Chapter Text
“How do you do it?” Anatoly asked Matt. Anatoly was practicing with the cane the hospital had given him and Matt was walking alongside him, giving him pointers on how to use it. Vladimir was on his other side, to help him balance if he needed it.
Matt thought a moment before replying. “It took a while to adjust. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be though, with my dad to help me. It was harder after he died.”
Anatoly righted himself after stumbling after an unexpected dip in the sidewalk. He lost most of his depth perception and it was hard to judge distances now. The cane helped with the depth perception but he was still relearning how to tell how distance. His new glasses helped with that. They were his third pair now, it had taken several eye tests to figure out his final prescription after he was done healing.
He stumbled again and Vladimir caught his arm. “Is it the vertigo?” Vladimir asked.
Anatoly breathlessly nodded. He got worn out easily these days. The vertigo and headaches didn’t help with that. Vladimir grabbed Anatoly’s arm and led him to a bench so he could sit. Matt followed close behind and sat on Vladimir’s other side, so he was between Matt and Anatoly.
“It’s a nice day,” Matt said. The leaves were starting to turn red and orange and fall. Anatoly could feel them crunch under his boots. There was a chill in the air too, not enough for him or Vladimir to need jackets yet but he still wore one. Anatoly didn’t think he’d ever get rid of them but the sleeves covered all his tattoos and the scars, fresh from Fisk.
“Da,” Vladimir said.
The three were glad they could finally enjoy some peace. Fisk was finally in prison and was there to stay. Matt and his friends were keeping busy at their office and Anatoly was pleased that Matt and Vladimir were no longer fighting and getting into arguments. Vladimir was noticeably happier now, he angered less often and he was more often than not in a pleasant enough mood. It was good for Anatoly too, no longer did he have Vladimir nagging him or complaining to him about his and Matt’s fragile relationship.
“Piotr and Ivan are here,” Matt said after a pause. Anatoly could picture him tilting his head, trying to better capture sound. He stared straight ahead though, at a yellow leaf, trying to quell his growing dizziness, and with it, nausea.
“Bratya?” he could hear Vladimir ask. “Toly?” Vladimir shook Anatoly’s arm gently and Anatoly turned to look at him. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Anatoly said. He went back to staring at the leaf. “It’s just vertigo,” he said.
Anatoly could see Piotr and Ivan now. Ivan held Karl Barks’ and Moon followed close behind, equipped with a mobility support harness and backpack. He noticed though, that Ivan wasn’t using his crutches today. Piotr held Venus and Morgan’s leashes. He was partial to them, Moon being Ivan’s and Karl Barks being Karl Barks.
Anatoly absent-mindedly traced the soulmarks hidden beneath the boxing tape he wore. One yellow carnation, a red rose, and a marigold. His soulmate and hers had died after rejecting him. After all these years his heart still ached thinking of her. Vladimir put a hand on his arm and Anatoly looked at him. “I’m glad you and Motya still have each other,” he said.
Piotr and Ivan joined them on the bench once they reached them. Ivan grabbed the handle on Moon’s harness as he sat.
“How have you been getting along?" Piotr asked Anatoly. "It’s been a while since we were out doing something together.”
“Better,” Anatoly said, glad he could say it truthfully. “How are your classes?”
“Good.” Piotr had started classes to get a paramedic certification. It had taken a long time, with his record. The school finally relented after a generous donation from his former employer, Veles Taxi. Anatoly had told Piotr it was a gift after he found out, for everything they had done for him and as a sort of apology. Anatoly still regretted his and Vladimir’s actions that led to Piotr getting hurt even though Piotr said he needn’t feel bad.
Anatoly leaned back and put his arm behind his head to cushion it. It was peaceful, even with the looming threat of The Punisher. They were safe for the time being. Vladimir hadn’t made any final decisions if he was going to continue with the business or not, even though Anatoly knew his and Matt’s opinion about it, so for the time being The Punisher had no reason to track them down. Anatoly didn't know how long it would last but at the moment he was able to relax without any worry.