Warning: Rated for Yaoi, swearing/slang, shipping, USUK and many others.
Thank you to all who read and reviewed my first chapter, and though I should have said this before, I'll say it now.
I will update on Wednesdays and Fridays, but fair warning, I will be gone the entire month of July for summer camp, but I promise, I'll be writing in my notebook whenever I can. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy~!
In My Mind's Eye
Chapter 2: The Introduction
That night, Arthur walked me back home, and we both talked about the things that I liked and why I did. It was strangely nice to have someone that knew everything about me from the inside out, and especially someone that would listen to me, but when we got back to my house, my father and his girlfriend were waiting for me.
"Alfred!" My father called out to me as he saw me appear from the end of the road. I walked toward them slowly, and said hello unusually quietly for me. I didn't like my dad, and I really didn't like his girlfriend, either, but my brother, Matt, was a total momma's boy, so I had to stay with my dad. "Alfred," he said again as he walked closer and embraced me, "I'm so glad you're home safe, you're so late!"
"Alas!" started Emma, dad's girlfriend. "How great pleasure may turn to sorrow!" I looked up at her and frowned as she said, "But that sorrow shall once more turn to joy when we get you cleaned up and fed. Come on in, Alfie, don't leave tracks, we just got this floor, remember?" I always hated how she thought I was a "precious innocent" as she put it. Emma was an exotic dance my father met on a business trip to Las Vegas. She had wanted to be an actress, but those dreams were crushed, as she put it, "by a devilish woman who switched my lines!" I always believed it was her bad acting that made her fail, but I never told her that. I always figured that her punishment for seducing my father and ruining my family would come soon enough. Maybe dad would even fall back in love with mom.
I sat down at the dining room table after me and Arthur went into my bathroom and he helped clean up the dirt and blood on me and even changed me into my pajamas. I was glad because usually Emma came in to help me if I ever got really dirty, but I was just fine with Arthur, my wonderful, new big brother helping me instead.
"You cleaned up nicely, Alfie!" Emma exclaimed. I hated it when she called me that, especially with her annoyingly high-pitched voice. "You're turning into a big boy, being able to clean up so well all by yourself!" I pushed a seat to the table and motioned for Arthur to sit in it. Then Emma tried something crazy: as I sat in my seat next to Arthur, Emma tried to sit in the same seat Arthur was in! I pushed her away and held my arms around Arthur's waist, scaring her a little. "W-What's wrong, Alfie?"
"Arthur's sitting here!" I said defiantly, standing straight back up and pointing at Arthur. He made a weird face.
"A-Arthur?" Emma asked, looking down at the chair like she couldn't see him sitting right there.
"Yes," I said impatiently, "Arthur Kirkland, who helped clean me up when I got home!" My dad walked in when he heard that.
"What?" My father asked in a startled tone.
"Arthur Kirkland!" I yelled. "Do I have to say his name again?"
"N-No," my dad said, a worried look growing on his face, and then asked, "hey, Alfred, son, just who is this Arthur Kirkland fellow?" I sighed.
"Arthur Kirkland," I began, annoyed, "is twenty-three years old and doesn't know anything else except just about everything about me. He said we were best friends and that he was there because I asked for him," at that, my father reached for the house phone and took out a note pad with a pen and began writing stuff down furiously.
"Uh-huh," he replied, ready to dial a number into the phone, "go on, where did you meet him? What does he look like? Did he do anything to you?"
"Well," I replied, happily this time, excited a little at the chance to describe my new best friend as I looked at him, "He has blonde, yellow like hair and pretty green eyes, almost the same color as Emma's Saint Patrick's Day outfit~!" Emma blushed at this, but dad didn't say or do anything, so I just continued. "He is also wearing a green sweater vest with a white short-sleeved shirt beneath, oh, and khaki pants, too," I poked his thigh and Arthur blushed, jumping up a little in his seat and looking so embarrassed it was cute.
"Is he fat?" My father asked bluntly. "Is he out of shape?"
"No!" I replied, startled. "He's actually thin, but I don't think he has to work out," I placed a hand on Arthur's stomach and continued. "He's got a soft belly, but he's definitely not fat," Arthur laughed a little, and for some reason, it felt like I was the only one who heard it.
"Okay," my dad said, turning to me, "then does he have a funny accent? What was he doing when you met him?"
"A-An accent? Yeah, he does," I looked up to Arthur, trying to think of what his accent was.
"I'm British," Arthur said calmly.
"Oh, that's it! He's British!" My dad gave me a funny look, and Emma looked ready to faint. "And when we met, I was laying down on a bench, when I felt my head in his lap while his hand was brushing my hair away from my face. He was saying things that were really comforting, too," Emma ran to the sink and leaned over, my dad's finger ready to press the nige button on the phone.
"Go on, what else?" Dad nodded at me.
"Well," I began, resting my head on Arthur's arm, "we then began to talk, and he said he was like my big brother. He proved it, too, by saying everything he knew about me! He said he didn't know anything about himself yet because I got to make him whatever I wanted him to be, Then, I got tired and he walked me home and cleaned me up, and how he's sitting right here!"
"Where in here?" My dad looked ready to pounce and Arthur shrank back into his seat, wrapping his arms around me for protection.
"Dad," I said, raising my hands in frustration, "he's sitting right next to me, in the chair Emma just tried to sit in! He's holding onto me right now!" Both of them looked at Arthur's chair and stared.
"What did you say, Alfred?" Emma looked weakly at me and then at Arthur's chair.
"And what did you say about him being your big brother?" My dad's stance relaxed, but his hand was still holding the phone.
"Arthur is sitting here," I pointed at Arthur's lap, "in this seat. At least, I think you're sitting, aren't you, Arthur?" I looked up at him and he smiled down at me as he nodded.
"Of course I'm sitting here, Alfred," he replied. I smiled and looked back at my father and Emma, who were whispering something.
"Alfred," dad finally said, "can you touch Arthur to show us where he is?" I blinked, a little confused, but nodded and grabbed Arthur's shoulder. "And what are you touching on him, Alfred?"
"Arthur's shoulder," I said slowly. He and Emma nodded at each other.
"So," Emma said nervously, "why did you meet him again?"
"He said I made him," I replied, not sure what was going on. But dad hung up the phone and Emma sat in a chair next to me and smiled. My dad brought dinner to the table and before I touched my food, I asked for a plate for Arthur, but my dad said if I needed to get something for him, I could just come back in later.
Finally, dinner was over and I grabbed Arthur's hand, dragging him back to my room.
"This is Tony!" I said, pulling out a green plush alien from my bed and giving him to Arthur. "And this," I said as I pulled from underneath my bed a whale plush toy, "is m friend that I've had since I was a baby. His name's Whaley." I handed Whaley back to Arthur , who said hello to both him and Tony. I smiled and took Arthur's hand into my own, dragging him onto my bed with me. I laughed at his surprised face and tucked myself beneath the duvet of my bed. Arthur stared at me as he sit on the other end of the bed, scratching the back of his neck. I realized I didn't have a bed for him, so I said, "You can sleep with me," I offered, figuring I could get another bed for him later.
"Really?" Arthur blushed when I nodded, and I sat up to help him under my duvet with me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he brought his arms around me.
"You can replace Tony as my bed buddy," I said finally, resting my head in Arthur's chest. He was so warm, it made my face flush and also hold him tighter. I looked up and saw a worried look in his eyes, and added, "But I'll never replace you." Arthur smiled and so did I. "Good night," I said as I shut my eyes, easily nodding off into a fulfilled sleep.
"Sweet dreams," I heard Arthur say as he kissed the top of my head.
Ah, I reaaaaaaaally liked this chapter, but the fun is just beginning!
Please review, it makes me happy, and thank you for reading :-)