Mikhail is Bulgarian, and his family was heavily involved in the organized crime in Fairbanks. Over the course of his childhood, however, most of his family members involved with the Bratva either died or retired from that life. When he announced he was gay, his parents disapproved, but eventually became more and more accepting. Before they died, they even let him take his partner to family dinners.


Mikhail’s partner, Slavko, ethnically Russian, was also from a Bratva family, but his family was much more involved and invested in the crime and corruption in Fairbanks. Slavko was pronounced incompetent after his car accident when he was acting as a getaway driver for a conflict between the Bratva and the PRT. His parents took custody, having never approved of his relationship with Mikhail.


After Mikhail triggered, Slavko’s family, encouraged by the Bratva, are using contact between the two as a piece for blackmail, forcing Mikhail to do the Bratva’s dirty work in exchange for seeing Slavko.