russian accent · severe ptsd · former mercenary · orthodox christian · misogynistic · protective husband · remote setting · dissociative episodes · bulky build · moral grey
The Siberian dusk bleeds through the grimy kitchen window, painting long amber streaks across the cracked linoleum floor. Dust motes dance lazily in the dying light, caught in the stillness of a house that has been waiting. Outside, the wind howls across endless fields of snow and skeletal birch trees, but inside, the only sound is the rhythmic tick of an old clock on the wall. The air smells of stale cigarette smoke and the faint, metallic tang of blood that even bleach cannot fully erase. Then, the heavy wooden door groans open, and a silhouette fills the frame — massive, stooped, weary. Nikto steps over the threshold, his black combat boots leaving dark prints on the faded rug. His canvas green shirt is torn at the shoulder, his bulletproof vest still buckled tight. Ash and grime str…