Chop. Chop. Chop.
Arthur hummed a merry tune as he diced the onions for his cottage pie, every now and then blinking back tears. He was beyond excited for dinner tonight, as all his boys would be with him around the table once more. Francis would actually be home from work at a reasonable hour, and both Alfred and Matthew were visiting from North America.
I think I'll just go see what the boys are up to, Arthur thought to himself. They came all this way from America, they should be down here cooking with me rather than keeping themselves hidden away in their room.
Arthur set aside his knives and brushed his hands on his much-abused apron before untying the knots that kept it in place. Tossing the apron on the back of one of the bar stools, Arthur began trotting up the stairs. Halfway up, he slowed his pace as noticed some unusual noises coming from the boys' room.
"Oh my gosh Al, I forgot how much I missed doing this with you." Bed springs creaked as one of the boys shifted.
"I know, right?!" came Alfred's ever-excited voice, "It's been way too long little bro. But that was the easy stuff. What do you say we kick it up a level?"
"I dunno… It's been a while since I've done anything like this. Can't we stick to the slow stuff?"
"C'mon Mattie, stop being such a wimp. You'll do great, I know it."
"Mmm… But it's so intense Al. I don't know if I'm ready for that. I just… I don't think I can handle it."
"I'll show you all my secrets, I promise, just do this with me! One time! Pleeeeease!" Alfred had pulled out his full-strength whine against his little brother. Whatever the boy wanted, Arthur knew he was about to get.
Matthew was quiet for a moment, but, as usual, caved in to his brother.
"Alright, fine," Matthew groaned, his voice just audible over more creaking of bed springs, "But just this once. And you are going to owe me, big time."
"Yes! Can we listen to music this time? Please?"
"No, you know the noise distracts me. Let's just keep everything quiet this time."
Alfred groaned and griped, but Matthew actually remained firm.
What could they possibly be up to? Arthur wondered, starting back up the stairs. Whatever it was, the man was sure they would still want to help their father in the kitchen. Just as Arthur was reaching out for the door handle, he was startled by an aggravated grunt from Matthew.
"Are you kidding me?" Matthew cried out, "We barely started and I already know this is going to suck."
"Calm down Matt," Alfred said, "You'll get the hang of it. Just keep going!"
"I know, Al!" Another frustrated cry. "God, why won't you go any faster!"
"Mattie, we literally just started! You know it takes time to get up to speed, we just went over this!"
A light blush began to spread across Arthur's face. What are they… They aren't…
Another distressed cry from Matthew and an excited shout from Alfred confirmed Arthur's suspicions. The man scurried back from the door and ran halfway down the stairs, sitting on the landing where he could still hear what was going on so he could figure out what to do.
Do I walk in and catch them at it? He wondered, Or do I make enough noise to give them warning that I'm coming? Maybe I should go back downstairs and just pretend… But no! I can't do that! I have to put an end to this! Those boys are brothers! This is completely unacceptable behavior, especially under my roof! In the bedroom they shared as children!
Just as Arthur worked up the nerve to go out his boys for their wrongdoings, yet another screech erupted from Matthew. Arthur could almost feel the bed shaking in the boys' room from where he stood on the landing.
"Mattie, shut up! Dad's gonna get mad if you keep up like this."
"I don't care, he can do what he wants. I can't handle this anymore! If I can't catch up-"
"C'mon bro, it's all good. At least you're not backwards anymore. If you want I can pull back and give you a chance to-"
"Don't you dare! If you hold back anything just for my sake I'm going to-"
Arthur gasped as a stubbled cheek brushed up against his.
"Francis! I- You- How did you-"
The Frenchman chuckled under his breath and nuzzled his lover's ear. "Good evening, mon lapin," Francis murmured, "What exactly are you up to? Sitting secretly on our landing… A delicious blush across your cheeks… A hint of arousal in your trousers?"
Arthur shoved Francis away from him, hissing as he turned to hide the little tent that was forming between his legs.
"Shut up, you frog, and explain to me why you thought it would be a good idea to sneak up on me!"
Francis only chuckled more enthusiastically as he watched his beloved Englishman squirm in discomfort. "Well when I got home I couldn't find my beloved chef in the kitchen, so I wondered if perhaps he had gone to ask our boys for help. And here I find him instead listening in on a rather scandalous encounter…"
Arthur spluttered as he tried to find the words to defend himself. "I am not- I just- How can you say-"
Francis shushed his lover with a finger over the man's lips. "Hush, mon amour,no need to explain to me. I completely understand. Just listen to them for a moment…"
The shouts and cries and creaks from the boys' room had been steadily increasing in intensity as Arthur and Francis had talked on the landing.
"No, no, no, no, no" Mattie moaned hoarsely, "It can't end like this. Noooo!"
"YES! YES! YES! C'MON JUST A LITTLE MORE! JUST A LITTLE FARTHERRRRR! YESSSS!" Alfred began shouting cries of joy, completely masking Matthew's distraught shouts.
Arthur blushed beet red at the commotion, while Francis fell onto the stairs in a laughing fit.
"Francis. Francis get up. What are we supposed to do. Did they just-" Arthur was hoarse as he tugged at Francis' shirt, trying to get the man on his feet.
Francis stood shakily, slowly pulling himself together. "Whew, come along, mon cher, I think you're going to be in for a surprise." Francis clutched at the stitch in his side as he lead his lover up the stairs.
"Boys, how are you doing?" Francis said, opening the door to his sons' room in spite of Arthur's vigorous pantomimes and obvious distress.
Matthew was sprawled on the bed in clear defeat, his face buried in the pillows, while Alfred leaped around the room in victory.
"Well I totally just beat my fastest time on Rainbow Road ever so I would say I'm doing AMAZING!" Alfred cried, bouncing over to brag to his dads.
"That's great Alfred!" Francis said, clapping the buzzing boy on the shoulder.
"Rainbow… Road?" Arthur muttered.
"Yeah, you know, Mario Kart?" Alfred explained. "I'm pretty much the grand master. Mattie didn't even finish though, so… Maybe we should go do something else?"
"What a wonderful idea, Alfred!" Francis said, biting back laughs as he watched the color drain from his lover's face, "I think your dad could use some help with dinner. Why don't you drag Mathieu out of bed and meet us downstairs?"
"Sure thing, Papa!" Alfred said, bounding over to shake his brother from his failure-induced stupor.
Francis and Arthur turned to head down the stairs, the former beginning to lose his composure once more.
"Francis! How can you be laughing! Don't tell me you didn't think-"
"On the contrary, mon lapin, don't tell me you did think! You know how competitive the boys are with their video games. I can't believe you thought for a minute that they might actually be-"
"Oh get off your high horse, Francis! You know that sounded like-"
Francis cut off Arthur's mounting tirade with a deep kiss, stopping the man in his tracks.
"Sounded exactly like what's going to happen to you later, mon amour…" Francis purred, leaving Arthur alone and in a daze as he trotted gleefully down the stairs.
...
Another transfer from my Tumblr blog! You can reblog/like it here if you so choose: post/114190014158/rainbow-road
As always, my inbox is open here and on Tumblr for suggestions for new material, critiques, or just whatever! Thanks for being awesome!