Chapter Text
6 years earlier…
“Lev! Are you hiding?!” Nikolai called, as he scanned the complex corridors for his best friend. He walked past every room Lev usually hid in, when there was no sign of the boy anywhere. He passed the storage closet, unaware of the slight opening left by the door, or the two blue eyes that peeped through it.
Lev giggled, as he closed the door behind him. “Niko will never find me here.” He whispered. He backed up, and sat down on the floor of the closet. He hoped that Nikolai or Sergei or his parents wouldn’t come in and find him there, as the room was off limits to him and his sister.
Lev turned around, looking at everything in the closet. He started sneaking around, looking at the broad assortment of original paintings, ones he’d never seen before, lined against the walls. Some of the coats, and multiple books and documents on the shelves. There were many paints and brushes on them as well, more of them being aligned on an old canvas. Then he saw the photographs. In an opened box, chock full of family photographs. Lev knelt down and looked through them, almost apathetically, until he saw one that particularly got his attention. The blonde man in the photograph looked a bit like himself, blonde haired with a warm smile. Lev instantly felt a connection to this man and sat down, with the picture, and looked at it for a long time. He lost track of time, and didn’t notice with Adrik and Nikolai came into the room.
“Lev. What have I told you?” Adrik thundered. “I’ve told you this room is off limits to you.” Adrik snarled. Lev shrunk in his father’s shadow, gripping the photo to his chest.
”Why, Lev, What have you got?” Adrik asked, with a firm, accusing tone. Lev gave a weak smile and showed him the picture. “Just a picture of a pretty blonde man.” Lev explained.
Adrik saw the photograph, and his eyes widened. His face shifted from anger to heartbreak immediately. “Nikolai…go tell your father and my wife that I found Lev. I wanna talk with him.” “Papa?” Lev asked, as Adrik sat down, eyes still on the picture.
“Who is he?” Lev asked softly. “This…This was my Papa.” Adrik explained, lifting his arm to give Lev a space to sit, nice and close to him. “That’s your Papa?” Lev asked in disbelief. “He looks like me.”
“He does, doesn’t he? That’s one of the reasons you remind me so much of him.” Adrik chuckled, ruffling his son’s hair. Lev nodded, leaning in to look at the photo. “He looks nice.” Lev quipped innocently. Adrik’s eyes burned, as he choked back a cry. “H-He was nice.” Adrik faltered. “One of the n-nicest people y-you could ever meet…”
“Papa, why are you crying?” Lev asked, sadly, as he hugged his father to comfort him. “Because he’s not here, Lev. We can’t see or hear or feel him there.” Adrik explained. “Why can’t we visit him?”
“Because he’s not alive anymore, Lev…he’s living in a different realm.” Adrik explained.
“Do you miss him?” Lev asked. There was a small amount of silence between them. “I…I miss him terribly. But…he’s there in our hearts somewhere…”
Lev smiled. “He is?”
“He is…and he would’ve loved you. Very, very much.” Adrik whispered. “Like you and Mama do?”
Adrik smiled. “Да. Like me and your mother do.” He helped Lev to his feet before getting up himself. “Now, come on. They’re waiting for us.”
Adrik didn’t know that 3 years down the road, he’d lose that one reminder of his father…and it would’ve been just enough to make him snap.