Coming home, coming home… tell the world that I'm coming home…
It has been raining that day. Murky clouds painted the sky gray and gloomy while the streets were covered in straying tufts of fog. The temperature has dropped several degrees and since he was dressed for the heat, his feet and his fingers were cold after ten minutes. The murmur from the clouds carried sullen meanings and even though the young man was used to the feeling of falling water drops on his skin and hair, he couldn't let himself soak before reaching to the apartment. He could only hope that his sandals won't soak or his notebook along with his papers will survive...
The first drop on his back made him wince in frustration and he grabbed his bag on his side to lift it up a couple of inches to actually start running. American Campus' were large like everything else in that country, to reach from the Biochemistry Laboratory buildings to his apartment complex he had to walk two miles and in this distance he didn't have any opportunity to save himself from the rain. He tried walking under the trees but when the rain became apparent, the larger drops from the leaves only scared him.
If he had a car like Alfred did, he could save the trouble... but he liked walking and watching the nature and the environment around the campus... save for the drunk idiots on Friday evenings.
Like he'd need Alfred's help in walking back, anyway. He was fine on his own.
They made an appointment at three o'clock, and the American didn't show up... he'd never done this to Arthur before. He didn't answer his calls or messages, and before Arthur let himself worry, Alfred's phone switched off or he wandered into a place where they was no connection, the smaller blonde wasn't sure. Nothing could explain this behaviour. Either something bad happened... or the events of yesterday really affected the younger man's attitude towards their relationship.
It was Arthur, who started it. In retrospect, he was an insensitive moron to do so.
How could he doubt Alfred's affections? Just because they'd been together for three months... it was the longest relationship in Arthur's life and it seemed this time as well, he'll be the one to mess it up. He hurt Alfred when he shrugged him off and told him something mindlessly... He didn't know it would be taken seriously by the spectacled student, but... it was. Arthur bit his lower lip as his heart began to ache from the sorrowful thoughts of losing Alfred. He couldn't let that happen, but he couldn't reach or find his love to explain anything. The man disappeared and obviously from his reactions, didn't want to see Arthur for some time.
Arthur tried to live in reality in the past three months. They got together after a one-night stand, Alfred started to ask him out and then proposed the idea of dating and spending more time together... but Arthur was a transfer student from London, for only one year. He had to go home, no matter how deeply attached his feelings became towards Alfred. The man had his own problems as well, with his family and his constant fight to maintain his living without a stabile financial background. His parents paid his education only, his spending were funded by himself alone... and Arthur felt more and more uncomfortable every time Alfred invited him for dinner or to his flat for the weekend. He used his food, water, electricity and all that Alfred would pay for in the end...
Not to mention the amount of alcohol, lube and condom...
Alfred had a tiny, 279 ft2 flat, twenty minutes from the Biophysics Laboratory buildings. He had a bed in it, a tiny kitchen with fridge and coffee machine, a microwave and an oven. He also had his little coffee table to pack his study materials but his clothes were in the inbuilt wardrobe of the flat, which was old and smelled like cheap soap and disinfectants. Arthur was the one who always tried to sort the man's clothes and fold them, since he couldn't stand the sight of the open wardrobe with the reign of chaos inside.
Still...
That was the flat Alfred paid for, with all its costs. He worked at Starbucks and at a local furniture shop at the same time, and besides his jobs he managed to attend most of the classes in university.
And... Arthur butted in his life and every week, he consumed at least fifty dollars from Alfred's purse.
He hated himself for that. For letting Alfred do this, every week.
He tried to cook for Alfred, but the man preferred fast food or ordered something for himself... he tried to clean every weekend but that made Alfred sad and disappointed only, because he didn't invite Arthur over for cleaning, and it wasn't nice to show him that he wasn't able to do cleaning by himself... so after a few attempts, Arthur kept only the habit of washing dishes and doing the laundry for his boyfriend.
He shouldn't have discarded Alfred's attempts to make this work and last. The man did his best in everything and asked only few things from Arthur... one of these, to be his shelter and comfort.
Let the rain wash away, all the pain I had yesterday...
Arthur turned in the corner of the apartment complex and looked up to see a squatting man at the entrance, whose Converse shoes, dark blue jeans and his bag on the floor was way too familiar. He slowed down in pace and decided to stop to swallow the sight in front of him, letting the waves of self-hatred and punishment wash over him. There he was. His boyfriend, listening to music after a day of hard work again, he came back to him because there was no one else to turn to. He had no one else to turn to... no one washed his clothes if he hadn't and no one woke him in time if he hadn't. It was only Arthur.
His throat tightened and he had to suck his breath in but it was trembling in sorrow. He mustn't hurt this man, never again.
"Alfred?"
The spectacled man blinked, furrowed his brow and took the headset off his ears to look aside. When he spotted the Englishman he stood up immediately and walked up to him to pull him to a tight and comforting embrace that told many things at once. He missed Arthur, he sniffed at his neck and kissed his skin, he swallowed and tightened his grip on the shorter blonde's shoulder and back while the other hugged his shoulders as well. He needed him. There were no conditions, no doubts.
They stood for so long under the roof of the entrance that Arthur's feet were likely to freeze. The blonde held his love until the spectacled man released him just to push their foreheads together and look in the green eyes from that close distance.
Even then, he didn't need the service of words to tell his confidence and deep love for the Englishman, and this broke something in the student. His fingers found their way to Alfred's neck and cheek to caress him and without thinking rationally, he pulled their lips together, not caring about kissing his love in public. Alfred's lips were dry but he kissed him back reassuringly and after a small peck on Arthur's cheek he smiled and sighed, releasing all the stress of the day from his shoulders.
"My phone died. It fell off the counter, and I tried to fix it but I made it worse. Sorry for being late... I knew you'd come home. I hope you didn't worry too much. Let's go out for dinner?"
"Only if I treat you."
Alfred nodded, but one more time he hugged the smaller man tight and buried his nose in the other's neck as if he found his only true peace in there. Arthur smiled, and just as calm as one could be, closed his eyes to feel the stronger but tired body of Alfred pressed to him. He needed him too.
I know my kingdom awaits, and they've forgiven my mistakes.
I'm coming home, coming home. Tell the world that I'm coming home.
AN: Song: Diddy: Coming home
Thank you for reading me. :3 Please review, I'm curious of what you think!
