Work Text:
“Lovely day to it…?” Arthur had greeted awkwardly.
“Are you joking? It’s been shitty all day!” The kid laughed, bending down to pick up his ball. “Haven’t you noticed the drops of water falling from the sky? Going to be shitty tonight too.”
“You’re right… it had been rather a shit day.” He smiles, finally letting himself relax in the rain. He looks back down at the kid, he looked so familiar, but why? There was something about his face that reminded Arthur of someone but who? “Why is it going to be a shit night?”
“Because it’s raining so hard the roof is going to leak and Dad can’t find the leak.” He complains. “It’s annoying having to listen to the water drip into pans.”
“That would be shitty.” He nods. He thinks for a moment, maybe he could use this as a way to get out of the rain. “Maybe I can help find the leak…?”
“What, are you a roofer?” The child tilts his head in confusion.
“Well…not exactly. But I know how to fix leaks- even hard to find ones!” Arthur quickly explains.
“Well, I guess you can talk to Dad then.” The kid shrugs and starts walking up the dirt road.
Arthur followed after him, keeping pace behind him. He was still trying to figure out why this kid was so familiar looking. There was something about his nose and his ears that were just a bit too big for his head. There were a few differences in his features he didn’t recognize. He obviously was the child was someone he knew. He racked his brain for who he thought he looked like.
The kid dropped his ball to kick along the road ahead of him. The child looked older than he sounded but then Arthur had no way of knowing how kids normally were. Was this how children are? He hadn’t seen one in… eighteen years?
“So… what do your parents do for work?” Arthur awkwardly asks.
“Dad’s a translator and Mum’s a nurse.” He kicks the ball. “It makes it hard pretend to be sick to skip school though.”
“I can imagine.” He chuckles.
“Well, Mister, what do you do?” He glances up at Arthur with recognizable blue eyes. Who was it ?
“Oh I’m, uh, I’m a reporter.” Arthur answers. Was he still a reporter? He had technically quit his job when he ran away.
“A reporter who can fix roofs?” The kid looked up at him skeptically.
“I can have other skills not involved with reporting.” Arthur huffed indignantly.
The kid laughed, cracking a smile at him. “You’re odd, Mister.”
“My name is Arthur. Mister makes me sound old.” He gives a small smile.
“That’s my name too!” The kid said. “Arthur Joseph. But my parents call me AJ for short.”
Arthur smiles, what a small world it was to find something with the same name as him. Although, he supposed ‘Arthur’ was a fairly common English name for boys. AJ picks up his ball as the two neared an old cottage. The door opened and a man stepped out and suddenly Arthur knew who the child looked like.
He looked like Percy.
“Arthur Joseph Hastings, where have you…where have you been?” Percy scolds, hands on his hips. “And where are your shoes and…and jacket? Haven’t you noticed t-the drops of water falling from the… falling from the sky?”
“It’s only drizzling.” AJ says innocently as he walks up to him.
“Only drizzling ?” Percy raised a brow.
The stern look only lasted a few seconds before cracking into a smile and the two were laughing. He ruffled AJ’s damp ginger hair when he was close enough, snickering when his son ducked away. Percy’s smile fell as he glanced up and spotted Arthur.
“AJ, go inside.” Percy said quickly.
“What? Why?” AJ’s brows furrowed, clearly confused by his father’s change in attitude.
“Just… go get dried off and…and help your mum with sup-supper.” Percy kept his eyes on Arthur the entire time.
Still confused, AJ wondered inside to do as he was told. Arthur tentatively stepped forward as he took in his brother’s appearance. He was so much older than the last time he saw him. Yet he looked the same at the same time; same mess of black curls and soft blue eyes that hardened as he glared at Arthur. His nose was slightly cooked with a scar across the bridge that wrecked as he made a face of disdain.
“P-Percy, I-”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Percy snaps, cutting him off. “It’s been… it’s been eighteen years, Arthur.”
“I know, I… I came looking for you.” He awkwardly explained.
“What? Did you think you could just… you could just waltz back i-into my life?” Percy crossed his arms. He was trying to seem stern but it was obvious he was upset and trying to hide some recollected hurt.
“No I…” He sighs deeply. “I came to apologize. I am so so sorry, Percy. For everything. I shouldn’t have tricked you like that and you have every right to be angry and to never want to talk to me again. I just… I just needed to know you were okay.”
“Why? Why now? It’s been e-eighteen years.” To anyone else, it would seem like Percy’s expression didn’t change, but Arthur could see the shine of unleashed tears in his brother’s eyes. Percy opened his mouth and closed his mouth before forcing out his words. “W-why did you d-do- do it?”
“I wish I had an answer for you...” Arthur looks away. He wished he had more time to figure out what happened. He hadn’t expected to run into Percy so soon, and yet, here he was. “My memory is all fucked up because of Joy and I genuinely can’t remember.”
“I can’t hear you.” He says it almost too softly for Arthur to hear.
“It’s a lot to explain…” Arthur looks away guiltily.
A silence fell over the brother, the only sound coming from the rain beating down around them. Percy leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest. Arthur could hear voices coming from deeper into the home; AJ’s voice was one of them and the other was a woman with an accent he couldn’t recognize. He assumed she had to be Percy’s wife. He couldn’t believe it, Percy was married and had a child.
Said wife came around the corner into the entry hall to come over to Percy.
“Percy? Is everything okay?” She came up behind him, resting her hand on his shoulder.
She was tall, taller than most women she met in Wellington, heavy set and dark skin. Her stomach was noticeably round under her sweater. Was she…pregnant? It had been a while since Arthur had seen a pregnant woman but that was the closest thing he could think of.
“Everything’s…Everything’s fine, Evie.” He smiles over at her, visibly relaxing in her presence. He glances over at Arthur and gestures to him. “It seems we have a guest joining us for supper.”
“Oh, AJ mentioned he met someone who could fix the roof.” Evie looked over at Arthur.
Percy smiles and nods. He gestured to Arthur who didn’t need to be told twice. He was just happy to get out of the rain. He would do his best to fix the leak, anything to get on his brother’s good side. Or at the very least help him out. He didn’t even mind that Percy was watching him like a hawk as he stepped into the cottage; it was fair for him to be wary of letting him in. He was just glad Percy was okay and made a life for himself out here and had a family of his own. A part of him hoped he could be a part of that family but he wouldn’t hold his breath.
As Arthur watched Percy talk with his son, lightly scolding him about swearing, he finally let himself relax. Though he still has one question.
“Did you name your son after me?”
And when Percy quickly denied the claim, he knew. Percy was always a terrible liar.