~From Three Summers Back~
The humid forest air hit Arthur the moment he opened the door of the car his parents rented for this trip, his white button-up shirt already sticking to him a little. He frowned, and using a hand to shield his eyes from the sun glaring down at him, taking a look around.
Absolutely nothing about the secluded place struck his fancy. The cottage-cabin-whatever thing that he and his parents were to stay in looked old and far too tiny for them to actually spend the summer in. The lake – Oh God, the lake – had green… gunk floating on it and it looked like the dirtiest thing Arthur had ever seen. And, Arthur thought as he slapped at a mosquito, can't forget those darling little insects...
Arthur let out a heavy sigh as he rounded the car to get his suitcase out of the trunk. He lifted the heavy case out, and immediately went to go inside. He didn't notice the other set of parents conversing with his own and an over-excited, over-exaggerating teen with them.
As Arthur went inside, he learned that the cabin, or whatever it was called, was actually rather spacious. A little kitchen/dining room was to his left, and a living space flanked his right. The blonde kept walking, heading for the bedrooms in the back, finding one that he could claim. He flopped his suitcase down on the bed, opening it to grab one of the few (very few) short-sleeved shirts he had packed.
I didn't even want to go on this bloody trip... Arthur sighed, slipping the t-shirt on in place of the dress shirt. Haven't the foggiest why my parents would chose this bleeding place to go for a vacation... Arthur store at his suitcase for a moment, deliberating whether or not to unpack right then. Because, he had been wanting a smoke for quite a while... Well, since the plane had landed, actually...
His lungs won out, craving something far from "fresh air". He dug around in his suitcase, looking for the pack of smokes he'd hidden in there; he pocketed them when he did find them, a matchbox shoved into it as well. Arthur accidentally slammed the door as he went outside, drawing the attention of the group still gathered by the (still packed) car. Shit.
"Arthur, come over here and introduce yourself!" His mother called to him, then turned towards the other woman there, smiling. "That's my son I was telling you about, Jessie." Arthur stopped a few feet beside the other teen, who stared at him in great interest. Jessie?
His mother nudged him, whispering 'be polite' to him. Arthur snorted quietly, but complied. "My name is Arthur Kirkland, it's a pleasure to meet you all." He held his hand out to the man first, who shook it as would be deemed properly. "Joseph Jones; please call me Joe." Arthur nodded, turning to 'Jessie', whose cold grip held onto his hand almost painfully. "I'm Jessica, but everyone calls me Jessie!"
Arthur finally had his hand removed from the smiling woman's grasp, turning to the teen as the adults resumed their conversation. He held his hand out one last time, and the taller teen took his hand, shaking it vigorously, "The name's Alfred F. Jones, nice ta—wow, your eyebrows are ginormous!" The Brit sputtered indignantly for a moment, before muttering that he was going for a walk, taking off stomping towards the trees.
He heard a cry of 'hey, wait up!' as he rather violently took the pack of smokes from his pocket. He put one in-between his lips, grabbing a match. As Alfred caught up with his, Arthur lit up, tossing the extinguished match to the ground. Alfred made a face as Arthur took a drag, blowing the smoke in Alfred's general direction. Alfred waved at the air in front of his face coughing; Arthur smirked.
"You know," Alfred said as he finished his coughing fit, "smoking is bad for your lungs!" He reached over, taking the smoke from him. Arthur growled, grabbing his cigarette back, and punching Alfred in the side. He 'oof'-ed, grabbing at his side. He pouted at Arthur, still walking "That wasn't very nice you know..!"
"Well, I'm not particularly nice, so why don't you sod off now?" Arthur said, almost cruelly as he put his cigarette back between his lips. Alfred just laughed, slinging an arm around the shorter male.
"Well, I like ya! You're interesting; most people just kind of don't tell me off like you did!" Arthur store at him as if there was a bird on his head.
"Well, normal people would assume that they should leave that person alone." Alfred looked at him for a long moment, taking his arm back.
"Well, ya looked a little lonely! And I – being a hero – can't let you be lonely!" Arthur frowned as Alfred's smile increased. This foolish boy is going to irritate me to no end..
"I am not lonely. I like solitude, that's not a terrible thing." Arthur took a particularly long drag, shutting his eyes and blowing out with an almost serene expression. Alfred smiled, a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"Nah, but it makes ya sound lonely…" He whispered, too quiet for Arthur to hear.
