Page 1 of Vulnerate

Valentin

eleven years old

I’m about to beat my high score when Tali stands in front of the screen, and the little shithead unplugs my games console. He moves out of the way when I launch the spare controller at his head as he tries to tell me what to do when he’s going to grow up to be my junior.

“Go upstairs, Dani is coming over.”

All I’ve heard for years is about howcleverDani is, how Danican do anythingandeverything. He used to be my best friend beforeDanicrawled up his ass and now, he doesn’t tell me anything. Well, nothing important anyway.

I’ve never seen him, even in school Tali keeps Dani hidden. We both know our dad will kill him if he finds out he’s gay, but I don’t care about that, I care that he isn’t telling me. He’s my brother and he’s supposed to tell me things so I can stop anyone hurting him. Len Vartanov is one of those people that needs everyone to be like him, a bully. And he’ll use whatever he can to hurt everyone, especially his sons. The best thing our dad will do to him is disown him, there are two things tied for top spot – he could kill him or send him away.

Sitting forward, I make sure no one else is around to hear and whisper, “Does Vlad know?”

He’ll report to our dad, then Tali will be sent back to live with them or die. We might not sleep in the same room anymore, but I still go in there when I’m bored. Vlad jokes that we’re delayed twins born a year apart but it’s true. It would be weird if he wasn’t here, and I can’t remember a time in my life I didn’t have a little brother stealing my food.

Any sane person is afraid of our older brother. He can smile while he beats the shit out of you and that makes it more frightening. But Tali is fucking crazy and rolls his eyes shouting, “Vlad, Dani’s going to be here in twenty minutes!”

He hears his name and walks into the room dressed like a businessman. The suits are all weird, he never used to wear them before because he’d be going from fight to fight in the same pair of blood soaked shorts. Now, he’s respectable and the scabs over his knuckles don’t match his fancy clothes, but Vlad won’t wear anything else unless he’s actually in the cage.

He doesn’t offer to spend any time with us, as always, and looks at each of us as he asks, “Do you need money?”

He’ll pay for whatever we want. Buy us anything we ask for. But he won’t sit with us anymore, not since we moved into the rich peoples area, and he works more. The school is worse, everyone knows what my brother does to earn money. The few friends I have, that don’t care about what he does, seem to be from worse families.

His eyes linger on me, narrowing slightly in the corners and I get away from them by turning my game back on. Does my little brother get the same treatment? No. Because he’s a yappy little puppy that’s happy. There’s always this anger inside of me and Vlad watches me like a hawk. He does it as though he can see that anger, it usually turns into an outburst, and I’ll make someone feel like shit and watch them cry. Each tear will make me smile like it’s filling something inside me.

Vlad is our fathers son, I’m my mothers, and Tali is the milk mans because there’s no one in our bloodline who has ever been happy.

Our kind of stepdad walks into the room, following his husband. Dima and Vlad might as well marry each other when they’re the only parents we have that give a fuck and they can talk to each other without saying anything. Tali moves things on the table and punches my thigh as he repeats his request.

“Go upstairs. Or literally anywhere else. You can start plotting how to be an asshole to people. Just fuck off.”

I swipe his leg out when he tries to walk passed me and he catches himself on the edge of the coffee table before jumping back up and raising his fist. I don’t flinch, we never do, but a large, inked hand wraps around his fist as ‘Dad Two’ acts responsible.

“No fighting unless you’re training.” Dima looks between both of us, his silver eyes drilling in the rules no one even cares about. I try to go back to my game for the second time, but he keeps staring at me, making me combust.

“I didn’t do shit, so I don’t know why you’re saying it to me. Tell him to go somewhere else, I was here first.”

Vlad allows his husband to deal with the discipline since he promised he wouldn’t when we left our parents’ house and came to America. It doesn’t stop him watching with unnerving eyes to make sure that a hand isn’t put on us. Dima shakes his head and holds Tali’s collar pissing me off even more.

“And don’t grab my brother, you dickhead.”

I’m the only person who’s allowed to give him shit. He smirks as Vlad says, “Done with your tantrum now?”

Asshole. My brother is an asshole, so is Dima, and everyone else I live with. At least I’m honest that I like it, they act like it’s just a normal part of life. A knock hits the door, too gentle to belong to anyone we know, and Tali runs to it to wait for his boyfriend. I stand straight as Dima follows him and wait until he’s out of sight in the hallway to make my voice deeper as I say, “Don’t tell Len about Tali, I’ll say you’re lying.”

My little brother is a shithead but he’s my shithead, and no one else gets to hurt him. The deep voice isn’t enough when Vlad uses his and straightens his cuffs. “What would I be lying about?”

That unnerving stare is fully on me, but I don’t back down. My heart is beating too fast, scared that I’ve given away Tali’s secret and I try to take it back.

“They’re just friends, he’s not gay.”

I don’t care what he does, I don’t know if Vlad will when he doesn’t even have a girlfriend himself. I don’t think he has anyone apart from Dima and he’s miserable all the time. But I’ve seen Dima with women before when I’ve snuck out of the house or got caught at a party and needed him to pick me up. The last one was nice, even if I told her that she needs to start wearing clothes that fit her because I could see her underwear when I opened the car door.

Keeping my body straight, I don’t move as Vlad walks closer and sits down so we’re the same height. He’s angry and his jaw pops out under his stubble.

“I don’t give a fuck if he has a boyfriend, girlfriend, or if he’s in love with a goat. Even if it was all of the above, he’s a Vartanov. Our brother.”

He doesn’t say anything else, and I nod, relaxing a little. Until he leans forward with his arm on his knees and stares into my eyes to stop me moving. His voice is quieter, yet somehow, it’s even more deadly.

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