[hider=GEARHEAD ALEKS][center][h2][color=a0410d]ALEKS BELIKOV[/color][/h2]
[sub][i]Aleksandr Osipovich Belikov[/I][/sub]
[img] https://media.giphy.com/media/xQuEsyA1w87lK/giphy.gif [/img]
[sup][h3]18 • M • PANSEXUAL[/h3]
(FC: Francisco Lachowski; Dialogue: [color=a0410d][b]a0410d[/b][/color]) [/sup]
♫ [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcRBUd_gJBg][color=a0410d][i]Bitch, real gs move in silence like lasagna / People say I'm borderline crazy, sorta kinda / Woman of my dreams, I don't sleep so I can't find her.”[/i][/color][/url] ♫[/center]
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[indent][sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] reputation[/h3][/sub]
[indent]
Aleks fills an understated but constant role in the lives and activities of his friends. He arrived in Beverly Hills by way of his second home, London, in his freshman year. While it was far from unusual to see the child of a Russian oligarch floating around California, Aleks nonetheless made a splash when he arrived, a young, aloof foreigner who looked and dressed like the ghost of James Dean, with all the intense focus and ambition that some of his more easy-going peers lacked. America had quite the culture shock in store for him, even compared to London instead of Russia, but he quickly made himself indispensable to the upper crust of the school thanks to his reliable personality and variety of talents. His female classmates found it easier – and cheaper – to bring along Aleks as a stand-in bodyguard for the evening at clubs or bars; a Russian accent and a cold, implacable stare were as good for warding off fuckboys as a pair of fists. For his male friends, he proved to be a reliable wingman, erudite and charming enough to fit into any double date scenario even if he never followed through on his end of the date, able to hold conversation without stealing it from his compatriot. 

It also helps to have a friend who is used to hopping through time zones; it’s rumored that Aleks never actually sleeps for very long, or at least sleeps with one eye on his phone. If someone sends him a text asking for help in the middle of the night, they will receive not a response over iMessage but a fully-formed, alert-looking Aleks in the flesh. He’s given rides (or, maybe more accurately, getaways) to drunk or belligerent friends at all hours of the night, even on days where school might only be a few painfully short hours away. Drunken car crash? Aleks is there with a AAA card to swear he was in the vehicle with you. Need an alibi for your whereabouts and don’t know who would back your story? Text Aleks with your story and he will fill it in with a novelist’s detail. 

Always willing to let some of the more flamboyant and needy personalities in his life take center stage, Aleks reliably fills a niche in the lives of all around him without ever demanding too much in return. Maybe he is just a generous soul who doesn’t like to bother his friends; maybe he has just found the extra hours of the day to solve his own problems in addition to those around him; maybe he’s just not interested. The Russian is a puzzle, one that some of his friends may find irresistible to solve. 
 [/indent]
[sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] noteworthy appearance traits[/h3][/sub]
[indent]Amazing hair; occasional mysterious facial scrapes or wounds; black, thorny circlular tattoo on the back of his right hand; twin diamond stud piercings; usually wearing a leather jacket or a well-worn pink hoodie.[/indent]
[sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] ride [/h3][/sub]
[indent][url=https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/a13057371/2018-lotus-elise-cup-260-pictures-info/]Lotus Elise Cup 260[/url]
Top Speed: 151 mph
Championship Gold, of course.
Bought and shipped by way of his family’s address in the UK.[/indent]
[sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] current dilemma[/h3][/sub]
[indent]Aleks, usually calm and composed in the face of any of his or his friends’ dilemmas, has been growing increasingly restless in the last few months. Secretly, he is growing tired of America and has become unable to find good enough reasons to justify staying past his graduation, especially with the potential breakup of the Gearheads. [/indent]
[sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] warning[/h3][/sub]
[indent]If someone want to discuss the details of [i]your[/i] relationships with Aleks, they can – and often will - do so. But don’t ask about the girls or boys he steps out with when they go on group dates. They never last, and trying to push for juicy details beyond his usual, brusque explanation that [color=a0410d]”It didn’t work out.”[/color] leads to snappy replies and colder stares than usual.[/indent][/indent]
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[indent][sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] quirks[/h3][/sub][/indent]
[indent][list][*] One thing Aleks is enamored with is American movies, especially their depictions of Russians. He will regale people with impersonations of movie Russians on command; he does a better Ivan Drago than Ivan Drago, and his John Wick crime boss impersonation ([color=a0410d]”…with a pencil. A [i]fucking pencil!”[/i][/color]) is getting better all the time.
[*] Aleks [i]hates[/i] being photographed. His Instagram is full of locales he’s been to, foods he’s tried, and people he’s with, but when he is included in group pictures or pairs of selfies, he will try and blend into the background or hide his face behind a prop as effectively as he can. His best disguise ever is managing to hide his entire face behind a hibachi grill fire in a group selfie earlier this year.
[*] Seriously. His friends have never been seen sleeping. Like…he [i]must[/i] at some point, right?[/list][/indent]
[sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] hobbies[/h3][/sub]
[indent][list][*] Driving. Aleks prefers track-ready vehicles.
[*] Following fashion
[*] Dance
[*] Self-defense and physical training
[*] DJing (?)[/list][/indent]
[sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] dreams[/h3][/sub]
[indent]Aleks doesn’t talk much about his dreams, but he has taken a shine to the idea of DJing over the last year, and he may choose to pursue it professionally after school. Other than that, his future is up in the air - he hedges on whether or not he will even remain in America after the end of the road trip, maybe because it's something he's uncharacteristically uncertain about.[/indent]
[sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] fears[/h3][/sub]
[indent]Certainly not any human being alive. Probably bears. Bears are fucking tanks with fur. Other than that, not having a vehicle for his own interests and ambitions - wasting his privilege and wealth.
[/indent]
[sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] likes/dislikes[/h3][/sub]
[indent][color=00a651]✔[/color] Going to museums. History. Good stuff! 
[color=00a651]✔[/color] Skincare technology fascinates him. Sun lotion has been so helpful since he came to America.
[color=00a651]✔[/color] Surprising friends with hidden talents.
[color=ed1c24]✖[/color] Going to zoos. Fuck big animals.
[color=ed1c24]✖[/color] Mathematics.
[color=ed1c24]✖[/color] Much of America feels like big, empty space to him.[/indent]

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[indent][sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] occupation[/h3][/sub]
[indent]Recently met the requirements to become an Uber driver in California.[/indent]
[sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] family[/h3][/sub]
[indent][list][*] Osip Belikov, father. Originally an industrial magnate in the 1990s, much of his wealth remained intact after the 2008 financial crisis, and in the decade since he's made increasing Western investments, first in European fashion. His son's curiosity about moving to America prompted a look at the tech sector there, which has proven good for the family net worth.
[*] Juliana Belikova, mother, half-Brazilian. Former swimsuit model. She drives even faster than Aleks. He will never admit that.
[/list] 
[/indent]
[sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] brief history[/h3][/sub]
[indent]Aleks was born in Russia, but didn't spend most of his life there. He grew up in London around the fashion circuit, an interest that will probably prove to be lifelong. For a time he dreamed of being a model like his mother, but the lifestyle proved to be too intensive for someone with such varied interests, and he gave up after a series of childhood modeling gigs. He also realized that his options in the United Kingdom were fairly limited, especially with growing tensions between his home nation and the nation where he spent so much of his life. That, plus a cultural fascination with the American dream (and American high school experience) caused him to relocate at the age of fourteen. He tried New York first, but he didn't agree with the culture. 

California was sunnier, something which wreaked havoc on his skin for a time, but he also found it more inviting, the rich kids were nicer...and there were more chances for him to learn to [i]drive.[/i] It was [i]that[/i] fixation, the feeling of owning a car and pushing it to its limit, that first caused him to fall in with the Gearheads and become their go-to problem solver and secret keeper. In four years, this role has never chafed him or caused any sort of discomfort; he actually seemed to relish the idea of being needed so much to do such a variety of things for friends.

The only times he ever seemed to grow upset or implacable were the rare occasions when his own private life - usually messy breakups which he failed to contain - hit the group's radar and became a source for gossip.[/indent][/indent]
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[indent][sub][h3][color=a0410d]►[/color] extra information[/h3][/sub]
[indent]Steakhouse fare.[/indent]

[/indent][/hider]

[hider=Aleksei's Hitlist (W.I.P. NOT FOR YESSI'S EYES)]
[b][h2][color=F08080]Yessi Astor (Mami⭐💋💕)[/color][/h2][/b]
[color=a0410d][i]"What the-- That bitch. She has used my fingerprint [b]again![/b] No sense of personal space.[/i][/color] [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7awq_VEdZzk][color=a0410d]I swear on my grandfather's fucking bones, I'm [b]done[/b] letting my best friends see my dick."[/color][/url]

You don’t get to pick your parents, your death, or your best friend. If she wwasn't so clingy I'd have thrown her from a moving car. If she were still a virgin I would have sold her to Satanists for a blood ritual. If she wasn't so hot I would push her out of a plane over Siberia. If she didn't act so much like...[i]Yessi[/i] about everything, I would probably hate her.

But she does, and I don't. Actually, she's probably the only person I love in the world. Fierce. Adventurous. Energetic. Sexy. We've seen London. New York. Seoul. Havana. Brasilia. Tokyo. Vegas. We're heading right from the East Coast to Thailand after this - she's going to have a blast in the red light district while I tour the figh tclubs. I spent the laziest week of my life in Hawaii watching her try and squeeze selfie lighting from a volcano. If AJ wants me to come on a trip, Yessi comes along by proxy.

I don't think she knows that there aren't any Superchargers outside of LA, but that slut has stolen some of my best shirts, and last year in Vegas she pawned my sunglasses for boxing ticket money. She completely earned this.

[b][h2][color=ff4500]AJ Tyler[/color][/h2][/b]
[color=a0410d][i]"Bratán, you kill me inside. If you want to shut up a gossip columnist, give him nothing to gossip about. I thought that was obvious."[/i][/color]

The last, least, and occasionally the greatest of us. AJ's fuckups are as glorious as they are avoidable, and I've lost endless man-hours that I could have spent on projects or interesting people dealing with his tantrums. Most of that wetwork involves a lot of yelling, a fair amount of drinking, and some occasional hugging for cooldown purposes. He's loud and stupid.

But he is my brother.

In four years, I'm the one that's done all the favors. I've never asked anyone for anything at anytime, and I never would. I'm not that needy. But if the tables were ever turned and it was me who needed someone to take a secret to the grave at 3 AM, AJ is the only person I would call. We owe each other that much.

(note: he needs help dressing since the breakup. someone in his circle clearly does not give a fuck about him, or he would join us in the 21st century and quit wearing supreme. the traitor will be weeded out as necessary.)

[b][h2][color=E51F1C]Monica Lee[/color][/h2][/b]
[i][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzS3WG6__G4][color=a0410d]"Don't ever tell the others, but I've never seen Oldboy. Feel like a movie tonight?"[/color][/url][/i]

Monica is a good girl. She's had a rough breakup, and she's playing it close to the chest. For two people who are mostly on the same wavelength, it's easy to tell. The other guys are lacking in the sensitivity department, so I've been trying to hang out with her more and get her back to a place where she's at least comfortable doing things outside of just racing. We've been good for each other's movie palettes. She helped me learn the ropes on the C-01, too, which is going to stick with me for the rest of my life.

Come to think of it, we've probably hung out since her breakup ten times more than we ever had previously. It was my loss. She's someone who's actually interesting. Martin is a dumb motherfucker.

[b][h2][color=5C6F8E]Chrysler Reyes[/color][/h2][/b]
[i][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3KNj1U8iZM][color=a0410d]"You know, the Mile High Club is not what they talk it up to be either. Yessi and I, we're flying to Vegas last year. We figure, 'what the hell.' 'What the hell' is my ears were popping the [b]entire time[/b]. And they popped for the [b]whole trip[/b]. For a whole week I have fucking vertigo. I had to lock her in the plane's bathroom on the flight back for my own good. I recorded her curses, they are hysterical. Here, you know what. I'll send them."[/color][/url][/i]

Chris and I had little interaction without AJ in the middle for the first couple years of high school. I was still getting the hang of living in America, and I preferred to keep my nights to myself. If you wanted to call AJ's reaction to me keeping my privacy 'barely tolerable,' Chris' vulgar, brash attitude was downright irritating. Things came to a head when he tried to light up in my M3, despite my repeated polite requests not to. When it looked like he was about to exhale all over my dashboard and into my air filters, I plucked the cigarette away and tossed it out the driver's window. We must have hit a pothole or something, because at the same time his head collided with the passenger's side window.

I knew the roads here were terrible, but damn. Luckily it barely qualified as a love tap. 

Anyway, for whatever reason, Chris took offense with [i]me[/i] for the poor state of Californian infrastructure. But laughter is the best medicine, and after a couple minutes of me refusing to take his outburst seriously, eventually he started to laugh even harder than I did. We got along after that until AJ's stupid fucking breakup; after that is when we really became close, with us taking turns babysitting. He's a perfectly capable blunt instrument when AJ needs something energetic; when a defter touch is required, I take over.

I like Chris a lot, which surprises even me. He's also the only person I can talk to at [i]all[/i] about sex with objectivity. The girls tend to take offense when we bring up things that do or don't work for us.

[b][h2][color=F7941D]Matt Brown[/color][/h2][/b]
[i][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my6bfA14vMQ][color=a0410d]"You have to learn to read the room, Matty. You're going to get fucked up one day."[/color][/url][/i]

Matt is alright. He takes it too far sometimes and does not know when to step up when it's called for. We'll bum each other a cigarette if we need it and we watch MMA or boxing together at each other's places. I don't know what happened in March, and I don't care. He didn't call me, which means it's not my business.

[b][h2][color=B048B5]Amanda Harrison[/color][/h2][/b]
[i][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3f3vh9ikFs][color=a0410d]"So, be honest. How was the show? How did I do?"[/color][/url][/i]

I was probably one of the last people Amanda turned to for a place to crash. She kind of floated around between everyone else for a while, but one night she interrupted me in the middle of my workout saying she didn't know where else she'd be able to go that night. She was smiling when she said it; it was fucking heartbreaking. Nobody else lives with me, so she crashed in my bed while I worked out and fucked around with a mix. When she woke up in the morning, she said she'd heard me doing so. Now we play music together occasionally, and she frequents my place a little more. I think it helps her.

It's too bad about her parents, but there's nothing I can do to fix that. IT's not my business.

[b][h2][color=D52759]Valeria Drake[/color][/h2][/b]
[i][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqoXU583vsY][color=a0410d]"I won't pretend I know what's so fucking interesting about him, but if he makes you happy, you may as well tell him. Or let him know he's missing out on a future Olympian. That always makes guys feel like shit."[/color][/url][/i]

I met Valeria through AJ. The little spitfire slid under my radar at first. That tends to happen when you are 6'1 and a girl has to tiptoe to headbutt your chin - which she did the first time I told her that. For the majority of our freshman year I had her convinced that I used her head as an armrest because that was how we showed brotherly affection in Russia. I wish she was still that gullible; I miss having somewhere to put notebooks when my arm got sore. 

She's more than that, though. Four years of being around this hot-headed little surf rat have taught me that the best way to get close to her is to refuse to take her seriously when she's in a good mood. When you do that enough, she'll drop all pretenses; then it gets easier to read when she's in a bad mood. I think I'm probably better at that by now than anyone. Lately, it seems like most of those moods all stem from the same source.

That's not my business though.

[b][h2][color=7DF9FF]Jules Baek[/color][/h2][/b]
[i][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZRRd4bW91c][color=a0410d]"..."[/color][/url][/i]

It's not your business.

[hider=smug][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/rKLlkvt.png[/img]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OWq_qLP8BM][color=a0410d][i]"I hide all the bodies and I'm extraordinarily pretty. That's all. Go look at AJ."[/i][/color][/url][/center][/hider][/hider]