Chapter 4

"Wait, what?" Arthur swallowed hard, staring at the man before him while rubbing at his sore wrists.

"I'm trying to force you to enjoy yourself, but it's dawned on me you don't even understand what's happening to yourself, do you?" Ivan spoke, and Arthur burned red in embarrassment. "Go ahead. Look me over. Compare yourself. It'll be easier to please if you understand what you're doing, da?" He watched as Arthur swallowed hard, his eyes shifting to the door. He glanced back to Ivan as he laid down, his hands at his sides as his head laid back on a bundle of fur.

"Before that... I have..." Arthur winced, even more embarrassment rushing through him. Ivan leaned up on his elbows, watching the face of the one before him with a question nearly visible on him. "Um, bathroom..." Arthur grumbled, hating having to say it out loud.

"Ah, over there." Ivan pointed to a wooden door by the corner of his room. Arthur stood and walked over, opening the door and looked in with curiosity. It was simple, a toilet with a pipe in the center, a small window allowing in light right above it. He was able to relieve himself and noticed the washing basin and washed himself off, looking up into a mirror.

He looked horrible. Dark circles lined under his eyes, his skin had a pale look to it. He heard a knock at the door and nearly jumped to the ceiling in sudden terror. Arthur yelped, falling back against the wall, knocking his head rather hard.

"You haven't escaped, have you, little slave?" Ivan chuckled as he spoke through the door and Arthur stood, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

Arthur opened the door, his eyes only meeting Ivan's knees as he stared ahead suddenly more terrified of his situation. He was to examine Ivan's body. Touch and feel and explore and discover. Somehow this was the most terrifying thing that Arthur could imagine as Ivan grasped his hand and lead him back to the bed, laying back down.

"If you want me to move or roll over or anything, just tell me," Ivan spoke softly as he rested his head, shifting his shoulders a little to make himself more comfortable and Arthur swallowed hard before actually and quite literally looking him over.

Differences he could tell just from looking: Ivan was literally twice his size around the chest, three times in the biceps and calves, probably four around the thighs. While Arthur's arms and legs were covered in fine orange hair that almost blended into his skin, Ivan was covered in the same ashen color as his hair, nearly blending in as well. He frowned when he laid his arm beside Ivan's, comparing their skin tone. Arthur definitely had more of a tan.

"How... old are you?" Arthur asked softly, wondering if asking such questions was allowed as well.

"Eighteen." Ivan glanced over, a fairly relaxed look on his face and Arthur stared, nearly choking at the realization.

"You're only two years older than I am?!" He startled, his jaw dropped and Ivan chuckled at the reaction. "No one in my village was ever the same size as you were! You're nearly my own age!"

"That's because I work hard. I also have my father's height. You'll eventually put on more muscle as well, but with your build, it'll probably be more lean muscle than what I have." Ivan watched as Arthur's brow ticked in anger and stared, wondering what the boy was thinking.

"What, was your father a viking?!" he mumbled out and Ivan stared for a split second before letting out a laugh. Arthur startled at the sound, hoping he hadn't crossed a line.

"Nyet, he was Russian, just like me." He watched as Arthur stilled, staring with curiosity.

"Russian? Is that where the accent comes from? I've never heard anyone who sounds like you before," he asked quietly and Ivan nodded, smiling.

Somehow having the boy talking without complete panic or terror was amusing to him. He liked the odd questions, wondering what he'd say next. He watched as Arthur swallowed hard before continuing his look over him. Ivan saw the tremble run through him before he slowly, and with absolute terror, lifted his hand, placing it in the center of his chest. The touch was soft, even though his hand was quite firm against his ribcage. Ivan wondered what he was feeling for, what he was thinking as he stared, his eyes closing as he felt. It only took a second to dawn on Ivan after that, he was feeling for his heartbeat.

Ivan was warm. His body was warmer than Arthur was used to, and if the man hadn't stolen him as a slave, there was a chance he would have found it comforting. Arthur had heard that the larger a person was, the slower their hearts beat, but their hearts beat nearly at the same pace. He frowned, wondering if the book had lied, or if Ivan was just mutated.

Arthur nearly chuckled when he realized he was the size of a house, had almost white hair and violet eyes. Of course he was mutated. That didn't occur naturally. Maybe he was half fairy or something. He slapped both hands over his mouth to hide his laughter, his shoulders and chest shaking as he imagined Ivan two inches tall with silver and violet butterfly wings. His eyes clenched closed, trying to block out the tears that came to him as he shook harder, imagining him trying to hook up with the other little fairies that normally he had about. Ivan had no idea what was going through his head and thought that he was frightened again. A tear made it down Arthur's cheek as he shook, his eyes clenched, his shoulders trembling.

"What's wrong?" he asked as Arthur imagined the tiny fairy with such a deep voice and fell off the bed, jarring the hands from his mouth so his laughter finally filled the room, surprising Ivan again. Random words like 'brilliant!' and 'so wrong!' flew from his mouth as he rolled on the floor, still laughing for a good few minutes. He finally was able to reign himself in and sat up, wiping away the moisture from his eyes before looking up and seeing Ivan sitting, staring in confusion and amusement at the same time.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he slid back onto the bed and Ivan watched, the curiosity getting the better of him.

"What was so funny?" he asked and Arthur sat still, stuck in horror at having to explain what his mind had created. Ivan noticed his terror and frowned. "Was it me dying then?" Arthur shivered.

"I... kind of... imaginedyouasafairy," he mumbled so fast it took Ivan a second to process it. He blinked owlishly, wondering where on earth that had come from.

"What does a fairy look like?" he asked and Arthur frowned, trying to figure out how to explain. No one had asked before.

"Like people, but they're the size of a finger." Arthur held his finger up. "They sometimes have oddly colored hair, like pink, or green, or silver." He watched as Ivan glanced at the finger and cocked his head to the side, trying to imagine it.

"And why did you imagine me as one?" Ivan asked softly as he laid back down and Arthur took a moment to remember, trying to piece together how to say this.

"Your eyes, I think. I've never seen purple eyes on a person before, but I have on a fairy. You'd have silver wings with violet markings, like a little butterfly. Then somehow it turned into you hitting on the other fairies with your deep voice, and that's why I couldn't stop laughing." He nearly bit his lips together, wondering if Ivan would get mad at the realization.

"Something that small with my voice, I guess that would be an oddity, wouldn't it?" he asked, watching as Arthur nodded quickly. He wouldn't punish Arthur for his thoughts. After all, it wouldn't be unexpected for the boy to imagine him dying horribly and laughing by this point, but something as harmless as that? That was fine.

Arthur took a second to steady himself before he slowly reached out and took one of Ivan's hands, lifting it up so he could look closer at his palm. Dirt was embedded into his skin. It wasn't just in the creases of his fingerprints, it had worked its way under the skin, permanently staining some of the marks. His fingers were littered with callouses and scars. When he said he worked hard, he hadn't been lying or overstating his work.

Arthur's eyes roved over him, seeing small scars littering his whole body. His chest had a few, but his arms and legs were covered. He noticed one scar on his neck and drew in closer, staring before cautiously running a finger over the mark. Ivan let out a slight moan at the touch and they both jumped back, staring at the other in shock for a split second before Ivan laid back down, a touch of red dusting his cheeks.

"Sorry," he offered softly. "I didn't mean to startle you."

Arthur let out a deep breath, before drawing in closer, his eyes looking over the mark for a second, and he hadn't realized his hand had rested on Ivan's chest as he looked at the mark. It looked deep, the wound seemed to have healed open, exposing a darker color of the flesh below. As he sat up, his hand ran down Ivan's chest, another soft moan making its way from his lips, but this time Arthur didn't startle. He looked curious for a moment before realizing something.

Ivan liked the feeling of his hand against his chest. He frowned, looking down at his own chest. He hadn't noticed any sort of sensitivity like that in himself. Arthur ran a hand down his own skin, not feeling anything to gain a similar reaction. Ivan watched, amused at the scene and shook his head, sliding his own hand up Arthur's chest and noticed him still, taking in a deep breath at the touch.

"Sometimes things are only felt properly if it's someone else touching," he spoke and Arthur nodded, understanding.

"I still don't understand. What do you want of me? Why am I looking you over like this?" Arthur asked softly as he stared, his eyes only looking as far as his own knee.

"I want you to know me better. To understand everything of me like this. If you can become more familiar with me, you can become more comfortable around me, da? That's what I want." Ivan watched as Arthur frowned.

"You want me... to become comfortable with you?" Arthur asked with a skeptical tone as he stared down at Ivan, who nodded.

"I would like for you to not have fear of touching me. Even my hand you shake at. You trembled before you laid your hand on my chest. I want you to learn to be comfortable in doing such things." He watched as Arthur frowned.

"But why? What do you expect me to start doing?" Arthur asked, this time with a bit more fear as Ivan sat up, turning on Arthur and laying him down on the bed. Arthur startled, thinking he was about to be punished for his question before Ivan leaned down, licking his neck. Arthur shivered at the sensation before wincing as fingers tightened over a nipple on his chest.

"I want you to learn how to make me shake with anticipation when you walk into a room," Ivan growled out as his hands slid down Arthur's sides, then his thighs. "I want you to learn how to act, how to behave, and how to please me. I want you to want me to enjoy our time together." He gently leaned down, kissing Arthur. This time, instead of the heated passion of the last time, it was soft, just lips ghosting over his own and Arthur's head swam with sensation.

He panicked as he realized Ivan didn't even have to touch him below the waist now. Just the attention to other parts of him worked instead. Arthur grasped Ivan's shoulders in a blind panic and yelled.

He hadn't meant to. He honestly didn't intend to let out a spell, but he had and Ivan was knocked out cold. Arthur wasn't fairing much better, his energy instantly spent and as Arthur realized what he'd done, he started to panic further.

What was he going to do?! He slid out from under Ivan with a bit of effort and stumbled back, staring. He turned to the window, realizing now would probably be his best time to escape and ran over, looking outside to find another ship, similar to the one he was on, behind them, and no land to be seen.

He turned back to Ivan and shivered.

If he didn't leave now, he'd be punished.

He ran over and grabbed a robe from the back of the door, one of the only things that wouldn't just fall off of him, and opened the window with a gasp before looking down at the water. He stilled and swallowed hard before jumping.

He hit the water hard, and struggled afterward to get back to the surface. The pull of the water from the movement of the ship was difficult to stay above, but he started swimming as soon as he was sure he wouldn't be pulled under again. He heard some yelling and started swimming faster in an attempt to get away, but he found out quickly that the others were faster and they reached him in only a few minutes before dragging him to the second ship, hoisting him, as well as the man who swam after him, with a rope.

"You alright, dude?" the guy asked, staring at Arthur with wide blue eyes, golden hair clinging to his face. "How drunk are you? You were swimming into open waters! Sharks could have eaten you!" His body shook from the chill of the water and Arthur cried out, trying to run back to the side of the ship, only to be tackled halfway there by another man.

"He's lost it, si? The trip must have been too hard on him," he spoke with a thick accent Arthur couldn't recognize.

"Let me die..." Arthur sobbed out as he tried to claw his way over, digging his nails into the wood of the floor as the blue eyed man waved a hand and stepped through a shadow that seemed to seep from his hand before coming back with the red haired man he'd met twice before.

"Please, just run me through! Let me die! He'll kill me if I go back!" Arthur struggled still and Vladimir, after hearing the voice and seeing the boy, frowned, walking over and grabbed him by the throat.

"Where is Ivan?!"

"I didn't mean to! It was an accident!" Arthur sobbed out, shaking like a leaf and the blond man's eyes widened.

"Vlad, come on," he called, his voice now deeper in panic as they ran through the shadow, finding Ivan unconscious. Vladimir felt him over, finding nothing wrong, but he wouldn't wake.

"Chain this little shit up." Vladimir turned to the blond with a frown. "The hook on the ceiling. I don't know how you escaped-"

"He released my hands. He started- I didn't mean to! It was an accident!" he repeated and Vladimir punched him in the stomach, causing Arthur to vomit, only bile and blood coming up.

"Don't say another word, unless it's to fix what you've done, or if asked a question," Vladimir nearly yelled and Arthur, now quaking in pain, nodded. "What kind of spell did you use?"

"I don't know," Arthur answered honestly. This had never happened before.

This had been a wrong answer, though, and Vladimir punched him again, this time in the side of the head. Arthur spat, hearing a clink as he realized a tooth had been knocked out.

The next two hours were hell. Every time Arthur failed to say what kind of spell he used, Vladimir would hit him again. After an hour and a half, he pulled out small throwing knives, stabbing into Arthur's arms and legs, making sure to avoid lethal areas. His feet were nailed to the floor and his hands were stabbed through, one sword through both hands, and each knife used remained where it had been impaled.

"I'll be back in the morning. If you're still alive, we'll start again," Vladimir growled as he walked from the room, the blue eyed man with him staring in horror at the boy before following alongside his friend. The door closed and Arthur passed out, the pain growing too strong.

Arthur woke to a bucket of cold water being splashed over him. "Time for round two." Vladimir snarled out, and this time no one accompanied him.

Arthur stared, horrified. His whole body hurt already. The knives burned beneath his skin. The sword was heavy enough that it cut through his hands with the gravity against it. His legs were practically useless, as he could feel the swelling around the nails in his feet, eight in each. The skin was swelling, ripping over the heads of the nails.

"Kill me..." Arthur groaned out, barely able to keep his eyes open, even after just waking up. "I don't know," he mumbled before Vladimir punched him in the stomach again, more blood coming up, but now he didn't even have the strength to tighten the muscle before the blow. He immediately fell unconscious again. Another bucket of water later, he was awake again, and the process was repeated for hours.

After another fun round of knifes to the thighs and arms, Arthur quaked with fear when he heard Ivan groan, finally waking up.

"Kill... me..." Arthur begged again one last time, but he realized Vladimir was already gone, having run to Ivan's side.

"You're finally awake! Are you alright? Do you need anything?" he asked, assisting Ivan in sitting up. Ivan sat slowly, rubbing sleep from his eyes before glancing around the room and spotting Arthur.

By now it was probably twenty nails in each foot, thirty knives stabbed through his flesh, his face and stomach both black and blue from the beatings. Ivan stared, looking him over and slid a hand over his mouth. At first Vladimir was afraid he'd screwed up before Ivan's shoulders started trembling, a childish giggle heard through the room. Vladimir stared, his eyes widening in surprise as he looked at the man who within seconds' laugh was booming in the small room.

Vladimir didn't know the truth about what happened, but he suddenly knew he had to be afraid.

Ivan had changed since he'd been knocked out, and not for the better.