Chapter Text
The sky was clear, and the night was young. Scout and Jem had already been tucked into bed, Atticus had made sure of it. He sat outside on his porch, watching. The sounds of wolves howling in the distance could be heard, yet Atticus paid no attention to it. Instead, his eyes seemed to be fixated on a certain house: the Radley House.
Clearly neglected, the house was completely run down. It looked haunted. The house had no screen door, a yard that looked like it had never been swept, and rain-rotted shingles. From what Atticus could remember from when he was young, the house used to be white. It turned to more of a darkened gray color over the years. But it wasn’t the house that the whole neighborhood feared. It was the one living inside of it. Boo Radley.
His real name was Arthur; Atticus could remember. He used to be the talk of the town, causing trouble in the neighborhood all the time. He was affiliated with a gang as a teen, and got in trouble with the law. His father locked him in the courthouse, and soon after, the Radley house for about 15 years, and he hadn’t been seen since. Atticus often wondered how he looked now. They’ve never really interacted, but he’s seen Arthur around when they were both teens. He was handsome. Intimidating, but handsome. Atticus felt he had grown into a well put-together man. If he was being honest, before he had met his future wife, he would always catch himself staring at Arthur. Not in a romantic way, but sort of enviously. Arthur could’ve gotten with anyone in the whole neighborhood, even with his bad reputation.
Atticus wondered if he still looked similar. He was tan, out in the sun every day. He had long, blondish-brown hair down to his neck, and wore white tank tops that would usually be drenched in sweat by the end of the day. Atticus was slightly ashamed he had even remembered this, but every time he would think of Arthur, he could vividly remember his abs showing through his see-through shirts.
Realizing his thoughts were making a slow descent into uncharted territory, he shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. He'd better not let another moment pass by before he starts thinking about other things. He checked his watch, looked back at the Radley house, and then made a decision. He’ll go pay Arthur a visit.