Chapter Text
A loud alarm comes from Arthur's phone after silencing it for the third time in a row now, he groaned and rolled over, moving around his hand trying to grab his phone to shut off the alarm before it drove him absolutely insane. His eyes widened and the sleepiness that had once kept him from getting up disappeared.
He swore under his breath and ran out of his room and towards the bathroom, groaning as he tried to open the door, just to realize it was locked.
"That bugger.." He banged on the door loudly before yelling at his roommate. "Alfred, get out of the bathroom! I have class in 15 minutes!" He tried to force himself in the bathroom, digging his nail into the lock just for nothing to happen.
"Chillax dude! I'm almost out, just gotta...." The light clank of a belt being fastened fills the quick silence in the bathroom "...get my pants on." Alfred opens the door and walks out. Arthur rushed inside the bathroom, quickly getting on his pants and shirt. He left the door open after getting dressed just incase Alfred had forgotten anything from inside the bathroom.
He put on some deodorant and ruffled his hair. Alfred walked over to the couch, not far enough to completely disapear from his sight. He kicked his feet up on the coffee table and he began to tie his shoes. "Did you hear?" He yelled across the room, "Gil is hosting a party at his place tonight, you wanna come?" He looked over at Arthur and finished his knot. "Get your feet off the table, please." He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I suppose I can come with. Who else is gonna be there?" He stepped out the bathroom and grabbed his own shoes and put them on. "Uhm......Gil? Maybe Matt? Actually I'm not sure about Matt, I never have seen him at a party before." He paused for a second "Who cares dude! They got free drinks, we gotta have fun!"
Arthur nodded, then glancing at the time on his phone. "Damnit!" He ran and grabbed his bag out of his room, almost knocking over his guitar which almost made his heart drop. He didn't even bother saying goodbye to Alfred, as he was out the door, pulling his coat over himself as fast as he could.
He stepped outside and pulled his coat close to himself, the wind made the already cold day even colder. He held his hands up to his mouth and blew on them, trying his best to keep them warm.
He let out an annoyed sigh, it was a shame the car broke down a week ago. Both Arthur and Alfred were in the midst of saving (or at least trying to) to get the car fixed.
As soon as the campus came into view, he ran inside, trying hard to keep his balance and to not slip on the icy sidewalk or on the stairs.
He hummed to himself as he walked to his class, it wasn't a large class from what he had heard from previous students, but the teacher was said to be a bit of "an ass". He glanced at the time on his phone once again and he felt his heart drop.
He ran to the class as fast as he could, finally reaching it. He opened the door carefully to not disturb any of the other students, also while trying to fit in. He peered around the back row for an empty seat, he finally saw one and began to walk towards it when suddenly a booming voice was heard. Shit. The professor.
"Mr. Kirkland, is it?" She lowered her glasses on her nose, looking up from a paper on her desk. "Yes ma'am." He bit his inner lip, his body feeling hot with embarrassment. "Take a seat up here." She pointed to a desk in the front.
Talk about a walk of shame. Bloody hell. He swallowed hard and took a seat next to the boy with his hand raised. The boy glanced at him from the side and chuckled with a smirk on his face. "Quel imbécile..." He mumbled to himself.
Arthur looked at him back, his brows furrowed slightly. "What'd you say?" He spoke quietly, just enough to not disturb the class. "Ah..nothing. What is your name?" He put his hand on his chin and smiled. What a stupid smile. "My name is Arthur. And you are...?" He looked back at the boy for a second before glancing back at his work. He didn't believe now was the time for a little socializing. The grinning man replied, "Francis Bonnefoy." Oh so he's french. That explains the accent.. Arthur thought to himself. Nodding at the response. He didn't care much for Francis, who hummed to himself a tune adjacent to some sort of lullaby.
Before he knew it, class was over and everyone parted their ways. Arthur apologized to his professor on his way out. He has definitely got to make his alarms even a bit louder.
When opening the exit door the cold wind made his body tense up. He huffed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
A loud yell comes from a familiar voice: Gilbert. "Hey! Arthur! Are you coming to the party?" He was as hyper as ever. To his right was Francis, who had a smug look on his face. To his left was Antonio, who was his phone not really paying attention to much in the conversation. Arthur let out a sigh and tried to play off his annoyance. "I'm gonna try and show up...Alfred needs some sort of company. That bugger." He mumbled the last part under his breath. He gave a quick glare at Francis who still had that same smirk on his face. Gilbert looked back and forth at the both of them. "Wait, Arthur you know Francis, ja?" He pointed at the both of them and chuckled. "Who knew! The world is quite a small place, huh." Antonio looked up from his phone, "Well we go to the same school, don't we Gil?" He laughed, Gilbert nudged him back. The two of them had their own separate conversation. Something about picking up a new acoustic guitar. Whatever it was it didn't matter. Just when Arthur was about to leave Francis spoke. "See you at the party, mon chéri." He waved his hand and turned and talked with the rest of his trio. Arthur groaned and walked off.
When Arthur got home, he flopped onto his bed and let out a long sigh, relaxing his whole body. He closed his eyes and hummed to himself. Suddenly his door busted down, Alfred stood in the doorway with a big, excited smile on his face. "Yo! The party starts in 20 mins! You ready?" He was like a happy 5 year old who just got a new toy. Arthur groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just..give me 10 minutes, will you?" Alfred stood there, he looked as if he was about to explode. There has never been one party that he didn't enjoy. Arthur waved his hand at him, shoo-ing him from the room. After he left he grabbed his phone, checking the time and scrolling through his notifications. A text from Peter... A few texts from the family group chat...Nothing special. He had always had a so called 'dry' phone.
He rolled his neck and finally stepped out of his room and made his way to the bathroom, fixing his hair and spraying just a bit of cologne on. He wanted to get out the house, he had been bored out of his mind. Not enough parties, his band hadn't gotten a gig in a bit, but then again it was better than nothing.
Once he was finally finished, he found Alfred, who was scrolling on his phone watching videos, letting out a chuckle every once in a while.
He looked up from his phone and stood up from the couch. "Are you ready?" He had a big smile on his face and Arthur nodded. They walked out the dorm and headed to Gilbert's place. It wasn't too far, about a 10-15 minute walk which really depended on how fast Alfred wanted to walk in the moment.
When they got to the house, Arthur knocked on the door and stood there tapping his foot impatiently. Alfred looked through the windows and went on his phone. After a second, Gilbert opened the door, he held a beer bottle. He looked as if he had drank already a bit much. "Hey! You guys finally here! Took you a bit." Alfred did a handshake with him, Arthur slipped on past the two of them and tried to peek and see who was already there. Ludwig and Feliciano were in the kitchen, a strong smell different herbs and spices came through the house. He shook his head in approval as he looked into the kitchen for a second. On the couch was Antonio and Lovino talking about each other's personal lives. He sat on a chair in the living room and sort of listened into his surroundings. Matt was sitting on the floor next to an outlet on his phone. He was never really the type to be very active at a party.
"¡Venid aquí!" Antonio clapped his hands loudly to get everyone's attention. "Why don't we play some simple little party games?" He looked around the room, everyone seemingly agreed on the idea to play games. Everyone walked to the living room. Feliciano jumped into the couch, dragging Ludwig with him by his arm. He had a big, cheeky smile on his face. Arthur continued to observe the room, suddenly a familiar face sat down across from him. Francis.
"Francis! Where have you been?" Antonio took a sip from his drink. "Ahh.. I was freshening up. My hair looked a bit silly. It looks better, non?" He ran his fingers through his hair and smiled, glancing over at Arthur. He rolled his eyes and continued to listen in on anyone's ideas.
"Spin the bottle! No...Beer pong?" Feliciano started to name off random party games. Gilbert then burst out loudly, "Beer pong! Yes!" He ran to the kitchen and grabbed some beer. Arthur sat and bounced his leg. The way Francis looked at him made him anxious. He didn't even know how to feel about the look on his face and the way he wouldn't break eye contact.
When Gilbert came back with the solo cups and beer, Arthur excused himself and went to the balcony. "I just need a breath of fresh air that's all." He assured everyone that he was okay.
He ran his fingers through his hair. What was that even about? It was no use in trying to figure it out anyway. Francis had been known to just be a flirt. He took a sip of his drink that he received from Alfred; a half finished beer, apparently a can of Coke was a bit better than that.
He let out a long sigh, he took notice to his breath showing in the cold air, bringing his arms close to him and tucking his hands under his upper arm.
His moment of peace was disrupted by a slightly tipsy Alfred yelling loudly, "I just beat Lovino!" He let out a loud 'whoop' and walked back inside with his chest puffed out. Arthur scoffed and continued to watch the streetlights and passing cars, counting each one. One....two....three.... A few minutes went by, his counting eventually becoming meaningless. He began to count again, this time a bit more
precisely. Nine...ten...eleven....
The sliding door creaked and slammed. Arthur groaned, fully expecting a drunk Alfred to bother him once again. The figure leaned against the balcony wall next to Arthur. The strong smell of cologne (definitely something expensive) filled the air. He glanced to the side and sighed as he saw who it was. Francis. He ignored him, pretending he wasn't there at all. The quick sound of a lighter striking flint along with a warm glow came from beside him, then came the strong smell of a cigarette. He placed the box in between them both. "Cigarette?" Francis held out his already lighten cigarette and held it up to him. Arthur waved his hand, "No thanks, I don't really smoke, used to though." He leaned his head on his hand and continued to stare out into the street. The silence they shared for a bit was only very quietly interrupted by the soft crackle of the cigarette. Francis took a drag from his cigarette.
"The moon is quite beautiful, non?" Francis looked at the sky, a small smile on his face. Arthur looked at him once again, his eyes lingering just for a bit longer than last time. "Yeah. It really is, the sky is clear." Arthur spoke quietly, everything felt at peace for a moment. Compared to the loud yells and cheers coming from the other men inside, he would rather prefer this over any party. Preferably by himself though. Silence fills the air, and although it wasn't exactly silence, it was close enough. Arthur pulled his hands up to his mouth, breathing on them to warm them up slightly.
He looked at the pack of cigarettes between them, he had a long thought in his head, it switched between yes and no. He bit his lip and sighed. You only live once.
The silence was interrupted by the box being grabbed. Francis looked over at him, "Sorry. Do you mind?" Arthur chuckled anxiously, trying to play it off. Only this one cigarette. None ever again. You promised Mum you wouldn't. He bit his lip again. "Actually, no. Forget it. Sorry." He tapped his finger, now wanting to get out the situation he had been put in. Francis held out his almost finished cigarette, pulling it back after he declined. "Vous n'en voulez pas? Hm.." Francis chuckled and took another drag off of his cigarette. He hummed to himself and looked out off the balcony again.
The silence between them came back once again. Francis placed has finished cigarette in the ash tray on a small table nearby.
Arthur felt strange. He hated the guy. His stupid voice, his mannerisms, everything. 'Mon chéri?' The hell does that mean again? He knew he asked Alfred to ask Matt what it meant. He was deep in thought, tapping his finger, trying to focus on what he was thinking. "Yo! I'm...ready to gooooooo!" Alfred opened the door, stumbling slightly. Arthur ran to him and caught him before he fell. "Look, I don't have the car with me and I am not walking you home with you so bloody drunk." He lead him back inside and placed him on the couch. He grabbed the house keys from Alfred's bag, thanking Gilbert (even though he was anything but sober) and everyone who was at the party for a good time and he left. The cold air felt different, not the same as it did on the balcony. He shuddered and pulled his arms closer to himself.
Only a 10 minute walk... The cold continued to bite at him, though it bothered him, he tried his very best to continue ignoring all sorts of feelings about the cold that tried to ruin his thinking. The sound of cars driving by and the snow crunching is all he can hear, accompanied by his own breathing. A familiar looking car drives by. He doesn't bother paying much attention to it until it slows, trying to match his own walking pace. The window to the car rolls down and none other than Francis Bonnefoy is there. You can hear soft music from inside.
"Do you need a ride home? Il fait froid." He had some sort of tone of concern. Arthur was too tired to bother deciphering it. "No, no I'm good thank you." He began to walk faster, he couldn't bare to spend another minute talking to him. Francis continued to drive along side him, keeping his car at a painfully slow pace. "Please? It's very cold out. You could catch a cold. There's an important quiz in class next week, no?" He had a grin on his face. Arthur continued to ignore him, hoping his begging would stop.
He had finally had enough. "Do you seriously want me to get in there that badly?!" He hissed, he stomped to the passenger seat and slammed the door.
He looked around the car, everything was kept in good shape, the car itself smelt and looked pretty new other than a light smell of Francis' cologne and a rose air refresher. The seat warmer was on and the car felt very comfortable. The ride itself was silent other than the music on the radio quietly playing in the background.
"So, why did you decide on school in America?" He sounded curious but Arthur knew he was just trying to start a conversation. Arthur sighed. "Well, I guess I just wanted something new in my life. I don't really know." He rubbed his hand, he missed his home but he had good opportunities here. He watched the streetlights pass them overhead leaving the snow and inside of the car with an orange-y yellow glow. Francis hummed, and the car became silent again.
Before he knew it he was finally at his own house. Arthur looked around his seat and checked if he was missing anything, which he wasn't. "Thank you for the ride, Francis." Arthur cracked a small smile at him. "You're welcome mon chéri." Francis smiled back, he placed his hand on top of Arthur's, which was placed on the center console. Those words again! Arthur felt his stomach go into knots. He pulled his hand away quickly and got out the car as fast as he could, almost slipping on his way in. He fumbled for his keys and got in the house, slamming the door behind him and sighing. He leaned against the door and slid down it, sitting down on the ground with his back against the door. "Bloody hell..." He mumbled, his hands against his face and his hair tightly clenched in his hands. He sat there on the floor in his own thoughts for a good 5 minutes before standing up and heading to his bed, flopping down onto it. The sound of the ceiling fan and his own breathing was the only thing he could hear. He felt weird. It was probably nothing.
He got off of his bed and stepped into the bathroom. He looked at his reflection for a second before turning on the shower and getting undressed, letting the warm water run over him. He let out a loud sigh. It had to be nothing right? Definitely.
He finished up his shower and dried himself off, getting into a comfortable pair of pajamas. He tucked himself into bed. He was exhausted, his mind was racing, so much so that he felt he was thinking of nothing. Slowly he drifted off to sleep.