agood-loyalrussian - Tumblr blog

[agood-loyalrussian]

Hey! I saw some of your RPs with anyaromanovarp and your writing is fantastic! I looked on your blog and saw you were looking for more Anastasia people to thread with? If you’d be interested, I certainly am! I have Anastasia canons and then some other characters with verses for it!

Oh heck! Hi there! Thank you so much for the compliment! I am always interested in more Anastasia rp, and I’m open to non canon characters with verses, and OCs too! :D

My messenger is always open here! This is a sideblog - I follow from my main Gleb blog which is affiliated @agoodandloyalrussian

[agood-loyalrussian]

[agood-loyalrussian]

[agood-loyalrussian]

Ramin scaring Christy backstage at Anastasia [x]

[agood-loyalrussian]

Behind Enemy Lines

@anyaromanovarp

They’d told him twenty five years.

He remembered his trial, barely, through the vague fog of several years, and the surprise he’d felt when he hadn’t been executed on the spot. Perhaps they felt he could offer up more to Russia than his blood? Gleb knew the truth, though - for political prisoners like himself, twenty five years in a gulag was a life sentence of about three to five.

This was why he wasn’t at all surprised when he was awoken in the dead of night and hauled out of the workers’ barracks. He stumbled a little as he was manhandled through darkened corridors, ignoring the way the singular lights passed overhead in a linear fashion. The rough hands of the guard gripped his upper arm cruelly as they walked - he was sort of infamous here for being the so-called Imperialist who let the Romanov princess go, and lied about it. As such, he was treated even more harshly than the others, which said a great deal. He wondered if it would be torture tonight, or just mind games for hours...but it was a passive thought. As much as Gleb wanted to fight back, he was slowly losing the strength to do so. Weakened by hunger and hard labor, he was hardly the man he’d been when he’d been sent here. Emaciated, dressed in tatty workers’ garb that hung in his once robust body, his dark eyes were sunken, though they still sparked with a defiant fire. His hair was kept short by the guards, but his increasingly gaunt cheeks were in desperate need of a shave. His hunger and hard labor wore on him; his joints ached as much as his stomach cramped, as though he were an old man, not merely in his thirties. His mind wandered more - it was so difficult to focus...

Everything for Mother Russia. He was once a proud defender of her and her hard working people. He had given everything to the New Order, and the New Order has given back nothing. Young blood spattered on the snows of Siberia in the final months of the Civil War. Countless counter revolutionaries put to death under his watch, stability and strength for a fair and compassionate, glorious future - and this. This was the fruit of all his labors. There was no equality, as long as men enslaved other men.

I have no regrets, Anya.

He was dragged into a room, where a guard stood behind him, armed. Gleb stood there for a long moment, head bowed under the harsh light.

“Gleb Vaganov.”

Slowly, he raised his head to look at the man who was addressing him, his eyes narrowed. He said nothing, but saw one of the administrators of the camp standing there with official papers in hand. He was reading over them while a smaller soldier - a woman - waited patiently. She looked quite important, but he had never seen her before.

“Here he is, Comrade Ivanova.”

The administrators nodded and handed the documents to the soldier, and one of the guards stepped around. Their eyes met for only a moment before Gleb felt someone strike him hard in the back of the head. He stumbled, crying out hoarsely in surprise and pain, but his world was engulfed in darkness as they covered his head in a dark bag. It was then that he knew.

His twenty five year sentence had been commuted to a short life sentence.

[agood-loyalrussian]

Rescue Starters

“Shh.. I’m here to get you out of here.”

“Don’t worry you’re safe with me.”

“I’ll get you out, I promise.”

“This way, come with me.”

“Hey, hey.. it’s going to be okay. I’m going to get you somewhere safe.”

“..h-how long have you been trapped here?”

“Oh my god! I’m getting you help immediately!”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just here to rescue you because it’s the nice thing to do. Whatever.”

“You saved me!”

“My savior!”

“Good, we’re out of that place.”

“It’s me, your knight in shining armor.”

“I don’t want to be rescued”

“Let me die!”

“Thank you.. for helping me.”

“If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Don’t worry, we’re safe now.”

“Here, let me untie you.”

“Not a word about this. This disguise was the only way I could get in here and get you out safely.”

“You saved me from that _!”

“My hero~!”

“I’m here to save the day!”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get the hell out of here.”

“Ah, watch out!”

“Look out! A car/truck/bus/etc!” *pushes my muse out the way*

“I can’t believe you got yourself hurt to save me!”

“You took a bullet for me!”

“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be alive.”

“Stop trying to save me.”

[agood-loyalrussian]

Nothing but loyal to what you love.

Gleb let out a soft, shaking breath as he felt Anya’s lips brush against his own. A faint sound, a bit broken, steeped in emotion, slipped from his throat at the delicate touch. Though it was uncertain, it was more than he had ever expected to receive from her. The way she wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him close – warmth and bittersweet pain blossomed in his chest as he warred with himself on what to do.

“…Yes…I love Russia, and I love you. I had to let you go; I couldn’t…” He remembered the weight of the pistol in his hand, and how the memory of it in his palm still burned. He remembered those blue eyes, defiant as they stared him down, daring him…his knees on the marble floors, cold leeching the warmth from him through his skin. “…More than just it being the right thing to do, Anya, I was…am. In love with you, and that was more important to me than…my orders. I couldn’t let you know; I was…so sure it was selfish of me. The idea that you could ever want someone like me, with everything that’s happened…I don’t deserve this. Or you…”

Her forehead against his was soothing, and it brought his gaze up. Gleb looked into those eyes, still for a moment, and how they pierced into him so deeply… He took a fractured breath when she spoke of her love for him.

It was too much.

Leaning forward, he captured her lips against his own, forgoing any further debate about what he did or didn’t deserve. He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her up against him, breathing deeply of her.

"There is not enough room here for both of us." - @agood-loyalrussian

“There is enough room, just not a lot of room.” Anya pointed out, taking her coat off and hanging it on the small coat hook that remained by the door. “and if you feel there isn’t enough room, then maybe you should have asked for two beds when you booked the room, Mr. Vaganov.” Anya sat her suitcase down, before sitting on the edge of the singular bed in the room. 

“it’s Quaint. I like it.” She decided, laying back and stretching her back out. “once you spend time sleeping under a bridge, Gleb, any bed is a great bed.” Anya sighed in contentment. “Or are you upset because it’s not a king sized bed.” She teased just a little- she was still trying to get a read on his opposition to things sometimes. 

“I’m not going to rob you of your virtue by sleeping beside you.” Anya told him blatantly, a wry smirk on her face. “It’s plenty of space if we make it plenty of space.”

@agood-loyalrussian

[agood-loyalrussian]

“…You’re one and the same, Anya and Anastasia a. I’ve believed that from the moment I left your side that day.”

She had stood over him that day, regal and beautiful. She could have so easily called the guards on him, have him sent away – but she had shown him true beauty, grace instead…had knelt beside him, equals, her hand comforting and reassuring against his skin, in his own hand, silk gloves, trembling still despite it all. A princess who trembled – just like the street sweeper whose hands he had held that distant day…

Gleb felt the breath leave his lips in a soft sound when she cradled his jaw in her hand – this couldn’t possibly be happening. He needed to stop this before it went too far –

Why?

“…We can’t help the names we were born with, Anya,” he breathed, his voice shaking slightly. “I loved you that day when you let me go as a Grand Duchess, and I have come to love you more now that we are here. I could….present you with the same question – You would want the man with the name of the man who murdered your family?” He was stricken to realize she’d provided her answer. He shook his head slowly and reached for her hand, pulling her palm once more to his lips. He kissed it softly, a show of deep affection that he had not allowed himself before.

“…I’m not a good man, Anya…I’ve done terrible things…in the name of my country. I don’t know why you could ever want me…but I could never claim to love you and not love all that you are. I…that’s why. Why I couldn’t…even more than knowing it was wrong to kill you, it was because I…”

"There is not enough room here for both of us." - @agood-loyalrussian

“There is enough room, just not a lot of room.” Anya pointed out, taking her coat off and hanging it on the small coat hook that remained by the door. “and if you feel there isn’t enough room, then maybe you should have asked for two beds when you booked the room, Mr. Vaganov.” Anya sat her suitcase down, before sitting on the edge of the singular bed in the room. 

“it’s Quaint. I like it.” She decided, laying back and stretching her back out. “once you spend time sleeping under a bridge, Gleb, any bed is a great bed.” Anya sighed in contentment. “Or are you upset because it’s not a king sized bed.” She teased just a little- she was still trying to get a read on his opposition to things sometimes. 

“I’m not going to rob you of your virtue by sleeping beside you.” Anya told him blatantly, a wry smirk on her face. “It’s plenty of space if we make it plenty of space.”

@agood-loyalrussian

[agood-loyalrussian]

“Anya.”

Gleb said her name quietly, without accusation. It troubled him to hear her speak of such things, so freely. When they had left Russia, women were equal to men. The same rights, privileges, freedoms – even if these things weren’t always done in practice, he believed in these ideals.

“You should never have to settle, for anyone. But you should never – “ He sat up on his elbow then, turning to his side to look at her seriously. His dark eyes were intense, but not quite severe. “They don’t want you, Anya. They want a tiara and a title, wealth and your name. That you’re young and beautiful is a happy perk that they will use to their advantage – all of these nobles are the same. Taking what they want from anyone they want without any regard for who it might hurt – they don’t want you.” There was an outraged urgency in his voice that made it obvious that he was outraged on her behalf, and he had never not hidden his disgust for the rest of the nobility and their behaviors. “There are people out there who want none of these things, and want you, desire you, for you – for who you are. I ache to be able to have – that trembling street sweeper who turned out to be so strong, confident, capable…” For a moment, Gleb was lost in a memory, wistful. “…Surely there will be others who do.” He spoke so quickly, with such passion, that he didn’t realize his confession in that moment. His gaze was intense, though it pained him to think of her with another man.

As long as she was happy, he would be satisfied.

“…Find a man who you treat you equally, and let you live your life. You deserve to be free.”

"There is not enough room here for both of us." - @agood-loyalrussian

“There is enough room, just not a lot of room.” Anya pointed out, taking her coat off and hanging it on the small coat hook that remained by the door. “and if you feel there isn’t enough room, then maybe you should have asked for two beds when you booked the room, Mr. Vaganov.” Anya sat her suitcase down, before sitting on the edge of the singular bed in the room. 

“it’s Quaint. I like it.” She decided, laying back and stretching her back out. “once you spend time sleeping under a bridge, Gleb, any bed is a great bed.” Anya sighed in contentment. “Or are you upset because it’s not a king sized bed.” She teased just a little- she was still trying to get a read on his opposition to things sometimes. 

“I’m not going to rob you of your virtue by sleeping beside you.” Anya told him blatantly, a wry smirk on her face. “It’s plenty of space if we make it plenty of space.”

@agood-loyalrussian

[agood-loyalrussian]

Gleb nodded. It was a comfort to know that they had reached an accord in regards to their cover story, at least. They would have to keep one another in check to ensure neither of them slipped up. The conversation was having the desired effect in that the horrors of his night terrors were fading – the soft touch, even more so. He’d never realized how starved for affection and attention he was, how his skin itself hungered for something as simple as a gentle touch. The past several hours, of Anya showing him such subtle, physical kindnesses, had shown him just what it was to be starved so, beyond the basic needs of food and nourishment.

He didn’t deserve it. But he would accept it.

“…Moving on. It’s such an easy thing to suggest, and such…a difficult task to accomplish…”

agood-loyalrussian‌:

“I know.”

Gleb spoke quietly, with a resigned tone. He understood the logic of her words, and he knew that she was correct in that he wasn’t his father and should not have been forced to bear the weight of his father’s sins. It would simply take time for him to come around and accept this. He looked up at Anya, and frowned a bit, sadly. He reached out to her and touched her chin, much like he had in what felt like a lifetime ago, and drew her pretty eyes to look up at him.

“I’m sorry. I don’t…I don’t know what to say to ease that loss. Perhaps it’s…grief, or a sense of having something so precious stolen from you,” he said gently. He brushed his thumb against her skin, and it would have been so easy to lean in and kiss her -

He scolded the intrusive thought immediately, pushing it down. She deserved much better.

“A simple story is best – too many facts and it begins to be difficult to keep the lie straight.”

Anya tried to focus on his grief and not her own. She kept bringing herself up to show they understand, but she realized now it only brought his grief more. Her life involved so much of her trying to find her past and dwelling on it. 

 “I think the best to ease my loss is to move forward. We cannot have a future if we are so focused on our pasts, especially if we are trying to find ourselves in the process.” His touch on her skin sent a chill down her spine. Her face went red, trying not to focus on it.

“Of course. I am glad that is settled. I think we covered the main parts of our cover story.”

[agood-loyalrussian]

“Anya…”

It wasn’t right. Gleb sat there and watched as Anya – a princess, an heiress, everything that he had fought against once – bustled around the kitchen preparing him meals and offering him charity. He had tried to murder her twice. He knew that he didn’t deserve any of this – she should have just left him in the gutter where she had found him. He wanted to bristle at the idea of receiving anything without hard work or payment, but his energy had sapped much of his outrage.

“I feel as though they’re always watching me…even here. One wrong word and they’ll have me all over again. Snatched in the night, a death faked in an office…” The gradual realization that this was what all Russians feared from the likes of him and his men had been crushing; the irony was not lost on him. “I did this to people…many of them were criminals, Anya, even I was…am. A criminal by their standards. How many thousands more were innocent…” He shook his head and wrapped his arms around himself. “I deserved death for crimes against the Russian people…and against you. A fearless man would have faced his death without complaint. I was afraid…afraid they’d send someone else for you. Afraid to…I am satisfied enough to die, but you…”

His words were soft, barely there.

“…I will accept the bed, the bath, and the meal…” he breathed, trembling a little. “But you don’t need to buy me new clothing. Once I’m back in good health, I’ll…sort out my housing and work situation and buy my own clothing. I’ve burdened you enough.”

“Get behind me NOW.” - Protective meme, from @agood-loyalrussian

“You’re overdramatic.” Anya rolled her eyes, stepping to the side. “What ever happened to ‘those days are over,’ huh Gleb?” Anya glanced around the street, trying to find the source of his panic. “Weren’t YOU the one supposed to shoot me anyway?”

@agood-loyalrussian

[agood-loyalrussian]

It was a rare jest involving death – Gleb made it a point to avoid any jokes involving it when it came to Anya. But in this instance, it was highly appropriate, and she had clearly responded well enough. He reached up and caught the shirt as she tossed it, smiling a bit from where he was reclining in the bed. Her afternoon visit had turned out a bit more…involved that they’d been expecting, and now she was rushing about to get ready.

“…I think she would rather publish neither,” he mused. “She’d prefer that you’d run off with the con man – which is fair, considering.” Dmitry and his family had never tried actively to kill her or her family, after all, even if Gleb himself never had actually wanted to do so. He clasped his hands over his chest in thought as he watched Anya get ready. “They’re there just hiding next to the mirror – the hair pins, I mean. And what…what would I do at a press conference? I’d just cause another scandal – something neither of us need.”

❛ Please consider me as an alternative to suicide. ❜ - agood-loyalrussian

“Well, if it gets me out of one of Nona’s press opportunities.” Anya teased, tossing the closest article of clothing she found-one of his shirts- at him playfully. “You know I don’t want to be paraded around, so if it takes the mysterious death of the grand duchess..” She shoved a hairpin roughly into the braid onto of her head, looking around the armoire infront of her for another. “what is she more likely to publish? Grand Duchess dies unexpectedly, or Grand Duchess wanted to spend her day in bed with the ex Bolshevik officer?” She turned around to look at him, where she could see him still in bed. “you could come with me if you want…”

@agood-loyalrussian

[agood-loyalrussian]

In truth, Gleb had nearly dozed off in the bathtub. The fight had worn him out, now that the adrenaline had left his system, and the ache in his entire being was beginning to make itself known. It had been the soothing warmth and the soft sound of Anya’s reading in the next room that had threatened to lull him off to sleep; he didn’t get to hear Russian enough here in Paris, and so when he could, it was a deep comfort.

When he emerged, he suppressed a shiver; the contrast from the warmth to the chill was striking. However, seeing his wife and son snuggled up with a good book distracted him from that for a moment. He nodded – he had long ago learned that arguing with Anya was a battle that no one could ever win.

“No shirt?” he repeated, and made his way over to the bed. He stiffly changed into comfortable clothing, and painstakingly laid out on the bedding. The cat had already taken up residence in the usual spot – curled up on the upper corner of the bed next to where he laid his head. Gleb suppressed a groan, and laid out on his back.

“…He’s only an infant…I doubt he’d do much damage crawling on me – no more than what’s already been done…”

“  i’m fine, i’ve had worse.  ” for @agood-loyalrussian

Anya’s head snapped up, shaking her head rapidly. “I don’t care if you’ve had worse, I thought you were beyond this..” she sighed, wringing out a cloth that had been sitting in warm water. “What happened?!” She insisted, using the cloth to wipe the blood off of his face.

“You’ve got to be more careful now..” Anya reminded, her left hand slipping down to the collar of his shirt, trying to double task. “Take this off, Gleb. I need to see what else is bleeding,” she also needed to survey him for bruises and any further injury.

She was pleased at the moment, that she had hospital training. She could do stitches and clean wounds, as well as other treatments. But she was finding it particularly hard to look at Gleb in an injured state. “You aren’t alone. You have family to think about now..”

@agood-loyalrussian

[agood-loyalrussian]

the princess bride; starter sentences.

❛ Hello. My name is _____. You killed my father. Prepare to die. ❜

❛ You mock my pain. ❜

❛ Life is pain, _____. Anyone who says differently is selling something. ❜

❛ You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. ❜

❛ We’ll never survive. ❜

❛ Nonsense. You’re only saying that because no one ever has. ❜

❛ Get used to disappointment. ❜

❛ I’ll explain and I’ll use small words so that you’ll be sure to understand, you warthog faced buffoon. ❜

❛ That may be the first time in my life a man has dared insult me. ❜

❛ The battle of wits has begun. ❜

❛ Truly, you have a dizzying intellect. ❜

❛ You mean you wish to surrender to me? Very well, I accept. ❜

❛ Is very strange. I have been in the revenge business so long, now that it’s over, I don’t know what to do with the rest of my life. ❜

❛ Have you ever considered piracy? ❜

❛ Mawage. Mawage is wot bwings us togeder today. Mawage, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam… ❜

❛ I can’t compete with you physically, and you’re no match for my brains. ❜

❛ Good work. Sleep well. I’ll most likely kill you in the morning. ❜

❛ Hear this now: I will always come for you. ❜

❛ This is true love - you think this happens every day? ❜

❛ That does put a damper on our relationship. ❜

❛ I’ve seen worse. ❜

❛ We’ll never succeed. We may as well die here. ❜

❛ I do not mean to pry, but you don’t by any chance happen to have six fingers on your right hand? ❜

❛ Do you always begin conversations this way? ❜

❛ I would sooner destroy a stained glass window than an artist like yourself. ❜

❛ Please understand I hold you in the highest respect. ❜

❛ You’ve done nothing but study swordplay? ❜

❛ You seem a decent fellow… I hate to kill you. ❜

❛ You seem a decent fellow… I hate to die. ❜

❛ Well, I’m not saying I’d like to build a summer home here, but the trees are actually quite lovely. ❜

❛ Go through his clothes and look for loose change. ❜

❛ Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while. ❜

❛ You can die slowly, cut into a thousand pieces. ❜

❛ You killed my love. ❜

❛ You rush a miracle man, you get rotten miracles. ❜

❛ I do not envy the headache you will have when you awake. But for now, rest well and dream of large women. ❜

❛ There’s a shortage of perfect breasts in this world. It would be a pity to damage yours. ❜

❛ I’m not a witch, I’m your wife. But after what you just said, I’m not even sure I want to be that any more. ❜

❛ Look, are you just fiddling around with me or what? ❜

❛ When I was your age, television was called books. ❜

❛ Oh, well, thank you very much, very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming. ❜

❛ You mean, you’ll put down your rock and I’ll put down my sword, and we’ll try and kill each other like civilized people? ❜

❛ Why do you wear a mask? Were you burned by acid, or something like that? ❜

❛ Oh no, it’s just that they’re terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future. ❜

❛ For the last time, surrender! ❜

❛ You’re trying to kidnap what I’ve rightfully stolen. ❜

❛ I challenge you to a battle of wits. ❜

❛ I died that day! ❜

❛ Beautiful isn’t it? It took me half a lifetime to invent it. ❜

❛ Look, I don’t mean to be rude but this is not as easy as it looks, so I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t distract me. ❜

❛ There will be blood tonight! ❜

❛ Is this a kissing book? ❜

❛ That’s a miracle pill? ❜

❛ The chocolate coating makes it go down easier. ❜

❛ Please consider me as an alternative to suicide. ❜

❛ They’re kissing again. Do we have to read the kissing parts? ❜

❛ You’ve got an overdeveloped sense of vengeance. It’s going to get you into trouble one of these days. ❜

❛ I suppose you think you’re brave, don’t you? ❜

❛ I will never love again. ❜

❛ You be careful. People in masks cannot be trusted. ❜

❛ I’d rather eat lint! ❜

❛ As you wish. ❜

❛ While you’re at it, why don’t you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it? ❜

❛ I can cope with torture. ❜

❛ Am I going mad, or did the word “think” escape your lips? ❜

❛ Australia is entirely peopled with criminals! ❜

❛ Frankly, I think the odds are slightly in your favor at hand fighting. ❜

❛ Anybody want a peanut? ❜

❛ Do you hear that? That is the sound of ultimate suffering. ❜

❛ Where I come from, there are penalties when a woman lies. ❜

❛ Yes, you’re very smart. Shut up. ❜

❛ That doesn’t leave much time for dilly-dallying. ❜

❛ You’re trying to trick me into giving away something. It won’t work. ❜

[agood-loyalrussian]

“Anya.”

Gleb laid there for a moment, arms folded over his chest as he stared up at the ceiling. It was no surprise that she had chosen a man among the many that sought to court her, but what surprised him was that apparently, this man was below her station. Not Dmitry, either. And he himself was just a friend of hers, after all.

“Aren’t you…a princess?” he asked, though the answer was obvious. “Even though I know you dislike the classist system as much as I do, even I can accept that, as a princess, you can’t marry up any further – does she want you to marry a king? Furthermore, isn’t it your choice? You’re a free woman, not beholden to anyone any more, Anya. Don’t settle – you will be miserable for the rest of your life if you do.” Though he sounded a bit grumpy about it, he meant every word. He sighed and shook his head. “Even the Tsar, your father, was advised against marrying your mother, but he defied them and did it anyway.”

He turned his head and looked at her, dark eyes intense. He knew her to be a defiant, strong-willed woman, so it surprised him that she was so willing to just accept things as the were.

“You’ve finally regained your life. Live it, and don’t let others do it for you.”

"There is not enough room here for both of us." - @agood-loyalrussian

“There is enough room, just not a lot of room.” Anya pointed out, taking her coat off and hanging it on the small coat hook that remained by the door. “and if you feel there isn’t enough room, then maybe you should have asked for two beds when you booked the room, Mr. Vaganov.” Anya sat her suitcase down, before sitting on the edge of the singular bed in the room. 

“it’s Quaint. I like it.” She decided, laying back and stretching her back out. “once you spend time sleeping under a bridge, Gleb, any bed is a great bed.” Anya sighed in contentment. “Or are you upset because it’s not a king sized bed.” She teased just a little- she was still trying to get a read on his opposition to things sometimes. 

“I’m not going to rob you of your virtue by sleeping beside you.” Anya told him blatantly, a wry smirk on her face. “It’s plenty of space if we make it plenty of space.”

@agood-loyalrussian

[agood-loyalrussian]

It was hardly a graceful or appropriate position for a princess or an unwed socialite to be seen in, and though back home no one would have been as scandalized, here in France, among this crowd, Gleb knew that if they were caught, she would be in trouble and he would be summarily and unceremoniously shown the door. He knew this, and she knew this. But as she undid the first few buttons of his shirt and pulled it aside to gain access to his neck and shoulder, his logic and willpower were quickly being overridden. There was pain mixed with the pleasure as Anya nipped down his neck, and though he knew better than to attempt to remove any part of the dress in public, one hand was sliding up her thigh beneath the finely embroidered fabric. He trusted her to stop him if he went too far.

“Perhaps we should relocate to…a place with a door?” he suggested, and glanced around at the courtyard. Preferably a locking door, away from the party. There were any number of doors, and several of them on the opposite side of the estate from any celebration. It was perhaps a bit unseemly, but…Anya was fiery, and if this was what she wanted, he was not about to argue. How he felt was out in the open now, and how Anya felt…was left in red trails along his neck and on the edge of his collar.

She would know this place better than he did - was there a parlor? Surely there must be.

Anya grinned against his lips when he pulled her flush against him. One hand continued to dig her nails into his lower back, the other coming up to tug on his tie. She failed at untying it with one hand, but managed to lose it. Once she gave up, her hand trailed to the back of his head giving a little tug at the root of his dark hair. 

Anya was just glad that finally all the tension was resolved, all released in one fiery moment against an ivy covered wall. She tugged the hem of her skirt around her knees, before jumping and wrapping her legs around his hips. 

Anya leaned her head back, pulling back so she could breathe. She glanced at his swollen lips, a wide smile on her face. “Well, better late than never.” Anya mumbled, looking at the lipstick she had all over his mouth. “Red is a good color on you.”

[agood-loyalrussian]

“I disobeyed orders because they were wrong. I was wrong…nearly everything I’ve ever…been told, was wrong. I’ve seen their faces, Anya…the eyes of the walking dead, people I helped condemn to that torture. Were they really guilty? Is it a crime to hope for something better when you’re starving? I gave everything to the Party, Anya…” He spoke quietly, but there was a shake in his tone that spoke volumes. He should have known it was wrong long before he’d been a victim of it. “I disobeyed orders because no one should be guilty of the crimes of their father…you taught me that, and because I…” He trailed off as Anya touched his cheek, and was unable to help but lean into the touch. How long had it been since he’d known basic human kindness… “Because I care about you, though I hardly know you…”

Gleb’s eyes were still unfocused for a moment, wild in a memory of what he’d seen and been through. He’d been a soldier, and a good one; he should have had far better control than this. And yet, he was trembling under her touch, on the edge of collapse from hunger and misery.

“…Of course they wanted to kill me. They had their orders. Their…duty to Russia. Not everyone learns to…question orders. I believe…in a government for the people, of equality, but…but is this it? People starving in the streets…good Russians condemned for the barest slight, absolute control – we have traded one autocrat for another…”

Gleb’s shoulders sank, and he had to grab the edge of the counter to keep from losing his balance as he swayed. He took a breath and shook his head, reaching up to grasp her hand. He finally focused his dark eyes on her, severe.

“…Never feel guilty for my being unable to kill you, Anya. I regret nothing.”

“Get behind me NOW.” - Protective meme, from @agood-loyalrussian

“You’re overdramatic.” Anya rolled her eyes, stepping to the side. “What ever happened to ‘those days are over,’ huh Gleb?” Anya glanced around the street, trying to find the source of his panic. “Weren’t YOU the one supposed to shoot me anyway?”

@agood-loyalrussian