Chapter 14: Forgive Me

(I had to break it in half. This chapter was an absolute nightmare to write. Damn you watershed moments! Why must you be my bane? Oh, I hate you so. *shakes fist* Oh and an original character enters the mix.)

You know that feeling? When you wish the ground would just crack open and swallow you? Boris was feeling that. He had screwed up. Big time.

Boris, a young, short, scrawny, and thoroughly unattractive by any standard man, had been the perfect choice to serve the jealous Master's pets.

Orders were simple. Bring the pet's their food and clean clothing Do not speak or disturb them. If the pet is asleep you may enter their room and leave their items, but do not wake them. If they are awake, set it by the door and go. And NEVER enter when the Master is with one of his pets no matter what you hear.

Boris had been diligent. His service had begun with Lithuania's Lord and even though that man had shrieked himself hoarse under the Master's attentions, Boris had followed his instructions dutifully. No intrusions. No knocking. No aid.

So why now had he disobeyed?

He didn't have an answer as he stood there, knowing he was dead meat.

It's because of the Canadian Prince, he thought. A couple days ago he had found the Prince sleeping and entered, setting the Prince's lunch on the table. Turning around to go, he had been stunned to find the Canadian standing there in boxers, grinning at him with a hand stuck out.

Boris had just stared at it, his instincts telling him to bolt, but then the Lord had started spewing a whole bunch of English words at him like, "Hey, it's the unibrow kid!" and "Do you like hamburgers?". Somehow the Lord's cheerful demeanor had put him at ease. Boris had no idea what the Prince was saying, but he suddenly wished then that he knew more than two words in English. Whatever the guy was saying had to be crazy brilliant from the way he was smiling about it.

Soon Boris found himself shaking hands with the noble and teaching him Russian words. He taught Boris important English phrases like, "I want a hamburger" and "extra cheese, please". He still had no idea what those words meant, but the Prince had given Boris the impression they were the most crucial words you could learn in the English language.

The next day Boris had again come, but this time he was just going to drop off the Lord's clothing and go, avoiding another risky situation. Before he could flee though, the door banged open and the Lord greeted him again with those pearly whites. More language lessons followed until Boris snapped to his senses and realized the Master could return at any moment.

Boris had fallen asleep looking forward to today, hoping to see that smile, but word had come that the Master had tried to kill the kind Prince. Without more explanation, they had shoved a warm bowl of water and whicker basket of clean linen and medical supplies into Boris' arms and ordered him to carry them over.

Boris had intended to do that and no more. Yet as he stood outside the Lord's door and heard the sound of flesh smacking flesh, the grunt of exertion, someone landing against the door, and then more fighting, his heart began to thud. He panicked, fearful for the Lord.

It wasn't that Boris had never pitied the pets before, but he had his own worries. If Boris had learned anything in life, it was that you didn't get far in this world by playing the hero. Yet somehow, that Canadian had made him want to be one anyway.

Before he knew what he was doing, he flung open the door, hoping to distract the Master from hurting the Lord. He froze at what he saw, his face turning red. He had just made a terrible mistake.

There was his Master on the bed straddled by the Lord. There was the Lord pinning his Master's arms to his sides with the Lord's knees. The Lord had one hand snarled through the Master's silvery locks and the other pulled back in a waiting punch.

They stopped, the Lord looking over his shoulder at Boris and the Master lifting up his head to glare over the Lord's thigh at the intruder. The Master's grin became childish and Boris knew he was in big trouble.

"Oh, Pree-ve-ti!" The Prince said in too happy of a voice. It was one of the words Boris had taught him. It meant "hi". Boris flinched at hearing it, feeling DOOM spelled over his head as the Master's glare became a death gaze.

Lord Matthew why? he squeaked in his mind.

"Leave!" the Master snarled in Russian, his voice cold and clipped with a definite, I'll deal with you later maggot.

Boris left everything inside the room, accidentally sloshing a little water on the floor, and shut the door.

Idiot, idiot, idiot! He scolded himself mentally as he fled. Why did I do that? But he knew why. There was something weird about that Canadian Lord. He drew people to act in ways that were contrary to their interests.

It's like he's not of this world, Boris thought and shook his head, dismissing it. That was crazy. If there was any magic in this world, it was the bad kind that Ivan used to dominate the lands. And yet, something about that young Prince made Boris feel hope for the first time in what might very soon be his short life.

.oOo.

Alfred, while concerned for his friend Boris, had other problems. His face grew more heated by the second as he realized the position Ivan had lured him into. Damn, damn commie! He growled in his head, as Ivan's hands suddenly cupped his ass and squeezed.

He yelped, leaping off and tumbling off the edge of the bed backwards, he landed hard, and scurried backwards into the door as Ivan sat up with an amused expression. The water bowl and basket of medical supplies sat beside Alfred.

"Why stop? You were doing so well, da" Ivan said, giggling as he wiped blood off his split lip.

"You tricked me!" Alfred accused, replaying in his head the way Ivan had guided his movements toward the bed, accepting and giving blows here and there until he had fallen toward the bed, dragging Alfred on top of him. Alfred, being the doofus he was, had been so lost in pummeling Ivan he had not even noticed the way the Russian was directing him.

"Whatever can you mean, darling?"

"Don't darling me, you psycho!" Alfred snapped. "I'm not your anything!"

"Ah, so you want to hit me more?" Ivan said, patting his lap for Alfred to sit on it. Alfred stayed where was scowling at the Russian. "Should I come to you?"

"Time out!" Alfred called, forming a T with his arms. Ivan blinked.

"A what?"

"I'm calling a time out. A truce. A peace agreement whatever you want to call it," Alfred said, wondering, how can he still want to fight with those injuries? "But we're stopping the fight."

"Very well," Ivan said, sitting back on the bed. "But say please."

Alfred's eye brow twitched and taking a deep breathe, he forced a smile and said, "Please."

Ivan nodded and stared at him. And the winner of no fucking apology skills goes to IVAN, Alfred thought as they had a stare-off.

Ivan averted his gaze first, toward the pillows and Alfred noted the blood trickling down Ivan's cheek from his reopened wound, his blood-stained glove and the new bruises Ivan was forming thanks to their fight.

Alfed had his own now too. For some reason, Ivan had avoided Alfred's face and throat. Alfred had given him no such courtesy.

Staring at Ivan's temple wound, Alfred felt a pang of guilt. He shut his eyes, trying to stop it, but the memory came unbidden. The thwack of the faucet pipe's steel connecting with Ivan's soft flesh. Alfred's desire to bash Ivan's brains in and paint the walls with his blood. I was not myself, Alfred thought. In that moment, he had almost become a monster. Something he'd never thought possible for a hero like himself.

"Sunflower, are you okay?"

He saw Ivan staring him. Is that concern? No, not possible, he thought. It had to be a trick of the morning sunlight that leaking in through the gaps in the shuttered window beyond Ivan's head and casting his face in shadow. Ivan only cares for Ivan, he said to himself.

"I'm fine," he lied, trying to stifle a yawn. Ivan smiled like he knew that sooner or later Alfred would have to go to sleep. So creepy, Alfred thought. He wished the Russian hadn't found Gilbert's dagger on the way here and taken it away, stuffing it back into one of that coat's mysterious pockets.

"Why did you speak Russian to that worm?" Ivan suddenly asked. Alfred groaned. Again with the jealousy.

Not wanting to get Boris killed, he knew he needed to downplay things or Ivan would make the guy's life hell. He had been stupid to greet Boris like that and had done so without thinking. The words had just left his lips.

"Oh him," Alfred said as if addressing a nobody. "I thought that's how you speak to Russian trash. At least that's what Gilbert told me," he said, smiling at Ivan and adding, "Preeviyeti, Ivan."

"It's priviyeti," Ivan corrected, either ignoring or not noticing Alfred's insult. "Your accent is horrible."

Fuck you, he wanted to say, but instead settled on, "Ah, shucks, really?"

The silence returned. Alfred had enough. He would rather be tortured than endure not talking anymore.

"Okay, why don't you explain?"

"Explain what?"

"What happened last night. You've been going on and on about how you wanted to do that."

"How about we fight some more, da?" Ivan suggested, but Alfred shook his head.

"No, Snowflake. Enough fighting. Explain," he said and seeing Ivan's expression, added, "Please."

"Then you will forgive me," Ivan stated. Alfred couldn't tell if it was a question or an order. The tone was ambiguous.

"Maybe," Alfred shrugged.

Ivan's shoulders sagged in disappointment and for some reason that didn't make Alfred all that happy.

"Sunflower, I tire of this."

"Welcome to the club." Ivan frowned but smoothed his features back into that disturbing smile.

"Forgive me first," he insisted. Again it sounded more like a command than a request.

"And then what?"

"What do you mean?" Ivan asked in confusion. "Then we go back to the way were."

"The way we were?" Alfred snorted with a laugh. "You mean our awesome relationship where you forced me into sex, you mocked me, you treated me like a toy, like your property? That relationship?"

"I do not understand. You enjoyed it and you belong to me why should we not have sex?"

Alfred sighed in exasperation. This man, he thought. "You just don't get it. To be honest. I don't get you. Why is so important that I forgive you? Since when did my feelings ever matter to you?"

The smile for once slipped off his face as if Alfred had slapped him.

Did I finally reach him? Alfred wondered, but that thought died as Ivan's smile went back on.

"Obviously, I care. I let you hit me. That is respect, da?"

Alfred gaped. Okay, this guy is out of his mind, he thought.

"How does beating you up show respect?"

"You are the first person I have ever allowed to hit me. Usually when people hit me I make them pay," Ivan said, a dark twinkle in his eyes. The blood on his face and his bottom lip made it all the more macabre. Alfred shuddered. "You should be honored."

Alfred jaw dropped.

"So you think allowing me to hit you is a sign of respect?"

"Da," Ivan nodded.

"What about you hitting others?"

"If they cannot stop me, then they are unworthy of respect."

"What kind of twisted logic is that?" Alfred blurted out, unable to stop himself. "That's just insane!"

"It is the way of the world. The strong dominate. The weak obey," he said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world, asking, "You do not like my new respect for you?"

No, I like beating the crap out of you, Alfred wanted to retort, but instead went with, "Listen that's not how people should deal with each other. They should talk things out first. Not resort to violence." I can't believe I'm saying this, he thought. As much as he loved talking, he loved taking action more and preferred the act first, think later approach.

Ivan stewed over the words for a long pause. One that seemed to stretch on and on as Alfred's stomach grumbled. He really wanted to get this over with and eat.

Ivan opened his mouth, then shut it, the opened it, and finally said, "Prince Matthew," Alfred jumped at hearing his not-really-mine name. Ivan had never addressed him an equal. "Let us start again. This time I want to start a new relationship. One not as master and servant, but as lovers."

If Alfred had had anything in his mouth he would have spit it out. What? Oh shit, he thought. "L-Lovers?" Alfred gaped, "Wow, wow there buddy. Let us think about this first. We barely know each other! We're not even in love," Alfred said, but Ivan appeared determined. Alfred had somehow made things a lot worse.

"You do not want to be my lover?" Ivan said, his eyes getting an evil gleam that made it clear, "no" was not an answer.

Trick question, Alfred thought.

"Well, what's the point in becoming that?" he said. "We're just going to go our separate ways after subjugation is over, right?" Right? Alfred demanded in his head. Ivan couldn't fall for him. He couldn't. Not that Alfred blamed him, he was a charming guy, but still.

Another long pause, but this time Ivan studied Alfred, scrutinizing him. There was something in Ivan's eyes that made Alfred shiver. What is he plotting? Alfred wondered.

(End of Chapter 14. So we end halfway through Chapter 14. The rest will now be in Chapter 15. Stay tuned for Chapter 15: A New Beginning)

(Yeah, so sorry. This doesn't end where it was supposed to. I don't know how you guys feel, but I think character breakthroughs are an absolute bi*** to write. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't fall on smut and comedic moments to spice this up.

So I had to rove over it again and again tweaking the wording and moving dialogue chunks around. Realizing the it just couldn't be rushed without spoiling it and the chapter was getting too big, I split it up. It's a good thing I enjoy writing this story or I'd have stopped cold at this nightmare of a chapter.

Can't tell you how many times I've been typing it going, "Stupid #$#ing watershed moment!" Maybe it will still come off silly and contrite, but hey, at least I'll have tried!)