Chapter 14: A Gentleman's Return to His Somewhat Home

Going home was horrible up until he entered the front door. Francis walked with him trying to keep him calm until the last block. Arthur wanted to walk the end alone. That's what he told Francis. In reality, he wasn't sure if he would tell his family he had stayed with Francis and was worried that if they saw both of them together, they'd blame Francis. Getting to continue spending time with Francis was high on his priority list.

Nothing expected happened after he entered the front door.

Upon entering, he stood in the entryway unsure if he should call out. The decision was made for him when his mom came out of the kitchen to see who came in. She paused in shock before running at Arthur and engulfing him in a hug.

Arthur stood stiffly in surprise as his usually distant mother made exclamations and pet his hair. After a moment, she leaned back, hands still on his shoulders and called that Arthur was home. Arthur assumed Scott was in the house, but only his dad appeared. Together they ushered him into the living room where they sat, Arthur on the chair and his parents on the couch.

The conversation was fast and confusing, something that even as an adult, Arthur still can't piece together everything that was said, but maybe it was good that he let himself forget the exactness of the harsh words spoken. He told them he had been fine and had been staying with friends.

"You left out a window! I don't get it. Why would you jump out a second-story window?" Mrs. Kirkland asked.

Arthur filed that question in his brain noting how they also didn't realize how often he used his window as an escape route. In the moment, his eyes watered and he begrudgingly admitted, "I panicked, and, just… couldn't handle you kicking me out."

At the confession, Arthur's father let out a breath and leaned back. Thus, started the hardest conversation of Arthur's life - hard, but he came out the other side mostly unscathed. There were almost accusations. Somehow, his family was able to talk to him about what they figured out while avoiding using the term homosexual or gay - their insinuations were harsh yet vague. With their discomfort, Arthur was able to put Walt's plan into action by asserting that he didn't have plans to do anything publically. Although most of Arthur's explanations and assertions didn't make sense under scrutiny, his uncomfortable parents were quick to latch onto his excuses lest they actually have to do something worthy of gossip. He was lingering on the edge of what they could handle.

After their conversation, he excused himself to his room. He walked up the stairs slowly, taking the time to look at the blank wall leading the way up, so different than the one at Francis's full of pictures. At the top of the stairs, he peered down the hall. Walt's room was cracked open as if serving as a reminder that his brother was on his side. Scott's door was closed, but through the crack, Arthur could see that his light was on. He swallowed thickly; his stomach clenched. Memories of time spent with Scott flashed before his mind's eye. He turned away, and went into his room.

He shut the door behind him softly and sat down in his desk chair. He spun around in it slowly surveying the room. He had an out of body experience, a recognition of facts. This is his room. The room he has always had. He's been gone a few days, but it feels so long. It feels like a strange room. He paused on the blank walls. Maybe Francis was right when he complained about the space lacking Arthur. He continued to turn. Or maybe he was a different person than who he was when he last crawled out the window.

He stopped his spinning and faced the desk. Putting his elbow on the surface, he leaned into his hand and ran his fingers across the books and spirals on it. He traced a notebook, one that he had left out deciding it was pure enough. A finger tapped along the edge of Jane Eyre . Fingers rubbed over the cover of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Arthur paused his hand and poked the cover as if balancing the weight of his palm over the book.

He lifted his head and shifted leaning towards it. Slowly, he pulled the book towards him. Flipping the cover open, he read the message inside:

To the Littlest Man,

Growing up here is fast and difficult. Take some time to escape and find yourself. The wardrobe and the opportunities inside are tempting, but remember there's a lot to miss on the outside.

-Walter

The book remained open as he leaned back in the chair. He ran his fingers over the words, mouth quirking.

With an amused huff he murmured, "Knew for a long time alright."

In one movement, he pushed the book aside, grabbed his notebook, and flipped to a blank page. In that moment as he began to write, it felt like he was falling into a place he was meant to be.

What happened when Arthur returned home was not bad, but being home was not good by any means. Scott avoided Arthur. It took him a while to notice his absence, but he was forced to acknowledge it when they passed each other in the hallway. Scott had made a point to stay as far away from Arthur as possible, not even looking at him. Oddly, his hatred didn't hurt as much as Arthur expected it to.

For what it was, Arthur's family avoiding him whenever possible except to make odd jabs, or in his mother's case, not so subtle pleas about working on himself, was good. He took the time to focus on himself in a way he never let himself before. There's something about hiding that forces you to think of yourself in terms of how others see you instead of how you see yourself.

He continued going to group meetings in the back of the bookstore slowly making friends and getting advice. It was as if the need to go out was slowly being replaced by going there and connecting with the people there - except this was free and he could complain about how his family was treating him. The one thing that really solidified that he would survive was that he finally got around to working with Vlad.

The notebook he was using to convert his writings to song lyrics had remained hidden in the back of his closet during the days he was gone, and he was able to share them with Vlad who accepted them with excitement starting their creative partnership.

These things, although taking up time, started slow. During this first month home, Arthur tried to remain under the radar as a way to show his family that things would not change and that he would not make them look particularly bad as long as they tended to his basic needs. The worst part was that he did not get to see Francis. The few times he left the house for group meetings and to see Vlad were already pushing it. The only reason he could go to the group consistently was because he had the most put-together person there vouch for him about it just being a meeting to help people overcome unruly addictions - something that pleased both his parents and benefited him greatly.

During the second meeting, week two after coming home, Arthur asked Torris to pass along a note to Francis explaining how things were going at home and his need to lay low for a while. He may have also folded up a poem with the letter. He tried not to think about that or the memory of the one taped to Francis's wall.

Things were okay, and after everything he'd been through, okay meant he was doing good.

For some reason, he was surprised there were no family dinners with the Bonneyfoys for a month. Kirklands could be smart sometimes, and Arthur realized they must suspect that somehow Francis was involved. Considering they were letting him out of the house, he doubted that they just wanted to hide their son from close business partners. Something like that could only lead to questions.

A month of not seeing Francis, and he would be coming over soon. Arthur peered over the book he was reading in the living room. Everyone was acting normal, and he couldn't get a good read on them. He was trying not to panic, but was very much panicking. Who knew how Francis would act? Hell, who knew how he was supposed to act not just around Francis but also around his family and Francis at the same time?

A knock at the door didn't give him time to think of answers to his own questions. The knocking caused Mr. Kirkland to curse from the other room and say something about them not listening about coming later. Arthur got up to answer the door, seeing as no one else would. Rising, he glanced at Scott who was ignoring the door.

Opening the door, he was engulfed in a hug from Mrs. Bonnefoy who immediately went into exclamations about missing all the Kirklands. Arthur greeted Mr. Bonnefoy as Mrs. Kirkland appeared from the kitchen.

"I thought I told you to come closer to dinner," Mrs. Kirkland's voice sounded strained despite her efforts to appear welcoming. Arthur turned to get a reading on his mom.

Mrs. Bonnefoy laughed, obviously not sensing any tension. "I just couldn't help myself. It's been too long since we've all had the chance to get together." She walked into the kitchen and began to ask how Walt was doing.

A click from the door brought Arthur's attention forward again. Francis closed the door and turned around to face Arthur. His lips quirked at the Brit. Arthur noticed Francis's fingers twitch before he put them behind his back as if stopping himself from reaching out.

"How have you been, Arthur? Haven't seen you in a while," Francis asked casually walking into the house.

Arthur realized he was staring and had to shake himself out of it. "I've been surprisingly good. How about you?"

Francis continued to walk so that he was near the living room and paused as if unsure of where to go next. "Good. I was having some trouble for a while, but then got some good news from a friend and a gift a few weeks ago. Things have been on the up since."

"That's good to hear," Arthur stated flatly.

Arthur was stiff. No one was looking at them, but he felt like all ears were on them. He glanced at the men in the living room, none turned his direction, but Scott's ear faced him directly. He looked back at Francis who stood a little too casually.

Francis shook his head amused. "Well, I read a book recently that I think you'd like. It reminded me of something you wrote - some fantasy thing. I can't remember." Francis shot a playful look to Arthur and then glanced at the stairs intently.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I think I know which one you're talking about. I can dig it up." Arthur turned towards the stairs. Francis followed. They tried to walk at a casual pace, both aware that the Kirklands were not-so-subtly paying attention to them.

Once they reached the top half of the stairs, they scrambled into Arthur's room. Francis went to close the door, but Arthur grabbed his arm.

"Leave it open. A closed door looks suspicious."

Then, Arthur pushed at Francis's back to signal for him to sit on the bed. Arthur threw a notebook at Francis who fumbled it and grabbed one for himself before sitting at the desk.

"What?" Francis began to ask.

"Just keep it near you and trust me." Arthur eyed the door.

Francis nodded. He spoke quietly, recognizing the door was open. "So you're okay?"

"You said you got my letter, right? That's what that meant?" Arthur waved his arm towards his door to better define his words.

"Yeah, but maybe you couldn't say anything."

Arthur chuckled. "I literally wrote everything that happened to me since I got here and had Torris deliver it."

Francis shrugged. "A guy worries."

"I get it." Arthur leaned back into his desk chair. "It's so good to see you. You have no idea."

"Glad to hear it."

"Don't get a big head, Frog."

Francis ignored the jab. "So you're under lock and key pretty tightly?"

Arthur hummed. "I've been playing it safe, but I think I'm getting to a point where I can push it. Still need to keep up appearances, but no one realized anything before. I can get around them. Plus, they don't know what to look for. As far as I can tell, they only know about the notebook and drugs. I've been hoping I could pass off the drugs as a writer thing and less of a going out thing."

Francis's eyebrows rose as Arthur talked. "They didn't realize anything?"

"Everyone was shocked that I left through the window," Arthur gestured to his window, "They somehow never realized I did it all the time else they'd have barred it." He tried to joke.

Francis stood straighter trying to get a glimpse out the window without standing. "You used to use your window as a door?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "How else did I sneak out?"

"The front door?"

"Also, it's not completely a used to."

"No," Francis exclaimed, leaning forward to show he was interested in Arthur's gossip.

"It's how I meet up with Vlad sometimes. We meet up too much for me to leave out the front door every time."

Francis laughed and shook his head. "Ridiculous."

"At least it'll be easier soon with school. I don't need excuses not to be around as much during the day."

"Then you'll be free to spend time with moi?"

"Maybe."

"You should come to book club," Francis suggested.

"Another maybe."

"Don't play hard to get."

Arthur quirked an eyebrow in response.

"You'll love it. We meet next week on Tuesday. I'll write down the info." Francis already moved to write in the back of the notebook Arthur gave him

"I didn't read the book."

Francis patted his shoulder bag. "Also it'd be your first meeting, so you wouldn't have had to."

Arthur pursed his lips.

Francis's eyes glanced around his face taking in his expression.

"Come on. I haven't gotten to see you, especially like this." Arthur swallowed his denial at Francis's seriousness. They stared each other down. Arthur's mouth dried. Sometimes, it was easy to forget the circumstances of the last time they saw each other - Francis finding him high in an alley.

Arthur nodded, "Okay. I'll go."

Francis beamed. "Awesome!"

"What's awesome?" A new voice asked. They both turned to see Scott leaning in the doorway. Francis looked to Arthur to gauge his reaction and only saw panic. He turned back to see Scott glaring at him.

"Well?"

"Nothing you'd care about," Francis said flippantly.

"Try me," Scott challenged.

Francis rolled his eyes acting as if the exchange was below him. Arthur could see through the act so butted in, "We are looking for that old fantasy story I wrote."

"Yeah, Arthur just said he started working on it again," Francis added finally realizing why Arthur made sure they each were holding a notebook. He took the one Arthur chunked at him earlier and waved it about.

Scott snorted. "As if you actually care."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't like what you're doing. You do realize my brother was fine before he met you, right?"

"He seems rather fine, now. Maybe you need your eyes checked."

"I think you need to stay away from Arthur. You're a bad influence."

Francis clenched his jaw. "Why would you say that?"

"You know why."

"Are you saying Arthur has been breaking rules recently? Come on, we all know he's a rule follower."

"I'm saying I know you're a fag, and that I think you should leave."

"Well, I think you should get the fuck out," Arthur's stern voice caught their attention. He was standing from his chair stiff with anger staring straight at Scott.

Scott's eyebrow twitched as he looked at his brother. "What?"

"Stop harassing my friend and get the fuck out."

Scott shifted his feet and let out a huff. "Was hoping you weren't a lost cause, Arthur."

"Walt doesn't think so," Arthur challenged.

Scott shook his head shaking away his surprise and in an attempt to maintain a semblance of dominance. "You should watch your language."

"And you should watch who you threaten."

"Fine," Scott spat. He turned to walk out but paused in the doorway. He tapped it twice. "Dinner is almost ready by the way." Then, he was gone.

Arthur let out a sigh and fell into his chair. He turned to face Francis who was looking at him in shock.

"Holy shit," Francis whispered.

Arthur rubbed at his face.

"You just did that."

Arthur groaned, "Yeah, I did."

"That was amazing and also crazy and also you're so screwed," Francis prattled.

"Maybe," Arthur stood up, "Might as well head down."

Francis went to follow and ran into Arthur who stopped walking at the top of the stairs. He grabbed Francis and pulled him back so that they'd be out of view of anyone looking up the stairs. He leaned close looking up at Francis's face and whispered, "I don't think we'll get any time away from them after that."

Francis nodded.

Arthur continued, "I'm coming to book club. Pick me up in the back garden on your way alright?"

"Alright."

They paused. Francis looking into Arthur's face searching. Arthur licked his lips watching the way Francis's eyes moved. He wanted to reach out, they were so close. Francis leaned forward. Arthur turned around not realizing Francis had been moving and led the way downstairs. After a moment, Francis followed.

They kept up friendly conversation through dinner, but attempted to maintain a semblance of distance. Arthur felt he had his family mostly fooled as they didn't give any attention to him, but he could feel Scott's stare at times. They didn't get any other time alone just like he predicted.

When the Bonnefoys left, he received a hug from Mrs. Bonneyfoy and shook Mr. Bonneyfoy's hand. He offered his hand for Francis to shake. Francis scoffed good-naturedly as he took it saying goodbye. Arthur took a moment to analyze the handshake. For a moment, it was as if Francis was the one who had been trained as a gentleman his entire life.

A/N:

A little late chapter. I always get a little slow towards the end of fics. Finishing feels like letting all the characters go.
Either way, the end is in our sights, and I'm excited to share. I'm trying to figure out how to best split future chapters, because one of the drafts is rather long.

Hope everyone is staying safe and doing well.

I'm on tumblr as allavengedromance and twitter bethfrombackrow if you want to follow or chat! I also upload to AO3 as allavengedromance if you'd rather read there (It's friendlier for formatting and this site doesn't allow for staanzas in future poems)