Work Text:
Sometimes, Arthur felt overwhelmed. It's not that big of a deal, usually, it's a discomfort he could push through. But today's situation is different; too much stress and sleepless nights mixed into an irritating cocktail of overstimulation, which leaves Arthur unable to work just because he knows there are other people in his flat. Which is logical, they are his roommates so of course they would be in the flat, but it doesn't make it easier for Arthur. He grew up in a big house with a lot of siblings always in the next room. It shouldn't be such an issue, but, somehow, it is. The quiet chatter from the hallway irritates him because, no matter how long he lives here, it is still not the same as home. The worst part is that even though Arthur doesn't want to be here he also knows that he wouldn't be able to concentrate completely by himself either. After years of sharing the space with others, it felt unnatural to be completely alone for longer periods of time.
Still, it was too much as it is and Arthur craved something soothing and familiar. He craved home. Skin was starting to feel just a tad too tight as minutes were passing by, and, after another fit of loud laughter from outside, he knew that he needed to get out of here for the night.
Hastily packing an overnight bag Arthur got an Uber, not putting a second thought into the destination address that he typed in.
It took him five minutes of the ride there to realise that he probably should have asked Chris first. He can't just assume that he's free just because Arthur wishes for it. He knows that both George and Hill wouldn't be there tonight, one partaking in new sidemen shoot and the other being on tour.
Arthur texts hastily "can i come over for tonight?" and tries not to shudder at how stalkerish his previous thought felt, even though, logically, it wasn't strange to know stuff about your friends. For fucks sake, they've told Arthur this info themselves!
Whatever worry about social interaction that was growing inside Arthur's brain was quickly set aside with a ping of the new text on his phone that got delivered at the same time as his taxi finally arrived at the destination.
"Sure no problem"
The text is short and simple, impossible to misinterpret, and that's something that he always thanked Chris for. He made Arthur's life that tiny bit easier.
It's only five minutes later when Arthur is knocking on the door, probably way too quick in relation to when he got the response. Even if Chris did wonder what the hell Arthur was doing at his doorstep this late in the evening, he didn't let it show on his face. Instead, Chris greeted him with a warm smile.
They didn't talk much but it wasn't even really needed. Arthur knows his way around and Chris knows that Arthur will start talking when he's ready. For now, Chris is back to working behind his desk while Arthur flops down on Chris's bed with a snack he managed to snatch from the kitchen on the way. He hopes that his skin will finally feel normal.
It does, after a while. Feeling of calm taking over Arthur in the presence of another person. All it took was a bit of familiarity: Chris's breathing and rhythmic sound of his typing.
With his body and brain eventually winding down, Arthur can finally relax and let his mind wander.
Arthur fell in love with Chris's roots long before there was even an idea of a flower growing out of them. When all there was for show is an awkward kid trying to figure himself out.
Nowadays, it's so easy to get charmed by Chris, his quick wit, nice curls and bright smile are insanely alluring and it's hard not to.
Meanwhile, those roots, familiar to the point where they settled in Arthur's heart and have been there for so long, that they've managed to fuse with his bones.
He knows Chris in and out. After years of friendship, he can see all his tells and can read him like a book.
He hopes that Chris thinks the same about him.
Arthur remembers all those little changes and moments that lead to the version of Chris that is presented to today. It's beautiful, yes, but it's not what Arthur sees looking at him. It's bright and colourful but it doesn't have the intricacies of their late night conversations about space that they had when they've finally managed to find a free day in their completely different schedules during Arthur's uni days. Those meet-ups are probably the ones he cherishes the most. Because it's clear just how much effort was put into staying in touch from both of them.
He wonders, if roots of every person are influenced by others, if the presence of someone in their life can be compared to a rock that roots are growing around, changing their complicated pattern even more.
It's a sure thought in Arthur's head that he doesn't have much to offer for others to see as his own flowers. He may be charming in some strange way, according to comment section under videos that Arthur partakes in, but there isn't much more than that. He takes more confidence in knowledge that deep down, somewhere around his own roots, basis of his own being, beliefs and core of his personality are enough to ensure steady growth. There might not be much to see on the first glance but there is for sure a lot to explore if given a chance. Arthur is pretty sure that Chris has looked there at least once too.
"Did you know that you have beautiful roots?" The question hits Chris out of nowhere and without any prior context, he is left lost at how to answer that.
"Thank you...?" It sounds way more like a question than an answer, mostly because it was. It made Arthur chuckle, which in turn made Chris grin too.
"You are a strange, strange man, Arthur Frederick."
Time flies past pretty quickly. Arthur doesn't manage to do any of his own work, exhaustion fully catching up to him but it's nice to just sit in silence too. When Chris finishes his work, it takes him mere minutes to wrap everything up and stand in front of the bed with a glint in his eyes, like he wanted to complain about Arthur staying in his bed too, but knew that it would be of no use. Arthur just pats the left side of the bed that is left unoccupied and settles down to sleep, Chris following not far behind.
They don't talk.
They don't need to.