Sorry I was gone for so long, school started and the teachers found it was a good idea to give us a lot of work, but I'm back now!
Enjoy!
"Why don't you have another drink?"
"Come on! It's just a little beer!"
"What's with the trembling? I thought whores like you liked being touched!"
"Stop moving or I'll have to hurt you!"
Francis' eyes snapped strait open as he woke up panting and sweating. Oh no… His nightmares were back. With trembling fingers, the blond turned on a light and sat up. Why? Why why why why why! Why was this happening? He had peaceful nights for a week now! The days ran smoothly and he actually felt very happy due to the good deeds he did recently. So why now?
The Frenchman glanced at his clock and grimaced at the sight: 4 in the morning, too late to go back to sleep but too soon to get up. Great. Just great.
Thankfully, he had taken the day off today. It was Friday, he had to go pick up Mathew at the airport and had also planned to make a stop at Shirel to give the photo booth man his suitcase back. But now that he had woken up so early, there was no doubt that he'd have dark circles under the eyes to witness his horrible night.
Hi cousin wouldn't be too happy about that. Along with Antonio and Gilbert, Mathew was the only one to know that Francis was a rape victim and had done his best to help him recover from this traumatic experience. He was the one who had found Francis 'current apartment and that helped him find a proper job. He had shown to Francis that there was still people out there that loved him and cared for him and that there was a reason to move on.
Because Mathew had a girlfriend and a life back in Canada, Francis had, after he had recovered the courage to live alone, assured him he was fine and told him to go back to his homeland. If his cousin had reluctantly accepted, he also made the Frenchman promise that he'd tell him if anything was wrong. Now the Canadian was a sweet guy, perhaps a bit shy, but when someone he cared for was in trouble he could become very protective. Not to mention his hockey player status…
It was certain his cousin wouldn't be happy about him keeping his nightmares to himself and Francis would never hear the end of it.
He had to hide all evidence of a bad night's sleep.
Francis got out of bed and padded to the kitchen, he made himself a cup of coffee that he drank slowly. Feeling a bit more awake, he then went to take a shower where he, once again, took his sweet time. It was 5:30 when he finally got dressed.
The Frenchman used a bit of makeup to hide the dark circles under his eyes (unlike most men, he didn't think makeup was only for women. You just had to use it correctly) and tied his hair in a ponytail before finally considering himself ready. Grabbing a sketchbook, the suitcase with the album and a bit of money, he left in the cool autumn morning.
He spent a lot of time in a park, sketching whatever caught his eyes, only having a break to eat breakfast at a small Bakery. However, at 7:30, half an hour before opening hour, he was standing in front of Shirel.
This wasn't a common occurrence, but right now, he felt stupid. There was no doubt that he would be mistaken for a madman if he just barged in at 8 O'clock sharp and for what? To give back a suitcase?
Not happening.
Francis found another café and decided to sketch there until a reasonable time to go visit Shirel came up.
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Cling! Cling!
Alfred looked up from behind the counter when the familiar bell of the door opening rang through the store. A blond man with clear blue eyes walked in holding a sketchbook and a black suitcase against his chest.
"Welcome too Shirel! I'm Alfred, specialist of anything related to aliens and outer space, how can I help you?" Exclaimed the American with a happy grin
The visitor gave a small smile that looked a bit shy and even a bit anxious. He quickly hid it however with a grin that fit him a lot better, in Alfred's opinion.
"Well yes actually, I'm here to return this suitcase."
Alfred stared oblivious a few seconds before it clicked.
"Oh yeah! That's Arthur's suitcase!"
"Arthur?"
"yes, Arthur, my bro'. Green eyes, dirty blond hair, British but anyways, he's been creeping out like crazy since the day he lost it."
"He holds on to it that much?"
"Yup, his little collection gets the same treatment his lover would if he ever decided to get one. Oh! But he doesn't work here on Fridays. He makes shows for kids at the Tuileries. He plays the role of a pirate captain today. But thank you for bringing back the suitcase; he's going to be very grateful!"
Alfred extended his arm to take the suitcase back but the man politely backed away. "I could go give it to him myself if you like. I'm curious to see what the show thing is all about."
Alfred grinned "Sure you can!" he exclaimed "Thanks dude! Have a nice day!"
The visitor waved a goodbye and left. Alfred watched him leave with is signature smile still glued to his face. His bro' just had to take this man's number when he saw him. He seemed fit to support the Brit's grumpy character and he was Hot!
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After his conversation with Alfred, Francis went straight to the Tuileries, who also happened to be one of his favorite parks. He had been surprised at how easily Alfred told him about his brother. This conversation had given him a lot of information about the man which was a good thing but at the same time, Francis felt bad for the British man. Having a brother that spilled so much information about your private life must not be easy. Arthur must have gotten used to it by now, or at least, he hoped. Arthur. Francis found that the name fit him well and he rather liked to say it.
Once at the Tuileries, Arthur was easy to spot. The British man was actually a pretty convincing pirate. Dirty blond hair hidden under a hat decorated with colorful feathers, dressed with a white shirt and a red coat worth the greatest pirate captains and tight black pants held by a solid black belt, the man's costume was perfectly completed by the old fashioned sword he held and his two eyes shining with excitement.
Surrounded by a dozen of happy children screaming with glee, "the pirate" was mimicking a pirate attack on another ship, putting so much heart into it that it could have been real. The bucket in front of the actor was filling up quickly with well-deserved money.
Francis sat on a bench facing the little play and let himself get wrapped up in the story without hiding his amused smile. Almost unconsciously, he opened his sketchbook and started drawing.
What seemed to Francis like a few minutes later, his phone rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. It was a text from Mathew. "Landed but getting out in 30 minutes for unknown reason. See you then". With a gasp, Francis realized it was already time to go pick up Mathew from the airport who was a 45 minutes of his current destination! And he still hadn't given Arthur his album back! The Frenchman nibbled on his lip nervously before making his decision. He quickly scribbled down a few words on a small piece of paper and deposited the note in Arthur's bucket trying to act as natural as possible. He cast one last look at Arthur as he walked away and smiled, feeling his heart flutter yet again.
A few seconds later he had found a cab and was heading for the Charle-de Gaulle airport.
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"Je ne peux pas croire* that you still didn't buy yourself a car."
"But, chéri, I don't need it! I'm perfectly fine this way! Besides why are you complaining? N'es-tu pas* Mister-let-s-be-ecologist-it-will-save-polar-bears? I am helping Mother Nature."
"yes, yes, alright. What's in the suitcase?"
"Nothing important. Forget that you ever saw it, Mathieu. Ah! We have arrived!"
The two cousins entered Francis' apartment both dragging two luggages and one backpack each behind them. The Frenchman had been surprised when he saw that his cousin had so many bags, he was more of a light traveler usually, but hadn't asked why. Mathew became very shy when pushed.
The two blonds took off their shoes before making their way to the Canadian's room. "Make yourself at home! I'll go get dinner ready. I'm expecting a full description of your trip and your life in Canada! So be ready!"
Mathew complied with a light laugh, happy to be with his cousin once again. Once every piece of clothing had found its place and that the room had been personalized, the Canadian tried to help with dinner but got promptly chased out and to the table. A few minutes later, Francis and Mathew were both seated in front of a delicious French meal.
"So… How was your trip?"
"Tiring as always. 7 hours of flight is not easy to do."
"Better than 3 month like they did back in the times. But that's not the point, how is life back in Canada?"
"Quite good actually, I got a raise not long ago and became coach in a hockey team for 10 year old boys. Other than that, life goes on smoothly between hockey, work and free time."
"What about Katayusha?"
"Huh?"
"Katayusha… your girlfriend?"
"Oh! Yeah, she's… fine. We're good."
Francis heard the nervous tone in his cousin's voice and immediately knew he was hiding something, however, he. Once again, didn't push the subject thinking that Mathew was tired from his trip. They finished eating in a comfortable silence.
Later, while Mathew was having a small nap, Francis decided to go to Lovino's to buy Maple Syrup since the one he already had, had "mysteriously" disappeared. On the way out, he noticed Heracles staring sadly at his lost lover's picture. At the store, Lovino was complaining about his twin and shouting profanities while the brother in question was daydreaming in the pasta alley. Staring at the two, two specific persons came to the Frenchman's mind who smirked slightly. He made a mental note to arrange meetings between Lovino and a certain Spanish man and between Feliciano and a certain lonely German, consequently spreading the love to those poor souls. On his way back, he saw Heracles' door open and realized the man wasn't home anymore. Another idea popped out in the Frenchman's head, making him enter the deserted apartment and grab the box of letters that the Greek man showed him on his last visit.
His little treasure under the arm, Francis got back to his place where he started preparing.
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Arthur Kirkland was happy. Exhausted but happy. It had been quite a good day at the park, a lot of children came to see him and their parents had given him quite a pretty penny. He was gaining a reputation and a reputation meant more money. If only he hadn't lost his suitcase then everything would have been perfect.
Once he arrived at his house. He quickly took off the pirate costume and slipped into more casual clothes. Alfred wouldn't come home until eight that night son in the meantime, Arthur was free to do as he wished and enjoy the peace and quiet.
The British man made himself a sandwich (he didn't feel in the mood to fight against the kitchen and his admittedly horrible cooking skills) before sitting down in front of Doctor who with his bucket full of money.
He had reached 100 euros and 50 eurocents when he found a little note mixed with the money. It was addressed to him.
Arthur,
I have you suitcase,
Meet me under the Eifel tower at 5 this Sunday.
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Bye~
