A/N: Kaelin = New Zealand, Jett = Australia
Staying at Morgan's house was something Francis very much looked forward to – especially nowadays – but there were times when he didn't find the Welshman at home, and had to settle for staying wherever he happened to be.
Unfortunately, that usually meant staying with Arthur, because if he wasn't in Cardiff, Morgan was often in London.
"You've been hanging around a lot more recently," said Englishman muttered grumpily from his spot in the armchair, glaring over at Francis, who was sitting on the sofa.
"Obviously I just want to be closer to your darling presence, my dear," Francis snorted, not looking away from the television.
"Yeah, right," Arthur growled, huddling further into the chair and glaring harder.
The next evening Francis found himself outside with Arthur, smoking together in the relative quiet of the garden. It wasn't a large space, but there was room to sit outside on nice summer evenings and just about enough room to set up a badminton net on the lawn occasionally. The distant hum of traffic and city noise was muted by the large brick walls surrounding them.
"Anarchy has descended on the house," Francis murmured quietly, smiling, looking back toward the bright window of the sitting room.
Arthur sighed and shook his head. "I have it bad enough with the usual suspects visiting, let alone those two added to the mix."
Francis smiled to himself. They'd met Kaelin and Jett off the aeroplane from Sydney that morning, both bursting with energy and neither seeming to suffer from jetlag. With both them and all Arthur's brothers in the house, dinner had been a loud and boisterous affair.
They stood in silence for a while, with Arthur finishing his cigarette and stubbing it out on the arm of one of the garden chairs. He made to go inside, but Francis cleared his throat.
When Arthur looked round questioningly at him, Francis started, "Before you go inside, I just…" He paused for a while, gathering his thoughts, then continued. "I just want you to know that I'm not intending to hurt you with all this."
"All this?" Arthur questioned.
"You know what I mean, mon cher. Me and Morgan, Morgan and I. All of that."
Arthur looked away and nodded. "It's been going on for too long to be just a fling to annoy me, I suppose."
Francis shrugged. "I don't know what it is, but I want you to be happy with it."
Arthur smiled slightly. "You know, I don't really think it bothers me."
"Much as you like to intimate that it does."
"Well, you annoy me, I annoy you," Arthur grinned, "We do that."
Francis smiled fondly. "We do that." There was a pause where neither of them said anything, and then Francis said, "Besides, surely you will be focusing your attentions on-"
"And that is where this heart-to-heart stops and normal service is resumed," Arthur cut him off, glaring half-heartedly. "Because some things simply do not concern you, frog."
"Ah, Arthur," Francis sighed affectionately, "When will you learn? I am not to be deterred, my friend. I play matchmaker like a grand chess master."
Arthur snorted. "I'd like to see you try." Then the glare returned, this time full force. "But I'm warning you frog, none of your funny business with my brother. Morgan may look all gruff and tough on the outside, but he's one of those quiet, gentle souls underneath. I won't stand for you doing any of your heart-breaking whatnot."
Francis patted him on the arm. "Do not worry; I know him well enough to know that. We're just taking things as they come, anyway."
Arthur sniffed. "Well, I'm watching you. Don't forget."
Back inside, Morgan was sitting between Alastair and Erin on the sofa, keeping the peace between them as usual. For the past five minutes he'd been trying to ignore it, but when he looked up again it was definite; Kaelin was staring at him hard from the other side of the coffee table. He raised an eyebrow in question.
"You and Francis…" Kaelin made a vaguely expressive hand gesture.
Morgan shrugged. "There's a tentative me and Francis. What of it?"
Kaelin nodded. "I knew it."
From the other side of the room, Jett snorted derisively. "No shit, Sherlock."
Kaelin frowned and threw a peanut in his general direction. "Shut up, asshole." He turned back to look at Morgan. "So, I wouldn't have pegged him for the relationship kinda guy."
"Um, well, it's not really…" Morgan started, before Alastair butted in.
"Yeah, I mean he likes sex but 'faithful relationship' is in his repertoire, you know. Speaking of, you must be celebrating your like, four months anniversary or something soon, right?" he asked, turning to Morgan.
Morgan shifted uncomfortably. "Now, don't get the impression-"
"There's no need to be embarrassed about it," Erin said from his other side.
"I'm not-"
"We could help you celebrate!" Kaelin said happily. "Something classy, but maybe classic, like just a casual dinner…"
"You're such a girl," Jett snorted, and Kaelin pelted him with another barrage of peanuts.
"Would you stop throwing food around, you uncivilized child!" Alastair laughed, leaning over to snatch the peanut bowl from Kaelin's grasp.
"That's my source of ammunition!" Kaelin cried.
"I say just spread a whole load of roses on the bed and lie there naked," Erin said, nodding decisively. "Best to cut to the chase."
Morgan shook his head. "Could you all just not-"
"Says the sex expert over there," Alastair sneered, eating a handful of the peanuts.
"What's in my pants has seen more action than what's in yours," Erin snapped, making a rude gesture with her middle finger at him.
"I'll show you mine if you'll-"
"Oh my god, you guys are so weird," Seamus cried from the corner, "Why can't you just be like a normal brother and sister?"
"Where would be the fun in that?" Alastair smirked. "If we were normal, I couldn't tell her with no trouble to my conscience how fat her hips-"
"How about I strangle you with a haggis?!" Erin yelled, attempting to leap over Morgan to get at Alastair, at which point the conversation about Morgan and Francis' relationship was thankfully forgotten.
