𝑹 𝑶 𝑺 𝑨 𝑳 𝑰 𝑨

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒃𝒐𝒚 𝑰

A/N : i changed the start so many times omg

K A Z I M I R | 11
1981 |  Past

Blackburn.

A labyrinth of rundown buildings and roads, A breeding ground for illegal activity, a criminal haven where the police seemed to have just given up. Kazimir hated stepping into that forsaken town. At first he couldn't understand it, his family were more than well off, they lived in a mansion type house, his father owned multiple foreign cars.

Why would he need to frequent a place such as this.

Everytime he tried to ask, his father would always say it was for "business" but it didn't take long for Kazimir to catch on to what type of business man his father truly was; it the real why they could afford all the things they could. Blackburn was just a place he could go to get away from the prying eyes of the law.

The first time his father dragged him there he was 7. It had been nightmarish, everything from the dark and gritty streets to the sketchy and suspicious glances, had been burned into his memory. It had disturbed him so much that the second time his father forced him to come he threw a tantrum that earned him a rough beating. After that Kazimir never protested his father's insistence on his presence.

Despite requiring him to accompany him on his trips to that hellish place, his father rarely asked him to do anything for him. Kazimir would just play outside with the other unfortunate boys, sons of men that worked under his father for hours until his father was finished with his work.

Like now,

"Here!" Lukas bellowed.

Kazimir sprinted past Alex, deftly dribbling the ball toward the makeshift basketball hoop. With a quick glance to the side, he weighed his options before throwing the ball toward Lukas. But annoyingly Lukas didn't jump high enough causing the ball to go flying over his head.

Kazimir slowed down hunching over as he caught his breath but it wasn't long before he heard Lukas storming over. He looked up to see his face etched with anger.

"Can't you see where you throw?" he seethed, moving challengingly close. "I can't reach that fucking high"

"Maybe you should grow taller then," Kazimir retorted calmly, standing his ground. In the background, snickers from the other boys seemed to bother Lukas even more as the boy balled his fists. Lukas wasn't as scary as he thought he was. He might have be able to intimidate some of the other boys due to his inability to keep his anger under control but Kazimir wasn't one of them. They had gotten into it once before and Kazimir had broken his nose, it would be dumb to start with him again.

The two boys locked eyes, the tension between them growing thick. Alex quickly stepped between them. "Stop," he urged, pushing them apart. "Isaak will make us do push-ups again if he sees you fighting."

They glanced over at the figures near the entrance of the large house. Isaak, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, conversed with another man. By no means was Isaak anywhere close as being more intimidating as his father but he was still a scary guy. Isaak was tall and muscular, there was no hiding his muscles with the shirt that he wore. He seemed to always walk with a controlled swagger, each step purposeful. His eyes were deep and dark and there was a certain hardness in the expression that he always had on his face. Whenever they were being too loud or he caught them arguing amongst each other he would come over and force them to do countless laps up and down the road or even worse,

push ups.

"Let's get the ball," Alex suggested, placing a hand on their shoulders. Lukas was the first to look away, shot another glance at Isaak before huffing and stomping ahead. Kazimir rolled his eyes stuffing his hands into his pockets before following behind the boys. The ball had rolled a few houses down, further than they were allowed to go. He sighed, if Isaak or any of his father's other men caught them here it would be a long day .

"Uh oh" Roman, one of the other boys, cackled. "Lukas look your girlfriend has it"

When Kazimir caught up with them he looked across the road to see a girl around his age crouched over dry grass, he watched as she poured water from a bottle over the plants in an attempt to revive them.

"Say that again" Lukas snapped as he glared at Roman who stopped with his laughter almost immediately and stepped back. Kazimir could see a disgusted expression spread across Lukas's face as he turned his attention back to the girl across the road. Lukas huffed, looking both ways for any cars before crossing the road, storming over to the girl who was unaware that they were even there.

"Give me the ball" He ordered.

The girl looked up confused, standing up from her position on the ground. Kazimir smiled to himself once he saw that even she was taller than Lukas. The girl looked around unsure of what Lukas was talking about before her eyes landed on the orange basketball between the bushes behind her but before she could reach for it Lukas walked over to it himself.

"God don't you people listen?"

"Sorry i didn't se-" She tried to say but he pushed her aside and snatched the ball from the ground causing her to stumble backwards.

"Yeah yeah shut up" Lukas grumbled in annoyance

"Don't tell me to shut up" The girl's sudden push sent him sprawling face first onto the floor, and the ball rolled over to Kazimir's feet. Lukas, his face flushed with anger, glared up at them. Besides Kazimir, the others did their best to avoid Lukas's eyes shifting uncomfortably where they stood.

He was surprised and it was safe to say that everyone else was too. She quickly put a hand over her mouth eyes widened in surprise, it seemed like she was too. Kazimir's gaze locked onto hers, like a silent exchange. A brief pause. Their eye contact got broken up after Lukas shot up, a rock held firmly in the air as he aimed at her.

"Lukas!" Isaak's deep voice bellowed from behind them. Lukas immediately dropped the rock and turned around. But before he could open his mouth to say anything a woman walked out of the house, wiping her hands hurriedly on her apron as she made for the girl. From the resemblance that they shared, Kazimir guessed that she was the mother. A look of fleeting horror seemed to settle on her face when she looked up to see Isaak, it was so quick that if Kazimir blinked he would have missed it.

Isaak paid the girl and her mother no mind instead roughly grabbing Lukas by the ear and bringing him over. Isaak's lecturing words seemed to fade in the background as Kazimir's eyes wondered past him. He watched as her mother took a hold of her hand, guiding her back into their house before they entered she turned back and their eyes met again.

She did something Kazimir wasn't expecting her to do.

She smiled.