For Sinthia

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Illya was still a bit confused about the living arrangements with Sinthia and Sam. Rather than taking his frustrations out on furniture or people, he was currently pounding away at a heavy punching bag at Delflorio's. It was an old fashioned gym a couple of blocks from his apartment. Old fashioned in that there was no fancy equipment, no stair steppers, no treadmills, or ellipticals. No women looking for Zumba classes or whatever. No women were allowed. There was a boxing ring, punching bags, a couple of sets of well used weights, an ancient yet usable rowing machine. He didn't feel as if he had to impress anyone. They were used to seeing the big Russian there. He'd had a membership ever since he moved to the United States. He didn't usually draw stares at Delflorio's, unless someone new came in. He didn't have to hide the tattoos as much as if he'd gone to a fancier place. He'd been working out for over an hour now. Illya had started with warming up, jumping rope, and then working at the punching bag. Still after nearly an hour, he was pounding on the bag as if he meant to kill someone.

After his conversation with Sam and learning that the guy was roommates with his girlfriend in a studio apartment with only one bed, he was a little confused and insecure. At first, he had wondered if he had done something wrong. Perhaps this arrangement with Sam was her way of telling him to bugger off. But then Sam had said he had his own girlfriend. Still, Illya felt like he had committed some sort of faux pas.

How did that work? Did Sam sleep at his girlfriend's place? Either way, if he'd known there was a roommate involved, he probably would not have been making out on the couch in the living room with Sinthia if there was the possibility that someone might walk in on them. He was a very private person when it came to it. Especially in romantic relationships. He had tried calling Sinthia to talk about his concerns with her, but he got her answering machine. Which he didn't want to talk to. After a couple of times, he gave up. Perhaps she was busy at her job. Or maybe she did not want to talk to him.

Delflorio wandered by at one point and watched him for a few minutes. "Good form. You training for a boxing match?" The old man asked. He must have been in his nineties. His hair was white and his face showed his age. But anyone who knew the old man, knew that the owner was a former boxer who could still throw a punch. Illya answered with a curt, "No." The old man warned, "You know, kid, if you break it, you bought it." "Da. I know," he replied, continuing to wail on the bag with his fists.

Comments

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"You were going to show me what movies you have?" they could choose something together.

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"They're all on one shelf in the living room," she said, leading him back inside with the cooled paella dish balanced on one hand. "Third from the bottom."

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"Okay," Illya went into the living room and sat on the floor in front of the shelf to look at the DVDs that she had. She had a good variety of different movies. He pulled one out and read the cover, "I have not seen this one. The Grand Budapest Hotel. It is supposed to be funny?"

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"I think so," she said. "It was very...bizarre when I saw it," Sinthia confessed. "It has parts that are funny, and parts...that hit a little close to home for me."

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"Ah, maybe something else then," he said, putting it back, he pulled out another. "Young Frankenstein, how about this one? I have only seen it once a long time ago. If I remember right, it was funny."

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"I always like Mel Brooks," she chuckles. "He's funny. I like Igor."

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"Good, I will set it up," he got up and inserted the movie in the DVD player and turned on the TV. "Ready when you are."

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"You're terrible," she murmured, going to the couch and leaving the dishes to wait until later; Sinthia came to sit with him, carrying the wine she hadn't finished outside. "But I like it."

She kissed Illya's cheek as the movie started, snuggling into his side.

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"Why do you say am I terrible?" he asked as she snuggled against him. He stretched out his long legs putting his heels up on the coffee table. Illya put one arm along the back of the couch, and around her shoulder. This was very comfortable.

[abyssum_invocat]

"Not waiting for me, mostly," she said with a tiny smile, settling into her boyfriend's side, letting his body warm that side of hers. "You make a very good pillow, Illyusha," she murmured, letting Avi up on her other side so his head could lay on her hip. This was nice; it was frighteningly domestic of her, especially her, who'd never really done this before.

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"I said when you where ready. I did not turn it on until you came this way," he said, turning his head to kiss her forehead. "Do I? You are very cuddly." He reached his free hand over to scratch Avi's head.

This sort of domestic bliss this was nothing like he had ever had before either. It was nice. Illya did not take this small joy for granted. He would love to be able to have this day to day.

[abyssum_invocat]

"You do," she murmured. "I like hearing your heart beat by my cheek." And feeling his lips against her skin, even if it was just a forehead kiss. "You know I've never had a boyfriend like you." She'd not had many boyfriends at all, and none of them had ever been serious the way Illya was; it had always been an objective relationship for her, something to be discarded once the objective was achieved.

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Illya smiled softly, running his fingers through her hair. "I have never had anyone like you, either." Other than going out on dates for work, he hadn't dated anyone, let alone had a serious girlfriend. Someone that he might like to spend his life with. He wondered if this was what it was like to have a normal life.

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Sinthia found she didn't mind his fingers in her hair, though she'd normally hated the idea that any of her partners would find the scars dotted over her scalp when they played like that. He knew what had happened, because she'd told him, and though it had happened far earlier in the relationship than she'd planned on, there was no taking it back now.

"Mmm. You must like playing with my hair," she said quietly. "You do it all the time when I'm next to you."

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"It is very beautiful and soft. If it bothers you, I will stop," he offered. Illya usually just played with the ends of it. He ignored the old trailers for movies that had been put on disk about the same time as the one they were watching. "I like it when you run your hands through my hair." It was somehow comforting.

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"Mmm, no," she hummed. "It doesn't bother me. You know me, and my secrets," Sinthia murmured, craning her head back to give Illya room to return the kiss she tugged him gently down for, feathering her fingers into his hair with a smile.

"I like playing with your hair. The smile you get is very handsome."

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"Thank you," he said, giving her the smile she liked so much, with a little blush besides. The remark about secrets got an arched blonde eyebrow. "You have hair secrets?" He asked teasing.

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"A few," she says. "Maybe I'm really a redhead."

Sinthia took his hand and slid his fingers into her hair, putting them near her scalp until she could feel them brush over several of the burnmarks. "Those dots you're feeling are what the ECT machine left. It burned hot enough to singe skin."

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"I cannot picture you as a redhead," he said with a soft chuckle. When she drew his fingers to the scars on her scalp, a frown crinkled his forehead just above his nose. "Boshe moi. I hope the ones who did this to my beautiful Sinthia are rotting in their graves."

[abyssum_invocat]

"I'm not. I was once, and it looked very strange. I had short hair," she chuckles. "I remember that. I remember I didn't like it."

She tilted her head to look up at him, expression softening gently. "Believe me when I say they are."

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That eased the little crinkle in his brow, "I like this color." The dark brown suited her. "Good." He leaned down to kiss her lips. They could easily make him forget that their movie was starting.

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"This is how it grows," she said, flicking her hair out of her eyes just before that kiss; she'd have forgotten the movie was beginning too, if not for the loud audio test sequence that startled her, making her jerk and nearly come off the couch.

"I hate that part."

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"I like it natural," he said. Illya jumped when she did, startling at the sound. "Yes, that is annoying."

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"So you wouldn't want me to bleach it to match you?" she teased.

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"No," he laughed. "I think that would look very strange. You are so beautiful as you are, why mess with perfection?" he brushed his fingers over her soft cheek.