Chapter Text
“My golubka, ” the jester practically sings when Sigma's feet finally touch the ground. There is a mocking undertone to his jesting and a foreign look in his one visible eye. “ Golubka, golubka, golubka.”
Soon after, Sigma loses balance and his knees hit the ground, his bones crack but don't break. A cloud of dust rises from the ground and fills his mouth just as he takes his first breath to calm his racing heart. In the background, Nikolai is talking in Russian, sweetly singing pet names with a dangerous edge to his tone. He bends down and giggles when their noses brush. The usual glee in Nikolai's eyes seems dimmed.
Sigma hardly pays any attention to him, partly because he is not proficient in Russian and partly because he is past the point of caring. His joints hurt, the scratches and bruises covering most of his torso are a painful reminder of a lost fight. He glances up, sees the Sky Casino floating in the clouds and lets out a sigh of relief. A shadow of a smile crosses his lips and he glances up just as Nikolai stops chanting. Their eyes meet. Nikolai's smile looks frozen, unnatural. Then it turns feral and the jester kneels down.
“You are angry,” Sigma observes. His voice shakes as the fear seeps in. Fyodor is like a winter storm, Sigma reminds himself. Quiet killer in a white coat that snuffs all the lights out. Nikolai's hands always end up bloody - the palms, the knuckles… yet the pristine white of his coat is always left untainted.
His face is grabbed, Nikolai's fingers dig into his cheeks. It hurts but that's not the point. Sigma knows Nikolai well enough to know that this is his way of seizing attention when he plans to be serious. It's a scary thing when his child-like persona slips away.
“WRONG! Sigma, Sigma, Sigmaaaa! Again, again.” His joyful voice loses its volume. “Guess again and correctly this time.” His command holds the echo of his cheerful antics but sounds more sinister when spoken without a smile.
Sigma's heart skips a beat. He is no stranger to violence, of course not. He is a terrorist now. In the past, he saw the aftermath of Nikolai's darker tendencies but not once has that rage been directed at him.
Perhaps it's because you never faced him alone when he was angry… Fyodor was always there. And Nikolai knew better than to cross Fyodor. Even in his rage, even in his madness.
Nikolai lets go of him and pats his cheek. “I am waiting! One, two, three! And the answer is….? QUIZ TIME? Am I furious, golubka ? Of course, I am. Now, why am I furious?”
He looks beautiful in the setting sun, with white hair framing his face. It reminds Sigma of a different time. Now when he thinks about it, there were many different times before - after he was found by Fyodor, he spent his days in hiding while their plans were still in process. That was before he found his purpose…
“I failed,” he says because that must be the right answer! The bitter taste of that confession fills his mouth like black smoke. Perhaps a part of him hoped he could be more like them… special… dangerous. But he's back at the beginning, the shadow of a man. The Sky Casino became his purpose but his home was elsewhere - in the small flat with a big window in the kitchen from where he would observe the rising sun in the mornings. Fyodor sometimes played violin for him. Well, not for him but Sigma convinced himself that the scraps of kindness he received were genuine shows of affection even if it was just a momentary occurrence.
Now glancing at his hands, he thinks that he hasn't felt a drop of warmth ever since.
Nikolai cocks his head to the side. It's an indicator that Sigma is right. But that can only mean… he must die, that much is obvious. He is past the point of usefulness. Why couldn't Nikolai simply let him fall so that the ocean could claim him? Is there perhaps one last task before Fyodor passes the sentence?
“This was such a bad idea,” Nikolai says in a high-pitched tone. He looks distressed but it's all just for a theatrical effect. “I told Fedya he should have sent you elsewhere. My, my. He was so persistent. He even told me-” and this is where his expression shifts again and Nikolai does his best to imitate Fyodor's often bored expression, “ There is no need to worry, Kolya. Our Sigma is good at running. He is not stupid, he must know that the Hunting Dogs would never dare to cause harm to the casino, right?” He starts hysterically laughing. “RIGHT? RIGHT?!”
He spins around and spreads his hands. Then he affectionately pats Sigma's head.
Sigma blinks. It was… were they bluffing? He gulps. “They- but they tried to blow it up…”
Nikolai waves his hand in dismissal. “Minor casualties. Imagine, if the casino fell, the blood would be on their hands and so would be the task of explaining it to the authorities.” He grabs Sigma by his arms and starts shaking with him. “ Golubka, listen. When Fedya tells you it would be better for you to run, you run, no questions asked.” He laughs again, showing his pearly teeth. “Imagine what would have happened if I hadn't shown up.”
“I would be dead.” Sigma imagines his body hitting the surface of the water.
“BINGO!”
“I don't understand,” Sigma admits after a moment. Nikolai looks at him strangely and forces him to stand up. He holds Sigma close and places his hat on Sigma's head.
“I thought I explained it to you already.” His cheerful tone is full of doubt. “You weren't paying attention, were you?”
“I failed.”
Sigma can no longer conceal his growing unease. “I was about to die,” he whispers. He thinks about being swallowed by waves. He decides it would be quick.
“That's why I am here!” Nikolai looks pleased with himself. “Someone has to save you. I don't mind being the right man for that job.” It's so strange that his rage disappeared in a matter of seconds. He looks mildly amused now but there is a shadow in his one visible eye, an underlying concern.
“That's why you're here?” Sigma repeats. Nikolai brushes his hair.
“You look awfully confused,” he states after a moment. “You must have hit your head!” He checks Sigma for any visible injuries. “So many questions. Yet the answer should be fairly obvious.” Sigma is tugged closer. Nikolai rests his chin on his shoulder and his hands slide down until they are wrapped around Sigma's waist.
“Wait-” Sigma stammers. He doesn't know why it crosses his mind, but in the short time it takes Nikolai to fully hold him close, Sigma comes to the conclusion that he is about to be stabbed. His body freezes, it's a fight or flight moment and he almost pushes Nikolai away and takes his chance. But what would be the point? He has nowhere to run and not only that, he doubts there is a place where he wouldn't be found.
“Okay,” he says, voice trembling and he wraps his hands around Nikolai. “I am ready.” He holds onto him tightly as the wind around them blows. Nikolai smells of gunpowder and blood. The silence enveloping them is suddenly cut off when Nikolai starts laughing. “ Golubka, ” he says and something in his tone indicates that despite the fact that he is laughing his heart out, he is not actually having any sort of fun. “Can you explain to me what convinced you that I came here to kill you?”