also not OP, but oh my god, anon — I stayed up late reading this then read it again as soon as I woke up. WOW. I have to second the other comment: your handle on action scenes is masterful, such good flow and sense of blocking, and the transitions between moments as they size each other up and get the sense of each other feels intense and real. your Andrey POV is on-the-nose perfect and I can’t get over how precise and colorful your phrasing is; every sentence feels like the perfect way to have said it. my jaw dropped. if you’re ever comfortable deanoning with this, I’d LOVE to read your other work!