Hey guys! I'm on Thanksgiving break! Usagi323 doesn't go on break until Wednesday, which I think is really stupid. Dang boards of them edumecations. XD
But anyway, here's another update. I'm glad to see that mostly everyone is still sticking with the story. Hyperkaoru has made more art for this story, so make sure to visit my profile for the link to her wonderful art. Thank you dear!
On a side note, ugh...I've been so unmotivated lately whenever it comes to art. I can't think of anything good to draw. I literally have like 4 unfinished pictures that I've abandoned in the last 2 weeks because I don't think they're all that interesting. The life of an artist is a hard one. XD
Ivan didn't know why. He had absolutely no idea why he couldn't hit Alfred. The blonde had literally made a mockery of him right in front of little Raivis and had set a bad example for his slaves. And yet…Ivan couldn't bring himself to physically hurt Alfred.
He had all the reasons in the world to do it, too; angry, agitated, the need to discipline his slave. But the thought of his hand connecting with Alfred's face, the image of Alfred lying on the floor with his nose broken and bloody, the inevitable tears that would made their way into the blonde's eyes…Ivan couldn't stomach the thought.
Shaking his head and mumbling graphic curses in his native tongue, the snow-haired man stomped quickly to his study. He slammed the door shut behind him, resting his back against the heavy oak of the door. Slowly, Ivan allowed himself to slide down the wall, his breathing escalating as he was once again filled with the need to punch something. Growling out in a feral way, he slammed his fist back against the wall beside the door, easily punching through the wood and splintering it. Tiny pinpricks of pain spread throughout his hand as some of the small wooden splinters pierced it. Ivan groaned, realizing what a stupid action that was. Now he'd be stuck picking out splinters from his hand for the rest of the evening.
Ignoring the pain in his hand for now, the powerful lord brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. For some reason, the thought of walking out of his study and facing the residents of his manor didn't seem fathomable at the moment. Ivan felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment. Why? He had no clue. Maybe it was because of how a single slave managed to degrade him and make him feel like an angry piece of shit. Looking up at the clock in his study, Ivan saw that dinner would be held soon. His stomach felt empty from not eating for most of the day, but he didn't feel like attending dinner tonight. Not if Alfred was going to be there. It was absurd, really. This was his home, his rules, and his slaves. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to show his face to all of them because of a single person: Alfred.
Ivan rested his head against his arms and sighed. He wasn't going to argue with himself any further over the matter. If he felt like skipping out on dinner tonight, then he'd do just that. If anyone thought it was suspicious, they wouldn't say anything about it because they knew better. He'd just sneak some food from the kitchen later whenever dinner was finished. Right now, Ivan just wanted to have some nice, quiet time to himself so he could sort his thoughts out.
Gilbert had heard the loud commotion from another hallway. He couldn't quite make out what exactly was being said, but whoever was saying it was pissed beyond reason. As if to confirm who had been yelling, he saw the new addition to the manor – was his name Alfred? - cross through another hallway adjacent to his. Wanting to see what happened, he followed the blonde quietly to the sitting room to spy on and try to make sense of what had provoked such a violent reaction out of the other. He spotted Alfred out on the balcony, looking very perplexed and lost at the moment. Curiosity piqued, the albino decided to join Alfred out on the balcony. Slapping a hand down on Alfred's shoulder and startling the other, Gilbert announced in a loud voice. "Hey there! Sooo…you're that new Alfred guy, right? Ivan's new slave? Man…you look utterly defeated. What the fuck happened? I heard a bunch of screaming and shit."
Alfred was startled out of his thoughts by a heavy, but friendly slap to the shoulder. Blinking wide blue eyes at the other in slight shock, he mumbled, "I...um…yeah. I'm Alfred." Alfred's eyes flashed for a moment to his previous rage at Gilbert saying he was Ivan's new slave. But knowing it was the truth of the matter, he let the anger pass with a deep sigh and stared out into the field of sunflowers as they swayed in the summer wind. Biting his lip, he tried to decide whether or not to tell Gilbert about what happened in the hallway. In the end, he decided Gilbert would probably hear about it sooner or later, and he could very well help Alfred answer some of the questions running around in his mind. Licking his lips, he began his tale, "Well, what happened was..." After several minutes of retelling every exact detail Alfred could remember of the encounter to Gilbert, he finished off tiredly. "And...then he hesitated, and had this look of complete confusion, frustration ad conflict on his face. He dropped his hand and then left, just like that. He left, and I have no clue why. Why did he hesitate? I was ready for it. I'm not stupid. I knew what my actions and words would have brought me. He also looked like he really wanted to too, so then why didn't he slap me? Why?" Alfred glanced up at Gilbert who looked to be considering Alfred's story and words. Alfred's blue eyes looked completely confused and lost as he stared into unreadable red eyes.
"Hmm…" Gilbert hummed aloud, leaning against the stone barricade that lined the edges of the balcony. "Well that's pretty damn strange. Usually Lord What's-His-Face won't hesitate to lay someone out if they piss him off enough. So yeah, that's weird. Only reason I can come up with is that he actually likes you pretty well. That, or he just doesn't wanna screw up your pretty face with a crooked nose. Which is kinda ironic, since the guy himself has a pretty big nose. Wait, what am I saying again?" Gilbert sent Alfred a strange look, as if waiting from an answer from him. Whenever he didn't receive one – all he received was an equally confused look from Alfred – he continued on. "Huh. I dunno kid. I guess you could count out the second reason, since he's definitely left some marks on Toris's face before. I'm still completely surprised by the fact that you're standing here in one piece. I mean, even if the person wasn't Ivan, I'm sure they'd definitely want to clock you a good one if you were in their face and yelling as loud as you were. I know I would."
Alfred just gave him a strange look, then a displeased frown since his question wasn't really answered. Because heaven knows it couldn't have been the former of the options, especially since he'd snapped at Ivan now. Letting out another heavy sigh, Alfred shrugged his shoulders and mumbled, "I guess, I'm lucky." In all honesty, he just felt more confused than relieved. Glancing up at Gilbert though, a playful smile curled weakly on his lips as he joked. "Though by the way you seem to insult Lord Ivan any chance you get, I bet he wants to sock you the face too." Alfred laughed as Gilbert blinked at him in surprise before grinning as well and chuckling a bit, pushing Alfred's shoulder lightly.
"Ahh, well you know. He kinda is a major dick towards everyone. Guy acts all innocent and does his creepy smiles. Sometimes he does shit that really grates on my nerves. So yeah. I do give him some lip every once in a while. I'm not afraid of him." Gilbert decided to leave out the fact that Ludwig more than once bailed him out of a tough situation with Ivan. That didn't exactly reflect just how awesome he was. "Seriously, if the guy just learned how to treat people better, he wouldn't be half as bad as he is. But I guess he's a pretty damn good improvement from that last asshole that ran this kingdom. His dad," Gilbert scoffed, looking out into the garden. "Now that guy was a major asshole. If there's one thing you should thank Ivan for, it's that you get to put up with him, not Lord Winter. Your ass would have been destroyed a long time ago."
Alfred snorted at Gilbert's analysis on Ivan, nodding his head in agreement. "Tell me about it." Alfred grimaced though at the mentioned previous lord that reigned over the Kingdom of Rus. He'd only ever heard horror stories about his harsh laws and punishments for breaking the said laws. Alfred even heard people celebrated his death secretly in the privacy of their homes. Going to change the subject, Alfred asked the albino curiously. "What exactly are you? I mean, what do you do at the manor? I've never seen you before until last night and I never got the chance to ask Toris..."
Gilbert sent Alfred an incredulous look. "Seriously? You've never heard of me? Goddamnit. Kid I'm only the most awesome leader out there! You're talking to General Gilbert Beilschmidt, one of Rus's highest prestige leaders out on the battlefield! Well…I guess there is Lud, too…but he's not nearly as awesome as I am. But honestly, how could you have not known who I was? You should be about to faint from my awesomeness at this point."
Alfred blinked in surprise. He honestly wouldn't have pegged Gilbert for being in the military, much less a prestigious General! He certainly didn't act like he was part of the military. His brother did, at least from what Alfred saw of him briefly during dinner last night. Though once Alfred got over his shock he felt a devious little smirk quirk up, "Well, must not be as awesome as ya thought if a farm boy like me hasn't heard of you." Alfred commented teasingly.
Smile all but dissipating from his face, Gilbert shot Alfred a glare. "Well, you must live in the most remote location ever because my awesomeness is known all over this part of the world! Kesese~!" Gilbert placed his hands on his hips, sending Alfred a triumphant look. Not a split second later, Gilbert's face went blank and he was struck with an idea. "Hey…you said you stopped Ivan's assault, right? Must be pretty strong then…Ivan's got a mean swing. Even I'll admit that." Alfred must have had quite a bit of strength as well, especially if he was able to stop Ivan so easily. Gilbert himself knew that looks could be deceiving. He himself was an example of that.
Alfred blinked, tone turning wary as he asked, "Yeah... I did stop him from hitting Raivis. Man's got strength, I'll give him that as well. Why?" Where was Gilbert going with this? So far the General hasn't exactly been the most predictable of people, so Alfred didn't quite know where he was going to take this conversation.
"Well, I guess a central belief of mine is that strength shouldn't go to waste. So I was thinking that maybe if you wanted to, I could show you how to handle a weapon and perform some awesome combat techniques. Yeah!" Gilbert smiled at his idea. He'd keep himself occupied while staying at the manor, thus avoiding a boring and stale break and he could teach Alfred to defend himself! Plus, the thought of the blonde socking Ivan a good one also sounded pretty damn good. "I mean, come on…what else are you gonna do around here? I bet you'd like to put yourself to use in other ways rather than just being a pretty piece of ass, right? Maybe show that asshole that you can bite back." Of course, if Alfred legitimately attacked Ivan, there would be hell to pay. Gilbert was just joking….he hoped the other picked up his joking tone. "I mean that as a joke. No funny stuff if I do teach you. He's an asshole, but as a General of his army, I gotta make sure he stays alive. I don't wanna be training a future assassin."
Alfred snorted at Gilbert informing him not to legitimately attack Ivan. Honestly, he'd gotten that the albino was joking. It wasn't like he'd been planning on doing that if he took Gilbert's offer. Rolling his eyes and flashing Gilbert a lighthearted grin, he joked, "I make no promises." His blue eyes turned thoughtful for a moment as he considered the coarse man's offer. It would certainly give him something to do other than just odd jobs around the manor. He also missed the feeling of a good work out that working on the farm gave him and the pride and rejuvenating feeling that came with working hard and making progress, whether that progress was adding more rows to a field or building up one's own strength. Alfred was a bit hesitant though, giving Gilbert a mindful frown. "...Do you think Ivan would allow you to do that? To teach me how to fight?" Alfred was serious doubtful of that.
Gilbert's smile faltered. "Oh…shit. Right. You'd definitely need permission. Damn." Gilbert sighed, feeling a little put down since he wouldn't be able to train Alfred. "Yeah, I don't think he'd let you do that. Especially not after you going off on him like that. Sorry kid. It was a good idea while it lasted." Stretching a little bit and loosening the joints in his arms and shoulders, Gilbert gave the balcony entrance a long look. "Well, I gotta go ki…Alfred. I really need to stop calling you that. West is probably waiting on me and dinner is about to start anyway. Talk to you later, I suppose?"
Alfred agreed wholeheartedly on Gilbert not calling him "kid" anymore, considering he would be an adult in a few weeks. He let the nickname slide though as he nodded at Gilbert with a grin. "Yeah, I suppose I can let you bask in my 'awesome' presence once more." Alfred laughed as he imitated Gilbert's repeated boast of how awesome he was, giving the man a wink to let him know he was just messing around with him.
"Whatever." Gilbert drawled out. "You just wish you were as awesome as this." The albino muttered as he walked away. Gilbert smiled though as he left the sitting room. Alfred was a pretty chill guy and he didn't take any of Ivan's bullshit. Gilbert could respect someone like that. He'd even go as far as to say that Alfred was pretty damn awesome.
After Gilbert left, Alfred resumed his pensive state that the red eyed man found him in. Alfred mused about the new possible friend he'd made, finding him crude in a way, but not unpleasantly so. He seemed like a fun and loyal guy, brave and strong if he being an elite General was anything to go by. Gilbert also wasn't afraid to state his opinion or be himself and Alfred respected that. Lips quirking up into an easy smile, Alfred figured Gilbert would be a good friend to have around and fully intended on becoming best buds.
Soon night descended on Alfred, who stared up stared up at the clear, summer night sky. Little speckles of millions of stars filled the sky. As a cool breeze blew by pleasantly, Alfred couldn't help but wonder if his parents were right and that the deceased's souls became stars...if , he wondered if he could be looking at his parent's souls right now. He wondered what they thought of his current situation. Frowning at the thought, Alfred was saved from thinking on the depressing subject more by Toris finding him and telling him it was time for supper.
Dinner had been very...awkward was the only way to describe it. After everyone had questioned Alfred on the scene from that morning. Raivis having apparently told everyone about how Alfred saved him from punishment, stood up to Ivan, and lived to tell the tale. Needless to say, they were all curious as to why Ivan just backed off. After a while of Arthur and Francis especially probing, and Toris and Eduard's personal thanks for having risked his neck for Raivis, everyone slowly came to the realization that Ivan hadn't shown up for dinner yet. That's when the awkwardness began, the rest of dinner being eaten in uneasy silence. After everyone said good night, Alfred felt dread creep in him as he made his way to Ivan's chambers, unsure if Ivan would be there or not. And that if he was, what exactly was waiting for Alfred behind the thick oak door? Gulping as he clutched at the crystal glass knob, Alfred heaved up all of his bravery and turned the knob, opening the door. Alfred was greeted to the sight of an empty room. Letting out a breath Alfred hadn't known he was holding, Alfred sighed in relief before closing the door behind him as he stepped into the bedroom. As he quickly changed into one of the many new sleeping gowns Ivan got him, the blonde slowly let apprehension for when Ivan did return sink in. Lifting up the warm and puffy, yet somehow not too hot comforter, Alfred slipped into bed, planning on waiting out Ivan's return. It didn't long however for the tall tale signs of sleep to overcome Alfred, having been drained from his earlier emotional burst of fury earlier that day.
Ivan had waited until he was sure that the hallways were mostly empty of servants and residents before slipping out of his study. He still hadn't gotten over his earlier inner turmoil and was feeling pettier than ever, especially since he had to skip out on a dinner in his own home. But he didn't feel angry anymore. He wasn't agitated. He didn't want to see anyone crying or cowering. No….he felt guilty. Guilty for his actions and guilty for making Alfred react like he did. Ivan hadn't picked it up at first, since he was so focused on being angry and distracted by the urge to strike the blonde. But after he had calmed down and went over Alfred's words, Ivan realized something. Alfred had lost something incredibly valuable before being bought. He doubted that the blonde even realized what he let slip himself, probably too angry to realize the secret he was spilling to Ivan. Someone close to him died. Someone very close. Family, Ivan deduced. Or maybe a close friend. Maybe he had someone who was in the military. Ivan wasn't sure, but that's where most of his guilt was spawning from at this point. Although he felt awkward about the whole ordeal, he realized that he owed the other an apology. Or something along the lines of it. Ivan rarely ever gave apologies, and even then they were often not from the heart and insincere.
Trudging up the stairs, Ivan made it to the third floor and walked slowly down the hallway to his room. He rested his hand on the lavish doorknob, thinking about what course of action he should take. Would Alfred still be angry? Would he find a heavy object being thrown at his head? After Alfred's little demonstration of his strength earlier today – something Ivan was still shocked about – he knew very well that the other was capable of dealing him a lot of damage if he caught Ivan off guard. Would he even listen to what Ivan had to say? Sighing heavily, Ivan decided that there was no way of finding out unless he tried. He cautiously opened the door and prepared himself for whatever was awaiting him.
Surprisingly, he found Alfred fast asleep instead of waiting with a makeshift weapon in his hand. Ivan stood in the doorway, contemplating his next choice of action. Wake him up? Try and apologize? Ivan didn't really favor the thought of waking Alfred up and possibly facing his wrath. So instead, he closed the door behind him quietly and crossed the room silently. Looking down at the blonde, Ivan confirmed that the other was actually asleep instead of putting on an act. His chest was rising and falling slowly, his face completely relaxed. Taking in a deep breath and then slowly exhaling, Ivan sank down onto the bed as easily as he could. He didn't feel like changing into proper sleeping clothes, see he just stripped down to his undergarments instead.
Turning on his side, Ivan observed Alfred's sleeping face; the same face he wanted to strike earlier. He imagined the purplish-blue blotches that would be covering Alfred's upper face at the moment and cringed. The thought of any sort of damage being done to Alfred's beautiful face was revolting and Ivan suddenly felt very ill with himself. His guilt at his earlier actions and behavior doubled and suddenly he was reaching out across the space of the bed. His pale fingertips brushed along Alfred's cheek, dancing along the blonde's tanned and warm skin. They warmed the tips of Ivan's fingers, making them tingle pleasantly. Alfred's skin was surprisingly soft under his touch. He was expecting the dry, rough skin that usually accommodated those who spent a lot of time out in the sun working. Then again, Alfred had been in captivity for a few months now. So whatever damage the sun might have done to his skin would have been healed by now.
His fingers dropped to Alfred's lips, caressing the soft pink flesh of them longingly. He doubted that the other would even let his guard down now enough for Ivan to sneak anymore kisses. The violet eyed lord frowned, his heart sinking a bit. He wished he could just close the space between them now, press his lips to Alfred's, run his tongue along them, and just taste what the other had to offer. But he wouldn't do that, because now…now he respected Alfred more. He told himself that he needed to respect the other more. It would be strange, trying to appease the blonde whenever that's what Alfred should be doing to Ivan. But Ivan would do it. He'd win Alfred over and melt the icy barricade the other had built up around himself. And this time, he'd do it properly, instead of constantly insulting the other and treating Alfred like a pretty object.
Ivan's hand trailed up into Alfred's soft, golden hair. He combed his fingers through it, gently untangling any knots that were in it. His softly massaged Alfred's scalp with the pads of his fingers, watching as the other nuzzled a bit into his touch. He wanted Alfred to do those types of things whenever he was awake. He was tired of the blonde only reciprocating his affections in his sleep. It was wrong and unjust and greedy on Ivan's part. In a sense, he was taking advantage of Alfred. He was doing it right now. Suddenly feeling as if he just touched fire, Ivan quickly drew his hand back, holding it to his chest. He pursed his lips, staring at Alfred's sleep contented face for a bit longer. Deciding that there was no other reason to stay awake, Ivan finally let himself relax fully into the bed and let sleep claim him.
He'd have a taste of his beautiful sunflower sooner or later, and Ivan would be damned if it was later than sooner.
Alfred slowly began to awaken from his deep and restful slumber. Just like every morning thus far since his stay here, he was slow to realize that the cool, firm, and comfortable pillow he was nuzzled up against wasn't in fact a pillow. He was as usual snuggled up against Ivan, having done so in his sleep at some point in the night, his body seeking out any warm body heat it could find, even if Ivan had little of it himself. Eyes still shut, Alfred mentally grumbled about how he hated being a cuddler in his sleep. Even though the guy was a total prick, having Ivan's strong and thick arms wrapped around his middle did make Alfred feel more secure then he has felt in a while, not to mention he smelled nice- Alfred immediately scolded himself for letting his sleep hazed mind come up with those ludicrous observations. Alfred removed his own arms that were wrapped around Ivan's own waist. H felt naked muscle under his arms as he slid them from around Ivan to rest on his chest so he could wiggle his way out of the lord's hold. Freezing in shock and blue eyes snapping open in panic at the feel of Ivan's naked chest under his hands, Alfred was about to hyperventilate, thinking they some had done it last night. When he noticed he still felt the thin and light material of the sleeping gown he went to sleep in, he took a calming and relieved breath. He also noticed that Ivan was still wearing underpants from the way their legs where tangled together. One of Ivan's legs were tossed over Alfred's. Blushing lightly at the intimate hold, Alfred resumed lightly pushing against Ivan's chest, wiggling a bit to slip out of his grasp and move to the other side of the bed, just like he did every morning thus far. He had yet to have been caught (or so he thinks). Ivan had a bit of a tighter grip on him this morning, and so it was taking a bit more effort than usual to get out of the older blonde's grasp. It was during this struggle that Alfred remembered what had transpired between them the other day, causing Alfred to freeze once more and then move a bit more hurriedly. God, wouldn't it suck if Ivan woke up- Ivan frowned and grumbled in his sleep tightening his hold on Alfred, before sleep fogged violet eyes slowly blinked open giving Alfred a confused and disgruntled stare in his early morning haze. Alfred felt his face heat up more as he cursed in mind at his bad luck. Someone up there was out to get him, he just knew it. Scrambling awkwardly for words at the insistent stare he was getting Alfred, mumbled out "I-um, well you see, I cuddle in my sleep. Er, sorry to have woken you. J-Just let me go and I'll get out of your hair and you can go back to sleep." To accompany his words, Alfred resumed his attempt to escape Ivan's grasp, which had loosened considerably in the man's sleep induced confusion. Alfred didn't expect them to tighten once more.
Ivan let the words sink into his sleep fogged mind, but really didn't comprehend them at the moment. Yesterday's fight all but forgotten, he merely flashed Alfred a lazy and warm smile before pulling the blonde back towards him and snuggling into the curve of Alfred's neck. He heard the younger male give a surprised yelp at having been pulled back into Ivan's strong grip. Breathing in the fresh scent of Alfred's skin, Ivan mumbled out sleepily and contentedly, "Mmm, so warm~ Please stay in bed with me."
Alfred sputtered a bit, completely caught off guard by the warm and genuine smile Ivan gave him. As well as the fact Ivan said please and not in a completely sarcastic way. In Alfred's astonishment, he wasn't paying attention to what he was saying and how he wanted to get away from Ivan just a few seconds prior. Stuttering a bit and voice sounding unsure he gave a soft, "U-Um, sure?" Wait, what did he say? Alfred wondered what possessed him to agree to cuddle with the bipolar lord. Oh well, it's not like he could take his words back. A couple of brief and tense minutes passed where Alfred stayed stock still in Ivan's hold. He was completely rigid from having been caught off guard by Ivan not exploding at him for what happened yesterday. Instead of going off on him, he requested that Alfred cuddle with him. And that smile…it made Alfred's stomach flip and flop in a not so unpleasant way. Alfred finally relaxed a bit into the hold and warily decided to just enjoy the awkward cuddling as much as he could, suspecting that the lord might just be biding his time before pulling the rug on Alfred with his nice act.
Happy that the other was complying with his request, Ivan gave a pleased hum, stroking his fingers through Alfred's hair appreciatively. He rubbed the tip of his nose along the other's neck in an affectionate nuzzle, glad that Alfred was trying to pull away. He was tempted to leave a trail of kisses up to Alfred's jawline and then back down to his collarbone, but resisted the urge to do so. He didn't want to scare Alfred away and this moment was too precious for Ivan to risk. Whenever he grew tired of carding his fingers through Alfred's hair, he switched to stroking along the blonde's clothed side, caressing along his hip and then back up to the side of his ribcage. His nightwear was thin enough for Ivan to feel the heat of his skin coming through. Ivan never knew that suppressing his more insistent urges in place of mild, more domestic ones could be so wonderful.
Alfred shivered as he felt Ivan's large hand caress up and down his side. This was so strange and foreign. Ivan has stroked and caressed threw out the Alfred's time here. Usually though, they were closer to more... sensitive areas, like along his thighs. It felt...pleasant, at the same time though it set Alfred on edge. All of Ivan's nice guy acts thus far have been in the sake of buttering Alfred up to get in his pants. He doubted this time to be any different. But even with these poisonous and distrustful thoughts, Alfred couldn't stop his body from relaxing into the gentle touches. Slowly Alfred felt sleep once more pulling his lids down. Soon Alfred was asleep again and probably wouldn't wake up until the rest of the inhabitants of the castle woke up. As his breath evened out once more warm puffs air could be felt on Ivan's platinum locks from his position of having his head buried in the curve of his neck.