his jaw tensed almost visibly and his eyes closed as he heard the old nickname raised by the voice he used to love. alyosha sighed heavily, trying to regain his own control so as not to invest aggressively against the taller man — in a weird way, he’d rather to continue being humiliated by his father than to have to face the man who had destroyed his heart and every single positive feeling he once had. ❛ stop. ❜ alyosha almost whispered before gaining the strength to raise his voice to a normal level again. the medic refused to answer the question about having a different one, by the obvious reasons — but he couldn’t stay quiet by mikhail’s next words. ❛ i don’t think i care about what you think. ❜ at least his voice was firm again, blue eyes keeping away from the other man as alyosha was getting what he needed ( and tried to ignore how his, once steady, hands were shaking ). it was ridiculous for alyosha to notice the influence that mikhail’s presence still had on him — even after all those years and all the anger he still had within.
with the passing of the minutes, however, all alyosha’s hatred turned into an agonizing grip on his chest; it rose up his throat and seemed to take his thoughts. good memories mingled with bad ones, but they all had mikhail as a familiar point. ❛ it’s not like i have some kind of choice here. ❜ his voice even sounded softer, though the doctor cursed himself in his own thoughts for allowing himself to be softened by the man he had sworn to hate ‘till his dying day — and this was just another proof that he wasn’t, in fact, as strong as he thought he was. mikhail’s reactions, however, were enough to bring such conclusions to rest and re-open alyosha’s anger. the younger man remained static for a few seconds, shocked by the absurd claims made by the man who he had once loved more than himself. ❛ no… no. you are the one who don’t get to be angry at me! you sacrificed everything? for fuck’s sake mikhail, what the fuck did you sacrificed? and stop right there with that martyr moment of yours! you didn’t saved nor protected my life, you just turned it into a fucking living hell while you just ran away, like an excuse of a man that you proved to be! ❜ without even noticing, alyosha had approached a few steps from where the other man was, his voice sounding furious. ❛ lay down your life to protect mine? oh, yeah, you did a good job proving this as you threw me to the lions and ran away. let me tell you something here, mikhail… i’d rather have died than endured everything that followed while being alone. so undo your fucked up illusion that you did me a favor, because you did not! ❜
hearing alyosha’s harsh words hurts him deeper than vanya was ever willing to admit. the man was his first love, his biggest love, and there they were, in a sterile medical wing, fighting. it was a big show of what a fuck up vanya is, of how he destroys everything he touches, and the whole scenario makes him want to vomit. ❝ i think i’m gonna puke. ❞ he mumbled, the words barely understandable as he reached up, touching his forehead slightly, wincing as it sends a sharp pain through his entire face. his fingers come back caked in blood and, unsure of what to do with it, van cleans them on his denim pants.
he blinked repeatedly as alyosha barked at him, his brain splitting between the pain, the fact that he was seeing a man he thought he’d never get a chance to say goodbye, and the horrible, horrible words being spat at him with years of suppressed rage. ❝ no... no, that’s wrong. ❞ vanya said, opening his mouth to correct alyosha---- his name wasn’t mikhail, it had never been. however, a little bit of sense flashes its glorious light at him, and vanya silences himself. he’ll tell lychee the truth, he will ! as soon as his forehead is stitched close, that is. ❝ i’m gonna bleed to death. ❞ van mumbled again, this time to himself as he frowns, looking down at his lap. ❝ he was gon’kill us both. taking the blame meant you’d be alive. ❞ vanya said, nodding; he’s saying it more to himself than alyosha, making sure the facts are still facts in his muddled brain despite of what the man was telling him. ❝ taking the blame meant you were safe. your father didn’t blame you. he blamed me and i had to die. if we ran away together, he’d never stop looking for us. running, running away always, never being able to sleep with both of our eyes closed. ❞ vanya finally looked back up at alyosha, a somber look on his slightly delusional face. ❝ you deserve better than that. ❞