“They are good, thank you.” Ivan did not speak much about them, really. And Alfred had yet to meet them. Well, the older one didn't live in America, so that made sense at least. “And your brother?”
“He's doing great!” Alfred grinned. Ivan had been right about Mattie; he hadn't gloated at all upon finding out about Alfred quitting. He had been too relieved and thrilled to be smug. And he was happily cutting back on expenses, not knowing his education was taken care of. Alfred still hadn't figured out how to tell him that the boyfriend who barely knew Matthew was paying for it...
He smiled fondly at Ivan for a moment, then perked up as he remembered. “I have something for you!”
“Something?” Ivan asked with that little smile he always wore.
“A gift!”
“Oh? What's the occasion?”
“No occasion.” Alfred tugged the gift—nicely wrapped in the only non-specific-occasion paper he could find, which featured teddy bears—out of his bag and handed it over. “I just wanted to get you a present.”
“Well isn't that sweet.” Ivan lightly shook the present near his ear, then tore into the paper.
Alfred chattered on while Ivan did that. “Because you don't like the cold, and it can get cold here, and I thought it'd be nice if you had something else you treasured like your scarf...”
Ivan lifted the box out of its wrappings and looked at it, smile growing strained. “A Snuggie.”
“Yeah!” Alfred grinned at him. “And it's tiger striped! Like... like Siberian tigers.”
Ivan studied the box. “Would not a robe serve the same purpose?”
Alfred's face fell. Didn't Ivan like it? “Oh. I guess...”
A brief flicker of horror crossed Ivan's face. “Ah! No, sorry, I mean... Thank you. I will wear it all winter. In the house.”
Alfred brightened again. “Oh, it doesn't have to just be in the home, in the commercials the people-”
“Thank you, Al,” Ivan repeated. He set the box aside and reached across the table to take Alfred's hand. “That was very thoughtful of you.”
Alfred's smile grew. This date was going well!
And because he thought that, when he tugged his hand away from Ivan to pick up his wineglass, it knocked into Ivan's, sending the ruby liquid right onto the Russian's lap. On what was presumably a very expensive suit.
Shit.
“Oh god! I'm so sorry!” Alfred sprang out of his chair, intent on getting some damp napkins from the bathroom. But that was not meant to be either, as he ran straight into a waiter hard enough to send them tumbling to the floor. Alfred winced, feeling something slimy the waiter had been carrying now in his hair, dripping down his face.
The restaurant had gone very quiet as everyone stared at him. Alfred's face heated and he tried to will his body to die. He tried even harder to will his eyes to not fill with hot, stinging tears. He stood, brushing himself off, not looking at Ivan. Oh god, their relationship had been going so well, so wonderfully, Alfred couldn't stand thinking of it ending, but what else would happen after he ruined an expensive suit and humiliated him...
He could see Ivan staring at him out of the corner of his eye, jaw hanging open. Alfred turned to him to apologize, but before he could, Ivan burst into laughter.
Alfred's own jaw dropped. Ivan was... laughing.
At him... But still laughing.
“Ivan?”
It was something of a disappointment that his laughter trailed off. “Come...” Ivan's smile fell as he turned to glare at the restaurant in general. The other patrons slowly looked away, returning to their own conversations. Alfred quickly apologized to the waiter he had run into before following Ivan to the restroom.
“Oh god...” Alfred said again. “I am so, so sorry, the evening was going so well, I'm such a-”
“Shh.” Ivan glanced down at his ruined clothes. “I have a good dry cleaner.”
“Can he get that out?” Alfred asked in a small voice, daring to hope.
“If he knows what's good for him.”
Alfred gave a wavering smile. “I hope so. Oh, eugh, what the hell is that...” He wiped at the slime on his face, grimacing.
“It would appear to be ganache and berry sauce,” Ivan said. “You have cake on your head.”
“Oh. That's not so bad.”
“No.” Ivan leaned over to lick Alfred's cheek. “You taste good.”
Bratva 8d/??
“He's doing great!” Alfred grinned. Ivan had been right about Mattie; he hadn't gloated at all upon finding out about Alfred quitting. He had been too relieved and thrilled to be smug. And he was happily cutting back on expenses, not knowing his education was taken care of. Alfred still hadn't figured out how to tell him that the boyfriend who barely knew Matthew was paying for it...
He smiled fondly at Ivan for a moment, then perked up as he remembered. “I have something for you!”
“Something?” Ivan asked with that little smile he always wore.
“A gift!”
“Oh? What's the occasion?”
“No occasion.” Alfred tugged the gift—nicely wrapped in the only non-specific-occasion paper he could find, which featured teddy bears—out of his bag and handed it over. “I just wanted to get you a present.”
“Well isn't that sweet.” Ivan lightly shook the present near his ear, then tore into the paper.
Alfred chattered on while Ivan did that. “Because you don't like the cold, and it can get cold here, and I thought it'd be nice if you had something else you treasured like your scarf...”
Ivan lifted the box out of its wrappings and looked at it, smile growing strained. “A Snuggie.”
“Yeah!” Alfred grinned at him. “And it's tiger striped! Like... like Siberian tigers.”
Ivan studied the box. “Would not a robe serve the same purpose?”
Alfred's face fell. Didn't Ivan like it? “Oh. I guess...”
A brief flicker of horror crossed Ivan's face. “Ah! No, sorry, I mean... Thank you. I will wear it all winter. In the house.”
Alfred brightened again. “Oh, it doesn't have to just be in the home, in the commercials the people-”
“Thank you, Al,” Ivan repeated. He set the box aside and reached across the table to take Alfred's hand. “That was very thoughtful of you.”
Alfred's smile grew. This date was going well!
And because he thought that, when he tugged his hand away from Ivan to pick up his wineglass, it knocked into Ivan's, sending the ruby liquid right onto the Russian's lap. On what was presumably a very expensive suit.
Shit.
“Oh god! I'm so sorry!” Alfred sprang out of his chair, intent on getting some damp napkins from the bathroom. But that was not meant to be either, as he ran straight into a waiter hard enough to send them tumbling to the floor. Alfred winced, feeling something slimy the waiter had been carrying now in his hair, dripping down his face.
The restaurant had gone very quiet as everyone stared at him. Alfred's face heated and he tried to will his body to die. He tried even harder to will his eyes to not fill with hot, stinging tears. He stood, brushing himself off, not looking at Ivan. Oh god, their relationship had been going so well, so wonderfully, Alfred couldn't stand thinking of it ending, but what else would happen after he ruined an expensive suit and humiliated him...
He could see Ivan staring at him out of the corner of his eye, jaw hanging open. Alfred turned to him to apologize, but before he could, Ivan burst into laughter.
Alfred's own jaw dropped. Ivan was... laughing.
At him... But still laughing.
“Ivan?”
It was something of a disappointment that his laughter trailed off. “Come...” Ivan's smile fell as he turned to glare at the restaurant in general. The other patrons slowly looked away, returning to their own conversations. Alfred quickly apologized to the waiter he had run into before following Ivan to the restroom.
“Oh god...” Alfred said again. “I am so, so sorry, the evening was going so well, I'm such a-”
“Shh.” Ivan glanced down at his ruined clothes. “I have a good dry cleaner.”
“Can he get that out?” Alfred asked in a small voice, daring to hope.
“If he knows what's good for him.”
Alfred gave a wavering smile. “I hope so. Oh, eugh, what the hell is that...” He wiped at the slime on his face, grimacing.
“It would appear to be ganache and berry sauce,” Ivan said. “You have cake on your head.”
“Oh. That's not so bad.”
“No.” Ivan leaned over to lick Alfred's cheek. “You taste good.”