don't flinch

.

Peter wasn’t sure why he didn’t quip back at Diana, he thought that a part of him was too tensed up about their evening plans for the ongoing war between the Vipers and Scorpions. He finished getting ready and handed Diana her heels, one by one, before helping her stand back up. Peter didn’t know which way to feel about Diana’s words when it came to the watch because he hadn’t expected so much honestly, and he wasn’t sure if the memory of their father’s wishes was a ploy to give him a small win while she conquered the bigger battles between them. All he could really do was give her a nod that acknowledged everything she voiced from their united front expanding past any sibling tiffs and their father’s wishes to the almost-compliment about how he looked. “Let’s get going.” His voice was a bit lighter, but still carried that notable tone of determination as he walked over to the door and held it open for her. 

[ TIME JUMP ]

Everything had gone according to plan, minus a couple of small hitches when it came to people who wanted to play hero. The message was heard, loud and clear, and the Volkov’s were expected back on the speedboat that would take them away from the wedding reception. He tried to count heads before he headed to the dock himself, and hoped to god that every last one of his family members was safely inside. He knew they would need to prepare for the storm that was coming. While the Vipers and Scorpions had been in an ongoing war for generations, they had been lighting more fires lately, ones that no one was putting out anymore. Peter walked inside, adrenaline so high that he had yet to notice the reed that stained his white dress shirt under his unbuttoned suit coat. Green hues immediately locked eyes with a matching pair for a moment before he looked over his sister. “Are you alright?” The boat was moving through the waves, aiding their escape. And while Peter’s eyes remained on Diana and she looked relatively fine, he couldn’t understand the expression that came over her face. “Diana?” The blond’s voice felt foreign and far away as the color drained from his face. Without another second’s notice, Peter collapsed onto the ground. 

+

Crimson faded into the maroon of her jumpsuit, darkening its color with an array of splotches that were truthfully only noticeable to those who stared long enough or actually witnessed the carnage left behind in Diana’s wake. As soon as the speedboat hit water, her incriminating weapon dropped into the oceanic depths below while the blonde positioned herself at the starboard bow. Each Volkov was safely onboard, their plan accomplished nearly to perfection and she felt... nothing. Absolutely empty of whatever vengeful relief the blonde anticipated from carving open one of the Scorpions and knowing that her family had done the same, if not worse, to others. Just more hollow gaping where someone significant no longer existed. A measured gaze cut through the miniature family gathering to find her sibling–– her literal partner in crime this evening, and for the first time in her life, Diana sensed the welling of gratitude over him within the slender expanse of her throat. Are you alright? No, but she would be in time. There was no alternative.

Hues dropped from the uncanny familiarity of his profile, raking over any gore which coated his once pristine suit and shirt. Far more than she anticipated and not showing signs that it had begun to dry. They had made it out unscathed, right? Any neutral expression broke as the elder sibling forced her way across the space between them, that perfectly composed façade shattering almost immediately as his figure swayed so unsteadily that it inspired something akin to nausea. No. No. No. “Pete,” the childish nickname fell in the same breath that her brother did and immediately she dropped to his side. Quick fingers practically tore the mottled shirt as she tugged it upward to inspect the damage. “He’s injured, we need to get him to a medic. Now.”

-

Hours later, Vasili still felt like the suit was stifling, and even with the buttons undone, the cigarette between his fingers, in one of the main grand rooms in Isaak’s well guarded mansion, he still felt a sense of unease. He couldn’t deny that he felt elated, somewhat, that there was a little bit of joy that he couldn’t ignore; it felt like somehow the cosmic balance had been restored, and he had been avenged. It wasn’t the first time he’d been in the midst of something like that, and he was sure that it wouldn’t be the last, but something felt even more unsteadier beneath his feet, and he couldn’t quite figure out why. Diana had asked a question, but he hadn’t been paying attention, and he turned to her. “What? Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” He admitted, and then a slight frown crept across his forehead and he asked his cousin. “You okay?” 

…

Whatever this was had been the most frustrating experience of his entire life, including the conversation he had with his sisters earlier. It was almost humorous that now the points were on the Volkov’s side that her actions were justified but the events that happened at Summer Palooza had made him the bad guy in this entire thing. His tongue brushed along his lower lip as a humorless laugh left his mouth, nodding his head. “Okay,” he cleared his throat as he tilted his head to look down at his feet. This chaotic action the Volkovs took at the wedding had only put this entire thing between them at risk. She wouldn’t be the one putting her life on the line for him but it would be the other way around because for some reason he wasn’t able to stay away from her. “Physically,” his tone was soft. 

It was obvious to his demeanor that the last thing he wanted to truly talk about was his sisters. All he could hear was Isabella’s words on repeat in the back of his head. Stay the hell away from me. Little had she known that was what he had been doing since Summer Palooza, not being able to look at his little sister, knowing what had happened to Vasili was affecting her more than he wanted. It was hard for him to wrap his mind around the fact his little sister was in love with someone he had been raised to believe was the enemy but again… what the hell was he doing? 

It was the way his heart raced around the blonde, it was the way he thought about her whenever he was inside someone else the last month. As his back faced her, his eyes focused on the door. His mind kept telling him to walk out that door and not look back because at the end of the day this wasn’t going to work out. They both knew that. It was her words that had stopped him from moving, the way she hadn’t hesitated to inform him that she wouldn’t have let him get hurt at the wedding. He turned around to look over at her, staring at her for a few seconds in silence. He walked over towards her, moving around the couch. His hands instantly lifting up, cupping the sides of her face and placing his forehead against hers, tilting his face in to press his lips against hers. 

+

“Good.” And she let it die there, fully aware that his sisters had always been a tricky subject even without the pressure of imminent death. None of it had been intended as fair, of course. An eye for an eye made the whole world blind according to the familiar adage and nothing emphasized that lesson more than tonight’s events. It spurned calamity and further destruction, a breaking of trust and allegiance between those affected; their own connection sat on a precarious wire poised to self-destruct at any moment. Every step into enemy territory threatened exposure, as did falling into rank when needed. Still they wound up right back here each time, running in circles and feigning as if they wouldn’t turn a corner and collide yet again due to the inevitability of it all. Perhaps that word alone defined Jesse and Diana best: inevitable. 

An inevitable meeting. An inevitable connection. And when they were both level headed enough to permanently course correct, an inevitable end.

Distance and actively pushing one another away hardly tempered this electricity, the air between them almost vibrating with a mixture of anticipation and unspoken words. Would he stay? Would he leave? Would she prevent him from accomplishing either one? On some level, Diana whole heartedly believed it would be wisest for Jesse to vacate the apartment–– to flee and never look back, making the impossible decision that she continued to struggle against despite her usual calculation. A risk she simultaneously couldn’t afford and refused to forget.

The quiet felt deafening in a way that Diana had never experienced or understood, hazel and mahogany trained on one another during a brief moment of true honesty. “I've never lied to you.” His safety remained a top priority for the captain, shameful to admit in not so many words. As soon as Jesse rounded her living room in the same moment that she set her glass aside, an overwhelming and unexpected sense of relief flooded that blonde’s veins just in time to catch him. His palms were overlapped by her own as she kept the Scorpion anchored in place, allowing them a fraction of happiness by ignoring their current predicament. 

…

Jesse scoffed as he glanced to each side of him to look down the hallways before he looked back at her, walking right past her into her apartment because all he could think about at that moment was the look on his sisters faces when it dawned on them what exactly he had been up to all these years. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he glanced around the inside of her apartment, remembering the night the two of them met on the pier and the way one night full of passion turned into so much fucking more. 

He turned around to face her once she met him in the living room. “What the fuck, Diana?” He let a bitter humorless laugh leave his mouth but he thought through his words carefully. He knew he didn’t really have the right to come in here and start demanding answers. The line the two of them had been trying to create was screaming at him as he thought over the other questions he was wanting to spit at her. Not only had her and her family come crashing into a wedding but there were innocent people who were at the venue and the role she played. He knew his own hands were capable of so much violence but seeing her hands just as capable…

Breathing out, the male raised his hand to the top his head, running the palm along his shaved head. He was still wearing his tux, the unraveled mess he currently was. The crimson stains all over the white buttoned up only proved the hell he had gone through only hours prior. “My sisters were at that fucking wedding!” His voice raised. How come he cared this much? Even at Palooza, he knew pulling her into the bathroom would keep her out of harms way and the little regard she had for his own life. He wondered how the hell he kept doing this. How the hell he kept putting himself into situations where it was more than obvious he was the one who cared more. 

“You know the bullet that killed Kate Montgomery could have easily been the one that killed me? At least I tried to protect you at Summer Palooza!” He shook his head as he turned his head towards the door. “I don’t even know why the fuck I’m here.”

+

How startlingly different their circumstances were now in comparison to the last time Jesse crossed over the threshold into Diana’s home; from impassioned strangers to volatile lovers. Former lovers, she reminded herself because that remained an uncrossable line despite how it blurred out of focus on several occasions. Even his presence tonight held great risk for both parties, though she made no effort to force him out under the lie of curiosity. Because Diana wanted to hear him out, unwilling to admit an ache resounding from spine to throat that accompanied speaking with him for the first time in over a month.

What the fuck, Diana?

What the fuck indeed. Closing the door behind herself, she wasted little time in venturing around one of the expensive sofas to casually pour a drink while Jesse rummaged through his opinion on the matter. It made little difference now, what had occurred and those decimated in the process were merely an effect, to Diana the Scorpions owned all blame for its cause. “A lot of people were at the wedding, Jesse. We’re at war, what did you expect? I can’t turn off what I am any more than you can.” Pivoting around with a glass in hand, she drew the gin upward to mimic a frigid coolness that her company didn’t deserve. Peter’s close call tonight softened that edge where siblings were concerned and after a beat she agreed to his point, emphasized by a quiet sigh. “Are they okay physically at least? Your sisters.”

Her jaw hardened at any implication that Jesse could have been on the murder docket tonight, though he was firmly within reason to suspect. Hell, any slip ups or misguided heroism on his part and they might not be having this argument at all. “No,” blonde tendrils shook ever so slightly, rebuffing the very notion. “I would never allow it.” And then he moved to leave, figure departing as it had that day at the garage... and a thousand times in her nightmares since. “Yes you do.”

DIANA’S APARTMENT August 23rd w/ @dianaxvolkov​

His eyes never left her when the Volkov’s exposed themselves to the crowd, the demeanor of the woman whose body he knew better than the back of his hand had been different than what he was used to but all he could think was how he told her things were much more complicated than either of them were willing to admit and she only proved her point when she did what she had done amidst all the chaos. He had watched her as her eyes made contact with his for the spilt second before Isaak took his deadly shot into Julia’s big sister shaking all of the Scorpions down to their core but he quickly jumped to protect his sisters.

The aftermath of that situation left him feeling completely empty and somehow on his walk home he found himself standing in front of her door. He knew better than to come crawling in front of her door at midnight after everything that had just happened but the fact she had been willing to be apart of what had happened with innocent people there… with his fucking sisters there. He raised his hand up and began to pound on the door, not really giving a shit who the hell was around. “Open the door, Diana.” He called against the door, putting the palm of his hand against the archway, knowing he was more than happy to pound against the door again if she didn’t come open it. “Come on, I know you’re in there.” 

+

What happened to a pair of magnets when situated across from one another at the same table? Either they differed to the point of repulsion... Or worse, both objects drew into the other as if tethered by an inescapable force of nature. Perhaps they were governed by it, an inevitability that not even the likes of Diana Volkov could plot ahead for and yet fell victim to over, and over, and over. They had both attempted to keep the other at bay, to harness their own impulses, and yet despite every calculated move to the contrary, she still managed to find Jesse in the crowd. His dark, perceptive eyes stared directly through the blonde as if she had actually been fashioned from the ice that others claimed, She hated him for that as well.

Everything else came in screams, in chaos, in blood. Most of which could be washed down her shower drain or blotted out with a well placed instrumental playlist, the music flowed quietly throughout Diana’s penthouse now as she discarded all remnants of the evening. Crimson stained clothes burned, her knife dropped somewhere in the ocean, and were she a fraction less intelligent, it would be reasonable to assume that a good night’s rest would come soon after. The captain knew far better than to bank on it and her suspicions, unfortunately, proved right yet again.

His voice. Echoing outside of her door, beckoning the Volkov woman like a siren’s call. Maybe Diana wasn’t as wise as she claimed then, because after a breath of hesitation, deft fingers unlocked and opened the barrier between the estranged... Whatever they were. Whatever they had been.

“Hello to you, too.”

Locale: Reception post-drop

As instructed, Vivienne delivered her mark to Diana with minimal difficulty, the loyal sergeant noticeably docile as he landed within the Volkov’s grasp. All the easier to accomplish what was required and, quite honestly, fulfillment of a vengeance she had craved for far too long now. The gun gifted by Ryan previously in the day now tilted up her mark’s chin, deceptively gentle features canting to one side as she drank in his profile. “I never understood gifts as a love language,” she lamented, referencing the way in which her friend bestowed the Scorpion upon Diana. “But now I see the appeal.” Revenge served up on a silver platter, how fitting.

…

It was almost impossible for the soldier to not feel on edge as the Scorpion wedding fast approached. For a man that liked to maintain some resemblance of control when it came to entering various situations, knowing that he was very much walking into the lions den left him irritable and impatient. “I do — but I also have a job to do in making sure you’re safe.“ He drawled, unfazed by the woman’s lack of attire as he made his approach to the other side of the counter. “Besides, I had something imported for you..” Ryan explained, reaching into his jacket to pull out a tiny hand gun that would be easily concealed within any dress or form fitting clothing. “It’s nothing impressive, but if you find yourself in close proximity and without security detail, this is sure to put a hole in anyone that gets too close.” He mused, a short chuckle escaping his lips as she shook his head. “I think we both know my days of attempting to impress you are long from over. My quick with and charm seems to do the trick these days.” The eldest Marshall added, his velvet tone thick with sarcasm.

Family unity was above all else, everything to Isaak. Having been engrained in him since birth, Isaak remained the attentive older brother and cousin within the Volkov family. While discrepancies may have occurred from time to time, he was always the one to pacify any hostility by squashing it out at the source. Knowing that things remained tense between him and Diana didn’t sit well with the VP, though he had been otherwise engaged to change things. The present seemed like the opportune moment, especially given the nature of things that were about to be set out in motion. When Diana entered his home, he gave his cousin a smile and greeted her back in Russian with, “Привет двоюродный брат.” What he hadn’t expected were the peaceful words that followed. Given Diana’s childhood and the loss of her father, she had a tougher backbone and tended to be less remorseful than Isaak, even on a bad day. Walking a few paces to approach his cousin he asked, “Do I hear an apology brewing?” He surely deserved one after her lack of sympathy during Vas’ hospitalization, which had hit him like a lead weight to the chest. While he knew Diana well, he had expected more from her during his state of mourning. “Today is very important and I need you to make it go off perfectly,” he added, as if she didn’t already understand her role in all of this.

+

“Would you accept an apology?” A genuine question, even if she knew the answer on some level and approached him with well earned chagrin. Not one to outright display any form of contrition or even seek it under most circumstances, Isaak and the rest of her cousins meant a great deal to Diana and she could not allow this poison to fester between them. Even if it meant giving away parts of herself that were otherwise kept under wraps, releasing honest emotions and words so rarely allowed to surface. “When I saw you in the hospital, it reminded me of Dimitri. That he wasn’t there because of their actions and that we almost lost Vasili to them as well. I was so angry at what happened,” and still was on a plethora of levels, “I just wanted you to be him and that isn’t a fair expectation to put on you. Or anyone.” Even herself, though Diana suffered a greater identity crisis at the idea of disentangling from her father’s legacy. “I’m sorry for my actions. It won’t happen again.” If her claim that night about how their organization required strength of leadership had been in any way truthful, then she committed a far greater transgression by questioning Isaak rather than uniting behind him in that moment. “It will. You know there’s almost nothing I want more than this.”

STARTER 💍 @dianaxvolkov​​​​​

LOCATION: Diana’s crib! 

TIME: pre-Cressino Farm chronicles

Vivienne had been preparing for the wedding for days. Ever since she received her instructions and duty for the night, she was ready to make sure she executed everything well for the Volkov’s especially. She had a detailed plan for the night and visiting her friend was a part of it. Vivienne cared for the Volkov’s and Diana was one she could relate a lot to. As she scurried up the steps to her place, she knocked on the door and patiently waited as the night fell darker. Her attention turning towards the door opening and she gave her a smile, “Your chariot awaits,” she told her and chuckled, looking at her outfit. “What a view!” She said, complimenting her and whistling, laughter spilling from her system. “I just wanted to check n’ see if you needed anythin’ before I head over to the farm, darlin’,” she explained, suddenly a southern twang sprinkled across her words. 

+

Those who were deemed worthy enough to earn a role in the mechanics of the wedding plan had been given their instructions long in advance, each maintaining the secrecy needed to keep from leaking its details. Some were only privy to their own duties, others were granted insight into the overarching agenda, but Diana kept the majority of discussion to herself regardless. From Ryan, from Viv, from Jack... An odd change of course, but one she couldn’t risk. Recent events had proven that she couldn’t trust her own judgement, or anyone over six foot four apparently. “I sincerely hope you’re referring to yourself,” the blonde volleyed back just as quickly, stepping aside to allow her company enough breadth to enter. “Don’t forget to feed the cows, the chickens, and let a horse or two loose. Also swear to me that you won’t get married on a farm, of all places.”

.

“Dad was always too busy with you to teach me how to knot a tie.” He remarked, knowing full well that she’d seen him in formal attire without her help before. He couldn’t pass up on the jab. He felt like the owned the evening. This evening. Tonight. It was for Vasili. For order. It was for the Vipers. It was for their father. For revenge. Peter had never outwardly shown any hesitation when it came to his duties, responsibilities, or expectations as a Viper and certainly felt nothing but loyalty to the Volkov name. And although he liked to put up a front from time to time, escape to the beach and catch a wave or have a pleasant conversation with a civilian, he understood that it was unrealistic to play pretend. It was simply unfeasible to build something out of nothingness, out of the impossible. And so he’d easily slip back into the life he knew, the one he was born into, and the one he’d never think about escaping. For Diana. For their mother. For the Volkov name. He was really to crash the wedding, only the small details like a tie and tucked shirt and strapping a gun or two under his attire were left to do. “Thought it made sense. Y’know. We’re going in as a united front, might as well show how bonded we are.” There was a slight teasing tone in his words as his gaze shifted down, hovering over his sister’s face. Peter smoothed his hands over the top of his slacks to his back, tucking in the white button down as the blonde helped him with the tie. If they’d grown up like ordinary siblings then it might’ve been a more tender moment rather than a show. “You haven’t even mentioned my watch.” It was a family heirloom and the only thing he felt proud to own. “Sadly there was only one in the family, but I like the detail on your heels.” He said, eyeing them on top of a chair behind Diana. 

+

“Here I thought you were resourceful enough to teach yourself.” An empty jab at his expense, though from her expression it became apparent that Diana meant it only as a tease. Peter, despite existing in her shadow for most of their lives and becoming an unwitting competitor in the eldest’s vie for her father’s sole attention, was a genuinely talented individual. Perhaps therein lay her fear of being outshone in front of Dimitri, how he might have recognized that potential and divided his time more equally between both children. An unfair burden to place on Peter’s shoulders from a young age, but only one could be the frigid heir to Dimitri’s legacy and as she witnessed the light which remained in her sibling’s eyes... Diana knew that she would not condemn him to her own position. “We are a united front.” Even if their relationship as brother and sister had frozen over with time, the Volkov name and business remained a worthy cause to back. “Dad always wanted you to have that,” she revealed lowly through well-concealed fondness for the deceased, only spotted by those who knew her well enough to identify a momentary splinter in the icy façade. “I remember him mentioning it a few times. He thought about you often.” Regardless of how wrapped around Diana’s finger the former Vice President might have been, he did care for both of his children. Displays of that enduring love were untraditional and fleeting, something she had come to inherit over the years by nature of their world, but it still existed. “There,” she dropped both hands from the tie now snug against his neck. “You could almost pass as decent.”

Locale: Isaak’s mansion

Locale: Isaak’s Home

Time: Pre-helicopter take off

Locale: Reception area bar

Locale: Just beyond the reception perimeter

THE MARCHAND NUPTIALS EVENT