“No kidding...” Matthew straightened up. “I can't believe you never told me he was rich. You've told me about his eyes and his smile like fifty thousand times.”
Alfred shrugged. “It wasn't important.”
“You've told me about parts of his body I didn't need to know about fifty thousand times...”
“You seemed interested at the time!”
Matthew smiled, and Alfred finally relaxed. He wasn't mad! And he wasn't going to argue. “Well, mystery solved, I guess... I should get back home.”
Alfred nodded. “Seeya in the morning, Mattie. Oh, score, someone wants a refill.”
A man approached the bar with empty mug in hand, setting it down. He paused to stare at the brothers.
“Nah, you're cool.” Alfred grinned. “Not seeing double, you can still drink.”
----
How had this happened? How? What deity had Ivan pissed off?
Okay, so he did know how this had started. Alfred had met Toris and Eduard and liked them, that was how it had started. And they had liked Alfred back. And tried getting everyone together to hang out from time to time.
Then some future plans got out where Alfred could overhear, which Ivan would have really preferred he not.
Alfred wanted to go with him.
The argument was now a blur in Ivan's mind, but Alfred had somehow won.
And now Ivan found himself confronting Gilbert Beilschmidt. It was time once again for The Talk. “You owe me two favors.”
The albino cringed. “Yeah, I remember agreeing to that, because I am apparently insane...”
“I am calling one in.”
“Already?” Gilbert straightened, blinking. “Well, all right. What is it?”
I am here for your... grand opening.”
“I can see that.”
Ivan cleared his throat. “I am here with a... friend. Who is not associated with us. He knows nothing about what we do. It will stay that way.” How many times was he going to have this conversation in the future? “I will do whatever it takes to keep him from finding out,” he added.
Gilbert would probably have paled, if he really could. “I'm not gonna tell him!”
“It is not you strolling up and telling him I worry about. It is idle comments made that he overhears. That is how he ended up here in the first place...”
“I won't say a thing! Tonight, it's all business.” Gilbert turned to leave, but paused to glance back at Ivan. “Then we'll be back down to one favor again?”
Ivan nodded.
“Right! My ol' perfectly legal friend Ivan Braginsky is here to see my awesome club!”
“Beilschmidt...”
Gilbert hurried off.
Now Ivan just had to worry about someone else in the club recognizing him. He would just have to hope that men in there would not be interested in chatting with the other patrons. Oh, and he just had to worry about Gilbert being an idiot and slipping up.
Ivan did not like Alfred getting more involved in his work. It was getting to be scary and nerve-wracking. The only reason his little secret had lasted as long as it had was because Alfred was so cheerfully naïve, but how long until Alfred was confronted by undeniable evidence?
“Come on.” Ivan collected Alfred, hoping to get the night over with as quickly as possible.
Why had he agreed to this again?
Why did Alfred have to be excited?
“Yeah, let's go!” Alfred tugged on his sleeve. “I don't want to miss the show.”
Ivan coughed. “It's... it's ongoing.”
“Oh yeah? Well, I haven't been to a place like this before.”
“Good!”
“You're the one taking me.” Alfred grinned.
“It was your idea. I'm only going for a... friend.”
Alfred laughed, clinging to Ivan's arm as they walked into The Red Rose. True to its name, roses and the color red in general featured prominently in the décor. It made Ivan wonder just what The Dollhouse looked like. It looked somewhat higher class than the average strip club, with leather chairs and tasteful decoration, at least.
“Right this way, boys,” Gilbert said, reappearing at their side. “Welcome to my awesome new club! And who is this?”
Ivan gave him his best 'stay the hell away' look, but Alfred cheerfully introduced himself. “Ivan has the coolest friends! Are those your real eyes?”
“No,” Gilbert said smoothly. “I lost mine in battle. These came from a poor white rabbit who should have stayed out of the road.”
Bratva 11b/??
Alfred shrugged. “It wasn't important.”
“You've told me about parts of his body I didn't need to know about fifty thousand times...”
“You seemed interested at the time!”
Matthew smiled, and Alfred finally relaxed. He wasn't mad! And he wasn't going to argue. “Well, mystery solved, I guess... I should get back home.”
Alfred nodded. “Seeya in the morning, Mattie. Oh, score, someone wants a refill.”
A man approached the bar with empty mug in hand, setting it down. He paused to stare at the brothers.
“Nah, you're cool.” Alfred grinned. “Not seeing double, you can still drink.”
----
How had this happened? How? What deity had Ivan pissed off?
Okay, so he did know how this had started. Alfred had met Toris and Eduard and liked them, that was how it had started. And they had liked Alfred back. And tried getting everyone together to hang out from time to time.
Then some future plans got out where Alfred could overhear, which Ivan would have really preferred he not.
Alfred wanted to go with him.
The argument was now a blur in Ivan's mind, but Alfred had somehow won.
And now Ivan found himself confronting Gilbert Beilschmidt. It was time once again for The Talk. “You owe me two favors.”
The albino cringed. “Yeah, I remember agreeing to that, because I am apparently insane...”
“I am calling one in.”
“Already?” Gilbert straightened, blinking. “Well, all right. What is it?”
I am here for your... grand opening.”
“I can see that.”
Ivan cleared his throat. “I am here with a... friend. Who is not associated with us. He knows nothing about what we do. It will stay that way.” How many times was he going to have this conversation in the future? “I will do whatever it takes to keep him from finding out,” he added.
Gilbert would probably have paled, if he really could. “I'm not gonna tell him!”
“It is not you strolling up and telling him I worry about. It is idle comments made that he overhears. That is how he ended up here in the first place...”
“I won't say a thing! Tonight, it's all business.” Gilbert turned to leave, but paused to glance back at Ivan. “Then we'll be back down to one favor again?”
Ivan nodded.
“Right! My ol' perfectly legal friend Ivan Braginsky is here to see my awesome club!”
“Beilschmidt...”
Gilbert hurried off.
Now Ivan just had to worry about someone else in the club recognizing him. He would just have to hope that men in there would not be interested in chatting with the other patrons. Oh, and he just had to worry about Gilbert being an idiot and slipping up.
Ivan did not like Alfred getting more involved in his work. It was getting to be scary and nerve-wracking. The only reason his little secret had lasted as long as it had was because Alfred was so cheerfully naïve, but how long until Alfred was confronted by undeniable evidence?
“Come on.” Ivan collected Alfred, hoping to get the night over with as quickly as possible.
Why had he agreed to this again?
Why did Alfred have to be excited?
“Yeah, let's go!” Alfred tugged on his sleeve. “I don't want to miss the show.”
Ivan coughed. “It's... it's ongoing.”
“Oh yeah? Well, I haven't been to a place like this before.”
“Good!”
“You're the one taking me.” Alfred grinned.
“It was your idea. I'm only going for a... friend.”
Alfred laughed, clinging to Ivan's arm as they walked into The Red Rose. True to its name, roses and the color red in general featured prominently in the décor. It made Ivan wonder just what The Dollhouse looked like. It looked somewhat higher class than the average strip club, with leather chairs and tasteful decoration, at least.
“Right this way, boys,” Gilbert said, reappearing at their side. “Welcome to my awesome new club! And who is this?”
Ivan gave him his best 'stay the hell away' look, but Alfred cheerfully introduced himself. “Ivan has the coolest friends! Are those your real eyes?”
“No,” Gilbert said smoothly. “I lost mine in battle. These came from a poor white rabbit who should have stayed out of the road.”