The sun had gone down, its absence the bane of their working hour. Sprinkled stars glowed on them and rain painted their backs. Each step another painful, cold drain.
"Why didn't you just get people who are actually supposed to do this shit? I'm not a handyman, Arseni. And uh, I have a relationship to uphold. Something I know you don't." Andrei grunted. His grip faltered on the big brown box while he changed his hold. He held it as well as he could. Arseni walked behind him, also carrying one of those boxes in the rain.
"I did have a crew. Your lazy ass took three hours to get here and it's only a ten minute drive."
"I walked. Can't put my baby on a bike."
"You don't have kids."
"I was talking about my boyfriend. He has an injury, so."
"Oh, the pink is your boyfriend? Exotic," Arseni bluffed. They climbed up the stairs one step at a time. The rain slowly trickled further away from them as they got higher. The scent of it stuck to them like petrichor, though. Andrei hummed. "He's not an animal. He's cute and small and, I don't know, cute."
"Hm."
Andrei nodded as though a question was answered. "What about you? Anyone on your pathetic mind?"
"Nope, just worried about Gaia." Arseni giggled softly.
Another heavy foot smacked against concrete floors. Climb, climb, climb. "How's she?" The older man murmured through gritted teeth. Watch the bottom of your pants.
"Cute, tiny, delicious. She smells like love. My baby." Andrei hummed at the response. A distant and fading picture of a girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a gummy smile flickered through the worthless museum of his head. They reached the second floor without a second word to share. It was white, the walls. All white with lace-like trims, or buttercream trims. Some windows in the decadent hallway.
Andrei cleared his throat, his back aching the smallest bit at carrying eighteen boxes filled with something stupid. The biggest and thankfully last one in his arms thudded to the ground. "Erm, Arseni..." He looked around cautiously.
"Hm?" Arseni's box clattered as well, a low thump bouncing off of the goofy bricks.
"Why are there windows in here?"
"For sunlight," Arseni chirped, his blonde curtain-cut swaying into his doe, grey eyes. Not a thought in that head.
"Senya," Andrei calmly repeated. The other man only nodded. He crossed his arms over his chest. His sleeves were rolled to his elbow, his tattooed arms stopped at his wrist so clean, it looked like two different parts of the body. Though they were, it was just unnatural.
"How is sunlight going to get in through the sides of the building?" Andrei said. His voice rolled, soft and gentle like he was speaking to a child. A teaching moment.
Arseni shrugged. "Uh, Drisha, this isn't the side of the building. This is the middle."
"Exactly. So when two buildings are touching and you build stairs like this, this makes it the sides of the building. But, you think it's the middle, so let's work with that." Andrei breathed. "Why are there windows here?"
"Because sunlight, Andrei. What's your problem?"
"No. Let's look." Andrei pointed at each window. He paced in the middle of the pathway. "Do you get it?"
"You're...walking in the middle of the hallway?"
"No. These windows are useless. If anything, it's for a peeping tom, kid. You need to get them removed."
Arseni stared at the building for a moment. His eyes ran over every thing, every single flaw.
Then....
"Ugh! Fuck, daddy said it looked fine."
"Welp, he lied." Andrei swallowed. The sound of rain filled the silence between them in ecstasy. They glanced at the walls. They're white and bright, with doors and numbers. An elevator in the side. Andrei dropped his head in his hands. "It's alright, I don't think people will care that much."
"Yeah, yeah..." Arseni looked away, his cheeks slowly glowing pink, freckles dark and unsettlingly motherly. His eyes sparkled under the gleam of the moonlight and his arms rammed back and forth at his sides. "So, uh, did you tell your boyfriend the truth?" He inquired softly. Afraid to use the same voice that directed rooms of men and prisoners into doing something slightly illegal.
The older man propped a brow up. His tattooed fingers dug into the Marlboros in his hoodie pocket. "What do you mean?"
"You know, your job?"
"I'm a sculptor. He knows I draw."
Arseni rolled his eyes. "Your real job." He emphasized 'real' like there was something to it. Andrei's stomach cranked. He searched for the delicate feel of the leathery-textured stick. "What do you mean?" He asked again, stuffing the toxic substance into his mouth. The lighter clicked once, twice, and glowed. It echoed.
The other blonde shrugged. "I don't know, Drisha. Aren't you serious about him?"
"You fuck hookers, Senya. Don't talk to me about relationships."
"You're gay, it's different."
Andrei stared at him. "What?" He chuckled. Arseni glared. Then,
"Okay, okay, whatever, I was joking. You know daddy is hosting a dinner in like two weeks, right? Every time you date, you bring them to our place and boom! We have to endure that. Just because you date men sluts doesn't mean we want to see it. I don't bring any of my buddies to dinner."
"That's cause none of them like you, Senya. You're retarded." Andrei said, simple and content. Arseni grunted. "Oh, fuck off. It's just a question."
"Also, I'm not going to dinner. That shit is boring. I've got my scholarship, I'm cool on it."
"You don't want to see mommy?" Arseni pouted.
Andrei shook his head, mouth an O and his eyes squinted. "Why-no, I don't? I'm not a baby. Why are you calling them that? Do you always do that?"
"Uh, yeah. It doesn't matter. I think your bitch would be-"
"Don't call him that."
"Okay. Your pink-haired fiend would be really uncomfortable if he knew the truth."
"What is the truth, Arseni? Like literally what are you talking about?" Andrei dragged his words out. His brows knit in a knot, wishing for a coherent response from this man.
Arseni threw his hands up with a sigh. An embarrassed, stunned sigh.
"Does he know you're a ...porn star?"
Andrei stared. "Are you fucking serious? You had me so confused for that? Half of the world knows I've made certain videos, Senya. Of course he knows."
The other man pulled back, humming to himself. "Okay, just wanted to know. I would've told him anyway. I don't want you to hurt an innocent person's feelings."
"You're so fucking stupid."