A/N: Hey guys!
Yes...a Table for Two sequel! So excited to write this. It's funny, when I first wrote that fic, I didn't even consider writing a sequel. I thought the story ended satisfyingly and to-the-point. Then the idea of writing a sequel crossed my head about a month ago and I was like, "huh...might not be a bad idea." I really loved writing Table for Two, first of all—and plus, I thought there were some plot holes that needed to be addressed, like Yao and Alfred's family dynamics and whatnot.
If you haven't read Table for Two yet, go read that first, obviously.
Anyway...enjoy the first chapter!
••••••••
"I just don't understand why you like hanging out with your friends more than you like hanging out with me—your boyfriend."
"Jesus fucking Christ, Ivan, I'm allowed to have friends! You're way too obsessed with me—have been ever since we started dating!"
Alfred gritted his teeth in anger and frustration as he lay his head against a locker, his arm above him, his hand clutched into a fist.
For Ivan, it was far different. Alfred's harsh, icy tone had taken him back to the days he didn't like to remember. Nightmarish days in which Alfred had been his bully, and not the person he cared about most in the world. Now he wished he hadn't brought up anything in the first place.
"Alfred—you just don't understand, babe. I love you. I just wanna be closer to you."
"AREN'T YOU ALREADY?!" Alfred screamed loudly, making everybody in the hallway turn and stare. He turned to look in Ivan's eyes again. "For Christ sakes, Ivan, I literally do everything with you—sit at lunch with you, made my schedule so that I could have as many classes as possible with you...I come to your house literally almost every day, and I even go with you to your art club sometimes! What more do you want, Ivan?!"
Ivan was now beginning to grow angry. "I want you to love me like you used to! I'm your boyfriend—I should be the most important person in your life!" Ouch—that had sounded harsher than Ivan would've liked. He did sound controlling.
"My family, and my friends, shouldn't be important to me?" Alfred asked bitterly.
"I'm not saying that. I just...don't care for your friends. I think you can do better without them."
Alfred, the beautiful golden-haired boy Ivan loved so much, didn't seem so beautiful anymore. He seemed just as ugly as he'd been when he was Ivan's bully. He sneered, and, with crowds of people still watching them, he inched closer to Ivan, until his shoulders bumped against the Russian's chest. He stared Ivan straight in the eyes. "Since when do you have the right to tell me who my friends should and shouldn't be?"
Ivan glared right back at Alfred. "I do have a right. I'm your boyfriend."
Alfred screamed, "FOR FUCK'S SAKE, IVAN! This 'I'm your boyfriend' crap just needs to stop!"
"I do love you," Alfred admitted, and Ivan's heart lit up again for just a second. "But you're not the most important person in my life! I'm sorry, but I have a family, for one, and great friends, who are actually awesome."
Alfred smirked angrily, eerily. "And...you know what, Ivan? Sometimes they tell me I should dump you."
Ivan was shocked. He felt his face grow beet-red, and his heart began to pound. He hated to look at Alfred, his crossed arms, his smug sneer, his crooked glasses, his pink face. In that moment, he wanted to hurt Alfred. "SCREW YOUR FRIENDS, ALFRED! You should be paying more attention to me—me! They're not good for you! You should ditch them all!"
Alfred stepped back a few feet, and then spat out words that really stung: "At least I actually have friends!"
Ivan barely heard everyone around him gasp. He was too busy sinking, sinking into his own body, his own feelings of self-consciousness about not having the best social skills. It was like a boomerang; he'd wanted to hurt Alfred, and he'd gotten something ten times worse thrown right back at him.
God—Alfred really did know him well, didn't he? He had to have known that Ivan felt ashamed about having no friends; that the guilt and blame he'd starting feeling about Yao the day he asked the boy out still haunted him. He wanted friends. Alfred was his only friend.
In Ivan's mind, having Alfred as a boyfriend was better than being friends with all the kids in the school. So much better.
The two boys suddenly heard clacking footsteps behind them. The familiar face of Mr. Green was seen by both of them, but instead of rushing to stop a physical fight, this time it was to address teachers' complaints of yelling outside their rooms. "Boys...what's this about?" he asked quite strictly in his deep voice.
Ivan and Alfred stopped dead in their tracks. Their eyes grew wide as they surveyed around for the first time, and realized that everyone in the hallway was staring at them. Alfred's mouth gaped open and shut like a fish's—he wanted to say something else to Ivan, scream at him some more, but he grew wary when he met eyes with Mr. Green. I haven't gotten a suspension since last year, he thought to himself, shivering. I can't start. Not again.
Mr. Green crossed his arms, and pursed his lips tightly. "In my office, now," he said a bit sternly, but there was a hint of sympathy, some compassion, in his voice.
Ivan and Alfred grudgingly complied. They didn't look at each other, but little did they know they were both thinking the same thing—I don't want this to end up like last time.
••••••••
Alfred Jones and Ivan Braginsky sat in two chairs in Mr. Green's office—remarkably, the same two chairs they'd sat in last year after their big fight, and before their relationship began. Ivan looked down at his lap, fiddling with his fingers nervously, while Alfred played with the laces of his Converse shoes, biting his lip in an obsessive rhythm. Neither boys spoke to or even glanced at each other.
"So...boys, what's the problem?" Mr. Green asked, eyebrows raised. He knew by now the two boys were in a relationship.
Alfred was the first to speak. He huffed loudly, lifting his shoulders in an exaggerated motion, and placed his hands on his knees. "I'll tell you what's wrong," he began, though in a sort of hushed voice, not at all his typical tone. "Ivan is way too possessive over me! I decided to sit with my friends for one day—one day!—at lunch, and he's here complaining that I ditched him, and left him alone, and he keeps saying that he should be my top priority, just because we're dating! But I have a life besides him, too, you know!" Alfred ended his rant by slugging his shoulders back down, and puffing out his lower lip, looking purely frustrated. Defeated, rather.
Mr. Green nodded—Alfred was shocked he wasn't angry. "And you, Ivan?"
Ivan shrugged, his violet eyes large. "I don't know...I just feel like he doesn't love me like he used to anymore. It just makes me feel bad." He said this in a weak tone, because he felt bad for starting the fight now. He really didn't have anything to say.
The school principal folded his hands, and gave a flat smile. "You too have been fighting a lot lately, haven't you?" he asked gently.
Alfred mused. He hadn't really thought about it; but, now that he did, it was true. Last week they had an argument over a constructive criticism Alfred had given Ivan about a piece of art he drew. They also had a go at each other one time when Alfred couldn't take Ivan out to dinner and the movies because he had a big game that day. Even very, very little things seemed to set them off, like when they tried to play basketball together, but Ivan couldn't throw a ball into a net to save his life; or how Alfred had wanted to join Ivan's art club, but he could barely draw a stick figure without screwing it up.
"Yes," Alfred replied, "I suppose so."
Mr. Green smiled, widely this time. Alfred had realized in the past year that Mr. Green actually smiled a lot. He shuffled some papers, and glanced down at something. "Well..." he started, "I think you boys should try some peer counseling."
Ivan and Alfred both glanced at each other simultaneously. "What's that?" Ivan asked.
"Well," Mr. Green began, "We've realized that it is often easier for teens to talk about their problems, especially about romantic relationships, with other teens rather than adults. Of course, this program is for issues pertaining to those kinds of problems...not for bigger issues, like divorce or death, which should be handled by a proper guidance counselor..." Mr. Green took a breath; he realized he was digressing, and steered himself back on topic. "Anyway, it's a program we just came up with where we choose someone in our fabulous group of peer counselors, pair them with someone that needs counseling, and give them sort of little sessions." He grinned at the two boys, darting his eyes, seeing how they were processing this.
Both the boys were silent for a moment. Alfred then raised an eyebrow, and asked hesitantly, "So...like, you're gonna get a kid in this school to talk to us about our relationship?"
"Only if you want to," Mr. Green assured. "And, really, Alfred, Ivan, our peer counselors are a fantastic group of students—absolutely wonderful. We really chose the best of the best to be involved in this program. And if you don't enjoy the first session, you don't have to continue with it. It is one hundred percent up to you two."
Alfred and Ivan stared at each other a few minutes, looking into each other's eyes intensely, as they always did when making decisions regarding their relationship. "I say we give it a try," Ivan croaked out, shrugging his shoulders a bit.
"Really?" Alfred replied, his eyes narrowing into slits just slightly. He snapped his head away from Ivan's gaze and stared into space for a few moments. He then looked back up at Mr. Green, and said, "Okay. Let's try it out."
"Great!" Mr. Green exclaimed, slamming his palms down on his desk. He then took out large stack of papers, and began to shuffle through. "Alrighty then...I'll hook you up with a peer counselor right away."
He glanced down at the stack, skidding his finger on the paper, until he came to something and stopped, and tapped his finger on...a certain name, Alfred presumed. "Looks like I found your peer counselor, boys!" The principal proclaimed excitedly, smiling at Ivan and Alfred. "He's new to our program, and hasn't worked with anybody yet...he's an amazing kid, honest and hardworking—you guys will love him. I'll just send him down right now and let him know."
Mr. Green then picked up the phone, dialing a number, and said something into it that literally made Alfred turn as pale as a ghost, and Ivan's eyes go wide as dinner plates: "Mrs. Willows? Hey...is Kiku Honda in your class right now? Can you just send him up for one moment?"
"What?!" Alfred screeched, immediately jumping from his seat. Ivan and Mr. Green stared at him. Now embarrassed, Alfred slowly sat back down. "Hold up, Mr. Green...are you saying Kiku has to be our peer counselor?!"
"What's wrong with Kiku, Alfred?" Mr. Green was utterly confused—but Ivan wasn't.
"Mr. Green!" he pleaded, voice cracking. His face turned red, and he suddenly became very meek. "Kiku's my ex," Alfred whispered.
Mr. Green's smile faltered widely, and he looked as if he were about to say something, until Kiku walked through the door. "Yes, Mr. Green?" the Japanese boy asked very politely, until his gaze landed on Alfred and Ivan and his face was painted with an expression the couple couldn't name.
"Kiku," Mr. Green began, his voice cracking. If Alfred could've laughed, he would have done so, because the situation was so awkward. The large man cleared his throat. "Ivan and Alfred want to be in the 'peer counseling' program...we were hoping you'd be their counselor?"
Kiku, poor Kiku, looked back and forth quickly from Ivan and Alfred, to the principal, then back again. He let out a little huff, though not an angry one at all. "Well...sure," he replied.
Alfred held back a scream, while his boyfriend held back a helpless sigh.
"Good boy," Mr. Green replied, as if Kiku were a dog. "How about...Tuesdays and Thursdays, right after school?"
Kiku nodded his head quickly, his hands folded. Alfred sat slumped in his chair, arms crossed, looking very upset. Ivan still played with his fingers, gray brows drawn.
"Alfred, Ivan...is that good for you?"
"Yes," Ivan replied, still with his head down.
There was a prolonged silence as they waited for Alfred to answer. Finally, the bespectacled boy's stubbornness fell, and he let out a very, very long sigh. "Yes, Mr. Green," he said, looking up.
"Okay then," the principal said. He bid Kiku farewell, giving him a pink piece of paper, and sent him out the door. Now he was left to talk to the couple—who, indeed, were very solemn-looking.
"Alfred..." Mr. Green began, "I know this may be hard for you, but...well, believe it or not, this may turn out to be a little rewarding."
"Rewarding?!" Alfred suddenly hissed, whisper-shouting, making Ivan snap his head up. "How can this be in any way rewarding?!"
"Alfred, please." Mr. Green tried to calm him down. "Besides...didn't sitting at lunch with Ivan turn out to be rewarding for you?" He bit his lip, raising his eyebrows.
Ouch. Okay, yeah—big man Green did have a point. Alfred looked over at Ivan, and smiled at him for the first time in a while. Ivan grinned back tenderly, that little puppy grin that Alfred loved so, so much. "Yeah," Alfred said, but still kept his voice a bit on the cold edge, "I guess it was."
"Alfred, just give it a try," Mr. Green encouraged. He snapped his eyes to Ivan. "You too, Ivan."
He handed the couple a piece of pink paper each—the same he'd given Kiku. It just listed Kiku's name, and the times and days their sessions would be—Tuesdays and Thursdays, just like Mr. Green said, 3:00-4:00. It also had a little cheesy 'peer counseling' logo in the upper left hand corner. It was two kids, a white girl and a black boy, shoveling some dirt, to plant a flower, presumably. The girl was holding the flower, the boy the shovel. They both had stupid grins on their faces, and the sun above them did too. How cheesy, Alfred thought. The principal also sent them off with tardy slips.
Ivan and Alfred didn't even say goodbye to each other as they parted ways, heading to their separate classes. Alfred mused that Ivan was feeling dread—just like him.
As he walked to his next class—history—Alfred suddenly felt that familiar rage boiling inside of him once more. "Rewarding," he repeated Mr. Green's word to himself bitterly, "Fucking rewarding!" He kicked a nearby trash can to release his fury, as much as he could.
The principal had said this experience was going to be like last year, when Alfred was made to sit with Ivan at lunch, and love eventually blossomed...well, it was not. It was not, it was not going to be like that.
If anything, Kiku would just make their relationship worse. He'd destroy them. And, of course, that was Alfred's worse nightmare—for anyone to tear him and Ivan apart.
••••••••
"Ivan...we need to talk. Big time."
Ivan snapped his head up, and was met with Alfred. The shorter boy had his arm against the locker next to Ivan's, and was leaning against it, his face looking quite bleak, and serious.
Ivan grabbed his book bag out of his locker, along with any of the books he needed. "I'm assuming about Kiku."
Alfred nodded his head solemnly.
The Russian boy looked around doubtfully. "Well...the bell just rung. We can't just talk here—the school's gonna be empty soon. How about we go somewhere and chat?"
Alfred raised his eyebrows questioningly, still leaning against the locker. "The skatepark?" he asked without hesitation.
"The skatepark."
The two boys left the school and began to trek to their destination.
While halfway down the school's hill, Ivan felt a harsh, jabbing tap on his shoulder. He turned around, as well as Alfred. It was Natalya. Her face had her typical stoic stare, and she huffed like a bull.
"Where are you going, Ivan?" she asked harshly.
Ivan pushed his little sister off gently. "I'm just going to the skatepark for a little bit with Alfred, Nat. I'll be home soon."
Natalya scowled, darting her eyes from her older brother to Alfred, whom she glared at. Alfred gave a little smile and waved. "Hey, Nat...what's up?" he asked casually.
Ignoring his question completely, she snapped at her brother, "You better be," and stomped off.
Ivan shot Alfred a taken-aback glance, while Alfred just smiled. "Come on," he said. "Let's go, Ivan."
They arrived, and sat at their special spot. The spot where they'd confessed their love to each other. Alfred laughed. "Bruh...do you remember the first time we came here? You showed me that drawing, and we were all like—" he held out his arms in an exaggerated motion, moving them as if he were cuddling someone, and made fish lips, sticking his tongue in-and-out grossly and making moaning and smooching sounds. Obviously an exaggerated imitation of when him and Ivan had first made out.
Ivan laughed loudly. Alfred brought that incident up, and did that imitation every time they came here. "Yeah," he said lightly. "We were such dorks. Total virgins."
"Right!" Alfred exclaimed loudly. "And we still are." He then paused, and wiggled his eyebrows at Ivan, smirking. "Unless..."
"No, Alfred!" Ivan exclaimed loudly, practically dying from laughter at this point.
The American boy threw back his head and let out a hearty laugh. "Okay then."
The two boys sat in silence for a moment, their knees drawn to their chests, until Alfred, now in a much more solemn tone, said, "We need to talk about Kiku."
Ivan shrugged, placing his hands on the concrete, locking his elbows and leaning his weight back. "I mean...I don't know. There's not really much to talk about. We have to go to peer counseling, at least once. And besides, I thought you and Kiku were cool?"
"I thought we were too, but..." Alfred sighed. It was complicated, him and Kiku's relationship as exes. Even since last year, when Kiku has smiled at Ivan and Alfred holding hands in the hallway, signaling his approval of their relationship, it was still complicated.
Alfred rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess you're right," he admitted. "I mean...Kiku didn't really seem angry about having to peer-counsel us, did he?"
"...No," Ivan answered. In fact, the boy had just seemed...wounded. It was really hard to tell what the Japanese boy had been feeling.
"And yeah, you're right," Alfred said. "We do have to try it out. Big man Green's orders." He smiled quickly, and then it faltered again. "I guess it won't be that bad."
Ivan stared at Alfred's face intently. He knew that look in the boy's blue eyes. Dread. A hint of anger. Alfred really didn't want to do this.
"Alfred..."
Alfred raised his brows until his forehead crumpled. "Yes, Ivan?"
"Don't lose your temper with Kiku. Please."
Alfred's eyes grew wide, and he looked down, tracing the pattern on his t-shirt with his finger. "That's not what I'm thinking, Ivan."
"Yes it is."
Alfred stayed silent for a few moments, his finger paused on his t-shirt. He suddenly threw up his hands and let out a little cry, like nothing Ivan had ever heard come out of his mouth before. "Okay, okay, you have a point, Ivan...it's just—" he let out a frustrated growling noise, and then sighed deeply. "I really don't wanna do this."
He suddenly lay his head on Ivan's shoulder, cleary asking for a cuddle. Ivan wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and held him close to his chest. He could practically feel the heat from Alfred's face on his skin, though he was wearing a heavy sweatshirt. "It'll be okay, Alfred," Ivan reassured in a fatherly tone. The fatherly tone Alfred, most likely, was missing out on, sadly enough. "And maybe Mr. Green's right. Maybe it will help us out."
Ivan expected Alfred to vehemently deny this, but he just remained silent, letting his slender wrist fall on Ivan's waist gently. He then drew his head back, and looked up at Ivan, eyes a bit glossy. "Hey, Ivan?" he muttered weakly.
"Yeah, Al?"
"I never said 'I'm sorry' for that fight we had earlier."
This touched Ivan. "I forgive you." He kissed Alfred's lips tenderly. "And I'm sorry too. You can hang out with your friends and family as much as you like. Promise."
"Thanks, Ivan."
Alfred and Ivan stayed cuddling together for a while, deciding the best way to solve problems was to receive hugs and kisses from the one you love.