Alfred enjoyed waking up early and starting his mornings with a simple cup of coffee and a relaxing breakfast. However, he now had to spend his mornings walking dogs as a side job to earn a little extra cash for his upcoming college classes.
Don't get him wrong, he liked animals, but that morning he simply did not feel up to the task. A job was a job, though.
He was off and walking in under half an hour, three dogs pulling ahead of him and guiding him through the all too familiar neighborhood.
Alfred has stayed on the sidewalk, pulling out his phone for a moment to check the time. During their arrival into the dog park, one of the leashes had managed to slip from his distracted grasp, the lead dog taking off across the playground.
"Dammit," Alfred ran after her, speeding past joggers and early risers that had taken seats on the park benches.
One man in particular was reading a book, the novel placed securely between his hands and over his lap. His eyes were trained on the words inside and his bag was placed leaning against the side of the bench.
The exact bag that Alfred's dog had her nose pressed in.
The man's concentrated stare was broken as he looked down at the large dog, then at the other who approached. He looked a bit out of breath by the time he stopped in front of him.
"No, down girl!" Alfred grabbed her leash and tugged, holding her back. "I'm really sorry, she's usually very well behaved. She just somehow got out, I'm sorry if she was any trouble."
"None at all," the Brit stood (Alfred noticed his accent immediately) and offered his hand, only to retract it when he realized that the blond's hands were busy. "I'm Arthur," he leaned down to pet the dog's head, earning a tail wag in return. "I'm not much of a dog person, but she is quite adorable."
Alfred smiled and held onto her leash tightly when he stopped petting, preventing her from jumping on him just in case. "They're actually my neighbors' dogs, I walk them every morning as a side job."
"Rent?"
"Everything." Alfred laughed and realized that he had yet to introduce himself. "My name's Alfred," he untangled the leashes and held out his hand, holding the dogs' leashes in his other one.
"Alfred," he repeated out loud, Arthur taking his had and shaking it. "Charming." He let his touch linger, pulling away slowly. "Do you need any help?" He motioned to the dogs who were squirming in their seats on the grass beside Alfred's feet.
"Oh, no, I've kept you from your reading long enough. It's about time they head back, anyways."
"It's no trouble," Arthur smiled and packed his book away carefully into his bag, wearing it around his shoulder. "I've read that novel three different times, there is no harm in waiting to read the rest when I get home."
That was at least enough to convince Alfred on his decision, besides the small whine that came from one of the dogs next to him.
"Alright, their owners don't live far from here." Alfred unwound the leashes and handed Arthur the calmest one, his tail wagging when he was handed over. "He's slow, but keep hold of him."
As they walked, Alfred had begun asking a few questions about his guest. "Are you from around here?"
Arthur sped up to keep pace with Alfred and his dogs, staying in stride with him. "Not originally. I came here for my work and I've moved into an apartment recently. My home is back in the UK-"
"I knew it!" Alfred broke into a grin and paid almost no attention to his out burst. "Your accent totally gave it away."
"You're obviously from here," Arthur challenged, "born and raised?" Alfred seemed like the type to never leave the nest until he was absolutely prepared to.
"Of course, this is my home town, after all. I plan on moving once my courses are finished, so I'm saving up as much as I can."
They stopped in front of an apartment complex, the couple was waiting outside and smiling as Alfred appeared. They took the dogs from them and handed Alfred his pay for the morning.
Once they went back inside, Arthur stood in front of Alfred on the sidewalk. "Living alone?" He received a nod in response before Alfred pointed his thumb behind him.
"I live in this complex alone, and they live next door to me. I get a little bored with no one to talk to, but I guess it beats living in my parents' basement." He shrugged, but smiled.
Arthur shifted his feet, tucking his hands into his jacket pockets. "Would you like to get some coffee?" He asked suddenly, not quite knowing himself where the question came from. "It's my treat, you don't have to pay."
Alfred glanced at him and his smile widened as he accepted the offer. "That sounds great, I don't have any other things I need to do today." Alfred stopped, realizing that he sounded a bit rude. "I mean, I'd still take up on your offer even if I had things to do. Not that I do or anything, which is good, since I can go without worrying about missing anything important. Well, I'm not saying that your offer isn't important-"
"Alfred," he cut him off of his ramble, covering his laugh behind his hand. "I understand, you don't need to elaborate on it. A simple yes would have sufficed."
It had taken about fifteen minutes to walk to the nearest shop, Alfred holding the door open for Arthur as they entered. It was there that the American had learned that Arthur hated coffee, preferred tea, and liked it warm.
"So," Alfred started, stirring his coffee with a spoon. "You mentioned work earlier. What kind of job do you have?"
Arthur took a sip of his tea and glanced at his watch, smiling when he looked back at him. "I'm a writer, my editor lives here and he wanted me to move for the sake of convenience. He was the only one who would take my work, so I didn't have much of a choice."
"Have you published any of your work yet?" Alfred crossed his legs under the table, leaning forward and blowing on his drink.
"It's a work in progress, I haven't really thought of releasing it quite yet. That's why I'm having my editor look over it this afternoon."
The Brit slowly sipped his tea, not yet wanting to finish it as he and Alfred talked. Having an excuse to finish his drink would make them stay longer. "What are you in college for?"
The sudden question made Alfred look up at him. Setting his coffee down on the table. "I'm wanting to be a game designer so I'm taking animation and standard technology classes. I'm going back to school in a few weeks which is why I've been doing side jobs. Right now I'm just a beta tester."
"You sit at home and play games all day?" Arthur was skeptical, Alfred's job may have just been a hobby. Then again, so was his.
"I test," he corrected, holding up his finger, "and I get paid for it. A friend of mine hooked me up with the job and he's the one signing my paychecks, too."
"Really," Arthur said it more as a statement than as a question. "What made you get into game design?"
"What made you get into writing?" Alfred countered with a grin.
Arthur returned the smile. "I've always enjoyed literature and stories. I eventually considered it my career back in school and planned to make it a significant part of my adult life."
"Wow, I just liked playing video games as a kid. It sounds like you've figured everything out from the get go." Alfred paused for a moment, drinking his coffee. "What exactly do you write?"
Arthur looked over at him, fidgeting slightly under the table. "Well, I write mainly adult novels."
"Like murder mysteries and stuff?"
"Ah, no, not exactly ... " The Brit trailed off, debating whether or not to tell him the truth. "It's more fictional erotica than anything."
"So you write porn?" Alfred noticed him cringe slightly and it was then did he realized he had said that just a little louder than intended.
"To be blunt, yes, that is what I write." He wasn't sure if Alfred would judge him any more if he specified on the topic. A coffee shop wasn't the best setting for the subject to begin with.
"That's cool, I guess. I don't know a whole lot of people who do that kind of stuff." Alfred glanced down at his cup, letting the rest of his drink settle.
"Right," Arthur fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably, wondering if his job had changed anything between them. First impressions meant a lot.
Alfred, sensing the mood for once, laughed. "I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting that. It's not everyday that I meet someone with your occupation."
It wasn't until Arthur looked up at Alfred did he notice his smile. He was nervous but smiled back, feeling himself relax. "Literature is a funny thing, I suppose. I didn't mean to frighten you, I don't usually let people in on my personal work."
"Does this make me special?" Alfred's grin looked both charming and flirtatious, causing Arthur to blush and hide his own smile behind his cup of tea.
"If you interpret this as such," Arthur drank the remainder of his tea, setting the cup down. "I wouldn't mind either way."
Alfred sat back and gently rocked his chair on the back of its legs before setting it on the floor again. "What were you doing outside?" Alfred received a confused look. "When I met you, I mean."
"I was reading, I thought that was obvious." Arthur joked, "I just felt like going outside this morning. The weather back home was always heavy and it rained so much so it's a bit different over here. I took the opportunity with the good weather and I'm glad I did. I would have never guessed I'd be having tea with some handsome, American stranger."
"You offered, I'd be a fool to pass it up." Alfred left it at that, feeling that if he continued speaking, he may not be able to stop himself. He felt flattered over Arthur's compliment.
"Well, I also wasn't expecting a broke college student to pay for the both of us, and that would be rude of me to stick you with the bill."
"Hey now, I'm not that poor. I got paid today, remember?" Alfred waved the bills in the air that he pulled from his pocket.
"Ten dollars isn't going to amount to much unless you save it up." And it was a good thing Arthur had already paid, he imagined that Alfred would be the one to pay whether he had money or not.
"You're starting to sound like my parents," Alfred rolled his eyes, pushing his now empty coffee cup away from him. "I moved out so I wouldn't be lectured and now I don't think I can escape it."
"You're still in school, someone has to tell you these things," Arthur gave a sly smile, mirroring Alfred's action with his cup.
"C'mon, you can't be any older than twenty-five, you probably just got out of school yourself!"
"Twenty-four actually, and yes. I wouldn't have my degree in writing if I didn't finish my time in a university."
"See? You're old enough to be my college roommate and you're lecturing me over money. I'm responsible enough to handle myself!"
Arthur raised a brow, crossing his arms and leaning back on the chair. "Well, you did say you lived alone. You could actually use a flatmate to help pay for the rent."
"Where am I going to find one in this town? Most of my friends moved after graduation and most of the roommate spots have been filled in other complexes." He had already tried to find a roommate, but there really wasn't anyone available.
Arthur shifted his eyes from the table top to Alfred, clearing his throat. "I could move in." He saw Alfred shift in his seat, his attention more focused now that he had made the offer. "I haven't completely unpacked because my living arrangements are only temporary. My editor pulled some strings so I had somewhere to live when I made it over to the States. It was supposed to buy me enough time to actually find someplace to settle."
Alfred was quiet for a moment, drumming his fingers lightly on the table in thought. "It's small, but it's a two bedroom, one bath. Is that decent enough?"
Arthur smiled, he wasn't expecting Alfred to agree so quickly. "That's the usual size for the flats in England, I won't be complaining."
"How long are you staying in your temporary home? I at least want to know how long you're staying so I can clean up the place."
"Until the end of this month, then I can move in. I could help you clean up if you want, and we can set a few ground rules before I unpack."
"Ground rules?" Alfred grinned, "I don't care about those. As long as you don't go through my things, I'm fine."
They agreed to share information about themselves, spending the next half hour explaining their pros and cons.
Arthur had learned that Alfred enjoyed hanging posters on his walls and he was often up late at night beta testing his games.
In turn, Alfred learned that Arthur had barely any experience in the kitchen. He also had a bad habit of pacing around or sitting in silence for hours when he had writer's block.
After Arthur checked the time on his watch, they had left the cafe and he walked Alfred to his apartment complex.
"I guess I'll see you by the end of this month?" He wanted to show Arthur the apartment sooner so they could organize where to put his belongings. Though, he found himself not wanting to keep Arthur from his job or from other things.
Arthur nodded and smiled. "I need to meet with my editor in an hour, otherwise I wouldn't mind you giving me a tour now." He pulled out a pen from his bag, reaching to grab Alfred's arm. "I'm giving you my number so you can phone me if something ever comes up."
Alfred studied the numbers scribbled on his hand as he finished and grinned, tucking his hands in his hoodie pocket. "I'll text you first thing when I go in, that way you can answer back when you're done talking with your editor."
They said their good byes and Alfred watched Arthur leave before going inside his apartment.
He took off his shoes and made his way to his computer, turning it on and taking his phone out from his pocket to record Arthur's number. He sent him a quick greeting, adding his name at the end just in case, and set his phone down on his desk.
He waited for his laptop to load before logging into his Skype, clicking the first name in his contacts and slipping his head-set on. As the call connected, Alfred was greeted with a smile and a quiet hello. "Hey Kiku, I think I found someone interesting today ... "