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“No, you buffoon.” Vlad growled at Jack, who was currently being held by his collar against the bookshelf of his library. “I do not want to throw around the pigskin just like old times.”
Just because he had invited the family over for Christmas dinner didn’t mean he wanted Jack, the man he hated the most, to be the one to invite him to "bond." That role was meant for Daniel. But since the boy apparently hated the holiday, and since Vlad didn’t know that, he and his sister had left to get some air and had not come back since. Only his dear Maddie remained, but she had made herself scarce just like those two children had.
“But Vladdy!” Jack, having the nerve to continue pestering him about this ridiculous idea, obviously didn’t realize the danger he was in. Vlad’s glare deepened as his grip on the man’s jumpsuit tightened. “It’ll be like we were in college again!”
Ah, yes. Because he wanted to recreate the college days. The ones spent trying desperately to get Maddie’s attention, or the ones spent in the hospital after the accident Jack caused.
“You must remember those times differently than I do, Jack.” He spat out, lifting him higher. “Because if you remembered correctly, you wouldn’t be speaking to me.”
“Oh, Vladdy.” Jack laughed, and Vlad forced back the plasma blast rapidly warming up in his hands. “C’mon, you remember the good days we had together. Just the two of us in the dorms having fun.”
If Vlad had his way, he would blast this idiot through this wall and into oblivion. But that would certainly hurt his chances with his family, whom he still cared about enough to hold back his anger.
“How many times do I have to say it? I-”
The door to the library opened with a resounding squeak, their only warning to who had interrupted his death threats. Maddie stood at the door with crossed arms and a questioning glance directed right at Vlad. He slowly put Jack on the ground again, who was still beaming stupidly at Vlad.
Vlad brushed his suit off to look more presentable to her. “Maddie, I can explain.” He said, and his mind raced to think of a good excuse for holding her husband up by the skin of his teeth and threatening him.
Finding none good enough for her, he cleared his throat and tried to unsuccessfully vanquish the embarrassed flush of his cheeks. He shouldn’t have done this somewhere one could just walk in on, but his temper got the best of him, and their conversation had merely started in an inconvenient place. It was a pure accident that Maddie happened to find them, and just his rotten luck.
She took in both of them: Vlad flustered and struggling to speak, and Jack with a happy grin plastered on his face and a ruffled jumpsuit collar.
“Next time, leave a sock or something.” She smirked, then turned away and closed the door behind her with a click.
For a second, Vlad stared at the door, confused by her strange words, but then the realization hit him like a train, and he grasped his head in his shaking hands. He had forgotten about the one-time fling Jack and he had. Or, more accurately, the one he had desperately repressed from his mind. Maddie knew about it then, and now... she thought it hadn’t been one-time after all. God, how would he ever convince her otherwise without telling her the truth that he had been threatening her husband’s life?
“She could have just joined us, eh, Vladdy?” Jack put his hand on his shoulder and broke into jovial laughter. “Then it really could have been like old times!”
Vlad punched Jack back into the bookcase. Books launched off the shelves, but the oaf continued laughing as if his violence didn’t hurt in the slightest. Vlad wanted nothing more than to disappear forever in the wake of the mess he’d gotten himself into.