Chapter Text
[A]
Shit, shit, shit…
A banana peel, an Arizona can—another tie! Where could this sock possibly be?!
Alfred rummaged through his drawers, he dived his hands deep into the space of never-ending vacuum of clothes. He fiddled his finger before sensing a specific texture of his socks that he would always wear for formal occasions.
“There you are, you little shit”
The job was high paying to be rejected and given up easily. In terms, of course, he had to change his place to California ever since Arthur had got him fired by exposing his digital footprint, involuntarily. Though, he had been seen ecstatic since he never liked his boss anyway. The man would sleaze here and there, perving at women’s skirts like Alfred doesn’t do it too but it wasn’t as bad as his former boss. Now he’s currently working in this raggedy building filled with gnarly residents.
He started to caress the left side of his hair with cheap gel he found off of the dollar store, where he fought a redneck asshole who was trying to buy the last gel to test it with his “pubes”. Surprisingly, the thick gel was cold and hugged the hair to the scalp softly and tightly. Looking like the perfect American actor was his goal.
Alfred took out his phone; the clock has abruptly hit a quarter after 8. He hadn’t realized despite his body urging to get a grasp of his briefcase and skedaddle to the building.
Fingers trembling to snatch that phone to check for Toly’s messages sent recently; his device has been buzzing the entire morning. His mind wanders almost too deep, before slapping himself out of the spiral and prepared himself to go.
[I]
Ivan brought up himself to Oregon. He never thought he could make it to the States that far. The U.S. really met up to his expectations of a cromulent living space of colors and life, or at least for now. He’s got used to the bizarre feeling of warmth and friendliness in the diverse country.
Back in Russia, denizens of workplace or organizations were the epitome of the color ‘grey’. They were soulless. They would blame anyone who reeked of any form of individuality or acceptance of their true selves.
It was rather harsh on Ivan, who grew up being the timid kid who refused to follow the standards of beauty and masculinity of young boys. The youth was quite humiliating for him—he had acne, silver head of hair which wasn’t popularized as much as in the west and a bigger body than the other kids who were typically more shaped.
It remained till his senior year of high school which he had got inspired in American culture. He attempted to persuade Olya to let him go abroad in desperation. Of course, she couldn’t let him off in a country where she’s unfamiliar with, also having to do with Natalia’s freshman year exam fees. Such a terrific price for first year of high school for a sharp girl and quick-witted to file a complaint.
What a shame… Ivan waited in ennui till he finished the mortifying years of the Moscow Finance Institute back in Russian Federation. Ivan unexpectedly turned out to be a prodigy in financing and understanding the general marketplace, which led to him being able to travel to the U.S. financially.
[A]
Tolys: Yo dude felix told me there’s a new employee coming heard he’s RUSSIAN lol
Tolys: ur deepest darkest enemy of history lala
He faces to the sky as he groaned in disbelief. Alfred was expecting a cute girl, perhaps the least would be a Slavic baddie like he saw on Instagram.
Alfred passed by the cars and the cacophony with such a flow as he was late. He lifts his hair in a hurry while scurrying himself to the building elevator in a daze.
Before he would make it, the door closed its lips, slamming it shut in front of his eyes.
Until the door opens once again and his eyes met on an awkward looking guy pressing the button for him in the corner of the room.
The American thanks him in the elevator as it closes and started to try to look fit and clean to the barely clean, stained stainless steel.
He looks over to the guy. He was panting and reciting a litany of pre-phrases for a meeting of some sort when Alfred was still a new marketer.
He felt a bit concerned, so he leered a bit more.
The guy looked huge. He abnormally had platinum blond hair and a genus of Lavandula irises. Red pimples surround his face like honey thirsting wasps pollinating a crowd of sunflowers.
The latter scrambled to memorize his phrases, sweat betraying his nervousness down his temples.
“Dude chill out-“
Ding
Surprisingly, Alfred’s floor reached before the man behind so he swooped out of the elevator before the door closed its mark.
Out of a corridor, Tolys revealed himself to Alfred like a party balloon. His friend broke his gritted teeth before a relaxed face faded in.
“Alf! Oh there you are—Can you put these papers on Wang’s desk?” The Lithuanian hands the pile of papers to the American’s arms.
“Wait he’s not supposed to be getting these this month.”
“Oh yeah he retired. Meant the new guy at the old man’s desk. Anyways thanks, love you bye!”
Alfred looked over at Tolys after he ran off to somewhere, presumably Felix’s.
It’s weird how casual his relationship with Łukasiewicz regardless of the gossip spreading around them. Maybe it’s true. The shorter one was always demanding and Tolys would still stay after that. He was probably his type.
He scoffed off. Then he heads to Wang Yao’s former desk, to be met with an awfully beautiful woman.
“Oh hello there” Alfred welcomes the nubile girl bending over the edge. The pencil skirt shaped her body beautifully.
“I’m sorry—I’m gonna go now.”
Just as she turned away, Alfred cuts in curiously. “What were you doing?”
“Yeah, I was just ---- checking out this new guy”
“Turns out I was too soon I guess.”
He puts the papers down on the table.
“Did you really have to come allll the way from the other building to see, just to be early?”
“I was excited, okay? Plus I heard he was a nervous wreck so I ought to check it y’know?”
…
“Were you trying to harass him or seduce him?”
“Get out”
She leaves the room out of embarrassment with her heels clicking rapidly to the ground.
[ ]
“Gah Damn!! We got a new scheduling!!”
“Yoooo dude check him out”
“Alf”
“Alfred”
“ALFRED”
“wsfw—what??” Alfred stutters his words, subconsciously hitching himself up from the sudden crowd of noise.
“Oh you’re gonna LOVE it when I say the new guy’s huge as hell”
“But not cooler than me of course.”
Wait, is he preferably talking about the guy from the elevator? Or is it just an exchange Gilbert’s talking about?
“Lemme check—”
Alfred grips the panel to stand up, his head turns as his set of vision witnesses the prior figure from the elevator. It was the folk from before but he looked more charming to be exact. The latter was gauche but attracted quite the crowd from his physique. Alfred was unsure people were there to make fun or steal him but all he can say is that he’s cute. Pretty cute. I guess.
The American’s golden skin flushed, reciprocating the man’s soft cheeks which were quite warm from his awkward smile. He never saw him in front of him and now he understands the gaze. His eyes unconsciously staring and dilating till Gilbert interrupts with his lousy voice.
“Ooo someone caught his eye!”
“Perhaps it’s because he’s a rip-off of me!”
Elizabet rolled her eyes regarding to his copes.
“I’m gonna go to him alright?”
Alfred fixed his parted hair and the rim of his dusty glasses to approach the guy.
His heels clicked the floor rhythmically. The silver haired folk turns toward Alfred’s upcoming way to him.
He waves and greets.
“Oh hey! Weren’t you the guy from the elevator?”
“Ye—yeah, my name is Ivan Braginsky. It’s uhh it’s a pleasure to—to meet you..!”
The latter shook hands smoothly. Alfred felt the leather faux that wrapped his palms instead of something bare. Why is this guy wearing gloves for office work?
“Such a pleasure cutie, name’s Alfred.”
“A scheduling manager yes?”
“Mmhm.” Ivan nods.
“My spot is right over there,” He proudly says with his thumbs catering to the back.
“Feel free to come talk whenever”
As he looks back to go, he realizes the two are surrounded by women; Alf sheepishly pushes himself through the barter of curiosity.
“What was that?”
“A normal greeting is fine. I already feel so warm.”
“That was not normal from the big jones”
[I]
Okay…This is my first day of work. I better not mess up.
Ivan thought it would’ve been an easy task to get into the industry here. But had left him to be scrawning for the job acceptance. Never had he ever been to a more sour company. He applied for financing, instead he was barely accepted as a scheduling. It meant that his degree didn’t matter as an objective role, but as a supporting reason why he should be in the workplace unfortunately.
The thought of not being able to get a job in Cali, leading to no nice things, food and starvation really hit him in the head. In his lucky stack of hay, he could pick the needle with wet fingers with ease.
“Uhm, Mr. Braginsky,”
“Your work starts today.”
“Down the hall to the corridor 6A. This young gentleman will show you.”
The woman sneered. She silently nodded and stared with a congratulating face. Then kicked him out of the room.
Ivan nervously walked down the hall, following the man in blue blazers. Hair like one of the edgar kids from Ivan’s preschool but neater and more blond. The fashionable man with glasses leads him down the corridor, hurried down the large room with a sign ‘6A’ before the sad entrance of bargain and stress welcomed him.
Everyone quieted down to glare at Ivan.
The European sounding man pats his shoulder a good luck, hastening to leave the door with a slam. At that very moment that Ivan felt very judged from the look of everyone.
“Oh… hi.”
Then a stack of curious eyes dashed into him.
“Are you like—you know, a mafia!”
“Ooh maybe he’s like into that gruesome stuff!”
“So tough huh” “Is this the scheduler she’s been talkin’ about?”
“Is it big?” “He looks freakishly albino” “Shut up you’re just jealous”
Despite the hunger of the thrill, Ivan does not understand what they mean. He tried to placate the commotion but failed due to the nature of Americans.
It was a room like a typical Slavic classroom. Messy. Disorganized. Yet, so loud. Some chairs even amputees of violent crackers.
He felt like running to the bathroom until the young man from before, seen trotting to his direction. Barraged into the field.
Wow.
Orbs of lapis lazuli with the roof of tawny winds, covered in metal frames that shaped his jaw perfectly. The dominant side of his flaxen hair flawlessly slicking back, parting like the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. His tanned skin was a burning glow of bronze. A natural photogenic he is, Ivan is very envious of him in the first impression.
Ivan felt bamboozled, he’s talking absolutely fast. With enthusiasm too. He couldn’t really make out the words but contextually made it out. He somehow knew what he was saying but his brain in a dysfunction maybe limited to his senses. He felt like he didn’t know what to do, but his body responded like an android.
He noticed ‘Alfred’ liked using names to call instead of former names. In a room of confusion and maybe Natalia would call ‘bigotry’, Alfred was really nice. He invited Ivan to communicate at his space whenever the time’s, which was endearing to him.
Alfred had the charm of adamancy consistently that Ivan never had throughout his life.
In the first minute of joining in the workplace, he gained a few acquaintances so far. They were nice. Fun. And definitely not boring. He loved it. He could probably insist the CEO to promote him to finance to fit his proper etiquette to the degree he’d worked and achieved for supported by a few positive coworkers.
[A]
Damn. The cruelty is so unpredictable. He felt his sternum already beating so fast. He had never felt this way before. So full of innocence, he had never seen a man like that before. Not in California. Not where he lived throughout his childhood.
Maybe a few photos wouldn’t hurt. He wouldn’t notice.