"You owe Ivan for the drugs you haven't sold." The girl simply stated, seemingly unphased by the Brit's outburst.
Arthur paused for a moment. She was right. When he first moved in with Francis nearly a month prior, the Frenchman had thrown all of Arthur's unsold drugs out the window from his apartment.
"Eight hundred." She demanded.
"W-what?"
"You owe Ivan eight hundred dollars." The young girl repeated, becoming more annoyed with this interaction by the second.
"And if I refused to pay it?" The man asked.
"Francis dies, so does Alfred, Gilbert, and everyone else you've become attached to. If you don't pay off, Ivan and myself will kill them one by one, and it won't be quickly, either."
Arthur's hands now shook violently as he reached into his pocket to pull out a number of bills. "L-look, I only have one – fifty right now, but I'll give you the rest as I keep getting paid, I swear! You and Ivan will have the money in less than two months. If you're going to kill anyone, kill me. The others are innocent in all this!" He begged the woman as he desperately gripped onto the ruffles in her dress, the bills falling to the ground and Arthur urgently trying to pick them up around him.
The young girl smirked coldly, enjoying the image of poor Arthur Kirkland groveling at her feet. "Two months is too long. Make it one month, just because I like you so much. Keep begging like a dog and I might just let your little boyfriend live." She held her black shoe out in front of Arthur's face and shook it back and forth, as a signal for him to lick it.
The Brit halted in confusion but understood the message and licked the sole of her shoe. He hung his head low in humiliation, unable to look the woman in the eyes.
"If you think Ivan was the big man in charge, you're very wrong, little one. Ivan answers to me, and I don't appreciate it when he doesn't give me my money on time. Ivan! Come here…" The blond girl ordered.
The Russian man stepped out from the alley, with his head down and a hand wrapped around his arm.
Arthur was truly lost for words. Never in his life had he seen his former drug lord look so submissive.
"H-hello, Arthur…" He greeted.
The Brit nodded, still shocked and dumbfounded. "I-Ivan…"
The mysterious woman immediately slapped Ivan across the face, causing both Arthur and the man receiving the slap to flinch. "Don't greet him. Just tell him to get me my money, and force the rest out of him, I know he's hiding it."
"Natalia, I think that's all he has." The man pleaded. Unfortunately, he was kicked in the stomach this time and sent to the ground beside Arthur.
In any normal circumstance, the blond Englishman would have laughed his arse off at the sight of the great Ivan Braginsky being brought to his knees. However, the man seemed to be in just as an awful situation as he was.
"I want the money by next month, on this exact date." Natalia threatened. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a leash. "Ivan! Come here."
Like an obedient dog, the Russian crawled towards the rather horrifying young woman.
"That's right, you belong to me." She reminded with a tug of his hair.
Ivan did not protest, and submissively followed the girl that held the leash.
'Is Ivan really into this kind of stuff?' Arthur thought to himself. 'Shocking.'
After safely making it home, the Brit hesitated for a moment before turning the doorknob to the warm and cozy apartment that he shared with his boyfriend Francis and good friend Gilbert and tried to fake the best smile that he could. He was not going to let his loved ones catch him in this moment of weakness, let alone ruin a very special date night that Francis had clearly spent all day preparing for.
'Okay, here goes everything'. "F-Francis, I'm home!" Arthur called as he made his way towards the kitchen. He wrapped his arms around his partner's waist and took in the strong, dominant scent of his cologne. He squeezed him tightly, just to know that Francis was really there and not just a figment of his imagination. "Everything smells wonderful, you must have been slaving all day! Remind me to make it up to you later…"
Apparently feeling rather frisky, Francis spun the blond Brit around romantically and had him sit on the kitchen counter. They pressed their foreheads together, their lips threatening to make contact. "Who says we have to wait until tonight?" He asked in a manner that always sent Arthur's spine shivering.
Gaining his confidence back, Arthur smirked and pressed his index finger against the other man's lips, blocking the kiss. "Ah, ah, we are doing this properly, Francis Bonnefoy."
The Frenchman pouted, but gave in to his boyfriend's requests, obviously succumbing to his bewitching emerald – green eyes. "As you wish, mon Cher. Why don't you help me set the table and pour some wine, I'll be there in just a moment."
Arthur gave the man a sweet kiss on the lips. He had to admit, he looked rather sexy in an apron, and covered in sweat… He immediately made his way to the table before any other naughty ideas made their way into his head.
"This cheese soufflé is delicious." Arthur praised, with some food still in his mouth.
Francis did not seem to mind and simply chuckled at the site of his boyfriend's cute cheeks all puffed up with cheese running down his lips. "It's my pleasure, really. Oh, by the way, Arthur… I will take you up on your offer for later on tonight." He said with a wink. "Let's just say I have some fantasies I've been looking forward to playing out. You know that apron I've been wearing earlier?"
The Englishman nodded eagerly, swallowing another bite of the soufflé.
Francis' chuckle turned dark. "I want to see you wearing it. I want that tiny little apron to be the only thing covering your cock."
It was hard to tell if the blush on Arthur's face was from embarrassment or from the food he unintentionally swallowed and started to choke on. He took a quick chug of his glass of wine. "I beg your pardon?"
