#arklay

For a moment Eva believed that she could touch them – nothing new, one could say, but this one was different for the simple yet astonishing event that they stepped willingly into the office, the proposal was still lingering in the air between them and it surely didn’t involve any work. And so Eva thought she won, once again, until Akira stopped the fingers that were threatening to touch their face, what was left of it; they ended her advance and caught her wrist with a hold that was slightly too tight.

“Careful.” That was the only word leaving their lips as Eva’s breath stopped for what she felt were hours; yet that glint in her gaze didn’t disappear, a challenge lover as she was could not stop playing with fire, even when it threatened to burn her to the bone.

“Do you prefer that I use my other fingers then?” She asked with a dangerous playfulness and let her left hand run along the collar of their shirt. Cold metal on cold metal. They were made for each other, wasn’t that clear?

A time-consuming habit, still. He had already been outside for a good twenty or thirty minutes, rapidly working his way through the contents of his cigarette case while pacing around the courtyard and speaking to himself- repeating the same speech over and over again, like a broken record.

It wasn’t the first time he had to present his work to his superiors; in fact, it’s something he had done countless times before, and he was often praised for his clear and structured way of speaking and the excellent quality of his analyses.

However, this was his first time at Counterintelligence. A new crowd- tough one at that- and it surely did not help he had already been waiting all day to meet his newly assigned bodyguard as well.

“Just a formality,” they had told him, “nothing to worry about.” They were lying, of course, and Vitali knew that- the work he had been assigned to was all but easy and his first assignment had already proven him right.

Vitali’s free hand subconsciously moved to his side, fingers carefully tracing the edges of the wound dressing covering the deep stab wound decorating his torso. It had not even happened on the job itself, but it had still been his own fault entirely; he should’ve known better than to tread the streets of Watson while in suit late at night and completely unarmed.

He did not mind a bodyguard, if he had to be honest. It would save him the trouble, and he could then afford to let his guard down. Problem was he just did not work well with others- the teamwork itself wasn’t the issue, but specifically his Arasaka coworkers were.

And he dreaded finding out which of the smug dickheads from Security he would have to deal with for at least the upcoming three months.

‘Fuck me.’ Vitali stopped in his tracks and rubbed his eyes with his free hand, mentally going over his lines again- he had lost his train of thought and slight panic was starting to set in now, followed by bitter regret for his lousy attempt at preparing the debrief.

How long had he slept- two hours? It couldn’t have been much more than that, and yet it still had been too long, considering he had managed to oversleep as well. Had made it to work only just in time, for the first time since he had started working at Arasaka. Not the end of the world, but it did feel like it for some reason.

After all, he was the son of Matvey Dobrynin. People had expectations; they never spoke about it to him directly, but Vitali noticed their looks of recognition upon hearing his last name, and he saw their stares and heard their offhand comments, spoken loudly to their coworkers while he was around as if they did not realize he could in fact hear them very well, especially while wearing his hearing aid.

He tried not to let it get to him. He had worked so hard- he had, not his father, who’d gotten his reputation spoon-fed to him and his position handed to him on a silver platter- and he was not about to let it all go to waste because of some stuck-up cunts who believed wearing a suit made them superior to the rest of the city.

‘This has led me to believe our target is not just working with Militech, but for Militech,’ Vitali said, speaking slowly as he focused on his pronunciation as well as he could. ‘…not working with Militech, but for Militech… He is- He has gone undercover at- fuck. He is an undercover operative, disguised as employee of- of- dear fucking lord.’

Another long drag, and Vitali’s eyes fluttered shut. It was embarrassing- it really was, even though he was all alone in the courtyard and he still had several hours to prepare.

He wished he could go home. Simultaneously the last place he wanted to be at- it was a horrible apartment, too big and empty and he could barely call it home even though he had lived there for quite some time now- but anything better than the facility, his office-

The door to the courtyard behind him opened and Vitali straightened his back, quickly regaining his composure as someone joined him in the bright, open space in the middle of the building. He refused to turn around, not ready for a conversation with- well, anyone, really, and slowly brought his cigarette back to his lips-

‘Vitali?’

A strangely familiar voice.

Vitali froze and frowned, a sudden weight pressing down on his chest as he slowly turned to see who had spoken, a single name echoing through his head- and deep down he already knew he was right.

Their gazes met- two bright, blue eyes stared right back at him, as familiar as the voice he had heard- and as familiar as the rest of the man, a little older than when Vitali had last seen him, his hair a little longer, and his nose a little more crooked, but still-

Still Mikhail. Undoubtedly, undeniably Mikhail.

Vitali dropped his cigarette, chest tightening as the realization set in and he breathed in sharply, suddenly aware he had been holding his breath the entire time; Mikhail’s eyes were wide, face pale as he took a hesitant step forward, hands hovering mid-air as if he was unsure what to do with them-

He was dreaming. Surely he was dreaming- it couldn’t be him, how could it be? Vitali shook his head- not him, of course not- they had not spoken in so long- his eyes were tricking him, surely, he had barely slept, he was exhausted, and stressed, and it wouldn’t have been the first time he would be seeing things that weren’t there-

But suddenly Mikhail was right in front of him and his hands gently cradled his face, a feeling Vitali had thought to never feel ever again and what he had feared to be an illusion was real- Mikhail was real- right there, with him, after all those years-

‘I am so sorry,’ Vitali cried, hands grasping Mikhail’s clothes as he pulled him close, face crashing into his chest as his world crumbled around him. ‘I am- I am so sorry, Misha-’

‘It’s my fault,’ Mikhail quietly sobbed in return, not listening to Vitali as his hands restlessly moved over his face and through his hair. ‘I should have- I don’t blame you, it’s not- I should have texted more, or texted first- I understand-’

‘-wasn’t supposed to happen.’ Vitali gasped for air, momentarily pausing the constant current of words flowing from his lips, his head too full to pick up on anything Mikhail was spouting back at him.

‘I’m so sorry, Vito- I wish we could do it over again, I would’ve said more- I would have put in more effort-’

‘-and I didn’t know where I left it but I looked everywhere- I spent so long looking- also for you- I never, never gave up on you, I-’

‘-never meant to hurt you- I- W-what?’

Mikhail’s voice faltered and he froze, hands lingering on Vitali’s face and his fingertips metaphorically burning through his skin as it dawned on him what Vitali was saying- and simultaneously, Vitali’s heart dropped when Mikhail’s words finally settled in his head.

‘I… I lost my phone,’ he quietly said, a choked sob leaving his lips with it. ‘I could not find it back. And I- I lost you with it.’

Mikhail’s expression changed- an emotion Vitali could not name, though mixed with… relief, almost. Yet not entirely.

‘I searched everywhere,’ Vitali continued, voice strangled and hands fumbling with the clasp on Mikhail’s chest armor as his face began burning from embarrassment, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.

‘I searched, and- and in all of that I realized I had never bothered to write down your phone number, or ask for your new address, or where your parents were moving to. And I looked for you- I really did. Truly- Please, you have to believe me. I spent nights just walking outside- visiting places we used to go to- every corner of Charter Hill, just hoping I would run into you-’

Vitali still occasionally dreamed of Mikhail’s arms around him. Painful and longing dreams, and by then more his imagination than his recollection as the memories of them lying in bed together on lazy Saturday mornings were mere fragments in his mind, shattered across the distance that had grown between them after the unfortunate incident that had caused them to lose contact in the first place.

It was a lot better than in his imagination, or the scattered remains of his memories. And for the first time in six years Vitali felt home again, head resting against Mikhail’s chest and arms weakly hooked around his waist as Mikhail buried his face in Vitali’s hair and he held him so tightly Vitali feared he would break his ribcage.

‘I thought,’ Mikhail whispered, voice shaking as he slightly lifted his head to speak. ‘I thought that- I thought you did not want- Never mind. It does not matter.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ Vitali repeated himself, head heavy from exhaustion as he closed his eyes again and allowed some tears to roll down his cheeks. ‘I am so sorry, Mikhail- I cannot imagine how much pain I’ve caused you.’

It felt weird to say his name again. Wrong, almost. As if he was no longer allowed to, after what had happened.

Mikhail cupped his cheeks again, fingers soothingly running over his skin- a gentle reassurance, a wordless, “I forgive you”- and he pressed their foreheads together, exhaling deeply as he visibly released the tension that had been in his upper body.

‘I am just glad I have you back,’ he quietly said, and even though they spoke no more of it and even though relief was painted all over his face, Vitali knew it was not the end of it- and the guilt tightened his chest once more and for a moment he wished he was dreaming, and he wished Mikhail was not there with him, just to spare the both of them from the pain-

‘Let me look at you.’

Mikhail lifted his head again, eyes a little hazy from tears- though he managed to hold it together better than Vitali as he slowly scanned his face, taking in every little detail, his fingers softly trailing Vitali’s cyberware and his thumbs rubbing circles over his cheeks.

He had changed a lot, since they had last seen each other. He had not bothered to bleach his hair in a while, and most of it had returned to its natural, dull grayish black color. It was short- had been for some years, though Mikhail had never gotten the opportunity to see it like that, since Vitali had kept it long throughout all of high school because of his parents.

And he had facial hair now; a decent amount of it, instead of the occasional stray hairs above his upper lip or decorating his chin or jawline. Vitali liked it- he liked how he looked in general, now. Though occasionally it felt weird, looking in the mirror and staring at his reflection- sometimes he couldn’t help but notice how much he looked like a younger version of his-

‘Someone took your tits,’ Mikhail suddenly said, gently placing one of his hands flat on Vitali’s chest. ‘Are you aware of that, sir?’

‘Oy, fuck.’ Vitali glanced down and scoffed, a quiet sob leaving his throat with it. ‘Thanks for pointing it out. I’ll check lost and found when I go home tonight.’

Mikhail smiled at him. A bright smile- bright as always, just how Vitali remembered it- and he softly clicked his tongue twice as he bumped his forehead against Vitali’s again, while shakingly breathing in.

‘You look good,’ he said. ‘Genuinely. You look- You look very handsome. Even more than I can remember.’

Vitali was not even able to wring a “thank you” out of himself before bursting into tears again. The more Mikhail spoke, the more he realized just how much he had missed him- his presence, his dumb little remarks, his stupid jokes and his mannerisms and his tics and the dumb smile on his dumb face-

His shaking hands found the collar of Mikhail’s shirt and he tugged on it, a wordless plead for him to come closer, and he pulled him down toward him and carefully cradled his face- but for a brief moment, he found himself hesitating.

It had been so long. He had changed- no doubt Mikhail had, too.

But still, Vitali leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss on the corner of Mikhail’s mouth, slowly wrapping his arms around his neck as he pulled him in for another hug, hands finding their way into his hair as he buried his face in the crook of his neck.

‘You as well,’ he finally responded. ‘Grew out your hair- It looks good.’

‘Thank you.’ A short pause, accompanied by a shaky exhale. ‘Makes up for what facial hair I lack.’

A smile spread on Vitali’s face and he looked at Mikhail again, softly rubbing his thumb over Mikhail’s chin.

‘There is…some there,’ he said, a poor attempt at reassurance.

‘Oy- I heard that hesitation,’ Mikhail immediately fired back, playfully bumping his fist against Vitali’s shoulder and clicking his tongue again.

‘Sorry.’

Though said lightly, Vitali meant it. For much more than just what they were talking about.

Silence fell over the courtyard and Mikhail’s eyes wandered over to something behind Vitali- his cigarette, still smoldering slightly on the stone tiles of the courtyard, and a new wave of embarrassment washed over Vitali.

‘Don’t-’ he said, grimacing as he looked back up at Mikhail.

‘Hey- did not say anything.’

‘You were thinking it.’

‘You don’t know that.’

Mikhail paused, eyes slowly moving over Vitali’s features once more, and he softly bit his lower lip before speaking again.

‘Time passed,’ he said. ‘Lot of it. I don’t- I don’t blame you for falling back. I feel like I don’t have the right to judge you right now. Or- ever, for that matter.’

Vitali tensed up again and he averted his gaze, unsure what to say. The whirlwind of thoughts and questions and worries in his head was starting to pick up again and he clenched his fists, desperately trying to stay in control of himself-

‘So much to talk about.’ Mikhail huffed, a wistful smile spreading on his face again as he reached for the collar of Vitali’s shirt and carefully fixed the edge of it. ‘Don’t know where to start.’

And neither did Vitali. There was still so much left unsaid- and he had so many questions, so many things he wanted to ask Mikhail, things he had wanted to ask for a long time already but had not had the chance to over their years apart.

‘Let’s start with this,’ he heard himself say, and he gestured around vaguely. ‘Arasaka. I know what I am doing here, but- but why you? I thought you wanted to become a doctor, no?’

‘Well, I graduated,’ Mikhail shrugged. ‘But it wasn’t for me, I think. So I took security classes as well. Worked for some organization for a while, got job offer from Kang Tao, but… I don’t know. My heart led me here, I think.’ He paused. ‘And now- well, I was sent here to meet the guy I am supposed to babysit for some months, so… I guess that is you.’

‘Babysit?’ Vitali repeated, his mind suddenly a lot clearer than before as he subconsciously pushed back his shoulders a bit. ‘Those words exactly?’

‘Yes, sir. They said you got jumped by a gang while on a job.’

Vitali’s cheeks immediately began burning again as the events of the night before replayed in his head and he quickly pressed his lips together, once more refusing to look Mikhail in the eyes.

‘Hey, I just said- I am not judging.’ Mikhail softly nudged Vitali’s arm again. ‘And now that I am here- well, you won’t have to worry about getting jumped anymore.’

Vitali slowly nodded as he inhaled deeply, suddenly well aware of where he was again- for a moment he had forgotten completely about his surroundings, and more importantly what he was supposed to do in a few hours.

‘What kind of contract is it?’ he asked, nervously tugging on his sleeves in an attempt to even out his shirt a little. ‘Silver, gold-?’

‘Platinum.’ Mikhail wiggled his eyebrows. ‘Whole deal, including home security- whether you like it or not.’ He hesitated for a second, visibly clenching his jaw. ‘Though, you know. If you are uncomfortable with me staying over, I could stay in hotel nearby. Or ask if someone else-’

‘Shut up.’

A lack of better words- but this was effective enough, as Mikhail instantly stopped talking and quickly nodded, visibly relaxing when he realized Vitali had not meant it in a hostile way.

‘I, um…’ Vitali paused, running a hand through his hair. ‘I have a meeting late afternoon, about, well, about my mission-’

‘I know. They told me. Couple hours away still, yes?’

‘Mhm.’

It was strange. Not just the sudden change in atmosphere- but everything else about it too. Never had Vitali imagined himself working with Mikhail; he had never seen him in a working environment before either, and as proud as he was for Mikhail to have made it that far and as happy as he was to see him again, he couldn’t shed the strange sense of alienation that came with it.

‘Let’s… Let’s go inside,’ Vitali quietly said, clenching his jaw again and nodding at the door. ‘Get your stuff to my office, and… yeah.’

‘Right.’ Mikhail watched in brief silence as Vitali straightened his back again and started making his way toward the door, then suddenly put his arm up in front of him to stop him.

‘I can… I can ask if someone else can take this job from me, if you want,’ he softly said, slowly lowering his arm. ‘I won’t take it personally. It’s okay.’

Vitali’s heart dropped and he shook his head again, reluctantly taking Mikhail’s hand in his own- another strange feeling he had believed to be lost to him forever, and he shivered when Mikhail’s fingers carefully intertwined with his own.

‘I don’t want to get another bodyguard,’ he said. ‘I… I don’t mind. Truly. I would- I would like to have you close again, actually.’ He paused, and smiled softly. ‘And I want to see you fight off an entire gang by yourself.’

Mikhail grinned, eyes immediately softening again, and squeezed his hand. ‘Are you going to get yourself in trouble on purpose for that?’

‘Possibly.’ Vitali gave a soft tug on Mikhail’s hand and did not let go as he slowly started making his way to the door again. ‘Though trouble mostly seems to find me these days.’

‘Hm. That is usually what happens when you walk around in suit in a district where people generally do not like suits.’

‘Alright, alright- duly noted.’

love that for her that her name is lover AND she’s basically named the love fairy :) good for her i think! i really loved how faye marlowe sounded for a character and realizing it would work so well for her! it was perfect! fitting! iconic for her even!

as I said she has an older brother! his name is emery! he’s a “lawyer” who realized the lawyering thing wasn’t working out for him as he kept getting calmly asked with friendly notes to “back off” by a certain pharmaceutical company that had particular links to certain individuals after signing up as “volunteers” would go missing.. can’t make any money when you can’t win your cases u know? so his best friend encourages him to work as a civilian consultant until he can find himself a new profession!

faye is an agent! she’s been one for about? a year? about a yearish into her university she applied and was accepted into an internship into a legal firm that was at the time, just so happened tp be in the employ of a rival company of umbrella’s. and in knowing who she was, she was recruited and set up as a spy where she would put herself under an alias, changed her major and began an internship as at the umbrella corporation shadowing william birkin! her and ada wong were friends and coworkers!

she had a crush that lasted for a couple months and got over a week or so before the events of re2 on albert wesker saksdmkj

she and her brother have had a deal since he left for college that he would call her once a month (he’s not the best at remembering to but since making the deal he hasn’t missed one since!) and she was to surprise him at his new job the following morning! so when he doesn’t call her and news breaks out of the outbreak she BOLTS it to find him! and finds leon instead!

im still figuring out who she’ll end up with BUT im leaning more towards her ending up with leon! it’ll be great as he’s already the best friend of emery! and a scene I have in mind of emery finding out I am VERY excited to write on! it’s re4.. faye and emery are arguing and he takes notice of a particular shiny diamond ring on his baby sisters finger, she tells him that oh yea BTW Leon and I are getting married and if u had called that u would know and be invited (he does get invited and yes he cries), HIS BEST FRIEND AND HIS SISTER HIS BEST FRIEND GOT WITH HIS SISTER WHAT, and chaos ensues! it’s great! nothing like knowing “zombies” are about to get you but! ksanska!

it wasn’t love at first sight for her! she does think he has a charming quip about him but she doesn’t realize her feelings until sometime post re2 and before re4! he had feelings for her from the GET GO, lovestruck head over heels etc etc at first sight! congrats leon! manifestation works!

she steals his clothes all the time. his clothes are hers! especially his jacket? and does he complain?? absolutely not!

she enjoys oil painting! likes fancy cars! has very expensive tastes in fashion and home decor! AN EXTENSIVE and well thought out skin care routine! takes care of herself and requests that leon do the same hehe! no beloved of HERS isnt taking care of their skin on her watch!

becoming a vampire wasn't a rebirth moment for candy-- it was nothing more but an ugly death and a cruel lesson. they will forever be cursed to not only travel but to also remember their mistakes. as if they could ever forget.

candy grew up poor and from a very young age, they had to provide for both them and theo, their brother. their parents left them when both of them were very young, but theo was basically still a baby. they had to become a parent, a caretaker and a protector at the age of 16. the only choice for them was to work as much as they could so they started to work on cars. they tinkered with them, learned how to drive, and pretty soon they were swayed to do something more criminal, because the pay was much bigger, and candy had to give their brother a better life than what they have now, they have to because he deserves it. he's the only family they have (except for their aunt but she couldn't take both of them in because her own financial situation wasn't any better, but theo refused to separate from candy), and they will never leave him to survive on his own. they will protect him.

time went on, theo and candy were travelling a bit, staying here and there, theo loved when they were driving around; but mainly he just wanted to be with their sibling. that's how they both ended up in las cruces, where candy met the traveler or brain as he called himself. he talked to candy, described how he was something more, how candy can be something so much more. stupid and naive and more then tired at this point, candy was lured by the promise of a good life for both them and theo so they agreed to go with him, but they knew they couldn't bring theo in for a ride. so they drove him to their aunt with a promise that it won't take long, and they will return to him. always.

they will never be so careless with their promises ever again.

candy thought that after this job they can finally settle, find a home for them and theo. everyhting will be good, and they will be a proper family. if only they knew how wrong they were. the job didn't last for long just like their life. when they opened their eyes as a vampire for the first time all they could see are brian's dead eyes, and in this moment they pleaded to whoever will listen that theo would think that candy died and not abandoned him like their parents did. the history is cruel to repear itself this way.

ravnos are doomed to wander, it's said that an agonizing death awaits any ravnos who remains in one place for too long. and this is when candy realize that they will never have a home they dreamed of. they will never be able to see or live with their brother again, they will wander, falling asleep to nightmares every night. they don't feel like something more, they only feel like prey. aren't they supposed to be the hunter?

there were no others of their clan to be found, no family - nothing. they have no one to protect but themself now. and this quickly turned to the desire to survive at any cost. what is the point to protect someone else when you will never be able to stay in their lives? none, so they drive the car, never stopping in one place for long and ignore the feeling of deep longing for the warm feeling of home and family in their heart for they have nothing else to do with it.