Chapter Text
Beep.
Sigh.
Beep.
The guy in front of him burps.
Beep.
"Next," the old lady behind the counter drawls.
Arthur moves forward a whole two inches before coming to a stop. He finds himself wondering why only one cash register is open when there are at least five people in front of him and three behind him. Then he wonders why so many people are at Wal-Mart at two in the morning to begin with, because who does that? Oh. Right, apparently he does.
He lets out a short sigh and closes his eyes. If he tries hard enough, he almost feels as if he's at home, sleeping in his bed.
"Aw, cheer up, mate. It's not that bad," Arthur hears a voice close by his ear and turns around.
He stares at the man for several minutes - partly because he's so tired and a little slow - but also because the man is the most gorgeous he's ever seen. He's tall, not much taller than Arthur, and lanky but has a strong build which is visible through his brown jacket and red shirt underneath. Arthur's eyes travel up, past the blue scarf (and really, nobody should look that good in a bloody scarf), where he sees full lips stretching over a wide, toothy grin that seems to radiate the sun. The man has mile high cheekbones and eyes so blue and clear, Arthur can practically feel himself fall into them.
The man is saying something and Arthur startles himself out of his daze. "What? Oh, right. I'm not sure how it could get much worse. This is torture."
"Well, you obviously haven't been here for the three o'clock rush, then," the man jokes with a quick laugh.
"Really? Do you frequent this place often, then?" Arthur asks with a raised eyebrow and a mocking tone.
The man smiles and nods, "Unfortunately, I am what one considers a regular." He pushes Arthur when the hint of laugh starts to appear in Arthur's face. "Don't judge, you prat! You don't know me."
Arthur stops laughing and looks seriously at the man. He thinks to himself he wouldn't mind that much if he did know more about this man.
"Alright then, stop the whole mysterious act, why are you here?" he asks the man.
The man's smile vanishes and he pulls on a serious face, he shakes his head slightly and says, "Oh no, I can't tell you. It's a secret. Plus I don't tell my personal business to dollopheads like yourself." The corners of his mouth pull up, giving his serious facade away.
"Dollophead? That's not even a word."
"It is now. You see, all the insults in the world wouldn't be able to perfectly describe you so I had to come up with a new one. Just for you." He winks and grins after the last bit.
Arthur laughs and quickly stops because he can't remember the last time he's genuinely laughed and felt this comfortable with someone.
The man just looks at Arthur for a moment before saying, "You know, you should laugh more often." He leans in, closer to Arthur. "You look quite good when you do."
Arthur feels his cheeks burning and gives a shaky laugh.
Whatever he was about to say is interrupted by the old lady snapping, "Look, boys, are you just going to stand there or are you gonna put your stuff up here so I can ring you up?"
Arthur jumps and quickly puts his two items on the counter. He gives the lady a small smile, "Sorry." He pulls his wallet out to get his money. He can hear the man chuckling behind him as he gets his things. Arthur gives one look over his shoulder and a small wave to the mysteriously good looking man before walking outside.
The cold, morning breeze hits him fast and he shudders as he makes his way to his car. He hears footsteps and sees someone fall into step next to him.
"Didn't want to leave without saying a proper goodbye," the man said, slightly out of breath in the wintry air. Arthur comes to a stop as he reaches his car and smiles at the man.
Before he can say anything the man gives one last bright smile and says, "Do try not to be such a prat in the future." He walks past Arthur, brushing shoulders. "I'll see you around," is the last thing he says before he slips around a corner of the building and into the dark morning.
Arthur's left standing in the cold, a whispered "See you" lost in the wind, but he doesn't mind. He's still filled with warmth from the other man's goodbye. He gets in his car and goes home. And if he doesn't stop smiling throughout the day, well he blames it on the lack of sleep.