Alfred hesitated, then pressed close again. “Yeah...”
“Come on. What flavor do you want?”
Alfred smiled. “Our usual. One scoop chocolate, one scoop maple.”
-----
By the time he got to the end of a sentence, he couldn't really remember how it had started. Ivan gave up trying to read and tossed the newspaper aside. He wasn't in the mood for news, anyway.
He wasn't going to work, though. He had decided. No work until tomorrow morning, he was taking a day off.
It was bizarre. What the hell was he supposed to do with himself?
Ivan retrieved the newspaper and attempted the crossword puzzle. After filling in three words, he stood and shuffled over to the window to gaze out at the fog. What appropriate weather for his mood. But he could only watch the blanket of gray for so long before moving away to find something else to do.
He tried watching television, browsing the internet, snacking, plotting the murder of people he didn't like, and even contemplated a bath or a nap. It was like the fog had settled on his soul instead of the land. He just couldn't concentrate on or enjoy anything. Ivan finally gave up and approached his bar, scowling when he realized how low he had gotten on booze. Someone would have to go to the store. Or he could go to a... no. No bars.
Ivan was considering a nap much more seriously when a knock came at the door. He didn't even bother seeing who it was before pulling the door open—he didn't really care if it was an enemy.
It was Alfred, looking sheepish and carrying a bouquet of sunflowers.
“Al...” Ivan had to remind himself of how they had parted, though all he wanted to do was hug Alfred tight and not let go.
“Hey.” Alfred didn't quite look at Ivan. “Um, I know you said you didn't want me just dropping by...”
“It's all right,” Ivan said. “I'm pretty much alone here.”
“Oh, okay. Good. Um...”
They stood in awkward silence, looking everywhere but at each other for a long moment.
“Vanya...”
Ivan looked up, heart pounding. Alfred was still using his nickname... “Yes?”
“I'm sorry!” Alfred finally said, tears filling his eyes. “I'm sorry.”
“Don't cry.” Ivan tugged Alfred into his arms. “Don't ever cry. I'm sorry, too.”
“I didn't mean what I said! Well, maybe a little, but not in a bad way, and I'm sorry I act like a kid sometimes, and ruin your clothes, I won't do anything childish anymore and-”
“Shh,” Ivan said. “Don't, Al. Don't change. Maybe use some common sense, but don't try and change. Well, maybe a little, if you want.”
Alfred just sniffled. When Ivan pulled back to kiss him, he couldn't help but notice how red his eyes were. It made Ivan's heart ache to think of Alfred crying so much because of him. “I love you.”
Alfred's smile melted the fog in Ivan's soul. “I love you, too. And this is great!”
Ivan returned the smile. “It is?”
“We fought! If a couple can make it past the first fight, they can make it past anything.”
“Oh.” Ivan couldn't help but laugh. “Is that how it works?”
Alfred nodded, setting the bouquet aside. “And... and I'll pay for the clothes.”
“Oh, don't worry about that.”
“I insist! How much were they?”
Ivan coughed. “About nineteen hundred...”
“Each?”
“Yes.”
“Dollars?”
“Yes.”
"Oh... So, uh... Do you want a blowjob?”
“Er.” Ivan blinked. “Now?”
“Whenever.”
“Is that in payment for the suits?”
Alfred chuckled. “Maybe.”
“That's a lot of blowjobs.”
Alfred laughed some more, until his eyes happened to fall on Ivan's hands and he gasped. “What happened?” He lifted one of his hands to peer more closely at the skinned knuckles.
“Um.” Ivan tugged the hand back. “Well, I was upset the other day, and punched, uh... a wall.”
Alfred grimaced. “Don't do that.”
“I won't do it again. So come, sit down.”
Alfred bounced over to the couch with his usual enthusiasm, warming Ivan further. Had he actually yelled at Alfred for being childish?
“Oh!” Alfred picked up the bundle of leopard print fabric that had been slung over the back of the couch. “You've been wearing the Snuggie?”
Bratva 14b/??
Alfred shoved Matthew's arm away. “Shut up.”
“See? You are being childish.”
Alfred hesitated, then pressed close again. “Yeah...”
“Come on. What flavor do you want?”
Alfred smiled. “Our usual. One scoop chocolate, one scoop maple.”
-----
By the time he got to the end of a sentence, he couldn't really remember how it had started. Ivan gave up trying to read and tossed the newspaper aside. He wasn't in the mood for news, anyway.
He wasn't going to work, though. He had decided. No work until tomorrow morning, he was taking a day off.
It was bizarre. What the hell was he supposed to do with himself?
Ivan retrieved the newspaper and attempted the crossword puzzle. After filling in three words, he stood and shuffled over to the window to gaze out at the fog. What appropriate weather for his mood. But he could only watch the blanket of gray for so long before moving away to find something else to do.
He tried watching television, browsing the internet, snacking, plotting the murder of people he didn't like, and even contemplated a bath or a nap. It was like the fog had settled on his soul instead of the land. He just couldn't concentrate on or enjoy anything. Ivan finally gave up and approached his bar, scowling when he realized how low he had gotten on booze. Someone would have to go to the store. Or he could go to a... no. No bars.
Ivan was considering a nap much more seriously when a knock came at the door. He didn't even bother seeing who it was before pulling the door open—he didn't really care if it was an enemy.
It was Alfred, looking sheepish and carrying a bouquet of sunflowers.
“Al...” Ivan had to remind himself of how they had parted, though all he wanted to do was hug Alfred tight and not let go.
“Hey.” Alfred didn't quite look at Ivan. “Um, I know you said you didn't want me just dropping by...”
“It's all right,” Ivan said. “I'm pretty much alone here.”
“Oh, okay. Good. Um...”
They stood in awkward silence, looking everywhere but at each other for a long moment.
“Vanya...”
Ivan looked up, heart pounding. Alfred was still using his nickname... “Yes?”
“I'm sorry!” Alfred finally said, tears filling his eyes. “I'm sorry.”
“Don't cry.” Ivan tugged Alfred into his arms. “Don't ever cry. I'm sorry, too.”
“I didn't mean what I said! Well, maybe a little, but not in a bad way, and I'm sorry I act like a kid sometimes, and ruin your clothes, I won't do anything childish anymore and-”
“Shh,” Ivan said. “Don't, Al. Don't change. Maybe use some common sense, but don't try and change. Well, maybe a little, if you want.”
Alfred just sniffled. When Ivan pulled back to kiss him, he couldn't help but notice how red his eyes were. It made Ivan's heart ache to think of Alfred crying so much because of him. “I love you.”
Alfred's smile melted the fog in Ivan's soul. “I love you, too. And this is great!”
Ivan returned the smile. “It is?”
“We fought! If a couple can make it past the first fight, they can make it past anything.”
“Oh.” Ivan couldn't help but laugh. “Is that how it works?”
Alfred nodded, setting the bouquet aside. “And... and I'll pay for the clothes.”
“Oh, don't worry about that.”
“I insist! How much were they?”
Ivan coughed. “About nineteen hundred...”
“Each?”
“Yes.”
“Dollars?”
“Yes.”
"Oh... So, uh... Do you want a blowjob?”
“Er.” Ivan blinked. “Now?”
“Whenever.”
“Is that in payment for the suits?”
Alfred chuckled. “Maybe.”
“That's a lot of blowjobs.”
Alfred laughed some more, until his eyes happened to fall on Ivan's hands and he gasped. “What happened?” He lifted one of his hands to peer more closely at the skinned knuckles.
“Um.” Ivan tugged the hand back. “Well, I was upset the other day, and punched, uh... a wall.”
Alfred grimaced. “Don't do that.”
“I won't do it again. So come, sit down.”
Alfred bounced over to the couch with his usual enthusiasm, warming Ivan further. Had he actually yelled at Alfred for being childish?
“Oh!” Alfred picked up the bundle of leopard print fabric that had been slung over the back of the couch. “You've been wearing the Snuggie?”
Ivan nodded. “When I've been cold.”