Zakhar finds his new Pet

It was a normal spring evening in Genoa Italy. One that would be overlooked by many. For one boy though, this would be a day he remembered for the rest of his life.

The streets of the city were busy, and most would overlook the young eighteen year old boy hidden in the shadows of an alley way. The alley was in between a restaurant, and the boy was digging in the dumpster for leftovers that people often left behind on their plate.

It was shameful, and he looked like a disgrace. His poofy brunette hair was messy and frazzled. He had dark circles under his pale blue eyes, and he looked thin. He wore a ratty pair of jeans, an old pair of sneakers, and a blue oversized jacket, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows as he searched for food.

One wouldn’t have been able to guess that this young man actually had a home to go back to. Not just any home either, but a mansion at that. At many times he was tempted to return to his home, to his mother and his sisters. But the man that lived there, his step-father, made him shove such temptations away.

No, he was never going back to that man’s home. He wasn’t wanted there by his mother’s husband, and even though she had pleaded with him to not go, he did. And even though he was reduced to searching the dumpsters for food, it was better than having to live with that man.

He’d been homeless for about a month now, and was starting to get used to hiding away and living like a rat. He’d seen his face on multiple missing person’s ads, and made a point to try and stay more in the background of things.

Finally he found a breadstick that someone had tossed out. It wasn’t even eaten off of! A big smile came to the boys lips as he took it, padding back and leaning against the wall. He slid down into a sitting position and then sunk his teeth into the soft bread. It was cold by now but still decently fresh, and the young man felt like it was his lucky night to have been able to find it.

Travelling.

It was all the Lycan had been doing for twenty odd years. Twenty years of being alone as he moved form place to place. No one to enjoy the experiences with; no one to tell.

It was a lonely way of life but it was one had had taken for nearly two and a half decades.

But what he wouldn't give for a companion.

His sharp ears picked up the sound of someone rummaging through a dustbin as he passed an alleyway. Someone just as alone as him trying to make his way in the world.

Zakhar paused a few feet away and slowly made his way back.

Someone just as alone as him.

The Lycan stood at the entrance of the alleyway, staring silently at Lino, head cocked to the side slightly as people passed by without even glancing at them. Humans were so uncaring. If it wasn't something they usually did, they just ignored it and went about their daily lives.

Such a shame, such interesting things happened when you took the time to search them out.

His eyes flickered over the boy as he hunched around a bread stick against the wall, holding it like it was the first thing he had eaten in days. From the way he looked, it probably was.

Zakhar took note of the pretty shade of the boy's hair. A much lighter shade of brown that he had grown to accept as the norm in Italy. It was messy and greasy from lack of luxuries and his cheeks was smeared with dirt. The Lycan couldn't help but wander what the boy would look like without the layer of grime marring his appearance. Cute, no doubt.

His silver eye pierced the boy as he tried to picture him clean and well fed.

With his normal human senses he couldn't hear the Russian man approach. He was oblivious that someone was watching him.

He tried to eat the bread stick slowly, trying to savor it. Even though he had found it in a dumpster, the fact that he was the only one to take a bite out of made it all the more special.

But soon it was gone and all the boy could do was sit alone again in the back alley way. He brought his knees up to his chest and pulled an mp3 player out of his jean pocket. His only possession.

He put the small headphones in his ears and flicked the mp3 on, letting his music engulf him.

His stomach rumbled, still hungry and now feeling teased at having had bit of something to eat, but not near enough for a young man of his size.

He furrowed his brow but tried to ignore his hunger as he let the music push away all physical senses and take him into a world far different then his own.

Zahar gave an amused chuckle.

Humans had such weak senses. He couldn't hear him or smell him. Hell, could he even feel the prickle at the back of his neck that warned him about someone watching him?

Or had human abandoned that with their machinery and luxuries? No need to know that someone was staring at you when you weren't expecting someone to try and kill you at every turn.

The boy's growling stomach echoed in his ears.

Poor boy, couldn't live on what he was getting.

"Zhalkiy," he finally said aloud in his mother tongue, silver eye flickering over the boy as he listened to his music to try and drown out his hunger.

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Pathetic

Lino furrowed his brow, his head leaned back against the wall of the building. The music was turned out loud in his ears as he tried to block everything out, making it so he couldn't hear a thing.

But something was nagging at him, something in the back of his head, though he couldn't tell what. Finally he opened his eyes and let out a soft sigh, looking around.

He froze when he saw the man watching him.

In a second he stood up, pulling the headphones out of his ears.

"Mi dispiace se questo è il vostro ristorante, non stavo cercando di disturbarla."He said, his voice smooth and tenor. There was an air of nervousness in his voice. He didn't want this man to call the police on him for suspicion.

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"I'm sorry if this is your restaurant, I wasn't trying to bother you."

"Takiyebednyye, zhalkiye malʹchika," he crooned as he stalked into the alley towards the boy.

It amused him how pathetic and hopeless people were in this modern age. This boy was starving to death because he had been so pampered in life.

If he was in this situation - and he had been numerous times - he would have used everything he could to get himself enough to not starve like this boy was doing. The sea was only a hop, skip and a jump away. He could go and fish. Fishing wasn't hard and the boy would be able to catch enough to feed himself.

"Non possiedo il ristorante."

And he wouldn't call the police. Zakhar wasn't one for authority figures; especially human ones. Whenever he could, he moved under their line of sight and stayed away from them.

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Such a poor, pathetic boy (Russian)

I don't own the restaurant (Italian)

Lino furrowed his brow at the language. This man wasn't Italian, something else. From his accent he sounded Russian perhaps?

The young man swallowed nervously. If this man didn't own the restaurant then who was he? What did he want?

For a moment the boy worried that this man would try and mug him, but he looked well dressed. He didn't look like the type that would need to mug someone, especially someone that looked as pathetic as Lino.

But the man was walking towards him and Lino didn't know what he wanted. He took a few steps back, but tripped over a stray beer bottle left in the alley way.

eyes wide, he fell backwards with a thud, landing on his rear.

"Ow! Oh merda, per l'amor di dio." He grumbled, his cheeks immediately getting red from embarrassment.

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"Ow! Oh shit, for the love of god."

A deep, husky chuckle rumbled in the man's chest when Lino fell back.

"Voi ragazzi, sempre ad una bocca su di te." The newest generation truly knew how to curse up a storm. It was amusing to listen to a lot of the time.

He continued to prowl forwards until he was stood in front of the fallen boy. He offered a hand down to help the boy up.

This boy was obviously alone on these streets. Nowhere to go, no one to miss him if he disappeared.

"Avete bisogno di un posto dove stare per un po '?" he asked with a friendly half-smile. "Sono sicuro che avrei potuto dare la caccia del cibo migliore di quello grissino, anche."

What did the boy have to lose from coming with him?

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You teenagers, always such a mouth on you

Do you need a place to stay for a little while?

I'm sure I could hunt down some better food than that bread stick, too

Lino looked at the man’s hand a moment, then up to his eyes. They were the most interesting eye’s he’d ever seen. One was a piercing silver color, and the other more pale… blind in that eye perhaps.

Hesitantly he took the man’s strong hand and let him help him up. He perked up at the offer of a place to stay and food.

“Davvero?!” He asked, not believing his ears.

His stomach again churned and knotted from hunger, and it’d been so long since he was able to have a comfortable place to stay. Hell, he’d feel blessed to stay in some creepy low class motel by this point. Anywhere with anything that remotely resembled a bed.

He knew better then to just go with some man he didn’t know. This guy could be a psycho serial killer or something. But he was so hungry, so tired and so desperate, at this particular moment he didn’t care. Maybe he should, but he didn’t. His body screamed for food and comfort, silencing out the reservations in his mind.

“Si potrebbe farlo? Sarebbe fantastico.” He said, letting out his breath a little as he spoke, making him sound more grateful then if he had said it otherwise. For he was truly grateful. If this man could help him he wouldn’t know how to repay him.

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"Really?!"

"You would do that? That would be amazing."

Zakhar nodded at the shocked question.

"Da. Sono stato nello stesso posto e avrei dato la mia gamba sinistra per avere qualcuno darmi una mano."

Though in his time he had been much better equipped for it. Luxuries like fully heated homes and refrigerators stocked with food weren't something he had when he was the boy's age.

"Sono Zakhar. Zakhar Avdeyev." He patted the boy's shoulder then motioned for him to follow as he turned to leave the alley.

"Andiamo un po 'di cibo in pancia e un po' di sapone sulla pelle. Hai bisogno di un buon pasto e uno scrub."

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Yes. I've been in the same place and I would have given my left leg to have someone help me out

I'm Zakhar

Let's get some food in your belly and some soap on your skin. You need a good meal and a scrub

Lino couldn’t believe his ears as the man spoke. This really was his lucky night! The smile was big on his face, his eyes now lit up.

He followed the man blindly, sticking his hands into the pockets on his jacket.

“Sono Lino.” He said, making sure to abstain from using his last name. He didn’t want to spark the man’s memory in case he had seen some missing person’s fliers around with both the boy’s face and name plastered over them.

“Dio che suona come il paradiso.” He admitted, a little dreamy expression coming to his face.


______________________________________

"I'm Lino"

"God that sounds like Heaven."

"Nessun nome di famiglia?"

Everyone and their dog had a family name in this day and age. He knew the boy had a family name, he was just curious about why he had purposefully omitted it.

It only took a few minutes for them to reach the hotel Zakhar was staying in. It wasn't the most luxurious hotel but it wasn't a shithole. And it wasn't an alleyway behind a restaurant so it was a big step up from where Lino had been staying.

He padded forwards into the hotel, heading straight for the stairs. Always the stairs. Zakhar didn't like elevators. Too enclosed, too mechanical. He'd take the stairs any day.

As soon as the door to his room was open, his hands reached for the buttons of his jacket, stripping form it and slinging it over a chair.

"Il bagno e 'li' dentro. Ti ordinare qualcosa per quando si esce," he murmured, tilting his head to a closed door to their left as he began easing the goves from his hands.

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No family name?

Bathroom's in there. I'll order you something for when you get out

Lino looked down with a sheepish smile.

"Eh, non ha molta importanza."Was all he could think to say with a small laugh. And what did it matter anyway?

He followed the man up until they reached the hotel. Again his eyes lit up when he took it in. Oh yes, this was definitely a step up then where he had been. His smile grew even more, like a child on Christmas morning.

He gladly took the stairs with the man. Ironically he too didn’t like elevators. Only old or crippled people should use such things. While he had two working legs, he sure as ever was going to use them.

He bit his lip in excitement when he saw the room. It was so clean and looked so damn nice. It had only been a month since Lino had been somewhere even close to this nice, and that felt far too long. He practically ran into the bathroom when directed to it. Before he closed the door he turned around and looked at Zakhar with a bright smile.

"Zakhar, grazie mille. Io non so come mai potrei ripagare ". He said with genuine gratitude.

He then closed the door to the bathroom and stripped off his clothes quickly. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and wrinkled his nose. Damn he looked a mess.

Without wasting any time the boy turned on the shower and jumped in. He didn’t even wait for the water to turn hot first . He gasped out with a smile when the cold water pierced his skin, and then let out a relaxed sigh when the heat kicked in.

He washed his hair three times before finally feeling content with it. He loved the feeling of finally being able to scrub his scalp again and feel clean. Even after he had cleaned himself off througoughly he still stayed in the shower, not ever ever wanting to get out. Never before had a young man taken so much time in the shower. In fact it was only when his stomach started to grumble again needily did he finally turn off the water.

He stepped out and dried himself off with a towel before wrapping it around his waist. He looked down at his clothes on the floor. He didn’t want to put those back on until they were as clean as he was. So instead he creaked open the bathroom door and peeked his head out.

"Ehi Zakhar, che non mi dispiacerebbe se ero solo nel mio asciugamano si farebbe? Io non voglio cambiare nuovamente dentro i miei vestiti per il momento." He admitted. Since Zakhar was another guy he figured this wouldn’t be a problem at all.

__________________________________________________

“eh, it doesn’t really matter.”

“Zakhar, thank you so much. I don’t ever know how I could repay you.”

“Hey Zakhar, you wouldn’t mind if I was just in my towel would you? I don’t want to change back into my clothes just yet.”

Next to his the ground after Lino had disappeared into the bathroom was his waistcoat, followed short by his shirt.

Italy was so hot compared to what he was used to in his Mother Lands. He took advantage of being able to not wear clothes as often as he could. He wasn't going to change that habit just for someone he had picked up off the streets.

The Lycan laid out on the bed, stretching out with a purr before reaching for the room service menu and the phone. His eyes trailed over the menu silently as his thumb pressed against the buttons of the phone.

After a short conversation, a lasagne was ordered. He had no idea what the boy liked in his food so he thought a stereotypical Italian dish would do just fine.

Zakhar reached out again, drawing a book to his bare chest and flicking it open. His eye flickered over the words silently.

"Da. Vai avanti." he didn't care how the boy clothed himself.

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Yes. Go ahead

Lino could smell the fresh aroma that the food filled the room with. His mouth watered as he made his way out of the bathroom and padded up to the lasagna.

“Dio mio” he said thankfully, reaching out to take the dish and sitting down on the floor next to the bed. He sat cross legged, the towel luckily big enough that he didn’t think he was exposing himself to the Russian man.

He let out a little content noise when he put the untouched food into his mouth. It was so good he felt like he could cry, but like hell he’d do that in front of someone else. He tried not to stuff his face and eat like a pig in front of Zakhar, but he was struggling not to take huge savory bites.

“In modo che lingua che continuare a parlare. E 'russo o qualcosa del genere?” He asked between bites, trying to make friendly conversation as he ate.

____________________________

"Oh my god"

"So that language you keep speaking. Is that Russian or something?"

Zakhar only looked up from his book when Lino sat down before his eye returned to the pages.

"Non mangiare troppo in fretta, sarà sconvolto lo stomaco e ti basta buttare indietro di nuovo," he warned, turning the page of his book with a quiet swish as he spoke.

He could play worried civilian helping out a homeless boy easily enough. He could also lull Lino into thinking he was just an ordinary civilian.

"Da. Il russo è la mia lingua madre. Sono nato e cresciuto lì." He didn't put any thought into mixing the two languages. 'Da' as just how he always answered questions like that. He wasn't fond of how the Italian's 'si' sounded rolling off his tongue.

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Don't eat it too fast, it'll upset your stomach and you'll just throw it back up again

Yes. Russian is my mother tongue. I was born and raised there

Lino swallowed down the large bite he had in his mouth and then laughed with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"Ahaha, mi dispiace. E 'solo stato un po' da quando ho avuto qualcosa di così bello." He admitted with a sheepish grin, making sure to take smaller bites after the man said that.

“Da.” Lino repeated, getting a crooked smile.

“Ciò significa che sì giusto? Non conosco quasi nessuno russo me stesso. Solo italiano e in inglese, anche se abbiamo avuto questo studente cambi nella mia scuola e lei mi ha detto che il mio accento fa schifo.”

The boy finished off his food and without really thinking, started licking the plate clean. He knew it wasn’t proper manners but like hell he was going to have any of this food be wasted.

Was he embarrassed to do that in front of someone else, yes. But he was enjoying the meal too much to care.

Besides, the man had just caught him searching through a dumpster. It didn’t get much more embarrassing then that.

_______________________________________

“Ahaha, sorry. It’s just been a while since I’ve had something this nice.”

“That means yes right? I don't know hardly any Russian myself. Only Italian and English, though we had this foreign exchange student in my school and she told me that my accent sucks.”

"Basta essere avvertito, se si getta tutto il backup, sarà quello di pulirlo," he said with a good natured smile.

He wouldn't bother the staff with something so menial. Lino would be the one to do it so he would be the one to clean it up. It was simple.

Zakhar nodded, eyes flickering up from his book. "Sì." He still hated how that word sounded. He much preferred 'da'.

The Lycan gave a soft chuckle as he set his book down.

"Il tuo accento inglese non può essere così male come la mia. Russo-Inglese può essere così difficile da capire, a volte, purtroppo." He couldnt count the number of times that someone had pointed out how thick and terrible his accent was when he spoke English.

He promptly returned those comments with a less than pleasant hand gesture.

Zakhar almost snorted when the boy picked up his plate and started to lick it. Children of these days had about as little manners as the children of his time. No food went to waste as long as it was still visible on the plate, much to parents distaste.

__________________________
Just be warned, if you throw it all back up, you'll be the one cleaning it up

Your English accent can't be as bad as mine. Russian-English can be so difficult to understand at times, unfortunately

“Mi sembra giusto.” Lino said in response to having to clean up after himself. He was certain he wouldn’t’ vomit though. This was too good to let come back up.

“Eh, si sarebbe sorpreso. Ho cercato di imparare a parlare la lingua maledetto da quando avevo quattordici anni e ho ancora suonare come un ... qual è la parola che usava .... Guido Penso che ...” He said with a shrug.

He peeked his eyes up when he heard the man laugh. Timidly he set the now spotless plate back on the side table where he had found it, a guilty smile on his face.

“Eh, mi dispiace ...” He said with a soft smile for his poor manners. A soft blush came to his cheeks from embarrassment, but he still didn’t regret it that he’d done it.

______________________

“Fair enough”

“Heh, you’d be surprised. I’ve been trying to learn to speak the damn language since I was fourteen and I still sound like a… what’s the word she used…. Guido I think…”

“Eh, sorry about that.”

Zakhar gave a half shrug.

"È necessario per consentire anni più di un paio di imparare una lingua. mi ci è voluto molto più tempo per imparare l'inglese e l'italiano." He had been pouring over both languages for decades before he felt confident enough to call himself fluent.

And even so, he couldn't read or write English as well as Italian. It was such a difficult language to learn.

He waved a hand dismissively. "Va bene. Eri fame."

___________________________
You need to allow more than a couple years to learn a language. it took me much longer to learn English and Italian

Its fine. You were hungry

The boy let out a soft little “hmm” like laugh and leaned back.

"Sì, lo credo." He agreed to the man’s words. He looked over at the time and saw that it was only 9 pm, but he was really tired. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a good nights rest.

A small yawn escaped him and he blinked contently up at the man on the bed.

"Ehi, se va bene penso di essere pronto per l'orologio fuori." He said, wiggling his toes.

"Se potessi mi lancia un cuscino qui penso di essere a posto."He understood why there was only one bed in the room. It’s not like the man was expecting to take in a little street rat when he made the reservation.

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“Yeah I guess.”

“Hey if it’s okay I think I’m ready to clock out.”

“If you could just toss me a pillow down here I think I’ll be good to go.”

"Si può dormire sul letto. E 'abbastanza grande per noi due."

His eyes searched out the boys.

"Questo è, naturalmente, se non vi dispiace dormire nello stesso letto come un altro uomo." People these days were so much more conscious and disgusted by anything that could be viewed as homosexual.

_______________________________
You can sleep up on the bed. It's plenty big enough for the two of us

That is, of course, if you don't mind sleeping in the same bed as another man

Lino’s cheeks blushed a little further.

He wondered if he should get in bed with the guy. He had been nothing but friendly so far, and Lino felt like he could trust him. If the man wanted to hurt him surely he would have done so by now.

"Uh .. sì va bene ... Vado a prendere i miei jeans e scivolare i vostri cari al primo." He said, getting up to go head back to the bathroom where his clothes lay.

__________________________________________

“Uh..yeah okay… I’ll just go get my jeans and slip those back on first.”

Zakhar nodded, eyes turning back to his book.

He may as well read that for a little longer. There was no way he'd be able to get to sleep as early as nine.

He'd be up for at least a few more hours.

His eyes flickered up to Lino as he padded towards the bathroom.

Once inside the bathroom he let the towel drop at his feet. He leaned down and slipped his jeans and boxers back on. He didn't want to get dressed just yet, but he was tired. And there was no way he would sleep in a bed with another guy in the nude.

He zipped up his fly but left the button unsnapped, walking back into the open room and gently getting on the bed next to Zakhar.

He relaxed on his stomach and hugged the pillow up to his face, nuzzling his cheek against it with a very happy expression. He couldn't even help but let a soft sigh escape from his lips.