "I think four of these." He turned the flask over in his hand.
"You- what." Had he be drinking constantly? She tried to think. She must have missed something.
"You lie!" Yao shouted. "There no way, aru."
Katyusha physically groaned, taking another drink of her wine.
Ivan dug into is large coat pockets, pulling out no less than six flasks. Two of them still sloshed with alcohol.
"Damn Ivan, you're worse than I am." Columbia said amused, inspecting the flasks and taking one for herself. Before he could protest she twisted the cap off an untouched one and drank deeply.
"That's mine!" He cried loudly, reaching for the metallic object. She held it away from him playfully.
"Mine now!" Damn that quiet outlook of his. If he really did have that much alcohol in him he should be able to have a little fun.
"Columbia!" He whined. She had brought her leg up and pressed it against his chest, leaning back into Lovino to play keep-away.
"Get off-a me!" Lovino complained. Antonio had giggled, a little past tipsy himself and wrapped an arm around Lovino's waist as the smaller body pressed into him.
"Nu-uh."
"Coli, you should give it back." Feli said softly, trying not to laugh at the scene.
She grinned. "Dance with me!"
Ivan looked at her in bewilderment. "Huh?"
"You said you like to dance, so dance with me."
"You're drunk." He said.
She shook her head.
"Coli, you are drunk."
"Yao, am I drink?"
"YES!"
She laughed. "I said 'drink'." Fighting to keep her composure, she looked back up into the beige haired man again. "Come on, it'll be fun! Dance."
"I..." His cheeks turned pink.
"You're being cute again." She grinned, and he buried his chin into his scarf, face going a shade redder. "Aww, I want a hug now!" She cried. "You just make it worse when you do that you know." She tugged on the end of his scarf, which had flopped down into her lap. "Do you ever take this off?"
"N-ne..." He replied, turning away.
"What cute lovebirds!" Antonio laughed.
"D-don't say that while holding on to me! CHIGI!"
"Aw come on, Ivan. Dance." She tugged on the end of his scarf again, which he grabbed her wrist and forced the material from her hand, gently prying her fingers off.
"Fine, just leave my scarf alone." He finally agreed.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She sat up, dizzily, and handed out his flask, which he carefully sealed and returned back into his coat pocket. "You going to take that off?" She asked, pointing to the thick coat. "The fire's going an you haven't..."
"Is fine." His smile was small, and he grasped her hand gently. She stood, wobbling. "Dancing will be difficult if you can't keep balance."
"Oh...stop it. Feliiii...music..."
Feliciano giggled, finding the television remote and flipping through the music channels until Ivan told him to stop.
"This will be good." He stated, stepping forward elegantly and pulling Columbia into him. Eyes were glued to the couple.
Columbia was glad she was drunk. She was sure her face was already red, which made her flush seem non existent. He moved gracefully, pulling her away and back into him, making slow, steady circles around the room.
"What dance is this?" She asked, her words slurring.
He just smiled at her.
"Brother, that is wondeful!" Katyusha's voice rang.
"Vee...they look good together, don't you think?" Feli was the only one that knew Columbia liked Ivan.
"Hey Lovino, think we could dance like that?"
Her living room slowly spun around her. Even with the clunky coat on, he was very graceful. "I think you lied to me." She said.
"Oh? Why is that?"
"How the hell can you dance this well with that much alcohol, huh?" The last bit of vodka she drank was starting to hit her, and she giggled.
"Secret just for me." He responded, throwing her into a spin.
"Oh-!" His hand slipped, and, too dizzy to save herself, she stumbled backwards, tripping on the raised brick platform that held her furnace.
"COLI!" Feliciano yelled, sprinting towards her as she crashed into the hot metal. In a second the room was a blur of activity.
"HOT!" She screamed, scrambling forward on instinct. Her wrist was grabbed, and she fell flat on her stomach on the hard wood floor. Her back burned, and she was suddenly grateful that the alcohol was dulling her senses, though unhappy that it was also curbing her inhibition. "Fuck, that hurts -!" She swore.
"Hold still, Coli!"
"Off, off!" She screamed, realizing she was being grabbed by the shoulders. "OFF, YOU BASTARD!" She felt panic rise in her throat. Crap.
Something cold soaked her back, and she shivered, but the panic died a bit at least. "ACK!"
Feliciano dropped to a knee in front of her, holding her face between his hands and gently turning her so she could see him. "Coli? Calm down..."
"Not taking me with you-!" She slurred.
"Coli, no one's taking you anywhere..." He soothed, confused.
"Come, help her up!" Katyusha urged.
"Coli, can you walk?" Feli asked.
Columbia blinked, hard. Through sharp pain and a fuzzy head she found her feet under her, looking around. Katyusha at the base of the stairs, Lovino and Antonio staring at her worriedly. Feli held one of her hands and Ivan the other. She shuddered. Burn, why a burn, dammit, should've put up the damn fence around the furnace stupid, stupid. "This...isn't happening again, is it?" She asked, looking up at Ivan.
"Da, it is." He replied, smiling.
The color drained from her face, and she fainted.
"What did you say?!" Feli screeched, barely catching Columbia as she fell limply towards the floor.
"I sent her into shock so she would faint! Better than enduring pain from bad burn." He replied with a grin.
"You're going to give her nightmares!"
"Better imaginary pain than real."
"Bring her upstairs, quickly! We have to soak the burn!" Katyusha called, urging the men to hurry. The two carried her to the upstairs bathroom where Katyusha shooed them out to tend to her.