Work Text:
“What kind of baby do you think I was?”
The words sting Konstantin’s ears like a swarm of bees.
Because he was there.
He saw the tiny pink onesie pajamas patterned with sleepy kittens.
He tied back the messy, angel-blond hair with a purple scrunchie.
He encouraged those shaky waddles into confident first steps.
He heard the pitiful cries accompanied by crocodile tears when denied dessert before dinner.
He begrudgingly sipped water from tiny plastic teacups at pretend tea parties.
...and then he watched them take her away. Before he knew it, unnamed men in dark suits came for her, to place her with a new family for her training.
“She shows promise,” said the men. “It’s for the best of the organization,” they said. “It’s best for your family,” they said.
He saw her tiny kicks and heard her gut-wrenching wails as they dragged her into the unmarked car.
He watched as her doe-like eyes stared back at him from the rear window.
The memory burns itself into Konstantin’s brain like acid.
So, coldly, he spits out, “Ugly. You were ugly as hell, okay?”