10

Days passed and Ivan still hadn't seen Yao since their encounter when Ivan let his story be heard by Yao. The large man had been filled with a sense of dread like nothing that he had ever experienced before. What if this was it? Yao might have really been scared away and wouldn't come close to Ivan again.

Those thoughts plagued him but Ivan would never let that happen. Yao was his love, his absolute everything... Ever since he saw Yao over to visit the house, life had just been all about the other man... The only one who seemed to be what Ivan wanted.

He wasn't about to let those evil, conniving, horrible siblings ruin his life more than they had.

He wondered if it was time he killed them.

There wasn't exactly a lot of options for him, he couldn't go to the police about them killing his parents after he had kept them locked up so long... Nor could he keep them forever. Let them out and things would just be deadly dangerous.

But for now he dutifully mad his way down to the basement. He hated this trip now even when he had become so accustomed to it. Any indifference was gone, now he could only see it though Yao's eyes as the Asian crept down here for the first time probably thinking how sadistic it all was.

Ivan plucked up the syringe, he purposely had been keeping it blunt for days out of anger. He filled it up, those two were already waking up, Ivan could clearly hear heavy breathing through the door.

With a scowl on his face he unlocked and opened the wooden door, letting his eyes meet the sight of Natalia standing, her face contorted with rage.

"Get over here." Ivan barked at her. He didn't want to deal with her.

She did in fact go over. But it wasn't like Ivan wanted. There was a shriek as Natalia threw her whole body at Ivan, catching him off guard. Ivan felt himself hit the floor like a ton of bricks the syringe escaping his hand.

He gasped for air, winded and now with Natalia over him, he coughed and tried to breath but it seemed like no air was enough. His eyes were wide as he was pinned down,

"Don't worry." Natalia spoke in a conspiratory whisper, "We're going to get rid of Yao now, he keeps on trying to take you away so we'll make sure he stays away. We'll kill him."

Ivan blinked coming to his senses, "No!" He yelled out, "You touch him and I will kill you!" He squirmed but he was trapped, "YOU DO NOT TOUCH HIM!" His shout was a roar, louder and more violent that he ever thought he'd be able to produce.

He was silenced by a pair of thin lips pressing roughly on his, they stayed there, muffling Ivan's protests as he tightly shut his eyes, trying to get out of there.

They eventually lifted and he was given a moment before it happened again, Katyusha taking her turn. Ivan felt like he was a young boy again when they did that. He felt so violated... So small.

"We're doing what needs to be done," Katyusha spoke softly as her cold fingers traced over Ivan's cheekbone, "Don't worry... We'll come back for you."

Ivan opened his mouth to yell out but Natalia was too fast, grabbing his shoulders and smacking Ivan's head on the hard floor. Only then did she climb off of him. Ivan's thoughts were only as Yao as everything turned to back, the scene of the two girls escaping through the open door was the last thing he saw.

.oO0Oo.

Yao felt stupidly guilty for his avoiding of Ivan since they last met. Ivan had poured his heart out to him and Yao was giving no indication of how he felt now in return. It was far easier to face the question of whether or not he was still in love with Ivan after hearing his true reasons for what he had been doing but there was still no answer jumping out at him. Maybe he was being unfair, part of him just wanted to stop being afraid and remind himself that it was all self defence, that he didn't have to start fearing Ivan... But it wasn't that simple. He now saw what nightmares Ivan was capable of carrying out, he saw that Ivan was not anything less than truly messed up.

It was all tangled up, Yao had no idea that anything could feel so complicated.

At least his anxiety when he left the house lessened. Olga was relieved to see his improvement as Yao got less jumpy and sensitive and more like his diligent self again, and Yao was glad that he had stopped her worrying before she started to look into things.

He left the house and the cafe at normal times, he didn't know if he wanted to bump into Ivan who could have been waiting for Yao to leave the house or if his reasoning for carrying on with his normal schedule was because he knew Ivan wouldn't try like that...

He hoped Ivan had the decency to let Yao make up his mind alone, without him there to try and push him and so far that seemed to be the case. It was so much easier when he had the room to think without Ivan coming to invade his head space.

He even left that day at the normal time, Olga told him to head on home, she'd rather close up on her own and Yao happily complied. He didn't feel bad for leaving her, he knew Olga enough that if she actually wanted his help, she'd say.

He was pretty tired after the day, he could feel his back muscles knot. They had had an order in for a wedding cake, one of Yao's favourites to design and make but also the most stressful. Olga found his concentration almost amusing... She told Yao he didn't need to get his knickers in such a twist as he put on finishing touches but Yao knew better. A wedding cake was of incredible importance, two people were celebrating the start of a life together and Yao knew too well how important food could be at a time like that. The request had given him pretty free reign, his knack for design had apparently spread, it was to be simple but detailed in places. Yao had done his best and it was heart warming to think of the bride and groom falling in love all over again over the cake. It made him think about the importance of love a lot. Which brought him to think of Ivan...

And the cycle continued.

But now it was finished, the wedding was actually tomorrow and the cake was being collected early morning. This was a good idea, keep it fresh.

He thought about that cake as he walked home, he thought about Ivan too and wondered how much one man could occupy him so much without Yao tiring of it. He put it all down to how complex it all was.

The fog hung low in the dusk; something that Yao had decided had been done by God as some sort of pathetic fallacy for what his current mental state was regarding a certain someone.

He squinted at what was coming towards him through the fog. Two figures that to Yao looked far too much like zombies in a shooter video game... They were advancing towards Yao and Yao swallowed. It didn't feel as if they were simply going to pass each other. He took a step back and tried to wet his dry throat.

That was Natalia and Katyusha.

They were out. They had gotten out.

He broke out into a cold sweat as they seemed to emerge like ships. His mind screamed run, but his legs only flopped and stumbled until he found a small tree to steady himself on. They were there to kill him.

"No... no, no, no, no..." He could see their faces and the long kitchen knife's glint as they locked their eyes on him, "Please no..." He didn't want to die. Two people were getting married tomorrow...

They stopped in front of him.

He started to shake his head, "No... Please don't, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." His feet were slipping on the mud, he was sinking and had to look up into their wide eyes on their vacant faces, "Please don't." He begged.

"You took him away." Natalia spoke clearly, her voice on one level, totally different from when they last met.

"Ivan..." Yao spoke his name hoarsely and suddenly a new dread filled him, "Ivan! Where is he! Please don't tell me you..." What if Ivan was dead? They killed him in an 'if we can't have you, no one can' act of vengeance.

Katyusha lowered her head and smiled, Natalia spoke again, "He is waiting for us."

"We'll go back for him." Katyusha added.

Yao's shoulders started to shake, this was for real. They must have overpowered Ivan, left him and ran to find Yao, get rid of him so nothing could keep them apart.

His chest was heaving and he was down on his hands and knees in the mud, "Please..." He started again, "Please! Please don—Guh!"

Before he could even finish his begging the knife was buried in his back. He tried to breathe in but his mouth opened and closed like a fish pointlessly a few times before his elbows gave out and he landed face first in the mud.

They said something but sound seemed to blur in a strange way as Yao wondered if he'd drown first in the mud or just bleed out as the blade was wrenched from him.

Of course he still loved Ivan.

.oO0Oo.

The next time Yao opened his eyes he really wondered if he was dead.

It took him at least a minute of questioning if he was in a purgatory between life and death, waiting to be judged before he remembered that hospitals had a lot of white too. It was an easy mistake to make.

Yao found himself a little offended when he sat up and found himself alone... There were no nurses to greet him, just an empty room.

Maybe this was death.

He blinked a few times. The last thing he remembered was coming to the realisation that he was in fact still in love.

He tried to grasp the details. He shut his eyes.

It hit him suddenly and he threw off his blanket. Those sisters! They had escaped and tried to kill him to take Ivan back.

He yanked the IV from his arm as he stood up quickly, his whole body tensing as he felt the stab wound that someone had sewn up for him send sharp pain right through him.

He grabbed his clothes from where they sat on a chair and didn't hesitate to tear off the hospital gown and dress right there.

He was running from the moment he found his way out of the hospital. He sprinted down the street as fast as he could before coming to a sudden stop.

Where the hell was he?

He looked around as he felt panic setting in, he needed to get back to Ivan but he had no idea where he was supposed to go. He couldn't think possibly where the nearest hospital to the village was... Where even was the person who called the ambulance for him?!

Was he dead? Did he actually die back there?

There was no time to think about it. Yao started to power walk the streets, desperate for an indicator of where he was.

Then with a gasp of relief he found something.

He was glad that his first date with Ivan had him so in awe of the fancy restaurant they had eaten at because now it was instantly recognisable. This was the town Ivan had taken him to on some dates.

This was good... He knew where he was now...

So what was he waiting for?

He blinked a few times before starting to run again, he didn't have time to ponder his small victory. He had to get back to Ivan, find a way for both of them to get out alive.

He was aware that the village was four kilometres away, but Yao knew he couldn't stop. Who knows what was even happening as he was away.

His whole body was on the verge of collapse, air stung his lungs as he heaved it in and he knew if he stopped he would lose his ability to stand. But he had to keep pushing.

His muscles felt like they were tearing apart, strange warmth moved over his back as he split some of his stitches. At least the blade had seemed to miss anything important.

He shocked himself as he arrived back at the village. He amazed himself in regards to what he had accomplished to get back to Ivan.

His whole body was jelly as he dragged himself down the housed streets. It was night time now, he looked to Olga's house, the lights were on. She had made it home and was safe. She lived a totally different life from him.

He then let his glance move to his own house and wondered if he'd enter the place he had fallen in love with ever again. He looked at Ivan's last. The door hung agar. The kids would have a field day with that.

He moved to the open door, stopping in the porch. What was he about to find in here? What was going to happen if he opened the door?

There was only one way to give those questions answers.

Yao swallowed hard, his heart still thumping and breathing coming in sharp bursts. He opened the door and fell to his knees.

It was Ivan he saw, crouched over the bodies that were laid out like a ritual. The knife handle stuck out from between Natalia's breasts.

The hand that wasn't clutching his seeping wound slowly rose to Yao's lips, "Ivan..." They were dead. Ivan had killed both of his sisters.

Ivan started to speak without turning around, "This was how I found my parents." His voice shook as he started at what he had done, "Both lying like they were already in a morgue. The knife handle sticking up, just like..." He scrambled to turn around and move close to Yao, both hands on his shoulders, "It was so easy! I just sunk it into them like they were warm butter... A warm soft butter! It was too easy."

Yao looked over his shoulder. He could now see how Katyusha's jaw hung loose and Natalia's head was crooked, "You killed them." He choked.

Ivan didn't say yes but Yao felt him nod, "They tried to kill you Yao. They needed to die." His voice lowered, "They came back with your blood on their hands and told me how you begged for them, how dirty you got as you grovelled in the mud... I couldn't stand it anymore. But don't you see?" Ivan drew back. He was smiling widely as looked right into Yao's eyes, "We can be together now. There's nothing more to keep us apart."

Yao pulled himself away and moved back to press himself against the wall. He felt sick.

Ivan was just like them.

Ivan was no different than the two sisters that had fallen so insanely in love that it had become something that saw nothing as a reason to stay away from each other. Yao should have noticed.

Ivan was just like them.

The only reason why he hadn't noticed is because Yao loved him back.

It made sense, the way Ivan hunted Yao down constantly, knew everything, worshiped Yao and had now killed for him. He had killed his own family... His own sisters.

Maybe that's why Ivan had put the bodies out in the same way his sister had put out his parents. Like some sort of presentation, a testament to the love they had. It was perhaps his unconscious telling him he was just like them.

He shut his eyes, "You need help. You're insane Ivan, you're dangerous..."

He heard Ivan sigh and move closer, "Do you still love me?"

It lingered on his tongue but still was said, "Yes." He choked.

Even thought he really didn't want to.

"Will you stay with me?" Came the next question in a soft whisper, "Stay with me forever?"

Yao couldn't speak, only nod.

Ivan grabbed him and embraced him hard. Yao had wondered what he had done.

"We can't stay here..." Yao's voice moved up and down like crazy, "We can't not after this..." He looked to the lifeless bodies.

Ivan's brow creased, "But no one knew they were ever here..." He suddenly gasped, "Oh Yao... You're still bleeding!" His hands felt over the leaking wound.

Yao pushed him off, "We can't stay here! I refuse..." He twisted his hands together, "You killed two people, and I let myself become an accomplice. We can't return here. Not ever." He let himself stand up on shaky legs, "We have to cut off all ties and run."

Ivan paused for a long time, "Then we'll do that." He clasped his hands together, "We'll run. Let's go."

As Ivan stood up Yao's eyes widened, "Right now?"

"Isn't that what you want?" Ivan's voice was a whisper and Yao felt like he was finally seeing how he felt about it all. His voice was wet and quivered. Yao stepped forward and hugged Ivan tightly. He hugged around Ivan's arms so he couldn't return the embrace, "I'll run for you, I love you and I will run for you."

Yao glanced up into Ivan's eyes, "We can never see anyone again."

Ivan shook his head quickly, "You're the one who needs to consider that."

Yao stepped back, Ivan was right. He creased his brow as he realised this meant there would be nothing but Ivan and him now. Where would they run to now? Would it be somewhere new ties could be made? Would they even get far away enough so that those who would hunt them after this wouldn't find them.

Yao knew that this would be uncovered, he knew from this second on they were on the run, "It's okay."

He still said.

It was strange. Ivan picked up his wallet and got some snacks and just like that they had left together walking in silence away from everything, the trauma, the fear, the prejudice, everything Yao thought he wanted.

He looked to Ivan as they walked hand in hand together to the car which they got into in silence. It was so cold in Ivan's car and was barely used. It purred as he turned the key in the ignition and they drove beside one another.

Yao thought again about death.

Why did he still have so much uncertainty as to what he was. He wasn't sure if he was alive and maybe that's why it all seemed so easy. Maybe he never really survived Natalia and Katyusha's attack. The last thoughts of loving Ivan were just now a fantasy of escaping together as he slipped out of life.

But how was he to know if he was dead or not? He felt like Schrodinger's cat, locked in a box of uncertainty as they drove to wherever news of a murder by a crazed psychopath who locked his sisters in their basement for years and then stole away his male lover wouldn't chase them to.

Ivan would know. If he was dead Ivan would know it.

He looked at Ivan who looked exclusively at the road ahead and blinked a few times. All he had to do was ask.

But he didn't.

Alive or dead he wanted to be with Ivan like this. He had fallen into a spiders web and now he was taken away from reason and logic, running away from a man he had every right and reason to turn against.

He looked forward out to the road, stretched out his arms, blinked, felt at his wound. It was fine. He stopped touching it.

He put his hand over Ivan's on the gearstick.

Their fingers curled around one another's.

Dead or alive, this is what he wanted.

The End.