Chapter Text
Arthur had a surprisingly large pain tolerance. His brothers had made sure of that with all their bullying when he was a child (the worst time was when they pushed him into a river-he almost drowned getting out). But his brothers weren’t here now. It had been almost five years since he had seen any of his siblings. The older ones had all moved out and gotten jobs and settled down to make big families. Mum was real proud of them. She always made sure to mention that back in the days Arthur had happened to visit with a gleam in her eye. As for Peter, Arthur had stopped visiting that house when Mum’s nagging to get a nice girl and settle down with her and her constant attempts at matchmaking had gotten to be too much for him. She already knew he didn’t swing that way anyway, but still continued to make plans for him. But he called every month to make sure Peter was doing alright and they had made plans to have him move in with Arthur as soon as he was of legal age.
It wasn’t that he hated his mother. It was just that for years she had been content to ignore him and let him fend for himself and Peter while she doted on the eldest of her children, Allistor. And then Arthur had grown up and gotten a successful job that payed a lot of money and suddenly Allistor was flung away and Arthur was the new favorite child. It was as if she expected him to forget all the isolation and “I’m sure he didn’t mean to push you into the river Arthur. Besides, you’re fine.”
Arthur supposed he had a high tolerance for emotional pain too.
However, his mother wasn’t here today either.
No, today he was all by himself in the middle of bloody nowhere because he had decided to take a roadtrip across America (a country he didn’t even live in for god’s sake- what had he been thinking?!) and forgotten to fill the car’s gas tank at his last stop.
And now, he was stuck sitting near the front of his car, because he had twisted his ankle when he tripped on one of the bloody cracks on the side of the road as he had gotten out. And the long stretch of road was completely empty- no one to be seen for miles as it was the middle of the night and no one in their right mind would actually be caught dead unless they were planning through the night and day (like he had).
Arthur guessed he should calm down and try to get back inside his car.
So he got up, cursing when he automatically tried to put pressure on his right leg out of habit (how was he going to drive now?! ), and hobbled his way back the driver’s seat, awkwardly opening the door and maneuvering so that he could sit down without any pain in the process.
Finally seated, he looked at his surroundings with despair. On one side was a large field of grain or something that seemed to stretch out infinitely. The same side greeted him on the other side of the road. Arthur was sure that he was somewhere in the middle of Idaho, but he had no idea where. He had been lost for ages before his car finally gave out.
Come to think of it, Arthur could remember a situation similar to this. He had been in London, and he was still in college. He and some friends had gone out drinking and for some reason, his drunk self had decided to walk all the way to his mother’s house. Her house wasn’t anywhere close to London and so he had woken up somewhere in the middle of the city with a huge hangover, a dead phone, and no money to use any of the phone booths. He had somehow gotten back to his hotel with the help of some kind strangers (which were a rare sight in London even then, everyone was so busy with their own lives).
If that situation had ended well, why not this one? Arthur supposed that he should wait until morning and then try to ask for help. In the meanwhile, he was going to get some sleep. He hadn’t slept properly in a while as he had started driving as soon as his plane landed. During the plane ride from England to America, he had been sitting next to an albino man that just wouldn’t stop talking for a minute about how awesome he was and all the great things he had accomplished in his life.
It had been a long day (two days actually, if you count the plane ride).
Arthur reclined the seat he was sitting in so that he could be more comfortable. He shivered when he heard a howl in the distance. He hoped a car passed by quickly when he woke up.
It was hard to relax in such unfamiliar surroundings though. He was still in an uncomfortable position on his back because he couldn’t move without the threat of hurting his ankle even more. As he shifted in place, he caught a glimpse of a sight that reminded him why he had wanted to go on such a long trip in the first place.
Through the windows, thousands of stars twinkled in the dark sky and the moon’s pale light fell on his face and lit up the inside of the car.
Arthur fell asleep staring at this gorgeous night sky. He had a smile on his face.
XOXOXOXOXOX
“Hey! Are you awake? Dude get up!”
A loud tapping on the side of the car and an obnoxiously cheerful voice woke a tired Arthur from his rest. He glared at the headache inducing sunlight pouring through the window (he could already feel the beginnings of one threatening to erupt behind his temple) before a shadow blocked it by leaning through the open back passenger door.
“I’m sorry, but you left the doors unlocked. Have you been out here all night?”
The owner of the voice seemed to have been clued in to Arthur’s headache for his voice had gotten softer, gaining a feather like quality.
“Ah, yeah. I have.” Arthur placed a hand on his forehead as he struggled to get up and was immediately reminded of his ankle. He let out a soft grunt of pain and fell down on his back once again.
“Oh. Are you hurt?” The voice started to pick up again, but Arthur couldn’t make out the face of the person in the bright light surrounding it. From what he could tell from looking at his built body and and the voice, he seemed to be a young man.
“I twisted my ankle during the night. I couldn’t see where I was going.”
The man hissed and moved to the front door to open it. “Okay. I’m going to get you out.”
“I can do it by myself! I don’t need help.” Arthur struggle to get up quickly. It was embarrassing enough that he had gotten stuck here in the first place.
The man chuckled and helped an uncooperating Arthur sit up. “I’m sure you can. I’m Alfred by the way.”
“Arthur.” Arthur grumbled out as he turned so that he was sitting sideways on the seat, his legs outside. The man kneeled down and now Arthur could finally see his face. Blonde hair, with strand defiantly sticking up, framed a youthful face. Sky blue eyes twinkled with merriment and full lips turned upward in a shy smile. Arthur was glad he was able to look away from the mesmerizing sight. He could feel his face warm up.
“Hi Arthur.”
“Hello.” Arthur hoped his blush wasn’t too noticeable. He looked back at Alfred when he started to move. Alfred got up and offered his hand to Arthur.
“Come on, my car’s over there. I’ll take you to my house and wrap that ankle.” Alfred’s voice turned playful. “I would carry you, but I don’t think you’d like that.”
Arthur took the hand, his blush getting worse as he spluttered in outrage. Alfred laughed as he helped Arthur stumble to his car. It was a truck with things heaped on the back. When they made it to the truck, Alfred ended up picking Arthur anyway to get him onto the seat. Arthur glared at Alfred when he was put down, but he just laughed and walked around the car to get into the driver’s seat. It was just a mile to Alfred’s house. Alfred chattered the whole way there and didn’t seem to need any input from Arthur except a hum of acknowledgement here or there. They turned on a road that was surrounded by a field.
“We’re here! This is my farm.” Alfred’s proud voice caused Arthur to smile.
“It’s nice.” And it was. The sky was calm and filled with fluffy clouds and a small breeze brushed through the fields, making the scene picturesque. A house came into view. It was a two story building with new looking white paint. “Do you live here alone?”
“Yeah.” Alfred’s voice turned sad as he parked the car. “I had a mom and brother but they left when I was ten. Never came back. My dad used to live here with me but he died a year ago.”
“Oh.’’ Arthur stared at Alfred, feeling horrible for bringing that up.
“But it’s fine!” Alfred seemed to sense Arthur’s feelings and brightened up. “I like living here.”
“Yeah.” Arthur didn’t understand how someone like Alfred could be alone. Sure they had known each other for about an hour, but Arthur could see Alfred was a bright, friendly person.
He watched Alfred get out of the car and come back to his side of the vehicle. He opened the door and helped Arthur get down and into the house. They got into the house and Arthur sat down on a worn looking couch. He looked around. The house was a bit on the messy side with knick knacks scattered around the whole place, but it gave off a welcoming feel.
“Here you go.” Alfred had left to the kitchen to get some food when Arthur had mentioned that he hadn’t had any dinner. Arthur stared at the food on the plate hungrily. There was bacon on the side and a stack of pancakes covered in maple syrup. He took the plate from Alfred and balanced it on his lap before taking the fork and knife from Alfred’s other hand and digging in. Alfred sat in the couch across from him and looked at him happily. “Wow, you were really hungry.”
“Mmmhmm.” Arthur made sure he wasn’t eating like an animal in front of his host, but still kept eating as fast as possible.
“I’m glad someone likes my cooking. I haven’t had people over in a long time.” Arthur stopped at this and looked at Alfred. He looked genuinely happy to have Arthur here, which made Arthur sad that he had been alone for a long time before this. Even Arthur himself had some friends, even though he knew that he wasn’t the best person to hang out with. To see someone the total opposite of him- someone who would make friends easily- so alone…. It made Arthur feel depressed.
Arthur looked at Alfred seriously and said, “It’s really good,” before turning back to his meal.
Soon, Arthur was finished eating and all that was on his mind was some rest. He had only slept for a few hours in the car. Alfred saw this and offered him one of the spare rooms to sleep in.
“But I’ve already taken enough advantage of you!” Arthur protested to an unyielding Alfred.
“It’s fine. I like having someone over.” Alfred said, making Arthur feel guilty enough that he agreed.
The room he was taken to was on the second floor and had a colored a soft sunset orange and was bare except for a soft looking bed, a closet, and two dressers on each side of the bed. There was a window overlooking the farm.
The bed looked like heaven for Arthur. Unluckily, Alfred made him sit down and let him treat his foot before he let him fall asleep. Thankfully, Alfred finished quickly and let him fall backwards soon enough. As soon as Arthur layed down on those smooth sheets and fluffy pillow, he fell asleep.
By the time he woke up, the sun was going down. Arthur smiled at the plate of food left on the right dresser with a note next to it that said, “I made this for you to eat when you wake up. By the way, I also got your car towed to the house and put your suitcases in the room. Come down when you’re done.”
Sure enough, his bags were sitting next to the door. Arthur turned back to the food and picked it up. The food was still warm so Alfred must have left it not long ago. When he finished, he wandered (hopping most of the way) down the stairs and eventually found Alfred on the porch staring at the sunset. He stopped next to him and maneuvered into one of the chairs.
“It’s pretty ain’t it?” Alfred said without looking away.
Arthur frowned, his love for grammar coming out. “It’s isn’t not ain’t but yes. It is very pretty.”
Alfred chuckled at the correction but didn’t say anything. Both of them stared at the beautiful hues of red and orange the sun cast on the sky. Arthur was in deep thought. He couldn’t stay with Alfred forever. He should find a way to get to a bus and find his way back to New York, which was where his plane had landed. He still had almost all his vacation left, and he could spend it comfortably in his own home.
Arthur glanced at Alfred, steeling himself to speak. “I think that I should leave soon. I don’t want to intrude anymore than I already have.”
Alfred gazed at Arthur in surprised horror when he heard his words and got up from his seat. “You don’t have to! You can stay as long as you want! You’re not intruding at all!”
Arthur was taken aback by how vehemently Alfred protested. He had thought Alfred would be glad to get rid of him. He knew his friends would have been. “But…”
Alfred stared at him seriously. “Is it that you have some important meeting or something?”
“Ah no.” Arthur blushed. “I was just taking a trip that’s all. I’m on vacation.”
Alfred nodded as if he had decided something. “Then you don’t have to go anywhere. You don’t have anything important to go to and you’re looking for someplace to relax. Besides you’re hurt! And….” Alfred stared at the ground with a blush. “I’d really like the company. I know we’ve only known each other for a day- and not even that, but I can see that you’re a nice person… And it’s been so long since anyone’s been here. I only see people when I go to the town or a city….. I’d really like it if you stayed.”
Arthur stared up at Alfred in shock. People didn’t usually ask for his company much less like it. He looked around the farm as he thought about the other points Alfred had made. It was true that did seemed like the ideal place to relax. It was quiet and peaceful and there was no one but Alfred. Arthur smiled at Alfred who looked hopefully at him. “I don’t think I’m pretty good company, but…..if you like having me around…. I guess I can stay.”
Alfred lit up and laughed, sweeping a stunned Arthur into a hug. “Awesome!”
When Alfred let go of Arthur, making sure to put him down carefully back into the seat, and he immediately started talking. “I’ll show you around the farm! You’ll love it. There’s Bess, one of the sweeter cows, and the chickens, and the horses…. Oh! And I can’t forget about Shadow- the cat….”
Arthur smiled patiently at Alfred as he kept babbling. The sun’s final rays shone on Alfred’s shining face. His excitement was contagious and Arthur couldn’t wait to see how the rest of his time here would go.
Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad of a vacation after all.