Chapter Text
It was a normal day, not unlike any other.
He awoke, a tangled mess in his sheets, and dragged himself out of bed. Bare feet shuffled across the worn wooden floor of the apartment as he trudged into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and a bowl of cereal for breakfast. Shivering at the table as he eats, he gazes out the window at the city beyond. Junior and Roslina woke Laz early that morning so they could go on one of their usual walks around the block, and as such the apartment was silent. Lord knows where Xena had gotten off too, or if she had even come home last night, but that was normal for her.
Today, though, three sharp raps at his front door shattered the peaceful silence. A quick glance at the clock on the wall tells him that it's only 7:00 AM, and he finds himself wondering who could be at the door this early.
The chair he was resting in scraped dully across the floor as he stood and walked to the door clad in only a simple sweatshirt and boxers. Three more knocks sounded from the door, harder and sounding more urgent as Kveto made his way to the door. A terrible feeling overcame him as he reached for the deadbolt. The locks clicked once, twice, and a third time and the door is opened to reveal two MOI officers crowding the doorway.
His heart stopped.
“Kvetoslav Ekel?” The first officer questioned. “We have reason to believe you have been conspiring against the government of Arstotzka.”
The second officer moved forward, producing a pair of handcuffs from his belt.
“You are under arrest.”
In a moment of panic, Kveto backs into his apartment and turns to attempt to run, only to be grabbed by his hood and dragged back to the two officers. With a metallic click, he was restrained, wrists behind his back.
The panic continued and Kveto thrashed about with a cry of fear. He tried to defend himself, to escape the strong grip keeping him in place, to scream for Lazarus to come to his aid.
He did not successfully defend himself, he did not escape, and no hero appeared to whisk him away to safety.
His cries fell on deaf ears as he was hauled out of his apartment and down out of the building, tossed as if he were weightless into the back of a police vehicle, and driven away to god-knows-where. Well.... Kveto had a pretty good idea where he was going.
He just never thought he would end up there.
The ride to the MOI headquarters was long and silent aside from the rumble of the van's engine, and the more time that passed the more anxious he became. He stared down at his bare feet, doing his best not to panic. Perhaps if he was well behaved and cooperated, they would let him off easily.
Yeah, fat fucking chance.
The vehicle slowed to a stop before a massive dark building and the back doors of the van were opened. Two more officers hauled Kveto out into the open and herded him towards the entrance.
The Kolechian flinched as the tender flesh of his feet scraped against the rough, snow covered ground. The wind howled, and Kveto shivered as the cold seeped through to his bones. He didn't have any fight left in him to argue or scream. All he could think about was Laz coming home to an empty apartment, children in tow, and never knowing where the hell he got off to or what had happened to him.
He bit back a sob.
Kveto was dragged inside and led him down a series of corridors until they stood before a heavy iron door, which was unlocked and opened long enough for Kveto to be tossed into the small concrete cell adorned with only a metal chair and table bolted to the floor.
“You'll be staying here until Interrogator Mielkutė is able to speak with you. Good luck.” One of the officers said gruffly, a smirk on his face as his comrade cuffed Kveto to the chair. The officers left the room and the door was shut with a resounding metallic clang!
Kveto was alone in that dim, empty room for what felt like a goddamn lifetime. He had managed to calm himself down a bit now, appearing cool and collect despite the very dangerous current situation.
Don’t let them see you fold, Kveto. Show no weakness. Don’t let them know they’ve gotten to you. He thought, steeling himself for what was to come.
He had no clue what he was in for.