Arthur woke up to the sound of a door creaking shut. The space beside him was empty, and the only light was a sliver of sunrise peeking through the blinds. He groaned and buried his face in the pillow. No way was he getting up this early, especially after everything that happened the day before. He couldn't recall if he had work, but he would just call in sick if he did.

It was already noon when Arthur finally decided to crawl out of bed. The cold air caused goose bumps to rise on his arms, and he considered going back to bed again. But without Francis, the bed was only a cold reminder of his own flaws. He stretched his arms over his head and let out a long yawn. His mouth was dry and his stomach was growling. Maybe he would take Alfred out for breakfast. It had been a while since he'd gone out and done something with his son. Before he could commit to the idea, the familiar sound of his ringtone began to play. He instinctively reached into his pocket, only to find that it was empty. A quick glance around the room made it clear that he'd left his phone out somewhere. He groaned as he stood up. That damn thing's battery was probably drained. He left the bedroom and immediately spotted it resting on the dining table. It was plugged in, thank god, and a sticky note sat on its surface. Just as he snatched it up, it stopped ringing. He cursed under his breath and peeled off the sticky note. He glanced at it, noticing the neatness of the cursive writing. Francis must have written it.

I'm off to work. There's leftover breakfast on the counter in case you get hungry. I'm leaving Matthieu with you today. He can have one treat and one hour of screen time while I'm gone.

Arthur ran a hand through his hair. Taking care of two kids by himself was not going to be fun, but he supposed it was fair under the circumstances. He then turned his attention to his phone. A single message sat on the home screen. Immediately after reading it, Arthur felt sick to his stomach.

Missed call from Kiku Honda

That couldn't be right. It had to be some sort of mistake. He probably meant to call somebody else, or maybe Arthur left something at the apartment. Still, he wanted to return the call badly enough that it hurt to put down the phone. His hands began to shake, and his already churning stomach began threatening to empty itself. His heart was screaming at him to call Kiku back, but his brain was berating him just as loudly for having such a desire. Before he could do anything drastic, however, Alfred came bolting down the hall.

"Look, look! I made a friend," Alfred said. He latched onto Arthur's leg and stared up at him. His eyes were wide with excitement.

"Oh, really? Can I meet this new friend?" Arthur asked with a forced smile. He loved Alfred to pieces, but that kid always came in at the worst times. Alfred nodded, letting his tangled mess of hair fall over his eyes.

"Mattie, get over here!" The bedroom door creaked open. Matthieu peeked his head out and clutched his teddy bear closer to his chest. Alfred came over and pulled him into the kitchen. "This is Mattie. He's kinda quiet, but he's pretty cool," Alfred said. Matthieu smiled nervously. He waved with one hand while keeping and iron grip on his teddy with the other. Arthur waved back.

"Hey there. I'm Arthur, and I'm one of your dad's friends. It's nice to meet you," he said.

"Papa told me about you," Matthieu said. He kept his eyes fixed on the floor. "He said you were gonna live with us."

"Don't worry, I'll only be here for a little while," Arthur replied.

"Oh. Okay then," Matthieu said. He was about to say something more when Alfred butted in.

"Aw, C'mon! Can't we just stay here forever? There'd good food, and Francis is super nice," Alfred said. He let go of Matthieu's hand and started clinging onto Arthur's leg.

"It would be rude of us to move in so fast. Besides, you can't have your own room if we stay here," reasoned Arthur. Matthieu looked up at him. He gripped his bear with both hands and pulled it tighter to his chest.

"I wouldn't mind if you stayed," he said, his voice too hushed to be heard.

Francis came home late that night. The kids had already gone to bed, though the sounds coming from their shared room indicated that they were doing more talking than sleeping. Arthur was launched on the couch with his needlework. He pushed the needle in and out of the canvase until he'd made the rough shape of a flower. It was different from the pattern he went by, but it didn't matter much. Francis watched him from the doorway. A smile snuck across his face. Arthur looked up to meet his eyes.

"Do you always come home this late?" he asked. Francis let out a short burst of laughter and sat down beside him. He kicked off his shoes and put his feet up on the couch.

"A simple 'hello' would have been fine. But, no, I'm usually home by five thirty. I've been staying a bit late for the past week so that I can get a bit of maintenance done. But, if you want me home sooner, I could go back to my normal schedule."

"No, it's fine. Though it would be nice to have some help getting the kids to bed. Matthieu's fine, but Alfred squirted out half his toothpaste into the sink. I made him clean it up, don't worry." Francis smiled and put his hand on Arthur's shoulder.

"Thank you, dear. I love a man who doubles as a free babysitter." Arthur turned his head to hide a grin.

"Who said I was free?" he said. "No, I'm only joking. Even if I did want compensation, you've already done quite enough for me."

"Speaking of, how long to you plan to stay?" Arthur glanced at him.

"Why? Do you want me to leave?"

"Non, I was simply wondering. Hell, you can stay as long as you want, provided that you take care of the kids when I'm out."

"Well, I was hoping to find an apartment and move out within the month. But I couldn't find a place online that would work well, and the lead time would be a while. I might have to pick up some extra hours to get a better place, but that would take some of my searching time, so… I might be here for a long while." Francis leaned up against him and let out a yawn.

"Mm, well, don't feel rushed. You're good company, and you can pay me in chores." He rested his head in the crook of Arthur's neck. He felt Arthur's skin grow hot with embarrassment. It was probably wrong, but he loved the feeling of having Arthur so close to him. His heart begged for him to make a move, but his rational mind managed to keep things tame. "I have been wanting a roommate, and Matthieu needs a friend," he said softly. Arthur sighed.

"I'll take that into consideration. But I think I ought to get an air mattress either way." Francis sat up, breaking away from Arthur.

"Awe, c'mon. There's room for both of us in my bed. There's no need to bring your own."

"I just don't want anybody to get the wrong idea. That's all."

"Who's going to notice? Only the kids would know, and they're too young to think it's dirty." Arthur sat in silence for a moment. He tapped his foot against the floor and stared off into space.

"I… I have some feelings I need to sort out. And I need some space so that I can sort them properly. I'm sorry." Francis stood up.

"No need to apologize, mon ami. Just know that I'm here if you need help, alright?" He patted Arthur's shoulder and slipped down the hall.