The dinner bell tolled and with a new feeling of warmth in his heart which replaced the constant heavy dread, Alfred descended the stairs. His eyes focused intently at the man who waited at the bottom with a small nervous smile. Alfred reached the foot of the stairs and extended one gloved hand to the waiting man who took it and gently pressed a kiss on his palm.
"Where did you find…?"
Alfred's eyes took in the perfect-fitting suite with a raised brow.
"Trieu Au kindly lent me one of her sons. I didn't steal it Fredka." The man chuckled, violet eyes filled with mirth.
Alfred flushed and snatched back his hand which the man still held. "I never said you did, Ivan!"
Ivan giggled and opened his mouth to reply when a loud voice cut through.
"Alfred my poppet, where have you gone?"
Alfred's mouth tightened into a grimace and he hurried down the hall, grabbing Ivan's hand in his and lacing their fingers together. They walked up to a group of people standing by the dining hall door talking in hushed voices. Alfred cleared his throat loudly, trying to get their attention and after a second it worked. Ivan noticed the first person to turn was Alfred's current fiancé, Arthur Kirkland. His eyes glanced briefly at Ivan and then focused on Alfred. Clearly he didn't notice.
"Daydreaming silly things and walking into walls I take it, lad?" Arthur's vibrant green eyes were narrowed and his lips pursed for a second before firming into a hard line.
Alfred ignored his statement and instead pulled Ivan forward. Arthur, to Ivan's pleasure, glanced down and noticed their joined hands. His eyes snapped up to the Russian immigrants face and surprise flashed across his face for a split second before his eyes became sharp and cold, glaring at him with the deepest of contempt.
"You remember Ivan, don't you Arthur? He saved my life."
"Ivan?"
Finally the rest of the group went silent and around turned Alfred's father, Wang Yao, who stepped up beside Arthur, brown eyes wide with shock.
"Aiyah!" The Asian looked up and down Ivan's form, drinking in every little detail, sizing him up, and finally he smirked.
"He almost looks like he fits in, doesn't he Kirkland?"
Arthur's mouth stretches into a mocking smile. "Yes, almost."
"Cut it out, both of you!" Alfred snaps.
Yao's eyes flash with anger and Ivan feels Alfred's hand get ripped from his as the Chinese man yanks Alfred up against him, face mere inches from the Americans.
"I would watch that tone Alfred…" he purrs before leaning over and whispering something in the boy's ear, causing Alfred to go pale.
Arthur looked to Yao with a puzzled expression causing Yao to lean over and whisper again, this time in Arthur's ear. Arthur slowly smiles lecherously and gives an approved nod of his head. Alfred pulls back in a jerked move, his body trembling. Yao pats Alfred on the head and Arthur caresses his cheek before the two of them link arms and head inside the dining hall.
"Fredka?" Ivan walks up to Alfred and notices his breathing is labored. He takes one of Alfred's hands gently.
"What…huh?" Alfred blinks and turns his head to stare at Ivan and gives him a weak smile.
"Mind if you escort one more, dears?" A warm voice asks from behind them.
Both Alfred and Ivan jump slightly and turn to look behind them. Trieu Au stands with a bright smile in a red traditional Vietnamese dress, her hair French braided and curled, cascading in ringlets down her back.
Alfred finally stopped trembling and flashes a bright smile. "I don't mind and I'm sure Ivan here welcomes you with open arms, seeing as how he is wearing your son's suite!"
"Fredka!" Ivan blushes.
The two boys hold out their hands and after Trieu Au takes both, the three enter the dining hall together.
Ivan stares down in alarm and confusion at the mass amount of silverware and glances helplessly at Trieu Au who sits beside him.
"You start on the outside and work your way in." Trieu Au supplies before giving the Russian a reassuring squeeze on the arm.
Ivan nods and picks up the outer-most fork, stabbing it into the baked potato. A light cough from across the table causes Ivan to look up and see Alfred grinning at the Russian. To Alfred's left sat Yao and on his right Arthur; both were in deep conversations with the person next to them but when Ivan drops his fork accidentally on the plate which causes Alfred to giggle, Yao pauses and glances up at Ivan.
"So Ivan, where is your residence?"
The whole dinner table stops their chatter and looks over at the young man. They were all interested in the third class Russian who saved Alfred's life…except for two.
Ivan glances around the table and then smiles warmly. "Well right now my current home is the RMS Titanic but when I arrive in America, my new home, I will be on gods' good graces."
Yao gazed at Ivan with catlike eyes. "Don't you find that kind of ruthless existence terrible?"
Alfred made a move to get up, his baby blue eyes flashing with anger, but Arthur lashed out a hand and gripped the Americans arm tightly, nails digging in.
Ivan calmly took a bite from his baked potato and after chewing shook his head. "Why would I? I am able to breathe, I have a place to sleep at night, one way or another and each day is a new adventure for me. I love not knowing what god has in store for me next, and I meet all sorts of interesting people through my travels. It must be hard for someone of your prominent status to imagine such a life I suppose?"
Alfred's eyes widen in surprise.
"Hear hear!" A man praises from down the table.
"And how is it that you have a means to travel with your ah, lack of funds?" Yao smoothly asks, jaw tightening with annoyance.
Ivan leans forward and grins. "Taking a train here, a fisherman's boat there, but most of all I walk. Great exercise! I recommend it." To you is left unsaid but implied.
Before Yao can lash out with another vicious remark, Alfred chimes in, "Ivan actually makes some money by drawing! He is very good! He actually showed me a few earlier today out on the deck."
Ivan notices Arthur look sharply at his fiancé and concludes that Alfred did not tell Arthur about that. It causes the Russian to smile.
"Art?" Yao snorts, raising an eyebrow at the Russian.
Alfred rolls his eyes to the amusement of Ivan, "Yes art, father. There is more to the art world than the boring Chinese scrolls you love so much."
Ivan almost burst out laughing at the statement when a loud smack caused the previous mood to vanish and Ivan, as well as the rest of the table, fell deathly silent and gazed at the scene in shock.
Arthur lowered his hand and turned his attention away from Alfred whose cheek was turning a light shade of purple. Ivan breathed in a shaky breath and flicked his gaze to Alfred's father who met the Russians with a content smirk of pleasure before he looked back at Alfred. Alfred bit his lip, lowered his head and proceeded to continue eating his meal in silence.
"I apologize for that everyone, he spoke out of turn. Let's not let that spoil this wonderful dinner, all right ladies and gentlemen?" Arthur flashed a smile for everyone and resumed eating and the occupants of the dinner table slowly but steadily picked up their interrupted conversations.
The meal came to a close and despite many attempts from Trieu Au to cheer up Ivan, the Russian could only send dark glares at Alfred's fiancée and father who, for the rest of the meal, chose to ignore him completely.
A man down at the end of the table finally got up and announced to the dinner party that it was time for the men to discuss business and have a cigar in the men's parlor. The rest of the men except Ivan began to hastily finish their meals and get up from the table.
"Not going to join us, my boy?"
Ivan looked up startled, to see a young man with messy blonde hair and crystal blue eyes staring at him with a grin.
"Oh, I don't think Ivan would be entertained by our talk of politics and business Mr. Kohler."
Arthur joined the young man and smirked down at Ivan before they turned and left, following the rest of the men to the parlor.
Ivan gritted his teeth and looked down at his plate, deciding it was time to leave. He glanced up at Alfred and saw him pushing a bit of potato around on his plate with a fork loosely held in his hand. Yao was leaning over to him and whispering threats, most likely, as he stroked his sons arm. Ivan felt his anger threaten to burst out and he quickly got up from the table.
"Leaving now, dear?" Trieu Au asked with concern, staring up at Ivan with worried eyes.
"Yes, I think it's time I go back to where I belong." Ivan smiled sadly, leaning down to kiss Trieu Au on the cheek before walking away.
Ivan walked over to Alfred whose head snapped up at attention. "It was a pleasure eating dinner with you Fredka, but it's time for me to leave now." Ivan took one of the American's hands and placed a gentle kiss on it. Alfred's eyes widened briefly before he smiled warmly up at the Russian.
"I'm sorry about the mood being spoiled."
Ivan glanced at Alfred's father who was staring at the two of them intently, eyes narrowed with distaste. "I'm sorry about what happened to you, it should not have."
Alfred raised his hand to cup his cheek and shook his head sadly, "It's not uncommon. I'm a free spirit and Arthur doesn't approve."
Ivan glanced one last time at the Chinese man before looking back at Alfred and glancing down at his closed hand before turning and leaving the dining hall. Once Ivan was out of sight, Alfred glanced over at his father to see he had resumed talking with a lady sitting next to him, and satisfied with the distraction, carefully revealed a slip of paper that Ivan had passed to him.
'Meet me at the clock'