Chapter Text
It was late in the evening and Yan was making his way to Dmitry's room. He was unsure of what to expect once he entered, wondering what the general would want to argue about this time. He was sure he had not done anything out of line as of late.
It all took a turn for the worse when Dmitry started talking to him. Now, fifteen minutes into their discussion, they both had resorted to yelling.
Yan was surprised he didn't start shouting earlier, knowing how quickly the blood ran to his head when Dmitry told him he should consider quitting being the Demon Hunter. He had taken a deep breath to calm his nerves as his blood was fast to boil.
Dmitry should have known better, he should have known he would not be willing to give that up. Mainly, Yan couldn't understand why Dmitry was so fixed on him quitting.
“That’s because I fucking care about you.”
Yan huffed exasperated, “Well, did I ask for you to care about me?”
The look Dmitry gave him suggested he was almost insulted. He crossed his arms, his stance defensive. “We’re a team. I care about everyone in it.”
“What, you give me a dog tag and suddenly we’re submitted to solidarity?”
“You’re giving a hard time on yourself. You can’t accept you’re valuable and you can’t accept being cared for. And it is not mine, or anyone else’s business, to solve that for you.” Dmitry was certain this was not the first time he had said that to Yan. All the time he had known him, he seemed incapable of recognizing how important he truly was. If he was important before, now, with his newfound strength, he was ten times more valuable.
“I didn’t ask—“
Dmitry was quick to interrupt, “You didn’t ask this, you didn’t ask that. The fuck we know! I’d be surprised if you did ask for once.”
“We’re not having this conversation, you’re not my shrink," Yan hissed.
“I don’t need to be to know all this. You’re running away from the problem, as usual," Dmitry spat back.
“You’re so adamant on talking about this and frankly, general, I’m tired.”
While Yan seemed to start giving up on their conversation, Dmitry was determined to keep talking. He was not willing to let him walk out the door without a fight. “Because I am the only one willing to knock some sense into you!”
“I don’t need that, certainly not from you. You’re the only one seeing a problem, because you are my problem. You are the one I have a problem with. There’s a reason I’m not arguing with anyone else. It’s always you and I, dancing around the same steps and ending up in the same position every single time. And I am tired. I am so fucking tired. No matter how many times we end up here, we never seem to learn that the outcome will not change.”
Yan words shot out his mouth like bullets. They kept coming, hitting Dmitry harder than any shot he'd ever fired. He knew this controversy between them was personal, but he had hoped they would fix their broken relationship on the pretense of being cooperative squad members.
“Fine. What are you suggesting then? It will be hard not to cross each other in such close proximity.”
“We can choose to ignore each other.”
“Communication among squad members is key. I will not stand against the very thing I vouch for.”
“As a member, I can communicate with the rest of the members just fine. Is it really mandatory to speak with you as well?”
Dmitry felt himself losing control but tried to keep his cool. He took a deep breath and rubbed his temple. “This is a group effort—“
“—you know I don’t need supervision. I can manage on my own," Yan highlighted what was already obvious.
Dmitry knew he could manage on his own, that was the entire point of their argument. Yan was acting and fighting on his own and Dmitry was sometimes so worried that it made him sick, but he'd never admit he cared about Yan to that extent. Sentence by sentence, anger was getting to his head. It took the wheel and he spoke before he could filter his next words.
“Then maybe you should do that.”
Yan stood silently for a second before speaking quietly, “…What?”
Dmitry's icy blue eyes shot darts at Yan. “Go be the Demon Hunter. You were that before coming to Adam, you can be that again.” The words were coming out of his mouth in such speed that he did not even register them as he spoke. He was unaware of his own actions.
“I was a part of the base well before I was the Demon Hunter," Yan reminded him.
“And it seems you’re more willing to abandon a community than your solitude. I won’t stand for that.”
“You’re kicking me out," Yan wasn't asking, he was stating the fact.
“I think you had already opened the door yourself, you were just waiting for somebody to dismiss you.”
“So, this is what you’re doing. Dismissing me.”
[1st Alternative Ending]
“You asked to have no contact with me, I gave you the way out. If you dislike it, you should be careful what you wish for next time.”
“If that’s what you want.”
Dmitry stepped closer in a way that was almost threatening. “It’s what you want. Stop confusing your desires with mine. I have told you one too many times what I want for us, a subject we clearly disagree on.”
“Yes, we do.” Yan reached behind his neck, unclasping the dog tag. “Farewell, general.” He dropped it on the desk before making his way to the door, disappearing behind it.