Chapter Text
PART I : OH, MARTÍN!
Santiago had seen a lot in his life. Work, women, children, Andrés de Fonollosa's two marriages. You name it and he has seen it all. But, there was one thing he did not see coming.
You see, when Andrés had called him up to do a heist involving some viking gold, he didn't expect him showing up not only without Martín but with his son Rafael instead. During the planning and execution of the heist, Santiago kept thinking about Martín's whereabouts. He was loyal to both Andres and Martin, but he was closer as a friend to Martín.
So, when the heist was all over and done with, he decided to find Martín.
*
What he found was not at all good. When he had tracked down Martín to his flat in Palermo, the first thing he noticed was Martín was looking unnaturally pale. Like, he hadn't been in the sun for years.
As Martín invited him into the apartment, Santiago could see alcohol bottles were littered around every corner. There were stubs of smoked cigarettes and some powder here and there which indicated Martín had started doing drugs again.
"What are you here for?" Martín bluntly asked him, voice hoarse, most probably from constant yelling.
"Why weren't you there for the Copenhagen heist?"
It seemed that Santiago had hit a sore spot because Martín started ranting and raving about pitying the 'poor faggot' and when he was done, he had almost lost his voice.
"Get out" were Martín's last words before he started coughing violently. Santigo, not wanting to push the matter further, quietly did as told, but not before pulling Martín into a hug.
*
But Santiago was determined to find out what had happened and since Martín wouldn't tell him, he showed up at his apartment with some strong alcohol Jakov had suggested a while back.
This time, Martín didn't kick him out and huge quantities of alcohol later, Martín, in a drunken haze, spilled everything.
Andrés had confessed his love to Martín, only to later violently rip out his heart and tell him that the plan was scrapped.
Martín cried and howled like an injured animal during the entire confession. When he was done, Santiago wrapped his arms around him and held him until he fell asleep. This time Santiago stayed with him, despite Martín's weak protests for him to leave.
*
If you asked Santiago to describe Martín, he would say Martín was an engineering genius. A man with smarts, skills to use those smarts and cunning enough to claw his way out of any situation using his words, brains or even sometimes his fists.
Two months after Martín confessed everything to him, Santiago's heart was broken to see the man Martin had become. His brain was being ruined by the drugs, the smarts he would have previously use for something productive, were now only used for newer ways to get more and more people in his bed. The body that sometimes he used to fight is now getting deteriorated with alcohol.
After that night, it seemed, Martin had no interest in seeing him unless he showed up with booze. Santiago was helpless and could only see from afar how Martin gave up more and more each day. His attempts to help were backfiring and even though he wanted nothing more than to whack some sense into him, he still considered Martin as his hermano.
So that is why, 6 months after Martín's confession, he found himself ranting to Jakov about what was happening with his brother.
"It's like he has given up," he said to Jakov, who was listening patiently to him. "He's a great person. You get only a handful of those kinds of people in the world. All l want for Martín," he paused to take a sip of his alcohol, "is to not ruin himself for someone who doesn't care for him ."
Jakov looks deep in thought. He then looks around his surroundings in an attempt to better clear his mind. Just then, he sees something that catches his eye and a small smile comes to his face.
*
PART II : A POOR DOG!
Martín was suffering from a bad hangover when he heard a knock at the door. Despite his pounding headache, he tried to remember who could be at his door right now.
The landlord? No, he had paid his rent dutifully on the 1st. The drug dealer who doubled as a booty call? No, he had just delivered 2 days ago and Martin knew he would be unavailable for the next week.
He tried harder to recall but the knocking became more insistent and louder. He uttered something along the lines of, "la concha de tu madre", unable to recognize his own voice. He put on a robe and went to the front door.
As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of Santiago and Jakov and a...
"Is that a dog?" He asked, surprised. Jakov was holding a golden puppy, too small in his arms. The puppy had dark eyes and way too much fur. It Almost made him look like a small teddy bear.
"Can we come in?" Jakov asked. Martin simply opened the door wider to let them in. After maneuvering through empty bottles while trying not to step on the broken glass of some, they all settled on the couch and the dog was looking at Martin.
"What do you want?" Martin asked. He was in no mood to hear lectures about how he was ruining his life and simply wanted them gone as fast as possible.
"l need your help," Jakov started, and...hold on? When did Jakov, of all people, need help? Martin was surprised but still let him continue.
"So, Santiago and I were on our way back from a bar when this happened," Jakov said, gesturing to the dog sitting in his arms, "Poor boy just came running out of nowhere. There were some stray dogs after him, so we rescued this guy and shooed them off."
"And now we are here" Santiago chimed in, "From what we have gathered, this one was either kicked out by his owners or accidentally got lost. We are trying to find out more about him and hopefully find his lost owners."
Martin was intrigued and, he would never admit it, also very touched. But... "Where do l fit in all of thi-"
That's when it struck him. As he started catching up,
"No way!" He yelled. "Are you out of your mind?! How am I supposed to take care of this dog?!"
His yelling made the dog flinch, who hid himself further in Jakov's lap and no, Martín was not feeling bad for shouting. Jakov and Santigo, however, looked unfazed as they were used to his rants.
"Why don't you keep him with yourself?" He asked in a lower tone now.
"Martin, there are a lot of risks!" Jakov said, "l cannot keep him with me wherever l go, l have enemies and they could just hurt this guy."
No, no, no! The dog was nothing but a fucking hinder-
"Look, all we are asking you is to keep him for 3 to 4 months. We took a job which needs to be finished and we will try find his owners in the meantime." Santiago begged him. "Please."
And with that Martin Berrote found someone to share his apartment with.
*
PART III : MARTÍN AND MILAN
Martín had no idea of how to keep a pet. So Martín Berrote, being Martin Berrote, flopped onto his bed and went to sleep. Leaving the poor dog in the hall all alone.
3 days later, the dog almost saved him by picking up a glass piece, which would've gotten stuck in his foot and putting it in a corner. Now, Martín didn't give a fuck for himself but he wasn't a heartless bastard, who would delibrately hurt a dog either so first thing he did was to pick up his broom and sweep all the glass shards and bottles from the entire apartment, so the dog wouldn't get hurt.
The next day, he went to an internet café with the dog and a notebook and took tons of notes on how to take care of him. The dog gave him a sweet lick when he brought a blue leathered chain for him.
A week later, his house was cleaned out. The alcohol bottles were replaced with dog food, his bathroom was rid of drugs and was now filled with dog shampoos, conditioners and whatever products dogs needed for grooming. He didn't care about the dog but he wasn't going to let an innocent pay for his mistakes.
Martin would still call up Jakov every 3 days to find out what had happened, but he always recieved the same answer.
"We are trying our best but no one seems to know much about this guy."
Martín was tired of the dog not having a name, so he went to google for help. It led him to a website with names for dogs. Several names and ideas later, he found the perfect name for him.
Milan.
Another 3 days later, Milan now knew his name.
Despite having the dog for 3 months, Martín couldn't bring himself to scratch him. Sure, there were small, quick pets here and there, but no scratching. Maybe it was fear, maybe something else but he just couldn't. So, he called up Milan one night after dinner and slowly started scratching him on his head. Milan immediately melted under his touch and laid on his back. Martin, then slowly gained some confidence and started scratching him behind the ears.
That night, after more than a year, Martin Berrote went to sleep with a smile on his face.
Slowly, the calls to Jakov became fewer and 2 months later, he called up Jakov again.
"Milan is mine," Martin started without preamble, Milan sitting on the floor of the hall beside him. "If his previous owners want him, they can pry him off my dead body."
*
(That night, Jakov and Santiago celebrated the success of Jakov's plan. The pet shop owner who sold Milan to them, called Jakov to ask if they needed to return the dog but Jakov refused with a smile and Santiago, as thanks to Jakov, paid the other half of the amount.)
*
Martín had to admit he now had a perfect routine which was not destroying his body.
At first, Milan would refuse to eat because Martin would miss his meals so Martin made a point to eat along with him. He started lifting weights and doing cardio so he could keep up with Milan during his walks. (His ass getting better from all the squats was a bonus and helped him get laid more.)
In the following months, Martin would come to know a lot of things about Milan. He loved scratches behind his ears, he loved a special bone stick and if by any chance Martin tried to take it from him, then Milan would growl at him.
Whenever Martin needed to go out of the apartment, he would put on some television or the radio until he came back.
*
But that didn't mean it was all sunshine and rainbows.
When Milan caught some ticks during his walks, Martin would grumble and yap about having to remove them, but did it nonetheless.
Martin would sometimes go too far with annoying Milan and would get a snarl as a result. When Milan fell ill, Martin went to great lengths to nurse him back to health. Milan would sometimes shoo off the men he would pick up at the bars as soon as he reached home.
Despite everything, Martin and Milan were happy and loved each other. Sometimes, Jakov and Santiago would show up as Milan had become good friends with them too.
All in all, Martín's life was going good.
*
Until the universe decided Martín Berrote deserved to suffer.