The view from the window was beautiful. He could see the large pond with the lilies and the cattails, and the two willow trees with branches that kept swaying from the breeze. It would have been very therapeutic and relaxing if Arthur Kirkland hadn't been so terrified. He'd only just woken up inside this lovely bedroom.

His clothes had apparently been changed, for he now wore fresh pajamas that were pure white, very soft, and a little too large for him. All traces of blood and dirt were gone from his skin, and his old clothes were nowhere to be seen. His feet and hands had bandages on them as well.

He hadn't bothered to attempt and leave the room, as likely he wouldn't even make it down the hallway without being seen. Going out the window was impossible too, since he was at least three stories high. Basically it seemed that he was stuck. So here he sat, crosslegged on the large but incredibly comfortable bed, awaiting his fate. There was a bookshelf with at least twenty or so novels, but he was too afraid to touch them. He sort of hoped that someone came soon, to get this painful waiting over with.

As if his prayers had been answered, there was a soft knock on the door. That sort of surprised him, but Arthur kept his mouth shut and did not answer. This time the doorknob twisted, and the door eased open slowly. Arthur's gaze was on his lap, so he didn't see who was now standing in the doorway looking at him.

"Hey there, I see you're awake," The figure spoke. By the sound of the voice, it was obviously a young man. He was probably the owner of this large estate. When Arthur didn't reply, he could sense the man staring at him. Then, footsteps came over. They sounded sturdy but light at the same time. When they neared him, Arthur flinched, and the footsteps stopped.

"Listen, don't be scared. I'm not gonna hurt you or anything."

The man sounded so kind, so sincere and truthful, that Arthur found himself looking up and staring directly into two bright sky blue eyes. He was right about it being a young man. He looked strong and warm and handsome...but probably dangerous. He For a moment he was captivated, and startled when the other chuckled.

"I'm Alfred F. Jones. I suppose you could call me the master of this awesome place. Can I have the privilege of knowing your name?"

Well, it seemed that he wasn't in any immediate danger. " Yes Sir. It's Arthur."

Alfred smiled. "Well Arthur, I hope you're feeling better. I hope you don't mind about your clothes...I'm having a maid wash them. But they're awfully tattered, so I'll find you something else to wear soon."

To say the least, Arthur was quite confused. He should have been in huge trouble right now. Was this Alfred person just playing with him? Maybe getting him relaxed before striking? His fists were clenched around his pant legs so tightly that his knuckles were white and burning. Alfred noticed this and frowned.

"Listen, you aren't in any trouble for stealing. You were just hungry, right? And hurt. If I were in your position I would have done the same thing. But I do have plenty of food, I would have shared with you anyways."

Was this real? Arthur couldn't help but look up and gape at this man, wondering if he were in some sort of dream.

"You've been sleeping for almost two days now. You must have been really exhausted. By the way, my servant feels really bad for making you faint. Ludwig was just surprised to find you in the food storage shed, that's all."

Although it was the least of his concerns, Arthur flushed. He must have looked quite pathetic, trying to carry more than his arms would allow him full of newly harvested farm food, all the while dressed in ratty clothes caked in dirt. Then he'd fainted like a true pansy, and apparently slept for two days. How embarrassing.

"Oh, and I know you must be starving by the way. I'm having someone bring up a nice hot meal for you." Alfred told him. At the mention of food, Arthur's stomach made a loud gurgling noise. Alfred laughed fully now.

Arthur was still very confused. Tears began to flood silently from his tired green eyes and he whispered, "But...Why are you doing this? Aren't you going to kill me, or imprison me?"

Alfred seemed to panic a little, holding up his hands in defense. "Hey, don't cry! I know I'm rich, but I'm not like like that. You're just sick and hungry, and trying to survive. It isn't your fault."

He hadn't ever heard somebody say such a kind thing before, and it only made him cry harder. Meanwhile Alfred looked crossed between hugging him or not moving. He settled for patting the smaller man on the shoulder.

"It's gonna be alright. I promise I won't hurt you at all." Alfred said. Then, he reached into his suit coat pocket to pull out a fine looking handkerchief, gently dabbing at Arthur's eyes and under his nose. "Now, I need to go take care of a few things. Use the basin on the dresser to wash your face, and in a few minutes lunch will be here, okay?"

Still stunned but feeler a bit calmer, Arthur hiccuped. "Y-Yes, Sir."

Alfred got up from the bed and headed to the door. About halfway there though, he paused and turned around.

"You're safe now, okay?"

For a few moments after the door closed Arthur just sat in disbelief. His head hurt with disbelief, but he was fairly certain that he would live to see another day, and so he calmed. Finally he stood and went over to the washbasin. It was very beautiful, probably made of china. He dipped his hands into the lukewarm fresh water and scrubbed away the salty remains of tears on his cheeks. He would have used the bar of soap on the side, but it looked too perfect to touch.

Just as he made it back to the bed, there was another knock on the door. After hesitating for a moment, Arthur finally muttered a loud enough, "come in" for them to hear. The door opened and a cheerful looking man rolled in a cart full of food, whistling cheerfully.

"Good morning! Or should I say afternoon? Oh well, lunch is here!" He announced, stopping the cart and pulling away a cloth to reveal so much food that Arthur thought he would die of shock.

"There's a lot here because we weren't sure what you would like...but you have to eat slow, alright? It looks like you haven't eaten in awhile, so you don't want to get sick to your stomach. Oh, but I do recommend trying the pasta first! I made it myself with lots of love to help you get strong again!"

Arthur didn't know what to say, so he just blinked. The man either didn't notice his shock, or didn't care. He just babbled on.

"My names Feliciano! I've been working for the Jones family my whole life...my Grandpa worked for Master Jones' parents, and my brother and I work for their son! Oh, but you've met him. Isn't he nice? Luddie works here too, but mostly doing the hard work outside. I like to cook and clean!"

As Feliciano chattered, he got the plates of food out and ready. Arthur was getting a headache and wanted this man to shut up, but it was of course not his place to say anything. He should be, and certainly was, thankful for the food that was so generously brought to him.

Finally, a good five minutes later, Feliciano finally seemed to understand that Arthur wasn't exactly feeling talkative at the moment. He chuckled nervously. "Um, well, feel free to have whatever you'd like! I'd better go now...have a good lunch!"

Arthur sighed with relief when he was alone again. Then, his eyes fixed upon the food set before him and he smiled. There was anything and everything. Fresh fruits like grapes, mangos, pineapples, watermelon were piled together in a heaping mountain. Then there were fresh slabs of cheese, slices of ham, tiny sausages, pasta...enough food to feed an army!

He slowly reached out for one of the grapes, but stopped. What if this was some sort of test? His stomach growled and begged for nourishment, but he brought his hands back to clench at his pajama sleeves. Alfred had seemed truthful about this...so did that Feliciano guy. But this was reality. Arthur had tried stealing food from this wealthy place. Stealing was something that someone of his status could be put to death for. So why was Alfred doing this?

Was he going to enslave Arthur as his prisoner? Would he want payment back for the foods he'd tried to take? If that were the case then likely he would force Arthur to stay and do strenuous labor...or even worse, make him use his body as payment.

His vision started to blur, and so Arthur tried to calm his breathing. He needed to stop being so paranoid. Alfred had told him to eat, right? So maybe if he didn't eat then he would be in even more trouble. It was all so confusing and he felt like crying again. He'd only woken up an hour ago and already he was exhausted. But he still needed to decide.

What should he do? Eat the food, or leave the food? Was he just being silly worrying?

He really didn't have much time to decide to answer, because the door knocked again twice before opening.

"Hey Arthur, sorry about that, I had to….what's the matter?" Alfred asked, frowning when he noticed the terrified expression on the other's face. Then he looked at the untouched food and put two and two together, instantly feeling bad. "Listen to me, you don't have to be afraid to eat. When I said that I wouldn't hurt you I really meant it."

Arthur could only look down in shame. "I'm sorry Sir."

"Don't be sorry," Alfred replied back, and then sat next to Arthur on the bed. "Now, while you eat, I'll let you know what's going to happen."

Arthur inched away from the taller man a bit, but nodded in agreement. He slowly reached out to take the grape that he had wanted to taste, and plopped it into his mouth. The taste of sweetness bursted over his tastebuds. Never before had he had something so fresh and delicious. He didn't hesitate this time to take another grape.

Alfred smiled as he watched him, but then cleared his throat. "So, I have a few questions. You don't need to explain in detail, but right now I take it you have no safe place to live?"

Arthur bit into a slab of cheese, shaking his head. "No Sir."

"I thought so," Alfred said. "Do you have any family?"

Arthur lowered the cheese and his eyes clouded over with something...perhaps darkness, or maybe regret? Either way, he replied "No Sir, not anymore."

"That's too bad. I'm sorry." Alfred told him. "Either way, you don't have to worry about anything anymore."

When Arthur's eyebrows raised in confusion, Alfred elaborated. "I won't have you leave and go hungry again. Then you'll try something like this again, but at an estate where a master is not as kind as I. So I would like you to stay here, as a servant to the Jones' Estate and myself."

Arthur almost dropped his piece of food out of shock. Alfred took this the wrong way, and hurried to reassure him. "You'll be treated very fairly! With a salary, and days off...and a warm bed and as much food as you want. I just want to make sure you stay safe. Will you accept?"

When Arthur realized he was asked a question, he ducked his head. "Yes, of course I shall serve you. By all rights you could have killed me, b-but instead you gave me food and comfort. I...I am glad to offer my services to you."

Alfred looked overjoyed. "Great! You can start officially next week. For the remainder of the time before that, I would like you to rest. You shouldn't work till you're at full strength."

Arthur felt overwhelmed. He felt his eyes tear up once again as he mumbled, "Thank you Sir."

Just as Alfred had wanted, Arthur spent the next few days mostly on bed rest. He quickly regained his strength, mostly because of the wonderful nutritious food that was constantly brought. Arthur didn't ever think he would grow tired of the delicious grapes, berries, and other fruits that this estate seemed to have an endless supply of.

Speaking of the estate, the two days before he would begin his duties as a servant, he was given a tour of the place. Feliciano, the only besides Alfred who he had actually talked to, was the one to show him around. The place was very large...so large in fact, that Arthur feared he would get lost. Feliciano assured him that he would find his way around alright, and that there were plenty of others to help him find his way.

Arthur was sort of hoping he would be able to go outside into the sunshine, but Feliciano seemed rather indifferent to it. "You'll be a house servant like me, so you don't need to know the grounds so well. But I will introduce you to Luddie later! He works the farmland, and he's really strong and nice!"

If Arthur recalled right, Alfred had mentioned that 'Luddie" or Ludwig was the one who had discovered him attempting to steal. He cringed and secretly hoped that Feliciano would forget to introduce them later. It was also interesting to find out his position as a 'house' servant. He wondered what exactly that entitled, but he was told not to worry about it until his first day of work. He figured he would be made to clean the place, which he really was fine with.

Later that day, around noontime, Alfred came to find them. Feliciano seemed rather ecstatic to see him.

"Oh, Master Jones, hello! I just finished showing Arthur around. Do you need anything?"

Alfred grinned. "I'm fine Feli. However, it is lunchtime. Can you go to the kitchens and request something yummy for two to be brought up to my chambers? Then you may go out and have lunch with Ludwig. I'll take Arthur with me to have lunch."

Feliciano was quick to agree, saying that he would pack a picnic lunch for himself and Ludwig to share, running off to the kitchens quickly. That left Alfred and Arthur alone. Actually, he really hadn't seen much of Alfred ever since he'd accepted the position to work here. Alfred had only popped in a few times, but mostly left him in the care of Feliciano. Apparently his job kept him quite busy, though Arthur still wasn't exactly sure what he did. Obviously it was something big, since he lived such a wealthy life.

"So, what do you think of my place? Pretty cool, right?" Alfred's voice broke his thoughts.

"Yes," Arthur nodded. "It's...really big."

"Don't worry, you'll find your way around," Alfred assured him. "Besides, you'll be spending a lot of time with me."

This was news to Arthur. He raised his eyebrows in mild confusion. "But...Aren't I just a house servant? Won't I be cleaning or something?"

Alfred chuckled, putting a hand on Arthur's back as they walked up the grand staircase in the direction of his bedroom.. "Well, maybe sometimes. But your job will be a little different. Think of yourself as being...a sort of secretary, personal assistant, something like that."

"Oh," Arthur blinked. "Um...I'm not sure if I'm qualified for that sort of thing."

"Sure you are!" Alfred disagreed happily. "You can read, right? I saw you reading those books in your room. By the way, I have a pretty big selection of books in my personal study. You're welcome to any of those."

"Er, thanks." Arthur said. "So...all I need to know for this job is how to read?"

"Sure!" Alfred agreed rather than answered, but he did rub the back of his neck in an indication that he was hiding something. "Look, I just want you close by me for now, okay?"

Arthur decided not to question it, despite his confusion. "Alright."

"Cool," Alfred said as he opened the door to his bedroom. "Now let's have some lunch."

It had been twelve weeks since Arthur had attempted to steal food from Alfred. Three months. The best part about it was that Arthur was completely happy. Alfred had actually been true to his word. Arthur hardly considered himself treated like a 'servant'. He was well fed, well rested, and never overworked.

Actually, his job could even be considered boring at times. Mostly Alfred just liked him to 'keep close'. That sometimes required for him to stand nearby Alfred while he attended boring business meetings, spend hours signing papers, or even just lounged in his sitting room entertaining guests.

However, Arthur finally found out what exactly Alfred did for work one day when a guest visited their house, apparently to make negotiations with Alfred over something. His name was Ivan Braginski, and it put it simply, he was quite intimidating. He wore a very fine suit, with a cream colored scarf wrapped around his neck that looked very out of place from the rest of his pristine appearance. But he was also quite large, and there was something about his expression (a rather childish smile) that made Arthur uneasy.

Arthur stood close by Alfred, who was seated on a leather couch in the guest parlor. Ivan sat across from him, a coffee table in between the two tables. There was a man, probably one of Ivan's servants, who stood before the Russian. Arthur couldn't help but notice that he looked rather skinny and weakened. It was true that Alfred was a lot kinder than other rich men.

"Ah, Alfred. It has been quite sometime since I have last visited you. I trust your health is well?" Ivan asked pleasantly once they were both comfortable.

"Yes, quite," Alfred responded rather solemnly. He didn't seem too find of Ivan, because usually he was cheerful and upbeat when meeting other people on business. "And yourself?"

"Very well!" Ivan replied. Then, much to his surprise, Arthur found those weird violet eyes boring into his own. "Is this a new servant of yours?"

Alfred's fists clenched on his lap, but he responded normally, "Yes. Now, shall we get to business?"

"Ah, you are always so serious Alfred!" Ivan said, chuckling in delight. "And you haven't even said hello to Toris yet. Aren't you curious if he is doing well in his new home?"

"He looks as well as can be expected," Alfred replied robotically, but his fists were now shaking. It took Arthur a moment to realize that they were talking about Ivan's servant. He put two and two together and it seemed quite obvious...Toris must have worked for Alfred before he'd worked for Ivan. Arthur wondered how that came to be.

Finally, Ivan relented from his rather cruel teasing. "Alright, onto business I suppose. So, you wanted to negotiate a trade?"

"Yes. You own twice the amount of land that I do. For a quarter of your land to borrow, I'll give you a quarter of my earnings." Alfred spoke carefully.

Ivan hummed thoughtfully. "I see. And why do you want to use my land?"

"For farmland, what else?"

"Farmland? Oh, now I understand. You want to use my land to grow more food, so that you can distribute it to all of those lowly peasants." Ivan stated, almost in lighthearted disgust.

Alfred leaned forward determinedly. "Ivan, we need to do something. Millions of people are starving. If we keep all the wealth and resources to ourselves then it's bound to get ugly. With even a tiny quarter of your land, hundreds, even thousands more can be ensured survival. I'm willing to pay a lot of money for just temporary use. You have to think about it."

"There's not much to think about. Feeding those extra people will gain us nothing. Why should I give up my precious land to feed people who will not be able to repay me back?"

"I just said I'd pay you!" Alfred's voice had risen slightly. "And they would be paying you back too. They'd be consumers! More people to buy your products, and to work harder. A starved man is of no use for work. Food means fullness, which will in return make their moods and health grow. Then they can work harder."

"Hmm," Ivan leaned back. "Perhaps you are making a bit of sense. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves, yes? Personally I think we would benefit much more to just let a few of them die off. Then we wouldn't have to worry about overpopulation anymore. Once the weak and elderly die off, the younger and stronger ones can work for us."

Ivan sounded so cruel, so absurd, that Arthur found himself seething in anger. It was because of rich bastards like him for the reason of the world being like it was today. Only about 5% of the population consisted of people like Alfred and Ivan. The rest of those 95% lived in poverty. If they even got one meal a day they'd be lucky.

"You know, you can't force everybody to work like cattle for your own benefit. Eventually they'll just revolt against you. In fact, there's already been much talk about that. You may have money, but it won't go to any use against millions of people raiding your precious goods and getting rid of you. Maybe if you treated us with respect then you'd get some in return."

The room was dead silent, and Arthur closed his mouth abruptly. That was not supposed to come out. Oh crap, he was definitely dead now, no question about it. But much to his surprise, Ivan threw his head back and giggled with amusement.

"Oh my, you sure found an amusing one. You know Alfred, if you let your underlings get away with so much then it's bound to go awry. I'd get a move on with taming him."

"I think I'll decide how my staff are treated," Alfred growled out. "Arthur, go ask Kiku to get some refreshments."

Arthur didn't move, caught up the intense stare that Ivan was giving him.

Alfred snapped, "Now!"

He moved quickly then. In a way Ivan had been right, at least about himself. He owed Alfred a lot, and it was not his place to be so disrespectful. Alfred would easily kill or punish him, or throw him back on the streets. So he quickly lowered his head and mumbled a sincere apology before leaving the room in a hurried pace.

Kiku, another servant who worked mostly indoors and sometimes in the gardens, met him halfway in the hallway with a plate of drinks and snacks.

"Be careful in there Arthur," The asian man said softly, passing him the plate. "Ivan is not the kind of person who you want to attract the attention of."

That comment caused Arthur confusion but made him wary. He found out why before he entered the parlor again. Stopping just outside the frame of the door, he listened in on the conversation.

"You know, I think i have come up with a reasonable negotiation on your part," Ivan was saying, so seriously that it was almost obvious something was up.

"...And what would that be?" Alfred asked carefully.

"I will give you my full quarter of land to use however as you wish for as long as you like..for only half a quarter of your money instead of a whole like your offer. But there is one small thing I want in return."

There was a loud bang on the table, and Arthur realized it was Alfred's fist. "No. No way in seven hells! You aren't getting him, got it?"

"But why not? Why not sacrifice one person in order to save...what did you say...thousands? It's an opportunity that I cannot blow. He would be very fun to break. He is also very alluring, with that fair skin and those green eyes."

Arthur felt a rush of cold enter his body. They were talking about him. Almost instantly, his hands began trembling harshly, and the plate slipped from his grasp, crashing to the floor. Then he took off like a madman, running down the maze of hallways until he reached the staircase that led to his room. Once he was there, he slammed the door shut and used every ounce of his strength in order to shove the dressed in front of it since there was no lock.

After that, he just lay curled up under the covers. It was quite obvious what choice Alfred would make. There was no way he would pass up the opportunity to feed thousands of people. In a way it was good...a lot of people would be helped. Arthur didn't have much to live for now anyway. But he couldn't help but want to stay here, where he would be safe and warm and full. Ivan would beat and starve him and do...other things...to him!

He was having trouble breathing now. He knew that he should go out there and accept his fate. Likely any minute they would come up to get him. If he resisted then Ivan would probably treat him even harsher.

It seemed like hours as he waited, terrified, for what was to come. When that awaited knock finally did come, his heart pounded wildly as he slowly crossed the room, attempting to push the dresser aside. It was hard, but finally he managed. When he opened the door to face his new horrifying future….he was pulled into a pair of warm suntanned arms.

"Arthur," Alfred murmured. "Calm down. He's gone. He's not getting you, I promise."

"B-But all the people…"

"We made other negotiations, you don't have to worry. I know how to get around that bastard," Alfred said, continuing to hug him tightly. "He'll never touch you, okay?"

Arthur could do nothing but nod mutely. "I...I'm sorry for speaking out of term earlier."

"It's fine, you have a complete right to speak. If anything I'm sorry for snapping. It's just that I didn't want Ivan to do anything." Alfred said. "He has a bad habit of taking other people's things...or in some cases, people."

Although relief washed through his body, Arthur was still confused. "But so many people would survive with enough food. I'm just one person. Shouldn't you have easily given me up?"

Alfred pulled back from their embrace. "Do you think I could ever live with that? Besides, knowing Ivan there would have been some trickery to his negotiations. In the past he's manipulated me a lot, taking advantage of me and my things. You see, I'm still not the best at this whole business thing. My parents were both killed last year though, so I'm on my own with this stuff."

Arthur wanted to cry, but not for himself. Alfred was such a kind person. He'd never met anybody with a heart as big as his before. To think that his parents had been killed and he was left with such a burden. Without thinking, he took Alfred's hands in his own.

"I know what it's like to lose people as well. But you're doing a really good job from what I can make of things," He said rather shyly.

Alfred looked really joyful, squeezing Arthur's hands back. "Thank you so much. You don't know how happy that makes me."

For a moment they just stood there smiling at each other, but then Alfred let go of his hands and instead rested them on either side of Arthur's face.

"Arthur...can I kiss you?"

His heart was pounding so hard, that Arthur was almost worried the other could hear.

"Y-Yes."

And just like that, Alfred's slightly chapped lips met Arthur's soft pink ones, and every feeling of nervousness and anxiety faded away. Arthur's didn't even fight for dominance, allowing Alfred to explore his mouth and use his tongue as he pleased. After a moment they drew back, gasping for breath.

"Wow….that was every bit as awesome as I imagined it to be!" Alfred finally said, chuckling. Then he grew a little more serious. "Are you happy here? I mean, do you like working as my assistant? It's hard to tell, cause you don't really smile that much."

"Of course I'm happy here!" Arthur spoke hurriedly before Alfred could come up with any absurd worries or conclusions. "I...I really like it here...and I really, really like working for you."

Alfred beamed. "That's awesome...cause I really like you being here."

Arthur smiled back, very sincerely. It was odd to think where he would be right now if he hadn't tried to steal from this man. He almost shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if he'd tried to steal from someone else, like Ivan for example. Either way, he knew that things were going to be okay, now that he was safe and warm and probably loved too.

Should I make this a two-shot, or leave it as is? It's your guy's call, because it doesn't really feel complete but at the same time it does.

Review and let me know what you think please!