06 | GOTCHA
If I don't end up with Prince, I have Dorian Gray for back up
Ivan's POV
After completing my shift in the auto-repair shop I work in post school-hours, I cycle back to Hope's house. My shift ends pretty late in the night. It's open 24/7, so I'm usually let out by around seven in the evening. I do have breaks in between, which I spend in the cafe next door completing my homework.
I reach Hope's house and enter through the back door. I'm greeted by Prince pouncing over me. My lips tuck into a smile. Even though I barely know him, my affection towards Prince is undeniable. I could say the only reason I'm still in Hope's house is because of Prince and I wouldn't be lying.
I hold the black cat by his tummy against my chest and stroke his back. He squirms upward and starts licking the side of my face, his claws digging into my collar bone.
I hold the cat away from me. "No licking, okay?" I command sternly. The cat purrs innocently.
Someone ahead of me chuckles. I peer up to see Sebastian Hope sitting on the couch with a whole bunch of dogs around him. I wish I could say that Sebastian's injuries have practically disappeared since last night, but I can't. He's looking at us (Prince and I) and grinning softly.
"This one sure missed you," he says, gesturing at Prince as I walk over to him. I leave my school bag on the floor and take my place on the couch.
"Mom says dinner will be ready in a few." Sebastian looks back at the kitchen. "Do you have any plans for the night?"
I shake my head. Prince is crawling around my neck. He has his forelimbs on my right shoulder and his hindlimbs on my left. The side of his torso is brushing against my hair which is falling on my nape.
"How 'bout I introduce these guys to you?" he asks hesitantly, gesturing at the dogs which are all sitting either on him or beside him.
I smile. "Yeah, sure. I love dogs."
His green eyes light up. Grinning, he picks up a tall elegant dog and places him on the couch.
"This one's usually restless, but he can model for you if you like." Sebastian chuckles. "He's a Saluki, pretty rare down here. But we found him in an adoption center, so yeah."
"What's his name?" I ask, curious about which Harry Potter character resembles this one.
Sebastian strokes the dog on his back. "He's loyal, hardworking and silent. And most of all, good-looking. You can guess this one, can't you?"
My eyes squint. I can't think of any character that matches that description. "I don't know?" I manage. "Draco Malfoy?" He is good-looking. More than just good, to be honest.
Sebastian's eyes widen in shock. "It's Cedric Diggory!" he exclaims. The dog looks at Sebastian expectantly.
"I'm not calling you, boy," he quietly tells Cedric the Dog and then turns his attention back to me. "First, I said 'loyal'. Who's the most popular Hufflepuff in the entire series? Cedric Diggory! And second, Draco isn't even the best-looking guy there. You of all people should know that."
I shrug. "I read those books a long time ago. I don't remember how good he looks."
"So you're saying you haven't seen the movies?" he asks in disbelief.
I shake my head. "Didn't think there was a point when I've already read the original."
He glances at me with appreciation. "Dude, you're like the exact opposite of Lex! He's seen the movies but read none of the books!." He seemed to be in deep thought after this. Then he says â as if it was a revelation in his life." Ugh! Can I switch brothers or something, you're way cooler than him."
I laugh. "I'm pretty sure you're the only one who thinks that. But I didn't expect your asshole brother to read those books either."
"I'm letting you go away with that terrible guess only because you've read the books," Sebastian says, gently picking up another dog. "But if you get this one wrong, I swear, I'll have you sit through the most boring TV program on earth."
"What's the most boring TV program on earth?"
"Basketball," he says blandly.
"Hey!" I shove him on the shoulder, slightly offended. "Basketball is the second-fastest game in the world! People pay to see those legends play."
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he defends himself. "But I still don't get that game. Too many rules."
"And your brother breaks them all the time."
He shrugs nonchalantly. He doesn't like it when his brother is mentioned. "Okay, now guess this one." He points at the German Shepherd that had his forepaws on Sebastian's lap. "Hint: He's a black dog."
I chuckle. "Sirius Black. And I can't believe you thought I wouldn't be able to guess it without a hint," I say, feigning offense.
"You couldn't guess Cedric Diggory. I am offended."
"Is he your favorite character or something?"
"No, Snape is. But he likes you," he points at Prince, who's climbing my head like it's a boulder or something. "But yeah, Diggory comes a close second. Okay, no hint this time."
I nod.
"Those two," he points at two red retrievers. They pull the tablecloth off the table and quickly run away. Mrs Hope looks at the table and sighs.
"This happens every night," she says tiredly to no one in particular. "Bas, would you mind-"
"I'll set the table, Mom," Sebastian cuts her off, getting up from his place. The dogs start yapping when they notice him leave so he turns on the television for them. He flips the channel a couple of times and when he stops, Masterchef Australia is playing on the screen. The dogs stare at the screen, probably salivating from all the beautiful food.
"Dogs like Masterchef?" The two of us lay the tablecloth back on the table, evening the sides.
"Australia that too," he agrees. "Betrayers."
I laugh. I've probably laughed more this evening than I ever have this whole year. I find this rather obscure because I never took Sebastian Hope to be a funny guy. He probably isn't the jester of his class, but spending time with him can never be boring.
"You still have to guess," he says. "Those two dogs who made this whole mess." He points at the tablecloth we just fixed.
"Fred and George, this can't get more obvious."
"I'm not letting you go that easy." Sebastian sits on the chair at the head of the table. "Who's Fred and who's George?" He grins and calls the retrievers to his side.
My eyes widen. "They're practically identical! How am I supposed to do this?"
"Lex can identify them," he adds.
That's all it takes for me to take up the challenge. Anything Hope does, I do ten times better. I examine the dogs and notice one of the dogs has a scar on the right ear. "That's George."
His smile widens. "Yes! Guess you really are better than my brother."
I snort. "That shouldn't even be a question."
He grins. "Not much competition since I already like you better. Oh, and guess who gave Georgie that scar?"
"Georgie?" I tease but Sebastian's looking at me with a serious expression. I wrack my head, trying to remember how George Weasley (the character) lost his ear.
It was a spell... I try to remember what spell it was and who gave it. I've never been a big Potterhead. I read the series, I liked it and it ended there. I wouldn't say I'm a part of the 'fandom'. But I don't want to let Sebastian down. So I think even harder.
"It was a Sectumsempra," I say after excruciating minutes of brain torture. "It's got to be. His ear never healed."
Sebastian nods, eyes glinting. "And?" he urges me to go on, excitement written all over his face.
"Snape cast it, obviously," I continue. "So... Prince did it?" I ask in disbelief. Prince is the most adorable cat I've ever seen. He isn't capable of harming anyone.
"As unbelievable as it seems, yes. George here was welcoming this little guy but your pet thought he was attacking him. Hence the scar," Sebastian explains. "It wasn't very deep though. But I don't think the mark will fade away."
Prince is biting the end of my pants. I pick him up and raise him to my eye-level. "You gave Georgie that scar?" I ask sternly, using the nickname that Sebastian gave. I didn't think Prince would understand me, he's a cat for God's sake, but he does.
He purrs in a whiney way, his whiskers drooping. He looks so innocent, I almost feel bad for accusing him of what he did to Georgie.
I look up at Sebastian. "Are you sure he did it?"
He laughs. "You're so smitten for that cat! Prince isn't as innocent as he seems."
"I'm not smitten." My nose wrinkles at the thought of it. "But this guy is adorable." I turn my attention to the cat and press my forehead against his. "Aren't you, Little Boy?"
"Little Boy?" Sebastian laughs beside me. "He literally injured George on his first day here and you call him adorable?"
I shrug. "It was self-defense. Little Boy here would've been frightened, right?" I ask Prince like he's the cutest child on earth. (He is.)
Prince mews innocently in response. I grin, satisfied. Now I've found my partner-in-crime.
"Dinner is ready!" Mrs Hope calls from inside the kitchen. Sebastian and I set the table and we are served fried chicken along with some mashed potatoes and corn. It's probably the best homemade fried chicken I've ever eaten.
As we eat, Mrs Hope joins us on the table. "How was your day, Ivan?"
"Good, Mrs Hope," I mutter and offer her a smile. "The usual."
"Emelia will do," she says, smiling. One thing I've noticed about the Hope family as a whole is that they all smile at every possible instance. Even Asshole Hope. "How's basketball practice going?"
I almost cringe at the thought of Vinny and the rest of my team. Coach Merton's words about being a better captain start running in my head. "Good," I respond again.
She nods. We talk until dinner gets over. She was basically asking all the questions and I was giving monosyllabic answers. If she felt dissatisfied by my unfulfilling answers, she didn't show it.
I decide to help her with the dishes. At first, she refuses to let me help but eventually gives in to my stubborn arguments. The reason I still have a roof over my head and some food in my stomach is because of the Hopes. A simple 'thank you' isn't enough to show my gratitude to them.
After doing the dishes, I bid Mrs Hope goodbye and I climb up the stairs to my rival's room. As I slide the door open, I see Sebastian sitting against my airbed with a thick blanket in hand. Asshole Hope isn't here yet.
Puzzled, I go over and sit beside him.
"I know the air-mattress can be quite uncomfortable," he starts explaining why he's here. "I mean, sure, I'd rather have you share my bed but Dad isn't okay with that. Something about you influencing his taste in music," he grumbles.
I chuckle slightly, locking eyes with him. "And?" I prod.
"Well, since Lex is too much of a douche to actually share his bed with you, I've got you these thick sheets. And a comfier pillow. I mean, it isn't much but..." his voice trails off. "Lex hates the airbed. He can't sleep on them. But that isn't really an excuse, you know?"
His brother can't adjust on an airbed so he leaves me to it. Wow. That's such an asshole thing to do. Why am I not surprised?
"Thank you," I say sincerely. I still can't figure out why Sebastian's being so kind to me. I'm his brother's rival after all. Either he doesn't care about the Falcon-Wildcat rivalry or he's a genuinely caring person. Whatever his reasons are, I'm still thankful.
"It's nothing," he says. "Also, Prince. Would you mind sharing your bed with him?" He points at my airbed. Prince is curled up against the pillow looking adorable as usual.
"I have no problem at all."
"Of course, who wouldn't mind sharing beds with their soulmate?" He teases me. Then his face lights up with realization. "Uh, I didn't mean it like that."
I laugh. "No worries, I know what you meant."
He smiles. "So I'll leave you to it?"
I nod. Once he leaves, I start making my bed. It's harder than usual because Prince is soundly sleeping and I don't want to disturb him. When I'm almost done tucking the sheets, I hear the window creak open.
I look up immediately and see my rival's silhouette turn into flesh, clothes and phenomenal hair. He abandons his bag on the floor and plops on the bed.
"That's gotta be the best night I've had in ages," he says. His eyes are distant. I spot a hickey on his neck, something that wasn't there yesterday. God, he even smells like a different girl's perfume bottle.
He turns to me and we lock eyes. My gaze is steady as his eyes pierce through mine. We're having a stare-off and I notice the green of his eyes overshadowing the gray parts. I feel my body go momentarily still as my gaze gets steadier.
I don't know how long it goes but I end up winning. He blinks and looks away, grunting. He sees Prince napping on my bed. "Who gave you those?" he gestures at my bed. "The blanket? It's not the one I gave you."
After that stare-off, I don't feel like looking at him again. "Sebastian lent them to me." My eyes stay down.
When I look up at him, I realize his posture has changed. Instead of lying down like before, he's sitting up on the bed and looking at me with concern and some other emotion I cannot make out. "Don't mess with my brother. He has a girlfriend."
Seriously? I'd kick him in the shin if the perfume he was carrying wasn't so overwhelming. My jaws clench. "I told you, the last person I'm going to get involved with is my enemy's brother."
He cocks his eyebrow, still not believing me. "What about Dorian Gray? Are you still in contact with him or what?"
I think I overestimated Hope by calling him stupid. He's utterly brainless. "I don't want to talk about him."
"Of course you don't," he says, wiggling his eyebrows at me. I almost puke. "But will I get to meet him one day? I mean, you know..." he trails off.
"What's your problem, Hope?"
"I don't know. I want to see what kind of guys you like. You know what, tell me yourself. What kind of person is he? More nerdy or more jock-y?"
How do I describe the fictional, hedonistic protagonist of Oscar Wilde's only novel?
I don't. "Not answering."
"Wow, that kid's got you wrapped around his finger," he smiles coyly. "How old is he?"
I laugh. Dorian Gray? Well, he's a twenty-year old guy who didn't age until he died
eighteen years later? Because his soul was trapped in a portrait? The book was first published sometime in the late nineteenth century. If he was alive, Dorian Gray would be at least a hundred and twenty years old now.
If Hope knew this, he'd say I have a Sugar Grand-Daddy.
"You know enough about me," I tell him. I lie down on my bed, tucking myself into the warm sheets Sebastian gave me. "G'night."
"I'm still not letting you go so easily, Petrov. I'll figure it all out one day."
Sure you will.
He opens his cupboard and starts scrambling for clothes. "I'm gonna go take a shower."
"As you should," I mutter, burying myself in the blanket. "You actually stink."
He gives me a puzzled expression and sniffs his shoulder. "No, I do-- Oh wait, you'd rather have me smelling like a man's deodorant instead." He pauses and looks at me again, grinning. "What perfume does Dorian Gray use? I'm sure you've smelt--"
"Nope," I say and cover my head with the blanket. It's thick enough to block the lights. "We're not talking about this right now."
"Right now?" I can practically hear him grinning wickedly. "So another time?"
"Nope."
"Does he smell like mints?"
"Nope."
"Like rosewater?"
What the heck? "Nope."
"Do you even know what he smells like?"
"Nope." I'm going to say this for every question he asks me. He'll get lost.
"You're terrible at lying."
"Nope."
"That wasn't even a question. Describe him in one word."
"Nope."
"Does he play a sport?"
"Nope."
"Does he look better than me?"
"Nope."
A pause. And then, "Gotcha."
xxx
A/N
My sister thinks Ivan would end up with Prince if he wasn't a cat lol