It wasn't how Annya taught him to fight, exactly, but Sean implemented some of her tips into his street fighting style. The fight lasted longer than Annya expected, making her feel both impressed and annoyed at how he's been going easy on her this whole time.
"STOP!" she yelled, unable to keep in her anger anymore. She looked at her brother signaling for him to step back. She went straight to Sean stopping inches away from his face, pushing away the memory from the night before.
"If you hold back from me one more time, I swear on your life, I will rip out one of your ribs and knock you out with it. Do we have an understanding?" she seethed, looking at him with rage he had never seen before. He wanted to ask if it was just a threat, but her brother's smile told him it wasn't. So he decided to give her all he's got.
This time their fight lasted fifteen minutes before she took him down, resisting the urge to break a few bones on the way. When they both got up, she turned around and gave him one last hard punch before she walked back to her brother, who looked like a father watching his daughter ride her bike for the first time, handing her a handkerchief to wipe off the blood from her face, while Sean used his shirt.
"Congratulations, Sean. You are useful." Was all Alex said before they walked off to their rooms to clean up before they had to go back to Alex's room.
"WHAT THE HELL is wrong with you?" Annya exploded once the door was closed.
"You expected me to try to kick a girl's ass?" he asked, starting to get angry, himself.
"But i'm not just a girl, am i?" she was trying not to yell so no one would be able to hear,
"How the hell was I supposed to know that when you wouldn't tell me anything about yourself?!"
"You NEVER go easy one someone you're training, regardless of how much they know!"
"That's how they get injured" They were both talking loudly at this point. Good thing this part of Russia didn't have anyone who spoke english.
"That's how they LEARN" Annya started backing up to leave their room.
"Where are you going?" Sean yelled after her.
"To get ice, bumbass!" she yelled before slamming the door. When she made it to the ice machine, her brother came up to her laughing.
"What" she spat, not looking up at him.
"You like him," Alex said, amused.
"No, actually, I really really don't." she said as she angrily shuffled ice into a bucket.
"I have never seen you argue with anyone like that." Alex said, amusement clear on his face.
"Because I've never had anyone get on my nerves like that." She shoved the scooper in harder than necessary, but that's all she can do to let out her anger.
"I have. I've been pissing you off for years and you never argued or even yelled. You would just attack"
"Because he doesn't know how to fight and since you want him so badly, I can't exactly put him in a wheelchair, now can i?" she seethed, slamming the ice machine closed.
"Never stopped you before" Alex was leaning on the wall beside her, with a smug smile plastered on his face as he was picking imaginary lint off his very expensive suit. Annya sighed heavily, turning to face him in exasperation.
"Do you need to be here?" she asked.
"You don't have to admit it to yourself, but you won't want to attack him because you don't want him hurt because you...care about him." he paused, looking hurt and her lack of interaction, while she just stared at him in amusement. No matter how mad she would be at him, he always knew how to make her laugh.
"Why didn't you say it with me?" he asked in confusion.
"Because it's not true" she said as she started walking to their rooms. With a shrug and a chuckle, Alex went into his room, leaving her outside of hers. As she opened the door, and seeing Sean, brought her rage right back.
"He's your damn ice." she snapped, slamming the ice bucket on the table. After a second, her brother's taunts repeated in her mind.
"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I should have known better. I just wasn't raised the way you were. I was taught never to lay a hand on a woman" he said, slowly walking towards her, trying to figure out if it was worth another one of her angry punches.
"You're a boxing coach. I'm sure I'm not the only woman you're tried to train." she seethed.
"You know what i mean." he could tell she was slowly calming down, but didn't want to take any chances, standing just barely out of her reach. When she looked back at him, noticing his distance, she burst out laughing. A hesitant smile spread across his face, not sure how she was feeling at this point.
"Are you scared of me, Sean?" she asked, slowly getting closer to him as he slowly tried to maintain their distance.
"Who wouldn't be? You're terrifying. You must know this." he said, with his arms reaching out as if they would hold her back. She nodded to herself, satisfied, humor still in her eyes as she walked back to the bathroom to clean up her face.
"Your face is starting to swell. Wrap the ice in those small towels and press it to your face."
"I know the aftercare to an injury" he mumbled, causing Annya to laugh again. Although it was at his expense, her laughs warmed his heart. She walked out with a fresh face and her makeup off, and glasses on, making her look her age, taking the breath out of Sean's lungs. Once he was out of the shower with nothing but jobbers, she had him stand by the table to wordlessly assess and treat his injuries.
They got to Alex's door, and Annya knocked in a strange rhythm, letting him know it was her at the door. As he opened it, and saw them standing together with the hostility out of the air, he smiled at Annya and let them in.
"I thought you got all your anger out in the ballroom" he asked Annya with a knowing smile spreading across his face, leaving Sean confused.
"Nothing he didn't deserve" she responded as she made herself some tea with way too much sugar.
"We're gonna spend the next few days here while you train Sean and I start looking into everything." Alex said to Annya, making Sean tense.
"Or, you could train him and I can do the interogating" she countered.
"We're not interrogating yet. We still need to get information and you being the best fighter, it would only make sense that you be the one to train him.'' She walked up calmly to him and spoke something in Russian that Sean was sure was a threat, but Alex only smiled a big boyish grin in return. Although their lives were messed up, Sean loved the relationship Annya and her brother had. He watched their interaction in amusement. Even though he couldn't understand what they were saying, it made him happy that they were as close as they were.
After a while of back and forth, it looked like Alex won by the wide grin on his face. Reluctantly, Annya went to sit down on his right, while Sean sat on his left so they could be able to hear each other at any volume.
For the next hour, they talked about making staggered appointments with different people so as to not make them suspicious. At this point, the people trying to find them already know they've escaped, but couldn't tell everyone in the operation, not knowing who would stand with or against them. Even though the dangers are limited, they still needed to be careful and make sure Sean stays hidden at all costs until they have to include him.
"That's why I'm giving you as much time as i can so you could train him" Alex said quietly. They wanted to use Sean as a secret weapon of sorts, knowing that no one would expect an outsider to be able to fight them. Annya had asked if she could join in on the meetings Alex had set up, but he disagreed, saying that no one could know she was home, as well as pointing out the fact that she needed that time to train, and protect Sean. "And speaking of protection," Alex started hesitantly, expecting Annya's reaction, which caused her to tense.
"Don't say it" she warned.
"I have to, Annya. it's the best option for the both of you. You'll have to stay in the hotel for a while until it's safe"
"Noooo" was all she said.
"Annya, it wasn't a suggestion. Please. Just listen to me. Just this once." he pleaded.
"You know something" Annya responded, her eyes squinted in suspicion.
"No. That's the problem. The only thing we know is what you figured out, and even then, that's not enough to know what we're up against. Just work with me until we figure something out, just to see how safe it is." and with that, Annya sat back in her chair, unable to say anything in response, knowing she can't argue with a brother's worry.
"Non stop training" Sean tried to entice her
"I could rip out your spine from your gullet if I could'' was all she answered, looking him straight in the eye. Sean looked down, and Alex couldn't suppress his laugh but stopped immediately when she stared daggers at him, but he was still chuckling when she looked away.
"Fine. anything else?" she asked in annoyance. With a smile still on his face, Alex shook his head.
"Fine. When is your first meeting?" Annya asked, still pouting.
"In about two hours. Wanna spar?" he knew Annya could never resist fighting him.
"I'll go change" was all she said, leaving both of them to go to her room. Sean silently stayed in his spot avoiding eye contact, while Alex stared at him analyzing the large man in front of him.
"What's your story, Sean?" Alex suddenly asked, casually.
"It's nothing special. Father left before I was born, my mother left soon after my sister was born, leaving me with the finances and a baby to take care of at the age of 13. Legally I couldn't work, so I started fighting for money until I was able to get a job at a gym. I'm went to school double majoring in psychology and investigative studies, and then went back for business." Alex kept staring, still analyzing.
"What happened to your sister?" Alex asked.
"You and your sister are weirdly observant," Sean commented.
"Part of the job. Where is she, Sean?"
"She left after she got involved in drugs." he answered after a while.
"I'm sorry. You deserve better. Thank you for looking out for mine. I know she's a handful, but you prevaled. You want a drink?" he asked, getting up to pour himself one.
"Aren't you about to fight her soon?"
"She's gonna beat me anyway" Alex laughed.
"I thought you didn't like me" Sean commented without thinking
"We can't afford to" was all Alex said before Annya knocked again. Alex gestured for Sean to open the door and as soon as he did, he stood frozen when he saw. Annya was wearing leggings and a sports bra with her long black hair braided into a french braid, showing off her face.
"Can I come in?" she asked, looking at him expectantly confused.
"Huh? oh yeah. Sorry. You're just a lot....shorter...than i remember." he floundered, Making Alex explode in a booming laugh. Annya looked around Sean furiously at her brother.
"Let's go, beautiful!" Alex said, leading her towards the ballroom again, knowing Annya could tell what he was getting at, and Sean was right behind them, trying to ignore how accurate the comment was.
"Alright, sean. Try to focus on our footwork, and reaction time. Notice how your opponent moves and you will be able to find a pattern so you can react before they act." Annya started. Her and her brother started out slow for Sean's benefit, but then once they got into it, it was like a dance with each person gracefully moving around each other. There were one or two landed hard attacks, but Sean couldn't look away. He has always thought of fighting as one against the other, but now looking at the siblings' fight, he could see it's more of a chess match with one moving right after the other in beautiful use of strategy. Even with hard punches, falling bodies and blood flying everywhere, they still managed to make it look like a gracefully choreographed dance. Before he knew it, an hour had passed and they were still fighting, but their faces looked like they were having the most fun they've had in years, and Sean wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Annya quickly looked at the clock behind Alex and suddenly he was on his back with Annya kneeling on him and her hand on his chest holding him down.
"Time for you to get ready, boss." Annya said, breathing heavily. without waiting for a response, she got up, pulling him with her.
"Good job, Anni." he said, pulling her in to kiss her temple, and she pushed him away, complaining about how gross and sweaty he was.
They went up to their rooms in silence, letting Alex think through the meeting, planning every comment to the end of the night. Without a word, he went into his room, while Annya and Sean went into theirs.
"What just happened?" Sean asked once the door was closed.
"Alex needs to get 'in the zone'" Annya popped her head out of her room to show Sean her air quotes. "Whatever the hell that means." she grumbled. "He says although he loves his family, they make him soft ,so whenever he has to do something like this, he has to push us out of his head or emagine we died, or whatever." Annya hasn't stopped moving since they got in the hotel room, getting everything ready to take a shower. "I don't know. he does something to piss himself off so he has that heartless, 'i'd kill your two year old in front of you and laugh about it'. You know that look, right?" She asked from the bathroom, getting the water right.
"More from you than him, actually" Sean responded, starting to feel dizzy from constantly turning around to face her running around the room like a tornado.
"What? Me? Never. I'm the sweetest, most innocent bitch around" she looked up at him with hurt in her eyes.
"Sweet innocent girls don't call themselves, bitches." he said, popping a grape in his mouth.
"They do when they're considered the princess of the strongest mob of a very mob infested country." she joked, getting within inches of him, to reach around for a grape of her own and eating it while maintaining eye contact.
"Annya, you Must know what you're doing." Sean said breathlessly.
"See what happens when you let your emotions out there? People use it against you." She started undressing before she made it to the bathroom.
"ANNYA!" he yelled, turning around frantically, making her laugh.
"Calm down. I knew you wouldn't betray my honor like that" she said. "Stay turned. I'm closing the door"
As soon as he heard the door close, he turned around, pinching the bridge of his nose trying to calm himself down. Once he was okay, he heard a knock on the front door with a different rhythm than Annya had been using. He took one of her guns and looked into the peephole to see it was just Alex.
"What the hell? What if this was someone other than me?" Alex asked, looking like he wanted to rip Sean't head off.
"I looked through the peephole," he said defensively.
"And if there were people standing outside of your visual rainge?" Alex sounded a little calmer, but still murderous. Sean helped up the gun he had in his hand with a silencer attached from behind the door.
"Do you know your way around it?" Alex asked, a lot calmer, now and Sean nodded. Alex looked at the man in front of him inquisitively, then raised his eyebrows, not needing to ask.
"Your sister, man. She's wearing me out" Alex's booming laugh filled the hallway.
"That means she likes you. Imagine what she will put you through once she's bored." Alex said as his laughter died down just to start up again, seeing Sean's expression. "She will eat you alive, my friend. Where is she?"
"Shower" Sean grumbled, already sounding tired as he let Alex in.
"Anya!" he yelled through the door. After a second, they heard the water shut off and her light steps coming to the door. Sean was getting ready to turn, expecting her to walk out, but she just yelled from the other end. "You headed out?"
"Yah. I will be back in a few hours" Annya was already anticipating his next words.
"Don't, and i mean DO NOT leave this room for any reason." Alex started, making her roll her eyes, waiting for him to finish. "Make sure all the bolts are locked, don't answer for anyone and if I do, make sure you have both a gun and knife with you and Sean behind the door, even if it's me." he yelled back, waiting for her to confirm.
"I know. Be safe" she yelled back before Alex walked out .
"Make sure all the locks are bolted when I leave and the weapons are hidden but within reach of the door, understand?" he said, sternly looking into Sean's eyes.
"Yes sir." Sean responded just as dangerously.
"And, good luck. Try to keep her either busy or asleep. That usually helps"
"Thanks. You too. We both know I need you coming back" He joked, but Alex could see the sentiment behind it and nodded once. Once the door was closed and locked, Sean set up the weapons like instructed and cleaned up the mess Annya had left, and started flicking through the tv, looking for something he would understand.
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