Glass Rose
Chapter 2
Word Count: 3,218
The television was on, as it almost always was during the day, Alfred wasn't watching it so it wasn't tuned to any channels he liked. No, it was on the news, boring depressing thing, but he was hardly paying attention to it, something about there being a warning because a murderer was on the loose and there was a man hunt for whoever it was. Like he said, depressing, only talking about murder and how nobody was safe.
Alfred was doing dishes, and accursed chore really. But he was almost done anyway, he was just rinsing them all of the soap that was on them. Once he was done with that, he turned off the water, drying off his hands on a towel before he paused, noticing something now that the running water had stopped. The house was silent. It could have been that the electricity was off, there was no way of telling in the middle of the morning since none of the lights were on.
Turning on the garbage disposal, Alfred quickly turned it off when it roared to life angrily. So that wasn't it. Alfred startled when he heard the sound of footsteps, looking up at the clock to see what time it was. Humming in curious confusion, Alfred turned towards the entrance of the living room to go turn the television back on.
What he didn't expect was to see somebody standing in the door, looking a bit confused themselves, that is before their face melted into a false smile, gun pointed at Alfred. Alfred looked at the gun then at the stranger. He repeated this process a couple times before something clicked inside his head. "Oh! I bet you're the murderer guy they were just announcing on the television!" Alfred smiled widely, riddle having been solved easily. "Ivan something or other right?"
"Braginski. Yes." Ivan muttered, eyebrow raised at Alfred and head tilted curiously to the side.
"Oh well, are you hungry? I was just about to eat lunch myself, and it's no problem making stuff for you too."
"What?" Ivan questioned.
"Yeah, don't worry about it. There's plenty of stuff. My favorite is hamburgers, but we're out of beef, but we can have ham and cheese sandwiches, what do you think?"
"You do know this is a gun, right?"
"Yeah, you should put it on safety, I've seen people shoot themselves in the foot before, no joke. I also have some boiled eggs, I'm not too big of a fan of egg salad sandwiches, I'll just make ham and cheese and if you think of anything better just ask." Alfred said, starting to pull out some of the ingredients.
"I have killed people."
"Oh my god, you're right!" Ivan seemed to roll his eyes as Alfred faced him. "I completely forgot! Some people say my brain didn't develop right. I can't believe I forgot. I'm Alfred, Alfred F. Jones. I already know your name, so you don't have to introduce yourself, but it's awesome to meet you." Alfred turned back to making sandwiches. "Can't believe I forgot to introduce myself, how ridiculous."
"... I could just shoot you right now."
"Well yeah you could, but that would get blood all over the food I'm making. Plus, there it is, I'm making food for you. Being chased all around you've gotta be hungry. Sit down, stay awhile."
The tall man, Ivan hesitated, still standing in the doorway. "If you call the police or try and poison any food you try and give me I will kill you."
"Oh, sit down and stop worrying. I'm really bored you know, I mean I don't have a job, obviously, or I wouldn't be at home this hour of the day. And everybody else is gone, I'd love for somebody to talk to right now. Momma always said I would invite a complete stranger into the house and be asking them for their life story. Which is kind of true. Anyway, do you want orange juice, coffee, water, or tea?" Alfred asked, pausing in getting out glasses to look at Ivan.
The man hesitated before responding with, "Orange juice." Alfred smiled, putting down the glasses and filling one with juice and the other with coffee, seeing the other slowly going to sit down at the table. "You sound like some lonely old woman who's children left her."
Alfred laughed, "Oh please, if that was true I'd be nagging you to sit up straight or something. Anyway, here you go." Alfred put the food and drink down in front of Ivan, not minding the gun as usual before he went put everything away, "And I don't want to hear anything about poison either, I wouldn't keep that sort of thing and you saw me make that." He said before going and sitting down with his own food.
Ivan seemed hesitant, but after awhile he ate, with one hand of course, considering that he was still holding the gun. "So, Ivan, how old are you anyway? I'm pretty sure the new said, but I wasn't listening."
"Why do you want to know?"
"Stop being so defensive, what am I going to do with your age, look watch, I'm nineteen, now it's your turn."
"Nineteen? Should you not be in college?"
"Please, college is a rich man's school, and I'm not rich or smart enough to get into it."
"This place is nice, nicer then most and you can clearly afford a maid." Ivan muttered in between a bit of food.
"Thanks, I clean the place myself. And this place isn't exactly mine, it's my husband's and he's like way OCD too."
"Husband?"
"Okay boyfriend, technically we can't get married in this state, but he likes to pretend we're married." Alfred shrugged, smiling. "So come on, how old are you?"
Ivan didn't hesitate as much now when he answered, seeming to slowly soften. "Twenty."
"Eh, not too shabby, you're not that much older then me, why aren't you in college?"
"Have we gone over the whole I killed somebody?"
"No, I haven't asked about that yet. I wanna know this first. You weren't always a murderer."
"I stayed home to take care of my little sister a lot of the time... either that or I was working. It didn't leave time for college."
"You got a sister? I got a little brother, Matthew, I love him more then anything, I haven't been able to go and see him in forever."
"That is too bad, I have an older sister who I have not seen much of either, I miss her."
"I hear you. I would give anything to see Mattie for a day or too, or even a week! I'm selfish like that, wanting to intrude on his life, he's going to his top pick of colleges up in Canada, I'm so proud of him sometimes."
"I can only hope Natalia gets into college, but she is quiet the stubborn girl... ah, she is my younger sister." Ivan muttered.
"Yeah? Mattie isn't very stubborn, he can be when he wants, but that's hardly ever. Man... I haven't seen him since I was sixteen... three years... I really do miss him."
"I am sure he would not mind if you gave him a call."
"Yeah... probably wouldn't, but I can't ever seem to find the time. So who did you kill?"
Ivan sighed, "I do not see the point in you asking."
"Oh come on, think of me as that loony old lady who wants to hear what life is like in the outside world." Alfred smirked, the man Ivan even chuckling a little.
"You are one of the most ah... as you put it, 'loony' people I have ever met."
"You're Russian huh? I can tell from the accent. When did you move over to the states?"
"When I was nine or so, I cannot remember the exact year."
"You gonna tell me who you killed yet?"
"No. But I am going to use your phone, and you will stay right here."
"Actually, I'm going to go sit in the liv-"
"Ah-uh, stay right here until I get back, yes?"
Alfred pouted, crossing his arms childishly. "Phone's in the living room, good luck." Ivan didn't say anything as he walked out. Alfred picked up the plates and glasses, going to the sink and starting to wash them, it was easy considering the meal they had. Still, he wasn't even through the first dish when Ivan came back, looking troubled.
Alfred looked up at the other, "I thought I told you to stay."
"Yeah, I'm still in the kitchen." Alfred smiled as Ivan sat back down at the table.
Re-focusing on washing, Alfred let silence lapse between them before Ivan broke it, "Did you call the police?"
"Please, this paranoia again? There's no phone in here, you can see that, I've got no cell phone on me obviously and you've been in the same room as me since I found out you were here. How did you get in anyway?"
"I broke the glass on the back door."
"That's going to cost money to replace." Alfred tisked.
"Tell me... how long have you known this husband or boyfriend or whatever of yours?"
"Arthur? Oh... let's see, I met him when I was fourteen, young I know, but Arthur knew right away that he loved me. He's always been the romanticist out of the two of us really. I moved in with him then actually, ran away from home y'know, reason I haven't seen Mattie mostly."
"I see..."
"So who did you kill?"
"Always with this question." Ivan sighed. Alfred dried off his hands once the dishes were away.
"Come on, let's go into the living room, you probably already shut the blinds and it's much more comfortable out there." Ivan hesitated before nodding and standing up, following the blond to the living room to sit down on the nice couch.
It was clear somebody who was OCD lived there, everything seemed to be aligned perfectly from the spotless glass coffee table to the small dusted little nick-nacks over the entertainment center, the covered couch cushions and even the bag of yarn by a rocking chair. Ivan could even sense that if an object was moved a degree away from where it should have been it would have been noticed. Though that might have been his paranoia talking.
"You know," Alfred started, making violet eyes look back at him. "my biggest dream has always been to travel the entire world, and I mean all of it, leave no stone unturned and no sight unseen sort of thing. I still dream that one day I'll get to do it. I bet you've seen a lot, heck, you murdered somebody in another state. You've had to see some things at least."
"I have seen quiet a few things, though nothing like a national monument if that is what you are saying."
"Well I want to see those. But just seeing everything, to set foot in another state. It's probably just talk of somebody who's never left this state, but I still get itchy feet."
"I can imagine." Ivan smiled softly.
"Hey, maybe I could travel with you, you seem like okay company, a little quiet."
"You always seem to forget I have murdered somebody."
"Well you won't tell me why." Alfred smiled, "So while I don't know I'm going to assume nothing of it. But I wouldn't kill anybody with you, just putting it out there."
Ivan sighed, licking his lips after a moment. "I killed my father."
Alfred's smile faded quiet a bit, "You shot him?" Ivan nodded. "Why?" He asked quietly. Ivan looked at Alfred, "There are some things you can only tell a stranger, you know."
Ivan snorted, looking away. "What if I just wanted to kill?"
Alfred smiled, "No you didn't. If you were somebody who enjoyed killing you wouldn't have killed him with a gun."
Silence went between them for a long time. "He raped my younger sister. I shot him. Probably not the best idea."
"There it is." Alfred said, placing a hand on the others shoulder for sympathy, it was all he could offer.
"I just wish I had thought it through so I would not have to run and leave my sister... but I was just so angry. I did not think."
"Well there are a lot worst reasons to kill. I'm not saying it's right, and I'm not saying it's wrong, but sometimes it's the only way." Ivan looked at Alfred, offering a small smile. "Is that who you were trying to call? Your sister?" Ivan nodded. "I'm sorry you couldn't get a hold of her."
Ivan smiled, standing up and looking around the living room. Alfred let him have a moment, looking down. It was a lot to take in, a father doing something like that to his daughter. Really was sad. "What is this?" Alfred looked up to see what Ivan was talking about.
He was standing close to the shelf leveled above the television, looking at a little glass rose in a glass display. "Oh, that's mine, Arthur gave it to me our first Valentine's Day together." Alfred smiled as Ivan looked back at him.
"I have three questions for you Alfred."
"Shoot."
"Where you serious about going on the run with me."
"Partially."
"How old was Arthur when you first met him, when you were fourteen, yes?"
Alfred's smile wavered and he hesitated this time. "Twenty-two."
Ivan nodded, looking back at the rose. "One last question then, where did you get those bruises?"
Alfred smiled. "You already know the answer to that."
"Da, but I was curious to see if you would say it." Ivan let out a small giggle before grabbing the glass case gently. Alfred twitched slightly, but didn't move. Ivan looked at it a moment to look at it, "I have never been found of any flower really, especially roses. Sunflowers are the best I think." He muttered before releasing his grip from it, letting it crash onto the ground into thousands of glass shards.
Alfred jumped at the noise, but put his hand over his mouth, eyes wide at the action itself. Ivan looked over at him to see the reaction but after a moment of the shock wearing off, Alfred moved his hand, grinning almost madly up at Ivan, who couldn't help but smile as he went over, grabbing one of the nice pillows and hitting Alfred over the head with it.
Alfred let out a roaring laugh before grabbing his own pillow and fighting back.
Alfred stood, feet now having shoes on after getting them cut up with glass as he giddily examined his and Ivan's work, nothing he could get his hands on was undamaged, from the kitchen to the living room. "Those eggs you threw around in the kitchen are going to start stinking up." Ivan said from behind him.
"I know isn't it great?" The fridge contents were all over the kitchen floor as well as all the breakable glasses and plates shattered, a chair even smashed against the wall until the wall had several holes and the chair was nothing. The couch and all sitting places and cushions were torn up using one of the kitchen knives. The yarn strewn everywhere, things knocked over or broken, or even just moved several inches a different way. "This is the happiest day of my life!" Alfred grinned widely, turning around to face Ivan, grabbing the other and kissing him before turning back around and running through the living room with the boots Ivan had had on while Ivan stood there stunned for awhile at the sudden kiss, but relaxed and watched his new friend.
It was actually nice to have somebody to have as a friend, and Alfred was probably feeling more so. As soon as Ivan went to try and call his sister and the phone was connected but made no attempt to reach an outside line, Ivan knew. All the signs and hints came together. With how lonely Alfred was that he would risk his own life just to have somebody to talk to.
The blond was probably completely locked away from the outside world, never able to even say hello to anybody other then this man, Arthur. At that point, a human would talk to a rat infected with rabies. And just how happy the blond was, now bouncing up and down playfully on the couch with a large grin and eyes nearly sparkling. Ivan felt joy from the blond's own small liberation.
Alfred hopped onto sitting on the couch as he pulled off the boots, "Here, thanks for letting me have them."
Ivan, who had steered clear of glass by standing back and let Alfred wreck most the house with a little help from him, sat down next to him, grabbing the boots and pulling them on. "I would assume you do not have any."
Alfred shook his head, watching as Ivan stood up, stepping on glass as he did, making a loud crunching sound. "Thank you though, so much." Alfred muttered, smiling up at him warmly.
"For what?"
"Choosing this house to hide in." Ivan smiled warmly down at the other. There had been around twenty or so houses to choose from to hide in after all, and that was just this neighborhood.
Ivan opened his mouth, about to say 'anytime' and tell Alfred that while he knew the blond wouldn't leave to go with him, Ivan would never forget him. But a loud sound startled both of them. Neither really had time to react or think, and neither say it coming really. But Alfred stared in a moment of horror as Ivan fell to the floor. It seemed too much for his mind to process.
Looking up at a sound, he found it was hard to tear his eyes away from the unblinking violet eyes. Arthur was trying to say something to him, he looked worried, but Alfred couldn't hear very well. But... they didn't own a gun. Looking down he saw Arthur holding Ivan's gun, the same one the man had left on the table in the kitchen before starting to destroy things.
"Alfred, Alfred, are you alright, listen to me, it's okay, the police are on their way. It's okay Alfred." Alfred heard the words this time, Arthur wrapped his arms around him, holding him. Alfred looked past his shoulder at Ivan who hadn't moved, tears welling up quicker then he thought possible before he started sobbing into Arthur's shoulder.