Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy or anything surrounding it (but I do own this plot :D)
DPOV
The sun poured in the uncovered window and spread over the room like a mist of gold. But a toxic mist at that. My head hammered from the events of last night and, whilst I didn't remember most of it, one moment came flooding back. I slowly opened and closed my eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light intensity, and frowned when I couldn't feel the girl in my bed. Once regaining the ability to see, I was indeed proven right; the girl had gone.
I huffed and flopped back into the covers but sat right back up when I felt a sharp pain in my left shoulder. Curious, I got up and wandered to the bathroom to inspect the situation. Man, that girl had nails! Grunting, I went to step into the shower when the sound of my front door opening stopped me from doing so.
"D!" Ivan's voice yelled and I clutched my burning head in pain.
"That was way too loud!" I called back snatching some trousers from the drawer and putting them on. Ivan covered his ears and winced as I spoke before stumbling over to the kitchen. He fumbled about in my cupboards for a while before getting annoyed.
"Where do you keep your God damn aspirin!?" he said slamming the cupboard door that housed my glass-wear violently. I sighed and slumped over to the kitchen, tripping on the dining chair as I went. "Cheers pal." He said once I fished the pills out of one of the other cupboards. He leaned against the sink and took the tablet. "So… guess who landed two birds with one stone…?" he said winking.
"Really Ive?" I rolled my eyes and he just chuckled.
"Yup." He said popping the p and chucking me the tablets. Our comfortable silence was broken by the loud vibration of my phone. I sighed and pushed myself from where I head been leaning on my fridge. "Who's calling you at this time in the morning?"
"Probably Viktor telling me the Nathan has already won." I grumbled and looked at the caller ID. Oh for the love of God!
"D?" It was Tasha. Again. Since she first proposed us 'hang out' she had managed to call me six times. Six!? Who has the time to do that!? I slammed the phone back on the counter and let it go to voicemail.
"Just some girl I gave my number to and now won't leave me be." I explained to Ivan's raised eyebrow.
"Ah, the desperate clinger. I feel you man." Ivan said meeting my eyes for a moment before looking away. It came to my attention how nervous he was acting.
"Ivan." I said slowly and he looked back at me innocently.
"Yeah D?" I scowled and he sighed. "I may or may not have some not so good news…" he mumbled.
"Ivan my income is under threat from a foe that I am not likely to beat and I have a girl obsessing over me at half past six in the morning, it cannot be that bad." I stated and Ivan shook his head.
"It is so much worse Dimitri." I became suddenly very concerned. Ivan hardly ever used my full name - unless he was introducing me - so this really couldn't be good.
I inhaled deeply and collected myself. "Okay, give it to me. What is it?"
"It is kinda the reason I am here, to warn you really, though I like hanging out with you too but there was an actual purpose…" as he saw my tired expression, he realised he was rambling. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Look D, I'm sorry but- oh what the hell. Dimitri your-"
He was cut off by someone knocking on my door. I held up a finger to Ivan to give me a moment and wandered cautiously over to the persistent knocker. I caught my reflection in the window as I approached the door and threw on a shirt to save some dignity, if I had any left. The room went eerily and uncomfortably quiet and a chill rose in spite of the warm sunrise. I carefully opened the door…
"Dimitri!" I heard Ivan yell but I was too focused on engraving the person's head into the wall opposite my apartment door.
"You dare to show your face in my life again!" I shouted into the man's face and threw him against the wall again. "You dare to come even near me!" I roared again and my vision turned red. I was vaguely aware that I had neighbours but I had spared them the discomfort of an alarm clock so I think I was doing them a favour. I socked the man solidly and mercilessly in the face and shoved him to the ground, toe-punting his crotch as I did.
I felt Ivan's arms wrap round my tense waist and pull me back. "Let me go Ivan!" I yelled, "Let me show him just how welcome he is." I spat at the cowering figure on the floor.
"Stop Dimitri, this isn't you. Stop." The desperation in his voice brought me back to focus. I had regained my normal vision but rage pulsed through my body like boiling magma. I stood tense and cold as the man I had beaten bloody slowly rose to his feet and managed a devious smile:
"Well it is nice to see you too son…"
"You want to run that through me again Aleksei?" I was proud of the glare that had engulfed my facial expression whilst my abomination of a father explained why he had risked his life coming to me.
"You were never the brightest kid on the block, were you Ivan?" his demonic voice could rival that of Nathan Ivashkov.
"No, I suppose not." Ivan smiled tensely as he tried to keep the conversation from me ripping my father's head of.
"Well, it has not escaped my notice that your current position is under threat," he was facing me and I couldn't help but smirk when I saw the beginnings of a black eye form round his deformed nose, "and, whilst you may or may not believe it, I am here to help you fight for your job."
"Oh?" I said surprised, "How do you propose to do that then?" I folded my arms and he smiled.
"Whilst you may not like me –" I snorted, "– I have acquired somewhat of a dark reputation and have friends who can get me what I want." The sinister tone in his voice made Ivan further sink into his chair but I just stared indifferently. He inhaled sharply and continued, "That and I have no respect for those Ivashkov bastards and I would jump at any opportunity to bring them down."
"Oh well I am glad we cleared that one up." I said, rising to my feet. Ivan looked at me warily whilst my father furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Sorry, I had foolishly thought you might have been here to help me but that just cleared it up for me." I smiled without heart and thundered out of the dining room, into my bedroom.
If there was a God, He hated me. Sure, I don't really speak to my family nowadays but to bring the man that abused, beat and tortured good people into my life was just beyond cruel. Drinking away my sorrows, I pulled out a bottle of strong Russian vodka from the bottom of my wardrobe just as Ivan walked in.
"Look man, I am so s-"
"Save it." I said taking a swing, "Everything else in my life is crumbling around me, why not add him to the mix?" I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes but no way was I crying with my father in the room next door.
Ivan shifted uncomfortably and I had finished half the bottle by the time he spoke up again. "Look, I can try and ask him to leave again, but-" I cut him off again.
"Don't bother. You heard him, he gets what he wants and if he wants Nathan dead then he'll get his wish; we are just two people with a common enemy now." It was only after they had left my mouth when I realised what I had said. "Look at me! I am so desperate that I am accepting aid from that satanic bastard!?" I threw my hands up and downed the rest of the bottle. The world swirled again and I lost control of the tears wanting to fall. "Why?" I cried. "What the fuck did I do?!" I yelled, loosing more control, and threw the bottle across the room. "I must have been a fucking murderer in a past life to have that for a father and to be blessed with a life so cold that not even my own family can stand me! I am a horrific person and do you know what the worst part is? I know it! I know that I am heartless and blunt and brutal and I don't do anything about it because what would be the point? I would just end up where I started with even less self-honour and more self-deprecation; I am a disgrace Ivan! How can you stand to be my friend?! I am horrible and I need to be left alone to live a worthless life and to be the bad-guy in everyone else's story that screws up their lives. I need to be friendless and I need to get out of this fucking house!" I concluded, grabbing a folder and my duster and pushing my way out of my apartment. I momentarily made eye-contact with the man who I called father and sneered before storming out the door and slamming it shut.
Even though I was in not state to drive, I still fumbled to find my keys. Upon the realisation that I had left them in my apartment, I groaned and elected to walk because there was no way I was lumbering back up to the sixteenth floor.
Walking was surprisingly refreshing. I did not need to speak for the best part of an hour and, having decided that I better pull myself together, I buried all my emotions down into a locked basement in my mind and covered my face with my perfected façade. It was a skill I had learnt to develop and apparently I could do it very well, despite my lack of self-belief. My head was still buzzing with the high that the vodka gave me but I still managed to maintain my sense of direction.
Arriving just past noon, I stepped into the Shadow Kiss Inn for the second time in my life. It was as it was before: lonely, worn-out and in dire need of refurbishment but in spite of everything, I liked it. Whilst everything around me fell to pieces this run-down old pub seemed to remain constant and free from worry. I wandered through the door and went to sit at the table I did before. Not before long I was met with another distraction in my life.
"So comrade," I raised an eyebrow at the nickname. Comrade? "are you going to have anything or just ruin my day again." The smile she gave me was worthy of a genuine smile of my own but then I remembered why I was here.
"Just a coffee please." I replied finding that when your voice I out of action for an hour, and you are under the influence of extreme vodka, your Russian accent decides to come powering through.
"Latte, black or cappuccino?" she asked and I could hear a hint of concern in her voice. Or I thought I could hear it but I must have been feeling the urge for arrogance in the mists of my self-loathing; this girl did not like me I reminded myself.
"Black please." I heard her scribble something down and wander off. I watched as she walked over to the kitchen; she seemed so carefree, no, just free. Free to be who she wanted and to make judgements off her own accord rather than adhering to the social rule book. She had no idea how lucky she was; what would I give to be as happy as her?
"Are you alright mister?" I hadn't notice her arrival but that is not what shocked me. She looked at me with what was so clearly genuine concern in her beautiful eyes that had once again managed to see past my mask. No-one had ever been able to see past it: not ever. Not even Ivan, though in his defence it was not through lack of trying. But this girl, stranger, had been able to see straight through my defences and boy, did it scare me.
If she could, then who else? Could Viktor? Could Nathan? If Nathan found out my weaknesses then I would loose for sure.
I was only brought out of my confused mental state by the girl – Rose was it? – raising both her eyebrows impatiently. I had realised that I had been staring at her for quite a while but then again, who wouldn't. She was truly something else…
Stop it Belikov!
"I'm fine." I told both her and myself and she hesitantly took that as an answer, and left me to my messed-up thoughts. I could not help but look back at her and just like that, I felt a little bit of the pain go away…