#mwmp

rodion snorts beside him and starts to record. too aware that nikto is paying attention, he speaks a little softly, “i think I'd get too caught up on being scared that i would be scared of him but i don't know. ill put him in the middle i think i have a reasonable chance of defeating him.”

he presses the number five and the clown replaces the number. the big picture scrolls again until it lands on a hockey masked man. “hm,” rodion starts.

he's cut off from his commentary with nikto asking, “what are you doing?”

rodion stops the recording, but the filter stays. “syd sent me a tiktok she made; she wanted me to do the same. you're meant to rank which slasher you like and why but we’re ranking based off like how we think we'd do against them. as if we were in the movie.”

“mh”

“she's been on a slasher kick, y'know, that's why we keep watching those movies.”

nikto nods. rodions afternoons have been occupied as of late. some of his nights as well. he points to the #5 clown. “who is that.”

“Oh that is pennywise. he's like an alien that feeds off of fear.”

“he's an alien?”

“mhm.”

“he's a clown,” nikto states flatly.

rodion laughs softly, “well, yeah, that's what he looks like when you see him most times, but he's really a sort of spider alien that feeds off fear. If you're not scared of him he can't do anything to you, but if you are scared then he can eat you.”

“you think you'd be too scared of a spider clown?”

“he is a very scary spider he's Big.” rodion opens his arms wide. “Big,” he enunciates.

“i think you could handle a big spider.”

“ohh,” rodion grins. “thank you.”

“you could kill that hockey player, too.”

“i don't think he's really a hockey player. he's actually, um,” rodion scratches his chin, eyes looking around his brain for the new knowledge. “he’s a dead child? sort of a… ghost…?”

nikto nods. “you can kill a dead hockey child.”

rodion snorts. “he's grown in this form, though, so he's,” he shrugs, “i dont know probably your size and shape. with a big machete.”

nikto remains unshaken by this new information. “he has the mind of a child. you can take him.”

“I'll put him at six, because i do agree i have good chances, but he is technically immortal which is difficult.” after a quick press, the picture turns to another masked man.

“the lower the number the easier it is to win?” nikto questions. rodion nods as he puts the man in second place. nikto nudges him. “who is that one? why is he so easy.”

“that's hannibal lecter. he's really just a guy? he's smart, but still.”

“oh,” nikto points and waves. “from that cannibal movie.”

“you know that one?” rodions eyebrows shoot up.

“ive seen a couple movies,” nikto confirms.

“it is old,” rodion teases with a smug look. nikto nudges him a little harder than before. rodion simply points to their next opponent: an old man in a black and red hoodie. “what about him?”

“some old fuck? number one easiest for sure.”

“ha!” rodion jerks towards him. “see, but in his movie, it's a test of will. i wont face him directly.”

“what sort of test?”

“really, really brutal ones,” nika’s eyes have a shine to them when he explains movies. “he makes people cut off their skin, body parts, stuff like that. he crushes people, too. he does all sorts of crazy things to them. it's a, um, torture porn movie.”

“how do you think you'd do then?”

“honestly,” rodion looks thoughtfully towards the sky. “i don't know why he'd even try to torture me.”

“you're very hardheaded.”

rodion reconnects their eyes, “you'd kill me for that?”

“no,” nikto scoffs. “but if i was making ‘torture porn’ maybe”

rodion laughs. he puts the old man securely in number four. “i think I'd do well, but sometimes you have to rely on others and that could go very badly for me.”

nikto nods. the next picture is of a man with nails sticking out of a cut grid pattern on his head. “what the fuck is his problem?”

“he's a demon,” his boy says cheerfully. “cenobyte is the technical term. him and the other cenobites torture you if you find their puzzle box. he's my favorite, actually,” rodion adds. “I've watched all of the movies with him in them and that was before/ i knew Syd.”

“you just have to solve a puzzle then? easy enough.”

rodion hums with thought. “it's harder to solve a puzzle with a bunch of meat hooks in your body.” he presses number nine. at the next picture he laughs, “speaking of meat hooks.”

it's hard to determine what the mask of the next man is. it looks wider than his face with blue smeared around the eyes. “now what."

“another cannibal,” rodion’s smile is so pleasant. nikto halfway pays attention to the words he speaks as he gives the shortest movie synopsis known to man. his eyes truly sparkle. “it's supposed to be some commentary on the American meat industry,” he finishes.

“but he's just a man?”

“yeah, with like a chainsaw.”

“that's fine. you have a gun.”

rodion leans back laughing. “who said i have a gun in this situation?”

“me.”

“what if i didn't?”

“mh.” nikto looks forward as he ponders. “maybe third place.”

“i can agree with that,” rodion capitulates. the number is pressed and the picture turns into another masked man.

“does everyone have a mask?”

“it's much scarier if the guy attacking you has a mask, nikto,” rodion's tone is full of you-should-know-this attitude. “but now i don't know i kind of wish i could put Michael in three.”

“michael?"

“that's Michael Myers. he has a kitchen knife.”

“nikodim,” nikto’s voice drips with disappointment. “a man with a kitchen knife should be your number one easiest fight.”

“nooo,” rodion dramatically shakes his head. “he's such a classic horror villain. i feel bad saying i could kick his ass.”

“put him in one.”

“there might be easier fights, nikto.”

nikto jabs his finger at the screen. thanks to rodion’s attempt to drop his phone away from his reach, his finger misses and presses the edge of the number seven. the big picture scrolls.

“oopa,” rodion laments.

“now you've got to do it all over again.”

“i think i messed up putting pennywise at five.”

“he's just a clown.”

“an alien. i told you,” rodion says very seriously.

nikto nods. “you did. it doesn't change my opinion.”

rodion looks over his disordered list. the next “slasher” with pocked skin grins all teeth smugly back at the boy. “and see there's my number seven,” he laments. “that's freddy krueger.” nikto recognizes him from the movie only because Sydney had stopped Sebastian in his tracks to say it was him. he was grinning then, too. “hm,” rodion hums in thought. “and maybe pinhead should be #10. ohh, unless i get art.”

“you've got to start over,” nikto reiterates.

“i–” rodion cuts himself off, “oh! i wasn't even recording while i did this because you started talking.”

“you didn't notice you stopped?”

“i totally forgot. i didn't think you would talk me through my list,” rodion lays his cheek heavy against nikto's shoulder. “maaan.”

nikto pats his knee. “restart it, nika.”

?

hannibal

leatherface

jigsaw

pennywise

jason

michael

?

pinhead

for kr the most like notable thing he'll do is put their needs before his Or at least make a conscious effort to make note of their needs. rodion is both easier to do this with and the more "needy" of the two, not only bc he literally asks for more but hes the more emotional one. he's also easily impressed. if rodion was distraught over something nikto would do his best to help him work through his feelings as a constant, calm presence. (assuming these problems arent something that stems from him. then he's gotta give nikto like a week to get over himself.) and while Krueger doesn't Need that he does have a "need" for Nikto's company. and a "need" to be nikto's confidant which he allows bc Krueger won't talk about it to everyone. and he won't push back very hard. and then ofc allowing them into his personal space. BLEH all stuff ive talked about before.

his squad is decently similar they are the closest things he has to actual Friends id say esp bale. minotaur can be a struggle but once hes brought his personality down a peg to not overstimulate nikto hes rly fine. I'd say both of the twins are more willing than anyone but rodion to give him pushback on things and pointedly ☝️ Advice. even if he will not take it ☝️ or look particularly happy to be receiving advice ☝️ he will listen to them and consider what they say. especially bale but i actually think maxim is capable of making better points that resonate a bit more. AND ALSO. JOKES. i think a good way to determine how close nikto is to someone is how willing he is to crack a joke with/to them. if he does any sort of like conversation extending behavior its a p clear indicator he at least Appreciates what they have to say.

which leads to other squads and like people he interacts with rarely but not often but perhaps often enough to get a good read on the members. i think a lot of that is based on which groups actually have good histories together which could get really messy and complicated bc verdansk is messy and complicated and even squads that already have close ties (spets and chimera. nikolai p obviously doesnt trust kamarov and kamarov is like a slimy bitch and theyre both connected thru price so they Have reasons to work together but theres so many conflicts of interest there as well.) Anyway as a sort of general rule to act as a blanket statement over nikto and Everyone else: nikto enjoys not being bothered but does Not care if he bothers others. i would say the easiest way to tell if nikto finds someone more than just tolerable is he will respond if they try to engage him. he can really easily ignore someone. bc he doesnt gaf. unless they butter him up by offering a cigarette but he could easily take a cigarette from someone and walk off.

rodion had only stayed back to help clean. it took no longer than a few minutes. nikto’s door was still locked when he got to it, and even after he'd knocked twice, nobody let him in. nikto doesn't fall asleep that fucking fast.

he sends syd a 😔 and she quickly sends another message: “i'm sure you didn't piss him off though.”

rodion feels more angry than nikto. he stuffs his phone back in the pocket of his track pants and zips it up. he hadn't expected her to understand what he could barely explain. he can't pinpoint the issue either. maybe nikto was just growing tired of the back and forth of their relationship. maybe sebastian is whispering in his ear. rodion hates to consider anything worse, but he feels a creeping dread with how relaxed nikto seems while keeping rodion at a distance.

whatever. at least he's not spiraling, rodion comforts himself by thinking. he himself might be lacking from the itinerary, but nikto’s habitual schedule stays the same. he's outside smoking this morning like usual in his virtually claimed spot, on a bench just by the track with a small trash can nearby. rodion pretends not to notice on his first pass of the extensive track.

at least, not too much. he can't help it if their eyes meet as he looks nikto over. he looks as at ease as he’d been at dinner, nice and relaxed on the bench, arm draped over the back as he holds his cigarette away from him. taking his time. sebastian isn't with him this morning. as rodion crests the hill towards him to start his second pass, rodion feels his anger bubbling, and with no krueger still to make him feel stupid, rodion advances past the edge of the track.

“why do you keep locking me out,” rodions breath is a little ragged from his lap, and it makes his sentence come out harsh. he innales, but he still sounds just as pissed, hurt spewing from him like a spout the moment he starts, “i didn't do anything to you.”

nikto regards him with one eyebrow raised. “Mh,” he grunts with the top of his lip peaking in a little scowl.

rodion checks his tone. “i just mean…,” he restarts with a defeated edge to his voice. again he inhales, taking a moment this time to calm himself before speaking. “you've been treating me differently. i don't understand.”

“good morning to you, too,” nikto grumbles. he looks away, focusing on his cigarette instead.

“nikto.”

“what?” his tone is short. he takes a second to bring his cigarette to his lips. rodion waits patiently for him to continue. “i went to sleep. should i have stayed up for you?”

“i was five minutes behind you.”

“i was tired, so was seva.”

“neither of you–well, you don't fall asleep that fast.”

“nikodim,” nikto speaks slow. “i was tired. we went to sleep. you should have followed me more closely.”

rodion can't help but tuck in on himself. his shoulders rise, and his head dips a smidgeon closer to his body like a turtle retreating to its shell. “i wasn't that far behind.”

nikto takes another drag from his cigarette. his foot taps low and slow. his expression is hard, too hard for rodion to look directly at. his gaze falls to the floor, where he instead watches that boot beat softly against the ground. nikto doesn't dignify the childish argument with a response.

rodion attempts to restart the confrontation, “i just don't know what i did…”

“you didn't do anything,” honest, but curt. there's no comfort in what he says.

rodion holds his arms against himself. nikto's foot continues to tap. “okay,” rodion says in a quiet little voice.

“get back to your run.”

this is something ive said a bunch of times but i rly do think they get along very well. EVEN nikto-minotaur which is strained bc there is a clash of personalities. I wont get into like introvert vs extrovert nikto bc nikto is a special case every interaction with him is like on a day by day basis affected by his mood and just how hes feeling about someone/social interaction in general that week. his competitive nature + his toxic masculinity which was made worse by his torture especially makes minotaur like a target for him a little bit (as ive said in this post). minotaur rly is like a mirror that can make nikto really uncomfortable. And nikto makes Minotaur uncomfortable (as said here) bc he really understands nikto is struggling and he sees it but its a lot to put on someone. + just the chaotic and unpredictable nature of it is lowkey scary to maxim. i think overall their relationship is strained, not close, but also not actively hostile. Minotaur strikes me as someone who is very compassionate and emotionally pretty competent (not perfect but better than nikto for sure) who does his best to stay out of niktos way. They could easily commiserate about suffering from alcoholism but it would be the most base level acknowledgement of them both facing similar issues with drinking to cope with sadness (i imagine that while minotaur never pries in nikto harming himself he would speak up about nikto drinking. He knows what a slippery slope relapse can be (pragmatic as well bc a pissed off drunk nikto would not be any fun.)).

Rodion would fucking love minotaur though.. Hes fun and hes got a LOT of stories hes got cute kids hes very openmindedd he really does NOT judge (is nikto jealous? yes) is bale jealous? Yknow it does sort of suck to see your twin be the blossoming flower everyone flocks to. And this would be something hes felt since they were young (shameless plug) buuuttt. Bale has a presence in spetsnaz hes got a story to him and people Do really like him. So as an adult bale is very confident in his job and who he is so while theres some underlying tension there, overall the jealousy is very minimal. Also. Obviously. Theyve had some drama.

Minotaur (obviously, as he feels responsible) Really took it hard that bale “died.” i always wonder how this occurred to him. Like if he feels guilty bc it was his idea to join the military, or if it was some miscommunication during the mission which got bale hurt, Or the most dramatic and rly my favorite option: that it was some friendly fire that got bale downed. And when did he leave? Was he told bale wasnt moving and had died and he ran? Did they have to leave bale and the strain of that made him run? He didnt know bale was alive for 10 years he hid from his family for 10 years. That is some extreme trauma to go through and then find out the thing you were beating yourself up over wasnt even true. And bale has spent the past 10 years regaining his ability to walk + existing outside of what gives him the most confidence. All with his brother missing ! im sure theres some mannerisms and thought processes that they didnt see in the other before that they see now. But theyre twins. Twins r weird and insanely close. Their relationship is maturing into a beautifuw brotherhood.

And speaking of brotherhood. bale and nikto have a lot of respect for each other: theyve both been thru periods of recovery for massive injuries, theyre very skilled, & neither one of them are big on talking. I feel like they probably had a very short adjustment period of working with each other bc they just sort of clicked. Bale is like not scared of nikto at all (BUT HE IS AWARE HE CAN BE A DANGER). he can read his warning signs, he doesn't get in his way arbitrarily, and they have rly similar senses of humor. I think it helps as well that nikto doesnt see him as a threat bc while i do figure bale is more of the leader of spets on paper in the field, hes not like diehard intense about it he listens to ideas hes flexible uhh and he trusts niktos judgement. Any of nikto’s Weird Shit is just Nikto’s shit and bale doesnt gaf and nikto likes that. I DO ALSO THINK.. Bale knows the most about nikto’s past like hes been told things by kamarov that are important to know. And nikto likes that he never holds any of that against him and doesnt try to spread it. Hes a very respectful man so nikto respects him.

And it is a bit of like.. Like nikto isnt going to respect minotaur bc even tho hes a very large, skilled, grown man hes also not like hypermacho which nikto would just see as weakness. Whereas bale is very much A Guy like hes just a dude. AND RODION.. Rodion is a babbyy bro thats a baby on the field.. None of them Are babying him (well. Minotaur might a little bit. Hes lowkey motherly imo) but they are all very aware hes like. New to this more serious side of combat. And hes the medic ! he has field medic training ! that shit is stressful ! but he handles it and hes very excited for everything and driven. they literally would all love rodion.. Truly the sunshine of the group. Him and minotaur would click like nikto and bale click. they would hype each other up soo much they would have so much fun. AND BALE ?? rodion would be so excited to be working with bale. When he meets bale and bale is genuinely a cool guy, Actually straight up a cool guy, he would become even more enamored with him. Star struck for a long time before they become real friends where rodion doesnt put him on a pedestal.

And of course……. Nikto to rodion.. Like minotaur, rodion would initially be scared of nikto. Rodion really isnt small hes like 5’10 decently muscled but nikto is like fucking huge.. And he just Looks mean and he Would look meanly at rodion at the start like rodion is hyper. He talks a lot. Their first meeting (esp w how he would instantly get along super well with minotaur) nikto just thinks of him as a smaller, younger minotaur he would not be interested. AND hes a baby nikto doesnt want to be a fucking babysitter.. But rodion is very smart and much more laid back than he lets on he can really calm himself down to match nikto’s level. Little bit of a social chameleon bc hes a very charming guy. Rodion like. He Likes to be Liked. Its important to him to be fun and likeable. So he will act accordingly around nikto he’ll quickly learn his body language and how to read his expressions. I think even if they didnt fuck rodion would earn nikto’s respect and he would stop being scared of him relatively quickly.

But yknow. I want them to fuck. So. Uh rodion changing his energy level to match nikto would sort of like signal to nikto that he can hit. Genuinely that’s the entire crux of what gets them started. Rodion is smaller than him, more submissive socially than him, cute, womanly (in the eyes of a misogynist); nikto wants to fuck him. Its like dudes who think cashiers are hitting on them bc they smiled at him. Hes LUCKY that he also happens to be rodions type. Rodion likes a challenge and nikto is a CHALLENGGEEE. Nikto is so resistant and rodion is so hardheaded its the perfect recipe for a tumultuous relationship which makes it so rewarding for rodion to rein it in.

U might think like. Well. he likes bale. Bale is normal. It would be easier to fuck and try to date bale and it would but again rodion likes a challenge. Bale is just like.. Too casual about it all. + the element of hero worship i think changes how rodion feels about it like he just expects a bit of fun out of bale a little extra to their friendship and thats exactly what he gets. And it Is a lot of fun bale’s a good fuck and so is rodion they have good times. It just doesnt have the same fun drama as nikto… But. it would also be easy for them to treat fucking rodion as a competition which i dont think rodion would like bc its a bit disrespectful to him as a person. Like hes not a prize. And he doesn’t think of them as the same. I need 2 explore this in a fic its why i want to write some bale/rodion/nikto.

And minotaur, in the middle of all of this, is just worried for rodion overall. I Do Think he would be surprised bale gets involved at all bc its a very rocky situation between nr and it seems like more drama than bale would enjoy. But it is a little bit of bale’s own sense of dominance peeking thru like he just cant help it its a dude thing an alpha dog thing.. That minotaur just doesnt get into bc he has confidence in himself. And its kind of scary to minotaur that rodion gets in the middle of it. Its kind of scary to him that if nikto has a meltdown of some sort rodion will probably be the closest to him physically and could easily take the brunt of an attack that he rly wouldnt be ready for. Nikto genuinely trying to hurt rodion would be really bad. Hes very brutal. And minotaur keeps that in mind. But yknow so does bale he likes to keep an eye on it. Might as well get his dick sucked too. Maybe bent over or bend rodion over at the same time.

being in a legitimate relationship with rodion is terrifying to nikto bc it not only makes Him feel trapped in something doomed he really does not want to make rodion struggle with anything this emotionally exhausting. he wouldnt like that rodion is like 20 years younger and trying to spend his life being nikto's caretaker (even tho rodion himself is 100% fine with this and would love it.) esp since he knows rodion would like a happy home life with a loving family (kids included bc hes normal) when nikto doesn't even want rodions mom to know theyre Close bc hes a 40+ year old mentally ill man. nikto is self fulfilling the prophecy of nr being a failed relationship bc of this but he legitimately cant help himself but think of himself as Bad For Rodion. and he wants to see him succeed..

u Could say rodions aspirations for life kill a successful relationship but legitimately he would do a lot to make it work with nikto. Anything for 1 whiff of nikto telling him he loves him.