Warning: Rated for Yaoi, swearing/slang, shipping, USUK and many others.

Thanks to those who reviewed and I hope you enjoy this chapter, as it's twice as long!


In My Mind's Eye

Chapter 3: Heroes

As the sun arose in the morning, I woke up to find my head enveloped in a strange yet comforting smell and my body in a protecting hold. I looked up to see Arthur sleeping away, his expression completely neutral with a straight line for a mouth. I didn't like that. I liked him better when he was smiling, and beyond that, when he was smiling at me. I sat up and bent down, right next to his ear, giggling softly in anticipation.

"Good morning, big brother!" I shouted, making him awake with a jump and a gasp, turning to look at me with a dazed expression. I laughed and continued, "It's Saturday~!" At my excitement, Arthur began to light up as well.

"Really?" He asked, sitting up and looking at me with that smile of his that could light up the whole room and make my heart light up, too. Then, suddenly, he began to look embarrassed as his face went red and his body and face dropped with shyness as he asked, "W-What's…what's so special about Saturday, Alfred?"

"What's so special about Saturday?" I was shocked at the question, and my whole body reflected it as I stood up, took my hero stance and proclaimed, "Why, Saturday is the only day of the week when you get to be a kid! Saturday is the only day of the week where you don't have to worry about work or school or anything but just going outside and playing! Saturday is the day where you get to eat unhealthy stuff and no one will call you fat for it because they're eating un-healthy, too! Saturday is the one day where everybody, even the grownups and old farts, can be kids again!" I threw my fist up in the air in triumph for having made it through the week so I could play all day.

"Wow," Arthur looked up in amazement, his eyes shining with the same excitement I had, "that sounds simply wonderful! What are we going to do first today, Alfred?"

"Uh," I sat down and looked up at him, shrugging my shoulders, "I don't really know. Hmm…oh! We can always go and play Superheroes outside! My backyard is great for that!"

"Superheroes?" Arthur smiled in curiosity, looking like he was already going to like it. It was the first time I got to explain the game to anyone else besides my dad and my twin brother, and excitement took me over because of it. I stood up again, closed all the blinds in my room and tried to make the room as dark as possible, my dark blue walls helping. I picked up a red, oversized flashlight that was meant for kids who were really clumsy, and the only reason I had it was because Matt had left it in my room. I turned it on and set it between us.

"In a world," I began, using the voice I used in my head whenever I read the narrator's parts in my comic books, "where evil is trying to take over the Earth, only the strongest, bravest, and toughest of them all can fight for truth, justice, and liberty!" I jumped up with both my hands in the air and jumped as I made an explosion noise. "And that's where I come in, I'm Super Alfred!" I jumped off my bed and began to run around until I crashed into Arthur's lap, as he was sitting with his legs dangling off the bed, looking at me and smiling wide.

"That sounds like great fun, Alfred," Arthur remarked, holding me and looking me in the eyes. He then blushed and said, "I-I mean Super Alfred." I smirked and took his hands into my own. He looked at the blinds that I had shut and opened them, turning off my flashlight. He turned back and looked at me as the sun shone on his face, saying, "Let's get you dressed and then we'll go out and save the Earth." I nodded and we both picked out an outfit for me, one that I liked and would prevent Emma from dragging me back into my room to change into something else. It was my Super Alfred shirt, which had a Super Man symbol on it, only with an "A" instead of an "S". My dad had gotten it for my birthday that July, and Arthur and I both agreed it looked like something a superhero would wear. I then put on my black shorts and white socks with my light-up sneakers that would flash with red and blue lights every time I walked. I liked them especially for Superheroes because it was like I was shooting laser beams out of my feet at the baddies. Finally, I commanded Arthur to change into his day clothes, and with a speed I couldn't even comprehend, he was in the outfit he wore yesterday.

"Do you ever wear anything else?" Arthur tilted his head.

"Do you want me to wear something else?" I thought and shook my head.

"No, that outfit looks best on you." We shared a smile and ran outside into my backyard, which spread length wise at least twice the size of my house, but was only about a fourth of the size of my house, width wise. Luckily for me, it had lots of trees shading over it like a blanket, with sturdy branches that could hold even my father on the tire swing that hung from it.

"C'mon, Arthur!" I called him over to the tire swing and I jumped into it on my stomach. "Push me!" I ordered him, and Arthur did without complaint. I began to see in my mind the aliens hiding in the trees, sticking out their guns at me and with every time I reached the top of the swing, I would blast them away with my fists and gun noises from my mouth. Arthur seemed to notice this, because it was only after the third time I went up that he stopped me.

"Hey," he said, almost sounding offended, really, "Why are you fighting them without me?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me," he said sternly, "I want to help you fight them, too."

"But you won't know where they are!" It was a stupid thought, but as a child, it always annoyed me how whenever I played with others, our imaginations would collide and the placement of people became an issue.

"Of course I know where they are!" Arthur folded his arms, "I was made by you, so I can see them just as easily as you see them." After Arthur said that, I suddenly realized that he must be telling the truth. If Arthur was my big brother, why shouldn't he be able to see them?

"I'm sorry!" I hugged him and then smiled up at him. "Let's get rid of those villains," I said with a brave voice, "together!"

We ran into the center of the backyard, villains appearing everywhere. However, I felt something was off, and when I looked down, I gasped as I saw my Super Alfred shirt had grown all around me, spreading to blue tights with red utility-belt underwear and blue boots, a red cape with my symbol on it in yellow. I looked back at Arthur and saw he was dressed in a complimentary red outfit only he didn't have a cape and he wasn't wearing underwear, just a yellow belt and no symbol on his chest, though he did have a red mask on. He carried a bow in one hand, but he had no arrows on him.

"Watch out!" Arthur shouted as he shot a villain out from a tree with a glowing arrow as he pulled back a light string from the bow. The tree the villain fell from then morphed into a small coffee shop, towers of a glimmering city rising behind it. I watched the concrete grow from under our feet, and I looked back at Arthur in amazement.

"Are you doing this, big brother?" Arthur laughed and shook his head.

"No," he replied, shooting a few other villains from the buildings surrounding us, "you are, but I'm helping you see the things the way I see them." I couldn't stop staring at everything, that is, until I saw an evil alien trying to hurt an old lady. Without thinking, I jumped up and punched the guy away, up into the sky until he had gone back to the stars. I looked at my hand and was surprised at the strength, but I didn't stop there. I jumped again, farther this time, and landed on one alien and knocked the rest away with my landing strength. I looked back at Arthur, who was fending off the aliens without a second thought.

"Arthur!" I shouted, getting his attention. "Can I fly?"

"Of course you can, silly!" He shouted back, firing an arrow at an alien behind me. "You're Super Alfred!"

I looked down at the ground, closed my eyes, and then jumped as far as I can, and when I thought I would fall down, I realized I didn't, and instead I just kept going up. I couldn't stop laughing and began to knock off all the villains I could off the buildings, Arthur helping me. Every time our gazes met, they locked for just a moment as we flashed each other a smile and then went back to fighting.

"Alfie~!" I heard Emma's annoying, high-pitched voice call for me. I landed on the ground and sighed.

"What?" I yelled back.

"It's time for lunch!" She sounded even more excited than usual.

"Already? But Arthur and I just got out here!"

"I'm certain you did in your mind's eye, but it is twelve-thirty on the dot, my child." I growled and smiled at Arthur, taking his hand.

"Come on," I said gently, smiling at him, "let's get some lunch, and then come back and finish these guys off." The city melted away and we headed inside. To my surprise, Emma had actually gone out and gotten me a Happy Meal from McDonald's!

"Yay~!" I exclaimed, and then looked around, eyes searching. "Hey, wait…where's Arthur's?" Emma's elated smile a feeling like an accomplished mother faded into an expression of confusion and embarrassment.

"Y-You mean a meal for Arthur?" She asked, dumbfounded, which annoyed me. Why did it feel like no one even saw Arthur?

"It's okay, Alfred." Arthur put a hand on my shoulder, smiling without a care in the world, "I'm a pretty good cook, if I do say so myself, I'll make myself my own lunch, I promise!"

"O-Okay," I said, a bit unsure. Emma tilted her head, and I sighed with anger, "I'm talking to Arthur, Emma. He said he'll make his own lunch."

"Oh," Emma simply said, and she walked out of the dining room. Arthur walked into the kitchen and began to pull out various cooking utensils and ingredients. Meanwhile, I dove into my lunch with ferocity that rivaled a bear, eating away like no one's business. By the time I had finally gotten bored playing with the toy inside my meal, I began to smell something burning. I looked up to see with horror Arthur fanning the stove with a towel and pulling out what looked like a tray of charcoal out of the oven.

"What are those?" I asked as I covered my nose with both hands, dropping the superhero toy and looking curiously at the sight.

"They're scones, Alfred!" Arthur called back, a bright smile on his face, honestly looking proud at the concoction. Arthur walked over to me and placed the scones on the dining room table on a platter, waving a mitt over it to drive away the smoke. We both heard a loud whistle and Arthur went back into the kitchen to pick of a tea kettle and move it onto the counter so he could pour into one of Emma's tea pots. He looked through our cabinets and pulled out a box of tea bags and sighed.

"If only you had leaves," he said wistfully, "Alfred, do you think you could ask your parents to get some tea leaves?"

"O-Okay…?"

"Fantastic!" Arthur put the tea bag in the cup, let it steep for a while, and then poured in a tea spoon of mild and three lumps of sugar. He came back over to the table, picked up one of his burnt scones and popped it in his mouth as he laid back in his chair, sipping tea and looking completely blissful in every way. He was beautiful.

"What's it like?" I asked, trying to put that weird thought out of my mind but failing.

"Hm? Oh!" Arthur handed me one of the strange bits. "Here, try one, and have a sip of my tea, they go very well together!" I hesitated, but he looked so eager for my thoughts, I picked the scone up, put it to my nose, sniffed it, and then finally put it in my mouth, slowly, not sure what to expect from it. It wasn't that bad, actually. After I was done chewing, I looked back up at Arthur and shrugged.

"Sure, they're alright," I said, reaching for another one. Arthur's face dropped at this, and I thought he might have been mad, but he then broke into the most beautiful smile he had ever given me.

"Alfred," he said my name slowly, sending shivers down my spine as he did, "thank you." We sat like that for a while, unable to do anything but stare at each other. His eyes, mixed with that elegant smile of his, captured me, and I didn't want it to be any other way.

"God, what is that stench?" I heard my dad say as he and Emma entered the room, holding their noses. They both looked down at me, then the scones, and then at Arthur's tea, who I quickly returned to Arthur.

"Alfred," Emma said, "did you try cooking something?"

"No," I pointed at Arthur, "Arthur made them. They're called scones."

"Oh," dad said, reaching down and popping a scone into his mouth. He then proceeded to run into the bathroom. Arthur and I both blushed as we heard him throw up. I shook my head, trying to get the conversation in a more positive direction when dad came back, as I saw how upset Arthur looked at my dad's reaction.

"S-So," I began drumming my fingers together, "Arthur was wondering, could we get tea leaves instead of bags?" Emma smiled while dad frowned.

"See?" Emma looked at dad with an uppity flare. "I told you the leaves were better."

"Am I being ganged up on, here?" Dad asked sourly, and for once, Emma and I both nodded together. She must have thought it was a milestone in our relationship, but I couldn't have that.

"I like dad's coffee better, but Arthur really wants it." Both of them frowned then, but eventually after talking together, they nodded.

"Alfred," dad said as he cleared his throat, "we'll get the leaves, but please, don't let Arthur cook again." Arthur blushed, but nodded.

"Alright," I said happily, eating another one of the scones, which made Arthur smile again.

Finally, Emma and dad went back to what they were doing before they came in, and Arthur and I went back outside to continue our defense of the Earth, uniting our powers to blow all enemies away. At the end of the day, we were both exhausted and went back inside to a delicious BBQ dinner my dad made on the grill.

"It's the end of summer," I explained to Arthur as I changed into my pajamas in the bathroom, "so dad wanted to use the grill before it becomes cold in the fall. Technically, summer vacation and summer the season end at different times, and dad is looking at it from the seasonal view, but for me, summer ended when school started."

"And when will school end?" Arthur asked, putting my dirty clothes in the hamper.

"Not until sometime in June," I said bitterly, and began to brush my teeth. I watched Arthur watching me curiously, and after I spit out the toothpaste in my mouth, I turned around and looked at him.

"Why don't you change into your PJ's?" Arthur raised an eyebrow and then shook his head.

"I don't have any, Alfred," Arthur shrugged his shoulders and pondered on something, and then smiled. "Maybe you could make me some!" He and I both smiled.

"Okay!" I replied, but then made a confused face. "But…how?"

"Just tell me to, Alfred," he said, and clarified, "just tell me to change into my nightwear, and I will."

"Oh, I get it," I said, not really understanding it. I cleared my throat and ordered, "Arthur, change into your pajamas!" I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, he was in a pair of light green pants and a button down shirt that felt soft to the touch when I went over and hugged him. "So wait," I began, looking up excitedly at him, "you mean, I can ask you to do anything and you'll do it?"

"For most things, yes," Arthur nodded, picking me up and sitting me up on his lap. He felt warm, and I relaxed in his hold.

"Then can I ask you something else, too?" I looked up at him and he locked out gazes with his clean, green eyes,

"Of course, what is it?" He brushed my hair out of my face and I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling. I re-opened them and leaned in further to his chest, looking up at him intensely.

"Don't ever leave me." Arthur's lips easily turned up, and he gave me a reassuring nod.

"I never will." I smiled back, and then jumped off his lap.

"Come on! We've got to make the most of Sunday, too!"

"What's that?" I jumped onto my bed and Arthur followed, the two of us tucking ourselves inside.

"I'll tell you tomorrow morning, okay?" He nodded with his usual, beautiful smile and we wrapped our arms around each other.

"Very well," he yawned, covering his mouth with his hand like my grandmother used to.

"You're really proper, Arthur."

"Thank you, Alfred." I hadn't meant it as a compliment, but the way he thanked me made me realize he was really glad I noticed, so I smiled back and nodded.

"You're welcome," I replied, and with that, we fell asleep.


Derp. Totally stole Arthur's weapon from the Ranger in this: (remove spaces and add a dot com with a backslash )

www. youtube watch?v=3JjhQ1Oi_3k

Just one of the many inspirations I had for this story! If you're wondering what the main inspirations are, they're Calvin & Hobbes (big shocker) and Ray Bradbury. That second one is a bit less obvious, but kudos to those who see it!

Happy summer vacation, everyone! (Or winter if you're in the Southern Hemisphere~)

Please review, it makes a lilmaeval happy~!