A/N: WARNING. Partial Nudity and sensuality in this chapter. Turn back if you don't like it.
Ch 3 Of Passion and Croquet
The moon was full, not that it was noticed by anyone, obscured as it was by a string of clouds. The grounds were still, silent as if listening. The night had been peaceful until screams of a creature not of this world were heard.
The woman's scream echoed through the grounds. It was so loud as to be almost heard from within the manor walls. The other apparitions were startled by the scream and turned to look at the strange female apparition. The woman pointed to Arthur, having stopped screaming but now yelled strange phrases in what seemed to be French. Some of her ghostly companions turned to look at Arthur, curious expressions on their faces. Once the woman finished her explanation to her companions, she went back through the portal. Some of her companions, the ones that had been listening to her, followed her back into the portal.
Arthur had watched the whole spectacle with a morbid fascination. His French was not the best but he understood some of it. What the woman said…frightened him a little. He tried to keep the words from his mind. It was mere superstition and nothing less…at least from what he had understood. He would have to ask Francis later.
While Arthur had watched the whole scene, Alfred had kept a close eye on Arthur. The woman's scream had frightened him but what had bothered him the most was the way that the woman had pointed at Arthur. As if he was some sort of monster or some wicked creature. What fears he held before multiplied in that instance. What if Arthur was in danger again?
Alfred was interrupted from his thoughts by a loud moan or to be more precise, a collection of moans. It seemed that the woman's scream had almost 'awakened' the other spirits within the grounds. Alfred felt his earlier fear of ghosts reemerge and gripped Arthur's sleeve.
"Let's go, A-Arthur," Alfred said, his teeth chattering in fear. The sooner he got to bed, the better. Arthur nodded, the woman's words echoing in his head. Arthur led Alfred back to the doorway leading into the manor, Alfred, himself, being too scared and incapable of doing much in his state. Arthur tried to retrace their footsteps into the hallways and turns they had made. It took them a while but they finally made it to the second floor to their respective rooms.
Arthur was about to open the door to his own room when he felt something grip his arm. Arthur turned around to see a scared Alfred next to him.
"C-Can you sleep with me? I won't be able to sleep if-"
"It's fine," Arthur interrupted, ignoring the other meaning behind Alfred's words. Alfred really needed to choose his words more carefully. Alfred nodded happily, relieved at the thought of not spending the night alone. Arthur followed Alfred to his room. Arthur had no idea how much time had passed and it barely occurred to him that Alfred's roommate might be asleep.
Matthew had groaned lightly when he heard the door open.
"Alfred? Where have you been? You missed dinner," Matthew said groggily, snuggling deeper in his blankets. Arthur gave Alfred an annoyed look. Alfred shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't his fault that Matthew worried about him.
"Sorry to make you worried, Mattie. I did something with-"
"Arthur, I know. You've been spending too much time with him if you ask me," Matthew interrupted, not aware of Arthur's presence. Arthur supposed he should have been slightly offended but he wasn't. Matthew was the sweetest boy he knew. He just couldn't find it in his heart to be angry with the boy.
"Hello Matthew," Arthur said softly. Matthew jumped upright.
"A-Arthur? I didn't know you were here!" Matthew exclaimed, a worried and apologetic look on his face.
"I'm sorry-" he started.
"It's fine, Matthew. I understand completely. I have brothers of my own," Arthur said softly, a gentle smile on his face. Alfred scowled. Why was Arthur nicer to Matthew?
"Why are you here?" Matthew asked, snuggling back into his blankets.
"Arthur's gonna sleep with me 'cause I-" Alfred started.
"W-what? And you didn't think to ask me because-"
"You can sleep in Arthur's room if it bothers you so much…with Francis," Alfred added the last part as an afterthought. Arthur was about to explain to Matthew that he wasn't going to shag Alfred but Matthew had already gathered his belongings and left the room, slamming the door behind him.
"Alfred! You should have chosen your words more carefully. You have given your brother the wrong impression- what are you doing?!" Arthur said when he saw Alfred taking his clothes off. Arthur felt himself grow red, very red.
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm changing into my pajamas," Alfred explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Arthur would have yelled at the git were it not for his growing embarrassment. He turned around to give Alfred some privacy. He stood there for a few minutes before Alfred handed Arthur some clothes.
"What's this?" Arthur asked, inspecting the clothing.
"Pajamas for you to wear…unless you don't want to wear anything," Alfred explained suggestively. Arthur's blush returned.
"I will take these and change in your bath," Arthur said, turning away from Alfred and shutting himself in the bathroom. Alfred had given Arthur blue flannel pajamas. He noted that the pajamas were large but they would do. After Arthur had finished changing, he opened the bathroom door and walked back to where Alfred was standing. Alfred, himself, was only wearing his boxer shorts with no shirt to speak of.
"You're wearing that to sleep?!" Arthur exclaimed, horrified at Alfred's…indecency. He found himself staring at Alfred's chest. Arthur blushed before turning to look at Alfred's face. Alfred didn't seem to notice anything.
"Yeah, is something wrong?" Alfred asked. Arthur shook his head. It was going to be a long night. Arthur was about to get into Matthew's bed when he heard Alfred make a soft whining noise.
"What is it, Alfred?" Arthur sighed. "I won't be able to sleep if you're not with me," Alfred whined.
"In the same bed as you?" Arthur asked, credulous. He shook his head in disapproval before climbing into the bed with Alfred. The things he would do for this man. Arthur settled himself next to Alfred, trying his best to make himself comfortable as he could given the current circumstances. Arthur tried to keep himself from blushing, but found that he couldn't. Alfred just smiled gently at him.
"D-Don't think that you can try anything and get away with it, you git! You keep to your side and I'll keep to mine," Arthur stammered as resolutely as he could. Alfred nodded before leaning in closer to Arthur. Arthur stiffened immensely at the close proximity.
"Thanks for staying, Arthur," Alfred whispered. Arthur nodded. "Just go to sleep." Arthur wrapped the blankets around himself, trying to get to sleep. It was a few minutes before he could hear Alfred's soft relaxed breathing. He was asleep. Arthur turned to face Alfred. He almost smiled at Alfred's peaceful expression. If only Alfred were always this calm, Arthur thought to himself. Arthur sighed before turning his back to Alfred and closing his eyes, letting himself fall into a deep slumber.
Arthur didn't know what time it was when he woke up. It was still dark out so he assumed that it must be late at night or early morning. He turned to see that Alfred was still asleep, his face still peaceful as it was before. Arthur smiled to himself. At least Alfred had slept peacefully.
Arthur turned to look around him. He sensed something. Something had awoken him. After searching for a few minutes, Arthur gave up. It must have been his imagination or something. Arthur wrapped the blankets around himself once more when he thought he saw something. Arthur sat upright in bed, searching wildly for the strange sight. Once again, he saw nothing that could explain what he saw.
He turned to face Alfred, only to see a large black mass, its hand outstretched and edging closer to Alfred's neck as if …to choke him. Arthur froze for a second and not a moment longer before he lunged at Alfred. The black mass reared back as if startled by Arthur's actions. Arthur placed himself on top of Alfred, effectively blocking the creature's path. Arthur gave the black mass a fierce look, not once looking away. Arthur knew that he could keep this on for only so long but if he keep the…mass at bay then it would be worth it. Arthur could feel Alfred's heartbeat and hoped that Alfred could not feel his own erratic one.
Arthur felt himself grow sleepy but tried to keep sleep at bay. He looked to the window and saw that the first signs of day were breaking out. He just needed a half hour at most…he hoped. He still felt the mass's gaze on him. Arthur hoped that with daybreak, the mass would disappear.
Alfred awoke to birds chirping loudly. He rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly. He had a very good night's sleep. He felt well rested as if he could take on anything. He frowned slightly when he felt something heavy on his chest. He saw a sleeping Arthur nestled nicely on his chest. Alfred chuckled softly before ruffling Arthur's hair. And Arthur was the one who said that they should keep to their side of the bed!
Alfred continued to stroke Arthur's hair when he felt Arthur stir.
"Morning, sleeping beauty," Alfred said, grinning at Arthur. Arthur blinked a few times before looking around, trying to remember something. Alfred felt Arthur become extremely tense. His eyes widened and he wildly looked around.
"Something wrong?" Alfred asked with a frown on his lips. Arthur shook his head, a puzzled look on his face. He saw no sign of any black mass. If Arthur hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have said he was imagining things. Then again, it wasn't like this was the first time he had seen something strange.
"Uh, nothing," Arthur said, his voice rough with sleep. Arthur tried to keep his fear and uneasiness from his voice. He didn't want to let Alfred worry. Alfred didn't seem to notice anything out of the usual and smiled as he ruffled Arthur's hair once more. Arthur gave Alfred a weak smile in return.
"I-uh…thanks for staying, Artie. I-I really appreciate it," Alfred said, a small blush on his face. Arthur smiled back, this time the smile genuine.
"It was nothing, Alfred. I'm sure you have done the same for me were I in your situation," Arthur said. Alfred nodded. He would do anything for Arthur. Alfred hated how much of a sap he was becoming. Then again he was Arthur's sap and that was the only thing that mattered.
"Do you mind if I use your shower, Alfred? I would use my own but that blasted Francis is there and who knows what kind of video surveillance he has already installed in there," Arthur said, frowning at the thought of the perverted Frenchman. Alfred nodded his assent.
"Hey, maybe we can-"
"No," Arthur said as he slammed the door in front of Alfred's face. Alfred frowned. He wondered why Arthur was so grumpy sometimes.
Alfred waited for Arthur to come out. The Briton sure took his sweet time. Arthur opened the bathroom door, steam pouring out.
"Took you a while," Alfred said.
Arthur almost jumped in place. "Alfred, please don't startle me like that," Arthur scolded. Arthur wore a long bathrobe, covering his body from chest to mid calves. Alfred looked at Arthur almost lecherously. Arthur looked so delicious in that bathrobe. Alfred sneaked behind Arthur, snaked his arms around Arthur's waist and rested his head on his shoulder.
"You look really good in that bathrobe, Arthur," Alfred mumbled, sniffing Arthur's hair. He smelled good, too, like strawberries. Arthur stiffened beneath his touch.
"Really, Alfred? In nothing but just a bathrobe? You've been spending far too much time with that pervert, Francis," Arthur scoffed, his voice conveying his irritation. Alfred nipped softly at Arthur's ear. Arthur felt almost tempted to bat Alfred away but found his ministrations relaxing. Surely a few minutes of this won't hurt.
Alfred continued to nip along Arthur's jaw line.
"That's enough, Alfred," Arthur said sternly. He felt Alfred murmur something against his skin while he continued to kiss Arthur's skin. Arthur fumed for a moment before untying the belt holding the robe together, letting the bathrobe fall to the floor.
Alfred gasped at the sight before him. It had been a while since he had seen Arthur's back and that was when Arthur's back was severely burnt. He had known that Arthur's burns were serious but he had never understood the full extent as to imagine that it would scar so badly. Arthur's back was covered in burn scars. Alfred gaped at them for a moment before he realized that Arthur had put the rest of his clothes on.
Arthur gave Alfred a wounded look before opening the door and slamming it behind him. He didn't care for what Alfred had to stay. He saw the look on his face, the horror and had he stayed longer he was sure he would have seen disgust as well. Arthur felt tears prick from the corner of his eyes. He felt angry with Alfred for being so undeniably shallow but he could also feel the hint of sadness. What if Alfred was revolted by him?
Arthur's thoughts were interrupted when he bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry," Arthur muttered softly. He received a grunt in reply. Arthur looked up to see Natalia Arlovskaya. He was a little startled by her appearance. Natalia had always been a bit of an…oddball to say the least. Not only that but she also intimated Arthur a little.
"Hello Natalia," Arthur greeted. Natalia growled in reply. Arthur walked past Natalia and went on his way. He heard footsteps behind him and turned around to see Natalia following him.
"Natalia, is there something you want?" Arthur asked as pleasantly as he could. He was in a terrible mood as it was and didn't need something to add to his troubles so early in the morning.
"No, nothing," Natalia replied. Arthur nodded and went on his way. He heard the footsteps following him…again.
"Natalia, if I may ask, why are you following me?" Arthur asked, not bothering to hide his irritation. The day couldn't get worse.
"No reason," Natalia answered, giving Arthur her usual stoic look. Arthur groaned slightly. It was fine. She could do whatever the heck she wanted. It didn't bother him in the slightest, not one bit.
Arthur walked on, his eyebrows furrowed in anger and frustration. He didn't notice where he was walking but neither did he care. He was so deep in thought that he managed to bump into another person, knocking the other's belongings to the floor.
"I'm sorry. Let me help you there," Arthur said, bending down to pick up the person's belongings.
"It's fine," the other said, bent down to pick up the balls and gathered them in his arms. Arthur looked up at the other and saw William.
"William!" he exclaimed.
"Why hello, Arthur! I was looking for you," William said, standing up once he had finished gathering his belongings.
"Looking for me? Whatever for?" Arthur asked, his puzzlement evident on his face.
"I was going to play croquet and I wanted to know if you would have liked to join me," William asked, a gentle smile on his face.
"But Senator Gordon is waiting for us-"
"I'll make some excuse for you. Come on, one short game wont hurt," William coaxed. Arthur supposed that one game really wouldn't matter much. Alfred could deal with Gordon on his own.
"I suppose that it could be alright," Arthur conceded. William's smile widened at Arthur's answer. William then led Arthur outside the manor walls. Arthur hoped that it wouldn't be the same one where he and Alfred had seen the portal. He could still hear Natalia's footsteps following him (how he could hear her footsteps on grass was beyond him). Arthur was relieved when William had taken him (and Natalia) to some other part of the field with lines drawn and wickets already placed into the ground. William handed Arthur a mallet, which Arthur accepted.
"Would your friend like to play?" William asked, pointing to Natalia, who was standing under the shade of a large sugar maple tree*.
"I don't think she wants to," Arthur answered hesitantly. William took Arthur's word for it and started the game.
The game lasted longer than Arthur had first anticipated but he became quickly engrossed the game, losing all thoughts of Alfred. The inner punk in Arthur was also starting to make itself known. Arthur rarely let himself get so thoroughly engrossed in sports but croquet was somewhat an exception. Well, anything that reminded him of home was an exception. Not that he played croquet much back home. His brothers argued too much to ever actually settle down and play a simple game of draughts** let alone play a game of croquet. Still, American sports never had the same affect on Arthur.
Along with Arthur's growing interest and engrossment, came his ever-growing competitiveness. He felt the strong urge to win, something that he thought only Francis could bring out.
After the game ended with a loss on Arthur's part, William and Arthur came together to shake hands, the shake lasting longer than Arthur would have liked. Arthur was impressed with William's skills. He also found it refreshing that he played something other than basketball, baseball or Alfred's favorite, gridiron or football ***. Arthur almost grimaced when his thoughts returned to Alfred. It seemed that he couldn't keep the buffoon out of his thoughts for long. For a moment, he felt almost guilty. Perhaps, he shouldn't have run away from Alfred like he had. He had hardly given Alfred the chance to say anything and it wasn't like it was the prettiest sight ever. Arthur himself acknowledged that his body wasn't in perfect condition and the sight must have startled Alfred immensely. Arthur felt the growing need to return to the manor, find Alfred and apologize for his behavior. But the inner competitiveness in Arthur won out in the end. He couldn't walk away when he had lost a game of croquet! He needed to prove himself (although he wondered to who).
"How about another game, William?" Arthur suggested with a devilish smirk.
"Are you sure, Arthur? If you rather return indoors-"
"I'm sure," Arthur interrupted, giving William a shark-like grin.
William chuckled. "I knew there was something I liked about you, Arthur." William grabbed his abandoned mallet and proceeded to start another game after he and Arthur had finished collecting the balls.
Arthur turned to see if Natalia was still watching him. He found her rooted to the same spot before, underneath the shade of the sugar maple. He signaled with his hand that she should come. Natalia glanced once at the sun before shaking her head, pointing to the sun with her finger. It was too sunny. At least that was what Arthur made out from her gesturing. He mouthed out the words 'are you sure?' with which she declined once more. Arthur returned his attention to William, missing the small smile Natalia had given him, grateful for having been thought of. Arthur wondered for a moment about why she was there before signaling to William to start the second game.
The second game was much like the first in that William proved himself to be more proficient in the game than Arthur had anticipated. Arthur had strategized himself far more efficiently than he had in the first game however, and somehow managed to turn the whole game around. He had won which startled Arthur somewhat. It had been a close match. He supposed he wouldn't have enjoyed it if it were any other way. Arthur and William came together to shake hands once more.
"Good game, Arthur. You are not one to be underestimated," William noted. Arthur smiled in return, acknowledging William's words. It felt good to win.
"Let me walk you back to your room," William offered.
"What about your equipment?" Arthur asked, glancing once toward the abandoned balls and mallets.
"A servant will get to them," William said.
"I suppose," Arthur said. A mess left unclean always left Arthur with a strange feeling in his stomach. He prided himself on his clean and sharp attire and felt that everything else should be given equal attention.
Arthur signaled for Natalia to join them.
"Pretty girl. Is she your girlfriend?" William asked, watching Natalia walk towards them.
"N-no! She isn't. But I am seeing someone," Arthur said softly, trying to keep himself from blushing but failing miserably. William chuckled at the sight.
"Alfred?" he guessed.
"How did you know?" Arthur asked, curious. Were they that obvious?
"He seems possessive of you. And you give each other looks when you think no one is looking," William explained. Arthur felt himself blush. So they were that obvious.
Natalia walked behind them, not caring to join their conversation, just listening intently to every word they were saying. She hoped that some of their words would be of good use later. Perhaps she could even sabotage Arthur and Alfred's relationship somehow. She could only hope.
William paid her no mind. Arthur, on the other hand, tried to keep an eye on her. He wasn't sure what Natalia was planning. But whatever it was, he knew it couldn't be good. William walked Arthur back to the first floor, right by the staircase leading to the second and third floors.
"You probably want to change out of those clothes," he explained. Arthur nodded in agreement. He had sweated from his activities. His clothes, no doubt, smelled like sweat and wet grass. Arthur could even spot some grass stains on the edge of his pants. He almost sighed. He hoped that they would wash out somehow.
"Thank you for inviting me to play with you. I enjoyed it immensely and I hope that, perhaps after I finish my duties for Senator Gordon, we can do it again sometime," Arthur said, smiling. William smiled back and leaned in closer to Arthur. Arthur was puzzled by his movement and tried to step back, only to find himself backed up against a wall. William leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Arthur's lips. Arthur immediately pushed William away, staring at the man for a moment before running upstairs, not even bothering to wait for an explanation.
William found Natalia staring at him intently with a knowing look on her face. He felt as if she knew what his intentions were. She then smiled at him as if approving of his methods. She gave him one last knowing look before following Arthur.
As soon as Natalia was out of earshot, William sighed. It was not the cleverest thing he had done. He supposed that he shouldn't have done it at all. He leaned against a wall, his hands in his hair.
"Well, that was a surprise. I didn't know you had it in you to be so vindictive," a voice spoke. William didn't have to look up to know who it was. The woman in black greeted him with a smirk, emerging from the shadows. William had wondered how she did that, appeared out of nowhere. He didn't pay it much mind though. He had often overlooked things that could not be explained by any scientific means.
"Do not lecture me about vindication. At least, not now," William sighed. He hadn't wanted things to turn out like this. His kissing Arthur only complicated matters.
"Yes, it does complicate things, doesn't it? But complicated is good. It makes life more interesting," the woman said, her voice fully conveying her joy in his misery. He swore that she enjoyed the misery of others. If he weren't too emotionally caught up in his own problems, he would have called her wicked.
"Stop that. You know I hate it when you do that," William said irritably, massaging his temples.
"Do what?" she asked, her smile revealing that she was fully aware of what he was talking about.
"Stop…never mind," William said softly. He was starting to have doubts. What if it wasn't a good idea? Perhaps he should back down, before anyone got hurt, while he still had the chance. The lady noticed his hesitation and grimaced with distaste. He was like all other men she had met. She felt almost disgusted with herself for thinking otherwise.
"You're having doubts. Am I right?" she asked, her hands gripping his shoulders.
"You can't turn back now. Think of your pain, years of pain, horrible pain, the kind that lingers long after a wound has healed. And what was it all for? For you to be a coward and hide in your little rabbit hole?!" she screeched, her nails sinking into his flesh. William barely noticed her action, barely felt the pain, his mind entirely elsewhere.
"Yes, you are right. I can't turn back now. He's here anyways. I must finish what I have started," William said softly, fears of a different kind entering his head. The woman smiled, releasing her hold on his shoulders.
"That's a good boy," she added, patting his back. He nodded and walked towards the basement, knowing that the next part of his plan needed to be enacted. The woman smiled and followed behind him, silent as a mouse, watching him as he searched. A black mass emerged from the shadows and followed behind her. The woman glanced behind her, catching a glimpse of the mass from the corner of her eye. She turned back to face William, smirking. If she had her way, she would be rid of two birds with one stone.
A/N: No, William is not a pedo. He's only slightly older than Arthur, probably a year or two. Just wanted to clear that up before anyone cried out in horror or something. ^^;
And can anyone tell from my lack of description that I don't know how to play croquet? I got the idea from a Paul McCartney song I was listening to the other day. And I thought to myself 'Arthur should play croquet' and thus the idea was formed. And I imagined that they probably played golf croquet since Arthur was pressed for time.
*The sugar maple is Vermont's state tree according to the website I found
** In America, it is referred to as checkers.
*** I'm not sure about the accuracy of this statement (although Wiki says that it is considered to be America's most popular sport) but I always sort of imagined that Alfred would be the quarterback and Arthur the honor student or something. A girl can dream can't she?
Updates= Uh probably not as frequent from now on. I feel that this is going to be a busy quarter for me ^^;
