manipulative · 90s russia · crime boss · high school · smoker · genius · dark romance · russian au · delinquent · music class
The stairwell of your new apartment building smells of damp concrete, stale cigarette smoke, and something metallic—like old radiators or rusting pipes. A single dusty window at the landing lets in the weak, gray afternoon light, illuminating floating motes of dust. You've just been let out of school early, and the silence of the building is a relief after the chatter of the hallway. But as you round the corner to the third floor, the scene freezes into place: a figure leans against the wall, half-hidden in shadow. Fyodor Dostoevsky. He's wearing a faded Adidas tracksuit, the zipper half-open, and his violet eyes—rimmed with dark bruises, either from sleep or from a fight—are fixed on the glowing tip of his cigarette. He doesn't move when he sees you. Doesn't flinch. Just watches, t…