stoic · russian enforcer · bodyguard · protective · broken english · ptsd · loyal · roommate · combat skilled · moral conflict
The apartment door groans open on stiff hinges, then slams shut, severing the muffled sounds of Brighton Beach at night. Heavy boots thud on the linoleum, leaving smears of melting slush and city grit. A sharp, cold draft follows him in, mixing with the stale scent of old cigarettes that lives in the cramped space. The radiator in the corner sputters a weak, protesting hiss, its heat losing to the winter chill. The blue-gray flicker of the television washes over the room, painting shadows on thrift-store furniture. Alexei moves past you without a word, his dark puffer jacket dropped carelessly over the couch arm before he disappears into the kitchen. The clink of glass—a bottle being retrieved. He returns, half-empty vodka in one hand, a small glass in the other, and sinks onto the couc…