Matthew was, yet again, woken much too early by his brother. Hadn't he just done this a few hours ago? What the hell was his problem now? The younger twin groaned, rolling over and burying his head in his pillow. Hopefully, his brother would get the message. He needed to sleep, didn't he understand that?
"Mattie." Alfred whined, poking at his sides and nudging his shoulders. Nope, no such luck. Alfred was still as annoyingly persistent as ever. Damn him.
"What Al?" Matthew questioned through the fabric of his pillow. He didn't even have the energy to lift his head, let alone get up. It better be something important, like the house falling down. Why couldn't he sleep just a little longer?
"Papa is sleeping in and I'm really hungry. Make me food."
Matthew visibly twitched. That''s what this was about? Oh, Alfred was a dead man. Defying his sleepy state, the younger sat up quickly and glared at his brother with intense fury. His fingers grasped at his pillow before he attacked Alfred, hitting him violently (though it was still pretty weak) over the head. He repeated the action, finding it to be quiet enjoyable. He should really do this more often, even if it was a little harsh. He was so tired though, and it was all Alfred's fault. He, therefore, deserved it.
"Ack. Mattie! The hell?" Alfred cried out, holding his hand up in order to shield himself from his brothers barrage of pillow swipes. What had gotten into him? It wasn't like he did anything bad!
"Do you have any idea how tired I am? Because of you no less! And you have the nerve to wake me up for food? Feed yourself!" He snapped angrily. Yes, he was usually the polite pushover but this was Alfred and he was sleep deprived. Sacrifices had to be made.
"But Mattie! You're pancakes are deliciousness incarnate! Please? Please? You're already up!" Alfred begged, his stomach growling for added affect. How could his twin be so cruel, denying his own blood the blessing of nourishment? Didn't he understand he could actually die if he wasn't fed?
Matthew sighed, realizing he was fighting a loosing battle. Alfred always got what he wanted in the end, or almost always. And he was already up... Damn Alfred and his slimy excuses. Why was he always being used by his brother? Especially when it came to food?
"Fine." Matthew acquiesced before quickly adding, "But you're doing the dishes."
"No fair! You're dirtying them so you should clean them!" Alfred retorted, that's how it always was! He couldn't even remember the last time he had done them. What he did remember was that he hated doing them.
"Alfred." Matthew warned and the elder shrank back slightly. He hated that tone, it was modeled after Dad's angry one. Mattie always knew what tone would manipulate him the best in whatever situation. It was really annoying.
"Fine." Alfred acquiesced and Matthew smiled. He would definitely make sure to use more dishes than needed. It wasn't like Alfred knew what the cooking process was anyway. That would show him for waking him up.
Alfred couldn't help but grin as his brother got out of his bed. Finally, he would be fed! He was absolutely starving. Usually, Papa had a light breakfast ready for him by the time he got up but he was tired from his...activities. Alfred grimaced at the mere thought before pushing it aside and focusing on the wonder that was Mattie's pancakes.
He wondered if Ivan liked pancakes. He had started eating them when he was over last week, right? That day was so hectic... It was pretty foggy in his memories.
Wait, why was he even thinking about the creep?
Oh right, he might actually like him. He shivered in distaste. He knew, as soon as he talked to the Russian (as promised) he would come to his senses and hate him again. He was just suffering some sort of communistic voodoo spell...
He lifted his head as the aroma for pancakes filled the air and made his stomach growl. Finally! Oh happy day, he would be fed! He quickly sat down at the table with his grin plastered on his face as Matthew poured maple syrup on the fluffy discs. He could already taste the golden goodness. Then his eyes drifted to the kitchen sink.
His eyes widened at how the sink was filled to the brim with pots, pans and plates. How the hell had that happened? Did Mattie usually use so many dishes? He had never really paid attention... Fuck, he was going to have to clean all that. This sucked!
Yet, as the plate of pancakes was set before him and his mouth watered, it seemed to be worth it. He quickly set to work at devouring his food. It was SO good! Mattie was the best chef, second only to his teacher, Papa.
"Al, when are you going to talk to Ivan?" Matthew's words pierced through his brother's happy daze.
Alfred lifted his head up and blinked, tilting his head. What? Oh right! He was too focused on eating to recall all his issues. Why did Mattie have to remind him?
"I—munch—was-munchmunch-row and-"
"Swallow first." Matthew interrupted, looking annoyed. Alfred rolled his eyes and swallowed his food before starting again. Matthew could sound just like Dad sometimes.
"I was going to talk to him tomorrow and stuff, since we'd be at school." Alfred repeated coherently and Matthew frowned. He grabbed at the others chin, grimacing at the food all over his face.
"You are such a mess." The younger commented, ignoring the "hey!" his brother snapped out. He picked up one of the napkins to wipe at Alfred's syrup covered face. Why couldn't Alfred have learned a little bit of manners? As he dabbed, he spoke, "Why not call him today? The sooner the better."
"I don't know his number." Alfred quickly supplied. It was the first excuse that came to his mind. He wanted to put this off as far as possible. And why was Matthew cleaning his face? It was so annoying! He pulled at his face to feel the others nails dig in. He pouted and glared at his brother.
"You have Toris' number don't you? Alfred, stop procrastinating." Matthew said sternly, keeping his brother's face still for two purposes: to clean it and to keep it focused on the issue at hand. Alfred's mind tended to wander when thinking of important, serious issues.
"Why can't I just talk to him at school? You're making things more complicated! Let go of my face already." He said, annoyed at his brother's probing. Finally, the younger relinquished his grip and he could rub his sore chin.
"Al, the longer you put this off the harder its going to be." Matthew sighed out, sitting down to eat his own pancakes. In a civilized manner, mind you, unlike his brother who acted as if he hadn't eaten for a good decade.
The American made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat and finished up his pancakes. Why did he have to bring this up during food? Food was suppose to be a happy occasion! Whatever, now he could play some video games and-
"Ah ah ah. Where do you think your going, Al?" Matthew said in a cruel, mischievous tone. Alfred blinked and turned back around with a tilt of his head. "If I recall, you promised to do the dishes." His twin reminded coolly.
Shit.
Alfred sent him an angry glare as he stomped to the damn sink. He had forgotten his damns promise. It wouldn't be that hard right? He growled out when he looked into the sink. Ok, it was official, a person definitely did not need five pans to make a pancake breakfast for two. Even if Alfred ate for three people.
"Never wake me up so early for something as stupid as you being to lazy to feed yourself." Matthew warned, dumping his dirty plate into the sink with a smirk and going to sit at the counter. Hopefully, his brother would learn his lesson.
"You did this on purpose, didn't you? You're so mean Mattie." He whined, hopefully his twin would feel guilty and help him out. He hadn't been forced to do dishes for so long! This fucking sucked. Matthew sat and watched him with unshielded amusement. Oh, Alfred deserved this.
The American peered over his shoulder and frowned, "Are you just going to sit there and watch?"
"Yep." Matthew answered.
"Then help!" Alfred ordered. How was that fair? If he wasn't going to do anything then he could help his brother out!
"That would defeat the purpose." Matthew stated simply with a grin.
"...You suck so much."
Matthew chuckled lightly and turned when something caught his eye in the window. Was that who he thought it was?
"So you're waiting until tomorrow to talk to Ivan, right?" He reiterated, eyes watching the window that faced the front of the house intently. What perfect timing...
"Yeah, why do you keep bothering me about it?" Alfred answered, scrubbing at one of the pans. Couldn't Matthew just let him be?
"Because I think the universe wants you to talk to him today."
"And why would you say that?" Alfred asked, confused. He turned his head to look at Matthew who was focusing his gaze on the window. Weird... He thought the whole point of his evil plan was to watch him suffer...
"Because he's about to ring our doorbell." Matthew announced, turning to him with a small smirk as the chime rang through out the home. Alfred stiffened, the plate falling from his grasp and back into the sink, clinking loudly as it hit the other ones.
"Wh-what?" He squeaked, turning his head to the door in surprise. It rang again. This couldn't be happening. He wasn't ready!
"Go talk to him Alfred. I'll handle the dishes." Matthew offered, coming toward the blond. Alfred shook his head quickly.
"No, I'll do them! Its my job right? Its so much, I can't have my little brother do them all." He quickly stated, the excuses falling from his lips in a hurry. Matthew smiled at him, grasping his shoulders and pushing him toward the door.
"Don't worry, I'll put them in the dishwasher!" He said cheerily and Alfred paled.
"Dishwasher? You asshole!" He exclaimed as the door came closer and closer. And the damn Russian kept ringing the bell.
"I never said you couldn't use it~" Matthew reminded, stepping away and returning to the kitchen. Gilbert would probably be proud of his cunning revenge plan, he'd have to tell him. Alfred cursed his brother under his breath. Maybe he could just ignore Ivan and-
"ANSWER THE BLOODY DOOR! WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP! YOU'RE FATHER IS STILL RECOVERING!" Came a loud shriek from one of the upstairs rooms. God his father had lungs, he bet even Ivan had heard that. And he must have because he suddenly stopped pressing the doorbell. Maybe if they had actually slept last night instead of doing that they wouldn't be so tired!
With a groan, Alfred unlocked the door and opened it, revealing the tall Russian student. The cold rushed into his home and he cringed.
"May I come in?" Ivan asked politely, eyes eating up the American's bare chest. He'd have to get him without his shirt more often... It was quite an appealing look.
Alfred blushed, the cold reminding him that he was just in sweat pants as he quickly ushered the Russian in. He had forgotten after his shower this morning he had only put on some sweat pants... And he had only been around Mattie so it didn't matter if he was half naked. It did matter, though, if he was in front of Ivan. He hurriedly grabbed the nearest garment—one of his father's stuffy sweaters—and slipped it on.
"Oh, you didn't have to." Ivan teased. Truthfully he much preferred the bare expanse of the others toned chest to this ugly sweater. It didn't suit him in the least.
"Shut up. Why are you even here?" He snapped angrily, crossing his arms and glaring at the taller teen. He just had to come at this very moment didn't he? He and his stupid commie mind powers. Maybe he could just kick the other out.
"Alfred." Came a warning tone from the kitchen and Alfred growled. Fuck, he wasn't prepared to talk to the freak now but he was going to have too. Stupid Mattie and his promise.
"I am here to speak to you about your recent behavior toward me amongst other things." Ivan answered truthfully, eying the kitchen where Alfred's brother's voice emanated from. He would prefer to have this conversation alone.
Alfred could feel his twin's eyes burning into the back of his head, reminding him he had no chance of escape, "Fine. Lets go to my room."
Ivan found himself in Alfred's room for the third time ever. He sat on the bed with a smirk, so this is the bed that housed Alfred's wet dreams of him?
"Stop that creepy smiling, alright? I'm not going to talk to you if you're like that." Alfred said quickly, wondering where he should sit. The idea of siting next to Ivan, on his bed, was just too weird. He decided to settle in his desk chair.
"Are you going to tell me what has made you act so cold towards me?" Ivan asked bluntly. He had learned that was the best tactic when dealing with the American. He could be so dense sometimes. And, besides, if he didn't give him an answer he would confront him about their interesting conversation last night.
Alfred let out a sigh, spinning his chair around lazily. "...You kissed me." He finally stated, hoping that would suffice and the other would leave.
"I know that's not the reason. You acted mostly fine right afterward." Ivan reminded. Alfred better stop spinning, it was making him dizzy.
Shit, "Yeah, well, it hadn't sunk in yet. Why the hell did you kiss me anyway? And don't give me that 'keep you warm' bullshit." He snapped, he wasn't going to be the only one confessing tonight!
"I wish to better our relationship." Ivan answered simply and truthfully. Honesty was the best way, da? So, he would try that.
"Are you saying you want to date me?" Alfred asked, the idea so odd in his mind. Dating Ivan...Ug it was so awkward!
"Yes, and then we can have intercourse." Ivan nodded.
Alfred stared at him with wide blue eyes, the chair stopping it's slow circles. Not even in his creepy hormone filled dreams had he gone that far with Ivan! "Hell no! That's not just how it works! Sex? You want to have sex?"
Ivan tilted his head, "I do not understand. This is the American way, yes? You fight with your future partner constantly, then you kiss him unexpectedly and trick him into a date. Then you have intercourse. Correct?" He had been so sure that was how it was done in America. Or at least when targeting a homosexual partner...
"Where the hell did you get the idea that that was how things worked?" Alfred cried out, horrified at the Russian's understanding of his culture.
"You're French father."
Alfred dropped his face into his palms. Well, everything made sense now. Fuck. Papa why? Why? He lifted his head up, threading his fingers through his blond short hair. Papa just had to go and corrupt another person's brain with his embarrassing stories.
"First off, never listen to a damn word he says. Ever. Second off, that's not how it works at all. My parents are just weird, ok?" Alfred clarified, hoping Ivan wasn't too convinced that his Papa's way was the right way.
"Then how does it work when a male courts another male?" Ivan asked curiously. The whole idea had been foreign to him before meeting Alfred.
"Well, first you have to actually like each other. Then you go on dates to get to know each other better. Then you figure out if you actually love each other and after that well... You get married, I guess." He tried to explain, but it was much more complicated then that...
"When does intercourse come into play?"
"Sex isn't the most important thing." Alfred replied. Because it wasn't. Papa always said that sex was about expressing your love to the person you cared most about and Dad always said that it was best to wait until your ready. Sex was something you did with someone special, not to some guy you fought with and especially not right after you met.
"But your Fren-"
"What did I say? Never listen to a word he says! He's just a sex maniac. You know when to have sex when you know." Alfred interrupted starting to spin his chair again. Well this was certainly not what he imagined this conversation being like. Hadn't Ivan had this talk before? Sure he was in an orphanage but certainly someone must of told him something.
Ivan frowned in thought. It seemed he had been assuming that Alfred and his French father shared the same views on courtship... Alfred's view seemed surprisingly more sweet and old fashioned, perhaps he got it from his English father? So, the first step was to see if Alfred liked him, right?
"Alfred, do you like me?" Again, bluntness was key when trying to get answers from the American.
The chair stopped spinning at the question and Alfred stared at him. To Ivan's surprise, Alfred didn't give him a loud, quick 'no'. Instead, he looked at the floor thinking.
"...I don't know anymore." He sighed, defeatedly. Well, Ivan had not expected that.
"Is that why you are having wet dreams featuring me?" He asked.
Alfred's heart stopped completely. His eyes shooting open to stare at Ivan. What? What? "WHAT?" He squawked out. How did he know that? How the fuck did he know that? Had Mattie told him? Why would Mattie tell him? No, Mattie would never do that! But how did he know? Holy shit, had he bugged his room? His clothes? Holy fucking shit, he had placed a chip inside his brain that told him what he was dreaming of! The bastard!
"I called you last night. You answered while having a wet dream. I remember distinctly you moaning my name." Ivan continued, failing to suppress his smug smirk. Oh how he loved it when Alfred got all red from being embarrassed.
No. No. NO. NO! This was not happening. Ivan did NOT hear him moan his name. The idea was way too mortifying, he had to be lying!
"So, what was I doing to you? I'm quite curious, you seemed to be enjoying it very much from the noises you were making." It was just so much fun to rile him up.
Alfred's face was as red as the communistic flag which was probably the asshole's whole plan. He ignored Ivan, wishing he didn't exist at all and dived for his cellphone. He would check his call history, find that Ivan was, in fact, lying and kick him out of the house for even saying that.
Call from 555-555-1230 at 2:51 am
The glowing screen mocked him, displaying that the call had lasted almost a minute.
Fuck.
This couldn't be happening.
"Alfred?" Ivan questioned, wondering why the other hadn't responded yet.
"What? What do you want me to say?" Alfred snapped, turning toward him angrily. He was so fucking sick of all this shit that kept happening to him. "Fine! I've been having fucking wet dreams about you? Are you happy? You gonna make fun of me? You gonna make my life hell by telling everyone? Well its too fucking late! You've already ruined my entire life Ivan!"
Ivan blinked, well he had not expected that. Not at all. He was ruining his life? He hadn't meant for that to happen... Why did he care though? And why was his chest hurting?
Alfred took in a ragged breath, his body trembling from his outburst. His heart clenched slightly, even he could tell that the words were harsh but for some reason he couldn't stop them from spilling forth. He was just so frazzled and embarrassed and his mind was still reeling with the revelation that Ivan had actually heard him.
"... I apologize. I did not mean to ruin your life. I was merely curious." Ivan replied finally, standing up to could tell he was not wanted here. For once he would actually leave instead of ignoring the other person's wishes just to annoy them. For some reason, he didn't want Alfred to hate him more. Because he obviously did hate him, a lot. He felt something clench tighter in his chest but decided to ignore it. It was probably nothing.
Fuck. "Wait! Just... Just wait" Alfred sighed, rubbing his temples and collapsing back into his chair. Everything with Ivan was always so fucking complicated.
"You do not wish for me to leave?" Ivan asked, perplexed. Didn't he hate him?
"No...I don't" Alfred replied heavily, looking at his carpet.
"Why?" Ivan couldn't help but ask.
"I've been asking myself that for the past week." Alfred chuckled dryly. "Look, every fiber of my being tells me I should despise you, and I did. But now...Now I don't fucking know anymore." There, he said it. And he did feel a little better.
"So... You do not hate me?"
"No, I don't hate you." He didn't hate him, that much he was sure of.
"But you are unsure if you like me?" Ivan just wanted to clarify. He did not wish to misunderstand something once more.
"Yep" And they were back to square one. Hey wait... Why was he the only one suffering? "What about you? Do you like me?" That was such an awkward thing to ask him.
"I think so. You are the only person that I enjoy being with." Ivan answered truthfully, not bothered very much by the question.
"...You like being with me?" He hadn't expected that. He was sort of flattered. Most people said he was really annoying to be around.
"Da, you are not afraid of me and your reactions are quite amusing." The Russian continued, that creepy smile returning to his features.
"You don't... don't think I'm annoying?" Alfred winced slightly at his own comment. It made him sound so insecure.
"Nyet, I do find you very annoying. But I don't mind because your reactions to my teasing are worth it." Ivan assured.
Alfred reddened slightly, pushing his chair so that it spun again. This was so weird. Was Ivan being...endearing?
"Oh and your flushed face when you are embarrassed is very adorable, like right now." Ivan commented with a smirk. The blond sent him a glare though his face became even redder which ruined the effectiveness of the glare. Ivan giggled at the attempt.
"Shut up."
Ivan obeyed, violet eyes looking around the room. He didn't want to upset him. He wondered what they were suppose to do now. Could he just skip to the date part? Alfred hadn't said no to liking him, he had just said he was unsure. Perhaps he could convince him during their dates.
"Ivan, are you just assuming that people who fight with each other automatically fall in love? Because if you are you're completely wrong. You're probably just confused about liking me." Alfred tried to reason. This all had to be a mistake. It just had to be.
"Nyet, I know I like you. And it is not because we fight, though I do enjoy our fights. I find you to be a very interesting person, little American and I wish for our relationship to grow further."
Alfred spun around faster. This conversation was so weird and Ivan was actually being nice and sweet which was totally weird. What was he suppose to even say?
"Alfred, may I ask you out on a date?" Ivan asked suddenly, his violet eyes looking up at the spinning teen. He stuck his foot out, stopping the chair and having Alfred's eyes lock on his violet ones.
"I...Er..." Shit, he didn't know. This was still so weird.
"I would like a chance." The violet orbs bored into him and Alfred looked away.
Well, when he put it that way... "...Fine. One chance. Just to figure out this fucking mess."
"прекрасно. Friday is the normal date day correct?" (Wonderful.)
"Yeah, I guess." Alfred shrugged, still trying to accept the fact he had just accepting to go on a date with Ivan.
"Da. I will give you more information tomorrow at school." Now, what to do on their date? He couldn't ask his French father because Alfred didn't approve of his advice. Perhaps his brother? Yes, he would ask him. Usually, he was useful.
Ivan stood up, leaving the bedroom. The business for the day had ended on a surprisingly wonderful note. Finally, he was one step closer to his goal. Perhaps he could even get advice from the others twin at this moment!He looked around as he walked down the steps and reached the front door. Sadly, he was no where to be seen. Oh well, he would just ask him tomorrow at school.
"I will see you tomorrow, Alfred." Ivan stated, standing in front of the door.
"Yeah, yeah." Alfred replied awkwardly, scratching at the back of his head. How did get himself into these things? A date with Ivan. A date with Ivan?
"What? No kiss goodbye or is that another custom I have misunderstood?" Ivan teased with his smirk as he stood in turned to leave.
Alfred chewed at his lip, waiting for Ivan to just go already. Though, as he heard the request float through his ears his body reacted without him thinking. He did that a lot didn't he? He really needed to stop that.
Ivan was quite surprised when he saw the other lean up and kiss him lightly and much to briefly on his lips. "There. Now go." Alfred quickly murmured, opening his door and practically shoving the surprised teen out the door. Fuck, why had he done that? He slammed the door shut before Ivan could even react. He leaned his back on the wood and slid down until he sat on the floor with his knees raised up and his hands pulling at his blond strands. The universe really did hate him.
He raised his head slightly to see his brother staring down at him. Matthew stood in front of him with a raised brow, a curious look in his violet blue eyes.
"Leave me alone." Alfred mumbled out, looking at the floor in front of him. His twin didn't listen to him.
"Well, I'm assuming something big happened. You did just kiss him." Matthew pointed out with a slight smirk.
"Ug, don't remind me. We have a date Friday." Alfred sighed, hitting his head back on the door with a groan. How could he have let this happen?
"It'll be ok, Al." Matthew assured, offering his hand to his brother. "Now, come on. I'll play some video games with you." Usually, that made his twin feel better. And, by the looks of his current position, he really did need a pick-me-up.
Alfred stared at the hand in front of him before taking it, hauling himself up onto his feet. "Fine." The pair started toward the stairs, side by side before Alfred remembered something. "...So we have a dishwasher?"
"Yep." Matthew nodded, trying to hold back his triumphant grin.
"You do realize I'm going to crush you in this game?" Alfred threatened coolly, ready to get some pay back. He needed it.
"Oh, I don't know about that..." Matthew replied slyly, "It all depends on who gets the good controller."
The two stared at each other for a fleeting moment and then they were off. Laughing, pushing and tugging their way to Alfred's bedroom door in the quest for the good controller, and, in Alfred's case, for some peace of mind.
Early chapter is done early.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday and ate until you were a good ten pounds fatter :)
Here's your present.
I hope you like the chapter. For those who care, Sentenced was updated so check that out.
Its like past midnight and I'm really tired so I'm cutting my rambling short.
Before I forget, if you guys have any Ivan and Alfred date ideas feel free to suggest them in reviews. The date will probably happen the chapter after next... I think...
Anyway, review! Review so that I feel complete inside. Without them, my heart shatters!
Ok, maybe thats a bit extreme.
Still, I love you so you should love me back through reviews!
PS: I changed my name... no reason really, just felt like it X)