"Er, Hi..."
"Hello, what do you need?"
"Well, you look so sad here, alone..."
"Your point?"
"I just thought you might want someone to talk to, is all."
"Of course not, I have my brother."
"Well, where is he?"
"He's... busy."
"Uh huh..."
"Just... go away."
"No, it's rude to leave a young lady alone like this."
"What are you, some kind of prince?"
"Yep, and I'm here to save you, princess."
"From what?"
"Anything you want."
"Then save me from you, because your voice is boring into my head. I think its giving me an aneurism."
"Ooh, harsh. Shouldn't you treat your hero with a little more respect?"
"You aren't my hero."
"Then what am I?"
"Nothing."
Alfred frowned. "I think I'm something, I mean, if I wasn't, I wouldn't really exist, would I?"
Natalia remained as stoic as ever. "I'd be better of if you didn't."
"Aw, come on! We just met!" Alfred stepped around to the other side of the blond girl as she walked on, not even sparing him a glance. Their footsteps crunched in the snow as trees passed them by, the park was empty except for them, it seemed. "You could at least give me a chance, who knows, maybe you'll come to like me!" He laughed.
Natalia scowled. "I don't think It'd be possible to like someone as annoying as you."
"You sound like-..." He cut himself off, suddenly biting his lip. The pale girl looked at him now, she quietly wondered why he'd stopped, this stranger was... well, strange.
"What's your name?" She asked.
Blue eyes looked up and quickly regained their happy glow. "Alfred, yours?"
"Natalia." She said, she didn't want to admit it, but seeing him happy again made her feel a little better, somehow.
The blond man laughed, "That's a cool name!"
"...Thanks, I guess." She mumbled, looking away again before trotting onwards.
"No problem," He replied happily, regaining his place next to her as she made her way down the snowy path. "So, why are you out here, anyways?"
"None of your business."
"C'mon, please?" He leaned over and whispered slyly into her ear, "I won't tell..."
The thin girl went rigid, and before Alfred knew it, there was a knife clamped tight in her hand, and brandished far too close to his neck to be comfortable.
"I said it was none of your business, Alfred," She spat. "So if you want to keep your vital organs on the inside of your body, I suggest you stop asking..."
Silence lingered for a moment, like a plague, until the blond man's laughter cured it. Natalia gawked at him as she slowly retracted the knife from his throat, her eyes wide. She was so confused; normally she'd scare anyone with her mere presence (Hell, even her own brother!), but this man, Alfred, was totally unaffected by any of that, in fact, it almost seemed that he liked her.
"You really are something!" He chuckled, placing his hands on his hips. Natalia quickly regained her composure and began back down the walkway, Alfred once again joining her.
A few minutes passed in silence, strange silence, she found it almost unbearable. Even though she was actually used to it; and despite being rather tired of the blue-eyed man's babbling, she opted to start the conversation again rather than wallow in this thick, oily quiet.
"Why are you here?" She asked him, he frowned and looked at her, she refused to meet his eyes and continued to look dead ahead.
He smiled almost sadly. "My, uh, room mate kicked me out, and I was trying to find a suitable place to crash."
"How long have you been out here?" She asked, looked at him finally, and quirking an eyebrow.
"Oh, not too long, a couple days, I think. Kinda lost track..." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Where have you been staying, then?" She prodded.
"Here and there," He replied, "Mostly here." Natalia's frown deepened, "But since it started snowing, and I didn't exactly want to die of hypothermia, I decided to try and find somewhere warmer, maybe try and go home, see if my room mate has cooled off... though I doubt it."
"You mean... you've been living in the park?" The blond girl breathed incredulously, eyes wide as she looked at him, stopping mid step.
"Yeah, kinda..." He laughed, smiling the same as before, though there was a certain sadness in his eyes, like an ocean of held back tears. She felt sorry for him.
Natalia looked down, focusing on her shoes for a moment, she could feel melted snow sopping into her socks through the thin sneakers she wore. She bit her lip as she contemplated doing something that would most definitely upset her brother to no end, and was surely not something she'd do under normal circumstances...
They began walking again; she understood why he had approached her, it must have been lonely out here, and he seemed like the kind of person who needed people more than most.
"You know," he piped up after a while, "Someone used to tell me that no two snowflakes were the same, but some are so close you almost can't tell." She looked at him, puzzled, as he started up at the formless clouds above them dreamily. "I think those snowflakes are the luckiest, because they'll never be without someone," He looked at her and smiled, "They always know someone else will remember them, so when they melt, they wont feel so alone."
He looked back ahead, she just stared, silent except for the slight brush of the trees in the light wind.
Alfred chuckled, "I know, I'm rambling. Sounds stupid, huh?" he looked at her and laughed.
Natalia gave the faintest smile and looked ahead, "No, not stupid..."
He shrugged, and before the silence could take over again, she spoke.
"Er, Alfred?"
"Mhmm?"
"Well... Since you're stuck without a place to go, and I'd prefer it if you remained at least semi-alive so I won't have to read about a dead guy found in the park and know who it is (because that's just awkward and guilt ridden), I was wondering if, perhaps, you'd like to stay with me until your room mate lets you go home..." She spoke quietly at a little more than a whisper, but he heard everything, and smiled from ear to ear before taking the platinum blond into a tight embrace so fast she didn't have the time (or the room) to pull a knife.
"Th-thank you so much!" He sobbed, this was the last thing she expected of the young man, "I-I can't believe- I thought you were just putting up with me- I just-" he dissolved into full tears rapidly. Natalia hesitantly returned the embrace, partially to calm him, and partially to realize what she'd done. She buried her face in Alfred's chest, he was surprisingly warm, she shut her eyes and let him finish, occasionally he'd mutter a stifled "Thank you," but other then that was practically silent, not counting his bucking breath.
"Y-...you're welcome..." She mumbled when he finally let go, a pink tinge across both of their cheeks, she looked up as he wiped the remaining tears away, smiling still.
"I-I'm sorry, It's just... You know... Anyways, you're really going to let me stay with you? I-I mean, you just met met me!" He laughed, Natalia sighed.
"I'm the one who asked you, so yes, I am. Obviously." She deadpanned, regaining what composure she could.
"Yeah... so, um, where...?" He asked.
"My car is this way," She said, marching off in the direction they'd been heading before. "Now, I suppose you don't have anything else to wear, right?"
Alfred returned to his place next to her, happier then ever, "Nope!" he said.
A ghost of a smile graced her lips; his enthusiasm was astounding. "Well, I suppose you could barrow some of my brother's clothes... or, do you have any money?"
"I think I have six bucks, and some change."
"Ah... well... I'm sure Ivan won't mind if you barrow something," She lied, knowing that her brother would be far from happy about that. But seeing as the clothes she was thinking of were the ones he'd left at her apartment one of the times he'd gotten drunk, she was almost glad he kept forgetting to pick them up.
"Okay! Your brother sounds cool." Alfred laughed, if only he knew...
"I... guess you could say that." Natalia said.
"Do ya live with him? Or are you just really close?" He asked abruptly, she quirked an eyebrow, wondering for a moment why he'd asked her.
"No, I just see him often... though he is usually working, he's head of a large corporation..." She muttered, Alfred gawked for a moment, she didn't exactly know why.
"You told me something about you life!" He cried gleefully, she looked at him oddly, "You actually told me! I thought you'd pull a knife again!" He laughed.
"I... I suppose I did, and sorry about that..." She said softly.
After a few more moments of odd conversation ("Where do you live anyways? It isn't too far, right?"), the pair finally reached the edge of the park, and the lot beside it. Alfred continued to hurl questions at her, she just walked on until they got to a small silver car near the edge of the lot (it was really the only car there, since no one else had come to the park during the minor snowstorm, and honestly, why would they?). Natalia pulled a key chain from her coat pocket and pressed one of the buttons on the mini-remote hanging from it, the lights on the silver car flashed and a minor tick could be heard from the vehicle. She reached for the handle, but Alfred beat her to it, and proceeded to open the door for her, she looked at him sideways as she took her place in the driver's seat, he shut her door, smiling happily as he walked around to the other side and took his seat next to her. She started the car and began down the near empty snow-paved street. Silence rained within the thin walls of the car as it slowly got warmer, the heater helping that. Alfred occasionally glanced at the girl next to him, finally speaking up as they reached a stop light.
"Thanks again," He said, "I-I was going to try and find a homeless shelter, but since I wasn't really homeless, I thought it'd be unfair to take a bed away from someone who actually needs one," He spoke solemnly, she glanced at him briefly as the light changed. "You know? I just couldn't do something like that..." he laughed.
"Yeah..." She said hushed, she still couldn't believe what she was doing, or why she'd gotten the desire to help this man she hardly knew. But honestly, she felt it was right, there was something about him, he seemed... genuine. She didn't see that often anymore, at least, not with the company she kept.
They drove in silence again for a short while until he spoke again, pointing a large brick apartment building that stood on a corner overlooking them as they passed. "That's where I live- or rather, where my room mate and I live."
"Who is your room mate?" She asked, once again glancing at him for a moment.
"Oh... his name is Arthur... Arthur Kirkland, he actually used to be my older brother... er, adopted. But I refused to live with him any more a few years ago, and now... I live with him again, because I lost my house, and job and he was the only one I had, but when I couldn't pay rent he kicked me out... and here I am!" He said sadly. Natalia bit her lip.
"Ah."
"Yeah... what about you? Who exactly is your brother?"
Natalia sighed, "Ivan Braginsky. He's... my brother. I care for him dearly."
He nodded, "I see, well, Arty and I's... relationship has been strained since I left. It really hurt him, I wish it hadn't, because despite all he's put me through, I still care about him- I mean, he raised me and everything. Without him, who knows what would've happened to me."
She gave a curt nod, not wanting to comment. "My apartment is just around the corner here."
"Cool." Alfred smiled at her, she gave a slight smile back.
They parked at a large complex, all the buildings were two story and painted in pale greens, blues, and browns. Natalia began towards the nearest building, heading up the stairs, Alfred close behind her. She stopped at a door marked "248" and unlocked it. Inside was small, but because of the scarce amount of furniture, seemed much bigger. There was an old bright red couch, a scratched up wood coffee table, a small TV on top of a little stand, and that was about it, other than a small dining room table with two chairs off to the side, though the table was covered in ripped envelopes and papers with overly neat folds in them. She shut and locked the door before heading directly for what Alfred assumed was the kitchen, while he simply sat himself on the couch, which he assumed he'd be sleeping on. He nervously looked over where he'd stepped on the white carpet to make sure he hadn't tracked dirt in, luckily, he hadn't.
Suddenly, the blond girl's head appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. "Hungry?" She asked.
"Uh, sure..." Alfred said. She nodded and retreated back in.
He looked at the various items on the table before him, a small stack of books, a hairbrush, a small dish of change, and a picture frame. In the frame was an old looking picture of three children, two girls and a boy, they all had similar hair colors, all similar to Natalia's- in fact, he was pretty sure one of the children was Natalia- she had a stoic look in the picture, as she clung to the boy who he assumed was her brother, and the other girl was probably a sister of sorts. Alfred smiled, it was a cute picture.
A few moments later Natalia came out of the kitchen, a plate in each hand, each plate holding a black container with some kind of food.
"I don't usually have anyone besides family over, and even then that's pretty rare. So all I have are these microwavable dinners... hope you don't mind." She said, handing one of the plates to him and sitting down at the other end of the couch.
"Not at all! Anything beats Arty's cooking!" He laughed, quickly picking up his fork and digging in to what appeared to be turkey and green beans with gravy.
"Oh, well then, good." She said, also starting on her dish.
They ate in silence, the silence that kept returning, though this time it was much more comforting than before. Natalia noted that Alfred ate surprisingly quickly, shoveling down the entire plate within minutes.
"Delicious!" He exclaimed upon finishing, putting his cleared plate down on the table and throwing his arms back behind his head as he leaned into the red couch.
Natalia gave a hint of a smile, "I'm glad you liked it..."
"Yeah," He looked at her, "My compliments to the chef..." He joked, winking. She narrowed her eyes and looked back down at her plate, stabbing a piece of turkey before bringing it to her lips.
"So... your house is really nice looking." He said, looking over the empty white walls, it reminded him vaguely of the storm outside.
"I suppose..." She said, standing up and taking both of their plates back to the kitchen. Alfred stood up and followed her gleefully, he looked around the kitchen, it was very clean and organized, with nearly bare beige marble counters and squeaky clean off-white tiles on the floor, accented by the white walls and light wood cabinets. Natalia tossed the black plastic containers into the trash beneath the sink and put the still very clean plates off to the side on a towel that he guessed was for drying dishes, noting that she didn't have a dishwasher.
She left the kitchen and headed off down the short hall that led to a bathroom, hall closet, and bedroom, she went stopped at the closet, opening it, she reached up and pulled out a periwinkle blanket, then, she headed into the bedroom- Alfred at her heels, following her like a puppy- and grabbed an uncased pillow from what appeared to be the unused side of the queen sized bed. She turned on her heel quickly and handed the items to the blond man, who looked at them, slightly confused.
"They're for you, go put them on the couch." She ordered, he smiled again and nodded, quickly striding out into the living room and plopping the bedding onto one of the cushions before a phone rang abruptly in the room he'd just came from.
He could hear Natalia faintly from where he stood, just barely though.
"Hello?...Oh, no, it's fine... Really? Well, now's not a good time- Oh, well... are you sure? Okay... But I have a guest... Just... Someone... Okay... see you soon." He heard (at least he thought he heard), and before he could contemplate what it was, she came down the hall looking uneasy, he cocked his head to the side and asked.
"What happened?"
"My... my brother called, he wants to see me, I don't know why, probably to make up for leaving me in the park." She mumbled.
"He left you in the park?" He asked, she nodded.
"Today was both of our days off and we decided to meet in the park, despite the snow, but he got called into work last minute and left me there." She muttered almost silently.
"Well, what's so bad about him coming here now? It just means I get to meet him!" Alfred laughed, the laugh she was begging to get used to.
"I-I don't think he's going to be as happy about it, Alfred, he's not to fond of people he doesn't know..." She said, still hushed, but slowly gaining volume.
"Well, I can go, if you want..." He said, "But I'm sure it'll be fine, I mean, you're doing something amazingly kind and selfless, I'm sure he can appreciate that."
She looked up at him, he smiled reassuringly. She desperately wanted to believe him, and trust that her brother wouldn't do something drastic to make her get rid of the young blond man.
She swallowed hard, she didn't want to kick him out after all that, knowing he was too selfless to get himself help, he'd probably get himself killed in the snow, which she knew wouldn't be letting up anytime soon; and even if it was, he didn't deserve to live on the street like that.
"C'mon, let's see what happens first, before we automatically assume he's going to blow up or something." He clapped a hand onto her thin shoulder and she looked away before heading to the couch and sitting down, picking up the picture from the table and looking at it once again, a scene she knew so well, yet never remembered.
She started to wonder what she'd done, and what she'd gotten herself into.
Biting her lip, Natalia spoke faintly, her voice cracking slightly, "Okay..."
Alfred smiled, "It'll be alright," He said, "I'm sure."
She decided to believe him, no matter how hard it was. She felt he was right.
Okay, honestly, I need to stop writing random things I can't finish as oneshots. Seriously.
So, basically, I may or may not frequent this fic, so don't expect much. I'll update when I have the mind too
I am pretty proud of this, since it's technically the single longest chapter I've ever written for anything ever. Ever. So yeah. Yay.
R&R and I might update, if enough people like it.