"Here we are. Home, sweet, home." Alfred pulled up his car in front of a large, average-looking house.

"I see. So, this is where you live?" Ivan reached for the door handle tentatively.

Alfred shrugged. "Yeah. You got a problem with that?"

Strange. I always seem to have a problem with Alfred. Perhaps it's because he's so fun to pick arguments with.

Because I always end up winning them.

Ivan shook his head, opting for a more silent approach. One that wouldn't stir their already precarious current relations.

Alfred handed Ivan a key ring. "It's the smallest one," he said.

Ivan raised an eyebrow. "You aren't coming in?"

"Nah. Remember the reason you're here?" Alfred pointed his right thumb to the shelf full of emergency supplies in the corner of the garage. "Go on. It won't be a while."

He's being awfully hospitable. I wonder… did he treat Tolys the same way?

Ivan's heart felt like a heavy stone, keeping his body bound to the earth.

Most likely.

Tolys had been living with Alfred for a few months. About half a year, actually.

And it would have probably been even longer if Ivan hadn't intervened. He could still remember the day he came to Alfred's place to pick Tolys up.

Ivan didn't pay much attention to the house's interior that day. That really wasn't his intent. The only reason he was there was for Tolys, and Tolys alone.

He is my property, after all.

But Alfred didn't care. To his credit, he did put up a pretty tough fight when I tried taking Tolys away from him.

A fight that I won.

Because I always end up winning them.

Ivan slowly inserted the key into the hole and twisted. The door came open without even the slightest creak.

Entering the house itself was rather anticlimactic. Alfred's place looked just like it could belong to any highschool boy.

At least it's clean. I can give him that if nothing else.

An empty soda can laying near the couch appeared in Ivan's line of vision.

Well, maybe not.

Ivan could faintly make out the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. The person stopped at the bottom of the stairwell and stared at the unexpected guest for a few moments.

"Eh? Al didn't tell me we were having visitors." Matthew stared at Ivan for a second before approaching him.

Ivan could have sworn he was a glint of something in Matthew's lavender eyes. Malice, perhaps?

"Hello. You are Alfred's brother, yes?"

Matthew nodded, his mouth set in a firm line. "Mhmm. I don't know what you're doing here, but if you hurt him…" He tilted his head towards the garage door, where Alfred presumably was. "Things won't end well for you."

Ivan was at a loss for words. Evidently, there was a side to both brothers that he never knew.

I really did underestimate them before.

I suppose Matthew does have a right to be at least a little wary of me.

I could defeat those two in physical combat. Effortlessly.

Still, that's no excuse to let my guard down.

Matthew stared at him for some time, trying to read Ivan's facial expression.

Jokes on him. Lying is second nature to me.

Not that I really need it now. I can just tell the truth.

Ivan smiled childishly. "I see. You do not have to worry about me, comrade. I am only here because Alfred wanted to help me."

Matthew raised an eyebrow inquisitively. He looked as though he still had many more questions.

Suddenly, the malice in those lavender eyes disappeared without a trace.

Why?

Ivan turned around, following Matthew's gaze. Alfred was back, with a gallon of gas in his right hand and a confused expression on his face.

"Matt? Why didn't you come to marching practice? Mr. Edelstein got kind of annoyed."

Matthew sighed in exasperation. "I was going to. But then you forgot I was there and just left the house without me."

Alfred frowned. "Couldn't you have called an uber or something?"

The Canadian rolled his eyes. "I could have. If I wasn't broke, that is. I blew my last dollar on buying you that scratch ticket back at the gas station last night!"

Alfred looked kind of embarrassed and chuckled nervously. "Oh, right. Forgot about that. Sorry, dude." He turned to face Ivan. "I can trust that you didn't do anything in my absence, right?"

There they were. Those two endless oceans, overflowing with both conviction and suspicion.

He doesn't even try to hide his feelings. How strange.

"I'm not heartless, Alfred."

Alfred narrowed his eyebrows, looking like he begged to differ. "Yeah? Maybe if you had something in there," He poked the left side of Ivan's chest. "Tolys wouldn't be scared shitless every time you were in the same room as him."

Although the action was supposed to be condescending, Ivan felt a strange emotion when Alfred touched him.

He's right. It's my fault that Tolys is scared of me.

Nobody else's.

But I'm not going to say that. I will never say that.

I have pride. Maybe not an ego like Alfred's, but nevertheless…

Ivan snapped out of his daze and looked down at the American. He was a few inches taller, after all. He might as well use it to his advantage.

"This discussion is over," Ivan said with harsh finality.

Alfred clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth, the sound resonating through the living room. "Are you forgetting whose house you're in, commie?" He smirked, glad that Ivan couldn't find a decent response. "I get to decide when the discussions are over."

Matthew watched the pair glare at each other, feeling the tension rising in the air. It was practically suffocating, and he knew that it was only the beginning. "Guys, I think there's a better way to sort this out…"

Matthew's pleas were drowned out by the sound of Ivan's scoff.

"Even so, you are still forgetting something." Ivan grinned menacingly. "I will always have the upper hand when it comes to combat."

Alfred's thinly veiled terror flickered briefly through his eyes. "You talk a big game for someone who can't even make a single friend."

The jab hurt. As it was supposed to.

And he's right. Again.

"At least I know how to think before I talk," countered Ivan.

Matthew backed up slowly, praying to every single god he could think of that the fight wouldn't get physical. "No, no, no- this isn't happening," he muttered to himself.

Alfred scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. "So you do want to fight, don't you?"

Ivan nodded in affirmation. "I would want nothing more but to kick your ass one more time."

Before anybody could even throw the first punch, the lights flickered off.

And then back on again.

This repeated a few more times before everything was plunged into darkness.

┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓

Tolys felt strangely out of place. The guest bedroom at Natalya's house was large, and the king-sized bed he was sitting on was comfortable.

As he dangled his legs off the side of the bed, he couldn't help but feel so alone. Every single moment of the day, he would typically be constantly surrounded by people. Finally, he was getting a moment of peace.

Yet he was having a hard time figuring out whether he actually enjoyed the solidarity or not.

Isn't this just the calm before the storm? Does that mean something bad is going to happen?

Tolys buried his head in his hands.

Oh, god. I'm just worrying about nothing, again. There must be something that can distract me.

Suddenly, the rumble of thunder shook the house. A bolt of lightning struck through the night sky, visible through the large window on the far end of the guest room.

Apparently, there was something to distract him.

A thunderstorm.

Realization seeped into Tolys's bones.

I'm not going to be able to leave until the storm passes.

A loud knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Come in!"

The door opened, revealing Katyusha standing with concern written all over her face. "Did you hear that, Tolys?"

Tolys glanced back at the window. Another round of thunder and lightning ensued. It was a miracle that the power didn't cut out. "Yes. By any chance, do you know how long this storm will last?"

Katyusha nodded slowly. "Unfortunately so. The forecast says it will be gone by around 6:00 AM. That is what I came here to tell you, actually."

"So, that means…" Tolys knew full well what he was implying, but he didn't complete his sentence for the fear that he would sound too eager.

Katyusha nodded again. "You'll have to stay the night. I hope this room is okay." She glanced around the vast space, searching for anything that would show otherwise.

Tolys smiled. "No, it's all wonderful. But, uh, there's one more thing…" He looked down at his bare chest and chuckled awkwardly.

Katyusha didn't look too bothered. "Oh, right! Your shirt is still in the laundry room. I will go get it for you, okay?"

And with that, she was gone.

Tolys sighed and stared at the polished hardwood floor longingly. Spending the night at Natalya's house was something that sounded exciting, but really, Tolys just wanted to go back home. He was tired, and more than that, nervous. Natalya and her newly harbored animosity towards Ivan would certainly be expressed, whether it be physically or otherwise.

And of course, Tolys would be caught right in the middle of it.

I guess if I am here, I should just take advantage of it.

Tolys had been to that particular house countless times before. Each time, he was always there as a worker or servant of some sort.

Cleaning, making coffee, or…

He reached back to touch one of the scars on his back and winced from the pain.

Other business.

It always had to involve Ivan, didn't it?

But now, he felt like a guest.

Might as well live up to it.

Tolys stood up from the bed and smoothed out the pristine white covers.

He crossed the room to find another door, this one leading to the conjoined bathroom. Tolys turned the doorknob and entered.

In an instant, Tolys felt a spark of familiarity in his mind. He had cleaned this area before.

Then why didn't I recognize the bedroom?

The interior paint had changed. Now, it was a very light shade of Periwinkle, matching the other room far better than the dark Maroon ever could.

Tolys reached his hand toward the doorknob and twisted the lock carefully.

He removed the rest of his clothes in a hurry, wanting to finish showering as soon as possible.

That way, the odds of somebody walking in would be smaller!

Forest-green eyes darted towards the locked door.

With that, any chances of total embarrassment will be practically impossible!

In all of those cheesy romance novels, that sort of situation happens. But I'm not risking my dignity!

Tolys thought back to everything he had to endure when he worked for Ivan. His morale was immediately diminished at the recollection.

Not that I had much dignity in the first place.

He folded his clothes in a neat pile and placed them below the towel rack, which thankfully, wasn't bare.

Tolys slid open the shower door and cranked the knob, sighing in bliss as the warm water hit his body in small and frequent droplets.

How long has it been since I've had time to shower like this? Months? Years?

Oh, hell, I don't even care right now.

His soaked brown hair began to cling to the back of the neck and sides of his face like seaweed.

But why was Ivan interrogating me back in the living room earlier? Asking me questions about…

Love.

Why does he care about who I love? I thought he hated me.

Especially after all he has done. After what he might still be able to do.

A feeling of dread crept through his already worry-filled mind.

He asked about Alfred, didn't he?

I haven't thought about him in a while, huh. I guess he is kind of attractive.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, muscles…

Okay, he is attractive. He's always really nice to me, too. Spending time with him,

I felt like I could finally relax for once. When I'm with Ivan, it's like there's something about him that makes me freeze up.

The dread was replaced by something else. Something warmer, brighter.

Alfred is someone that everyone just wants to be around. And… I think I do too.

We've talked a few times ever since I stopped living with him.

And every single time, he's still so nice.

Tolys noticed the shower door's frosted glass begin to fog up.

So does that mean…

Ivan is jealous?

No notes today, folks. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.