Chapter Text
Just as Ani had perfected her dance routines at the club, she'd perfected her walk from HQ to the subway station after her shift. It was a purposeful, methodical stride, fast enough not to look like a target, slow enough not too look anxious. Her clothes were comfortable and concealing, and designed to keep her under the radar. The less attention, the better.
This specific night had been long. It was freezing. Her feet ached, her head ached, and she still had a block to go to the subway stop. She heard a vehicle behind her, then heard it slow down, the engine purring as it crept closer. She didn't look back, merely quickened her pace and fumbled for her bunch of keys in her pocket. She found them, and closed her fist around them, the sharp edges jutting out between her fingers. The vehicle gave a short, sharp hoot. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears. And then she heard a familiar, Russian-accented voice call her name. She turned to look. Thank God. It was just that fuckhead Igor. He'd stopped the car beside her. The adrenaline that was still pumping through her veins had nowhere to go but to be channeled into a hot flash of rage.
"What the fuck, asshole?!! You almost gave me an actual fucking heart attack you psycho!"
Igor had the good grace too look sheepish at least. "Sorry. I'm sorry. I just see you walking, I want to ask if you need lift home."
"Well, I guess its the least you can fucking do, after scaring the shit out of me. Jesus."
He opened the passenger door and she slumped into the seat. Unbidden, memories surged forward —the last time she'd been in this car, the last time she'd seen Igor, was two weeks ago. She'd sobbed on his chest. Then, she'd gotten up, told him not to follow her, and slammed the car door behind her. Great. Just what she needed - a mental rerun of one of the more embarrassing and shitty days of her life. She turned to Igor, hoping that he wasn’t thinking the same thing she was.
"So are you fucking stalking me or what?" she asked.
He gave a slightly exasperated smirk. "I missed the way you talk so nice to me."
She let out a snort of a laugh. "Is that sarcasm, motherfucker?"
"Yes, " he followed it up with a chuckle. "And I don't stalk you. I work as bouncer down the road. I am going home, and I see you. I didn't want to scare you. I am sorry."
"Okay, okay, I get it. Just don't do it again."
He glanced sidelong at her. "You back at HQ?"
"Yeah. Sucks. Diamond is the worst. But work is work y'now? You still working for Toros?"
He shook his head.
"Good for you I guess. Toros is a fucking dick"
They sat in silence for a while, and she mused how much nicer it was to be driven home in a car compared to having to take the subway. It was warm and comfortable and it didn't smell like pee. She was lulled asleep by the white noise of the car and the slow strobing of street lights, only jerking awake as Igor pulled to a stop in front of her house.
The street was cloaked in darkness, the new moon offering no light. She pulled her jacket around her and braced herself for the cold. But as she reached for the door handle, she felt Igor's hand grip on her arm, firm and insistent. For a split second she imagined he was trying to move in to kiss her. But he didn't move any closer. His gaze wasn't even on her, but behind her.
"Anora. Who is at home now?" he asked, his voice measured.
Confused, she studied his face, which gave nothing away. "No-one. My sister is away on a camping trip with her boyfriend for a few days. Why?"
"Okay. I think there has... I think someone burgle your apartment."
"What?" She followed his gaze to her front door. The security gate was open, bent and damaged where it locked. The front door was ajar. "Fuck." Her first instinct was to get a closer look. She reached for the car door handle again, but Igor’s grip on her arm tightened.
"Don’t. Let me look first," he said.
Panic began to rise in her chest. "No, you stay."
"Okay. I stay. You want to call the police?"
She nodded. "Yeah."
"In the house you have any illegal... you have drugs? guns?"
"Why?" she asked, now suspicious.
He gave her a pointed look in return.
Her tone turned sarcastic. "Why do you want to know? Are you planning to march in the fucking house and fetch all my illegal fucking contraband before the police get here?"
Igor shrugged, "Yes. Or you want to go to jail?"
"Okay, well, I don't have anything in the house. Guns? Jesus. Where the fuck would I even get a gun?"
"Okay, okay. I just ask."
She rolled her eyes at him and made the phone call. The police luckily had a car in the area and would be there in five minutes. It was weird, she thought, that she wasn't as scared as she thought she'd be. But then perhaps it was just the shock kicking in.
The police arrived. They were polite, though Ani was grateful to be wearing her street clothes rather than her work clothes. No doubt if they'd seen her at HQ, the interaction would have been very different. Once the house was cleared and the police confirmed there were no intruders, Anora and Igor were allowed to enter while the officers finished processing the fingerprints. The security gate had been busted with a crowbar or something similar. The lock on the door was damaged as well. The house was a disaster. Cabinets were flung open, their contents strewn everywhere.The TV was gone. Ani’s laptop was missing, along with her sister, Vera’s. Ani was extremely relieved that she had sold her engagement ring the week before, the money now safely in her bank account.
Igor entered and surveyed the chaos that was her room. "Such big mess. Why they throw your clothes all on the floor like pigs? "
Ani felt her face flush. "They didn't. I did that this morning."
He tried - and failed - to stifle a laugh, which ended in a snort. He held up his hands in playful deference. "Sorry, sorry. It's not funny." He caught her eye and they both dissolved into slightly manic giggles.
"I was in a rush getting dressed, okay?" she said defensively, although still laughing. She threw a pillow at him."Fucking asshole."
According to the police, there had been a spree of burglaries in the area, and they suspected it was the same person. They headed out, promising to follow up with Ani within 24 hours. Igor and Ani stood in silence, the weight of it all pressing down on her. She was bone tired, and the idea of sorting anything more out was unfathomable.
Igor seemed to sense her thoughts. “Don’t worry, we clean later. But you can’t sleep here now. It’s not safe with the gate broken.”
Ani nodded, feeling rather overwhelmed. “ What am I supposed to do now?”
"The gate won't lock, but at least we can secure door, if we leave out back. It should be okay for your things. You have friend that will let you sleep there?"
She thought of calling Lulu, but then she remembered Lulu always switched off her phone when she slept and there was no chance she was awake right now. She tried to wrack her brain for someone else she could get hold of. Vera would probably not even have cell service at the moment.
Igor watched her quietly."If you want, you can sleep with me." She saw his cheeks colour. "I mean, you sleep at my place. My grandmother's apartment."
Ani chewed her lip, considering. “Yeah, I think... yeah.
Igor nodded, a little shy. “Okay, good.”
Igor's grandmother's apartment was the complete opposite of Ivan's parents' mansion. It was a small two-bedroom, every room crammed with knick-knacks, and the walls lined with family photos. While it was old-fashioned and a bit outdated, it felt warm and lived-in—unlke Ivan’s parent's sterile, cavernous mansion. Igor motioned toward what was likely his grandmother's bedroom, signaling that she was still asleep and to be quiet.
He gave Ani a t-shirt and shorts for her to sleep in and pointed towards the bathoom. "You get ready there. Then you sleep in my room," pointing to the room behind her. "I sleep on couch," he gestured to the living room, "If you need me."
She had a quick shower, and changed into Igor's shorts and shirt. They were worn and soft, and far too large, but the elastic in the shorts managed to hold onto her hips, though only just. Igor's room was a little more simple and minimalist than the rest of the apartment—tidy, with the double bed neatly made. Ani couldn’t remember the last time she’d made her own bed without the excuse of a visitor.
Igor leaned into the doorway. "You okay?"
She nodded.
He looked her over and chuckled. "That shirt look like dress on you." He wasn't wrong, the hem of the t-shirt hit her mid thigh.
"You're, like, twice my size, asshole. Not my fucking fault."
"Spokoynoy nochi, Anora "
" Well it's 5am, but Spokoynoy nochi, I guess."
She closed the door, switched off the light and wriggled into the bed. It smelled like Igor—clean, musky, with a hint of something warm and pleasantly masculine. It was weirdly comforting. Morning light began to creep in through the window. Her head barely hit the pillow before she drifted off to sleep.