A/N: Hello again, everyone!

Here's the second chapter, we hope you enjoy it as well! Thank you for everyone who faved and followed the story!

And also special thanks to alguien22792 for the review! We hope you like this next chapter as well! ;)

Reminder that reviews and feedback are always welcome and that we love it very much. 3


Chapter 02: Oh, the places you'll go!

November 24, 2017

In the weeks that followed the last party they met a few times.

They met at ice cream shops or parks or restaurants. Every time, Arthur would ask questions about children, Alfred would answer them and eventually they would end up talking about other things as well. Throughout these meetings, Arthur was having fewer specific questions and more general ones, making Alfred talk more about his own children and tell stories about them.

Arthur genuinely liked Alfred's company. He was a good person, he was fun and he seemed to be a great father.

So much that, after an hour or two with Arthur, he would start looking at his watch and phone and make brief comments about the nanny the children were with, wondering if they'd already eaten, if they'd done their homework and things like that.

Arthur thought about telling Alfred they didn't need to keep meeting each other if Alfred thought it was more troublesome than anything else, but... Arthur liked the company. He liked the distraction, he liked to be outside his empty apartment for a reason other than work. He liked to focus on someone else's life for a brief moment; a simpler, happier life.

So even if hesitantly, he made a suggestion.

"You know... we can meet at your house if you want. I mean, you're always so worried about leaving your kids with some nanny. That way you could take care of them yourself while you're with me?"

That proposal was extremely tempting to Alfred since he wanted to keep seeing Arthur regularly but also felt bad leaving his kids with babysitters at least once per week. Still, he hesitated to accept it because it would probably be uncomfortable for Arthur to stay with two children and an alpha in an unknown environment. Arthur was a reserved type, after all.

"You don't need to worry about that kind of stuff. I'm okay." Alfred shrugged with a accidentally hesitant smile.

"You've already told me how much you don't like to leave the children with nannies that you don't know well, and that the usual nanny can't stay with them every week." Arthur commented as he held his glass of water with both hands and stared at it, "I feel like you can still teach me some things about being a good parent and... to be honest, I like to talk to you, so... I wouldn't mind it. In fact, I would like to meet your children."

Alfred always received complaints of friends and co-workers about being one of those parents who speak way too much about their children and are worried about then all the time. Therefore, it was pleasantly surprising to meet someone who was always interested to hear about Emily and Billy and who now was interested in meeting them. Arthur was so nice.

"Oh…" Alfred pretended to be just cool about that, although he was cheering inside. It would be really embarrassing if he showed how freaking happy he was to Arthur. "I mean, yeah, sure. That would be nice, I guess. Do you want to have our next meeting at my house, then?"

Arthur nodded,

"Yes, sure. Give me your address later, and a date. Hm. Is there a bus stop near your place?"

"Actually, I think the nearest bus stop is like three blocks down mine so it's not that close. Especially for you, Mr. carrying-a-baby. Just take a cab!"

"Oh..." Arthur muttered, a tight grip on his glass, "Alright."

… or so said Arthur but Alfred had a different opinion about his feelings on that matter, since Arthur's smell became quite bitter with that suggestion.

"Don't you like cabs?" Alfred asked slightly confused "Or are they just expensive for you?"

"I don't trust taxi drivers." Arthur replied quickly, "I prefer buses, then I'm not alone... the bus stop closest to my flat is about two blocks away, so I'll be fine." He assured Alfred, "I'm used to walking."

That seemed like a lot of exercise for a pregnant person but if Arthur had problems with cabs, there was nothing Alfred could do about it.

"Eh, alright, then. If you change your mind about it, let me know and we can figure out another way to bring you there! I will send my address to your e-mail, okay?"

"Okay." Arthur agreed.

And so it was settled that Arthur would dine at Alfred's house the next weekend.

They agreed on 6:30 p.m., so Arthur took a crowded bus at 5:30 to go downtown and there, he took another bus to go to the neighborhood where Alfred lived. Luckily for Arthur, most people in that neighborhood had a car, so the bus was not as crowded as the previous one. Arthur followed the bus route on his phone GPS and got out of it in the spot that Alfred had indicated.

In the second he set foot off the bus, however, Arthur shrank, feeling his body tremble.

It was already dark and very, very cold.

The freezing wind from early December made Arthur hug himself as he walked, a scarf wrapped around his neck and covering part of his face. He wished he had brought a winter hat with him.

The three blocks, Arthur discontentedly noticed, were huge. Each one was double the size of the blocks from where Arthur lived, which was a very unpleasant surprise.

When he finally arrived at Alfred's house and rang the bell, Arthur was feeling very cold and at the same time he felt sweaty from all the walking, which was a terrible combination.

As soon as Alfred opened the door, his charming 'good host' smile immediately withered. Arthur looked like he was freezing out there; hugging his own body and moving his knees up and down to keep himself warm. He looked very pitiful.

That's why, before even saying a single word to him, Alfred put an arm around his shoulders and brought him quickly inside.

And Arthur didn't had the strength to push Alfred away because he was so, so warm and Arthur was so cold...

"I forgot... I forgot to check the weather forecast before... leaving home..." Arthur explained, trying to stop his chin from trembling.

"Are you kidding? Why are you explaining yourself to me? This was definitely my fault!" Alfred argued, making Arthur sit on his couch and putting over him all the nearest cushions he could find. "I didn't notice how bad it would be to walk three blocks when you're pregnant and it's so cold outside. I just thought 'well, that's a five minute distance' because I was thinking about the time it takes me to go there by car. I'm such an idiot!"

"Dad! You told us to not use the word 'idiot' and you're using it now! Bad dad!"

Arthur blinked, caught off guard by the childish voice, and looked for its owner. She was standing by the dinner table, her arms folded and with a serious expression, and Arthur smiled a little as he hugged one of the cushions to help himself warm up.

"Hello," he said, "you must be Emily."

"And you must be dad's new boyfriend." Emily answered, making Alfred's entire face burn with a single sentence. Oh, my god! Kids. They really could kill someone of embarrassment.

"No, I already told you about Arthur!" Alfred got up, dismissively waving his arms, still blushing. "Arthur is my friend! Like Kiku! He only came here because it's more convenient for him! No other reason besides that!"

"I hope I can be your friend, too, Emily." Arthur said with a small smile to the little girl, and noticing a little head peering at them, sitting in a chair at the table, he added, "And yours too, Bill."

Alfred didn't know how to say it to Arthur that he was still busy, helping Emily and Bill with their homework. Arthur had arrived in time but Alfred had taken longer than he thought he would to explain to Billy different color combinations and to Emily the difference between a square and a rectangle. Not to mention that the school passed way too much homework to the kids. It was almost Winter break. Why couldn't they chill?

"Arthur, hey, do you mind resting for a bit while I finish helping the kids with their homework?" Alfred asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

Arthur shook his head.

"It's all right." He answered, and in answer to that Alfred smiled.

Arthur watched, hugging his cushion to warm himself, as Alfred helped the children with their homework. Bill looked bored with it, while Emily seemed to be confused and, despite trying to get it right, she was clearly disinterested.

Arthur felt as if he was watching that family on television; they worked so well together and they were so distracted with themselves that it was as if Arthur was not there at all. Not that he had a problem with that: he liked the distraction.

Touching his belly, he thought that in a few years he would be in the same position as Alfred, helping his baby with its homework. And then he thought it would be interesting if there were more electronic games that helped kids learn that sort of thing. Colorful characters and songs would make children of Bill's age memorize how colors blend and how to make simple math.

The idea stayed in his head for the rest of that moment, with him making some reminders that he should talk to his boss about it.

After finishing their homework, the children complained they were hungry. So Alfred checked with Arthur to see if he was also hungry to determine how much food he would have to make and, most important, if the smell of the food would make him nauseous.

"You're going to have dinner here, right, Arthur?" Alfred asked, sitting right next to Arthur on the couch. "What would you like to eat? Pasta with sausage? Fruit salad with ice-cream? A banana smoothie?"

"… ice cream?" Arthur asked, puzzled, "I'll be fine, so you can make whatever you think is best..."

"Yep, I put just a little bit of it in the salad to convince them to eat it." Alfred whispered, hiding his mouth with his hand so the kids wouldn't notice what he was saying. "Are you interested in trying some?"

"Oh, clever of you! It sounds like a great dessert," Arthur nodded. "You can make pasta, you know, or something like that. My sickness is going away, so I'll be fine."

"Alright! In that case, don't you wanna help us? I always cook with the help of my little ones so if you're interested we can…!" before Alfred finished his sentence, Emily approached him and put her head over his shoulder in a very abrupt and rough move, almost making him fall over with the sudden weight. "Hey, calm down now, little princess! I know you're hungry! I'm just checking if my friend doesn't wanna cook with us! Hold on a sec!"

"I think I can help, yes." Arthur said, "The more help you have, the sooner we can eat, right?" He added, offering a small smile to Emily.

"Yay!" Emily smiled happily, showing Arthur her hand so he could give her a high five. She seemed pretty chill about Arthur's presence in their house. Bill, however, seemed to be very frightened by that stranger's presence and was carefully hiding behind a wall while his sister made the food negotiations.

As any good father would, Alfred decided to give more attention to the one who needed it the most and went to comfort Billy and make him feel safe while Emily took Arthur to the kitchen.

"Em, please show Arthur where we keep the pans and the ingredients to make pasta! Your brother and I will be there in a minute!" Alfred asked. Almost unnecessarily considering that Emily was already gladfully bringing Arthur to their kitchen, excited to show him more parts of the house.

Once in the kitchen, after Emily showed him where the pots and pans were, Arthur selected one he thought was the right size, filled it with water, and set it on the stove. He then looked around, uncertain about what else to do. He didn't want to just go and open Alfred's refrigerator or cupboards. So, after hesitating, he ended up asking Emily,

"We can set the table in the meantime. Can you show me where the dishes are?"

Meanwhile, Alfred was having problems to convince Billy to socialize. His boy was a bit shy and a new face in the house didn't seem like a good thing to him. Despite Alfred trying to carry Billy to the kitchen multiple times, Billy always made a face like he was about to cry and hugged his knees and, goddamnit, Alfred had to stop. He had a heart. He couldn't bring himself to force the kid to a situation that made him so unhappy. The only problem was that leaving an emotionally vulnerable Arthur to the cares of his nine years old daughter also seemed like a bad, bad option. In his point of view, at least.

Emily, however, thought she had things under control and was very unbashful interacting with their visitor.

Emily showed Arthur where the dishes were, but before picking them up, he checked:

"Do you and your brother eat with glass dishes too?"

"Nope." she shook her head sideways "My dad is scared of we getting hurt if we break them so we eat in plastic plates. I think I'm too old for plastic plates but daddy is worried about it so we have to do what he says."

Arthur nodded.

"Where are the plastic plates, then?" He asked, and then added, "Your father wants the best for you two. But I'm sure that soon he'll let you use the glass dishes as well."

Right after saying it, Arthur ended up letting one of the glass plates fall in his way to the table, causing Emily to scream and Alfred to instinctively put a crying Bill in his arms before running to the local of the incident.

There was a lot of blue shards all over the floor and yeah, that would be a pain to clean later but, fortunately, Arthur and Emily didn't seem to be hurt and that was the most important thing to Alfred.

"Emily, Arthur! Are you guys okay? Did any of you get hurt?" he asked worried and distressed "Careful! Don't step on the glass!"

"I-I..." Arthur stammered, puzzled, a little frightened and very, very embarrassed. The plate slipped from his fingers and he felt so stupid and clumsy for letting it fall. His eyes became wet and he shook his head, "Alfred, I'm sorry. I don't know what... I... I'm going to clean it up. I'm so sorry. Oh, Emily, be careful." He said as Emily took a step forward, "Here, I'll take you to the living room so you don't step on the glass. You're just wearing socks... I..."

"Arthur, don't worry about it! Seriously! I'm just worried about you guys! Can you just take care of Bill and Emily while I clean this mess?" as Alfred said it, Bill hid his face on his father's shoulder, upset about that plan but Alfred had to disappoint him this time because there was no way he could keep an eye on two kids while doing anything dangerous. "Bill, I promise you that Arthur is a really nice guy so be nice to him as well, okay?" he gently asked his son.

"No, it's alright! I-I can clean this up, no problem! It was me who made the mess, after all! Seriously, it's okay. Really." Arthur assured him anxiously.

From Alfred's perspective, there was nothing to discuss there. Arthur had to rest. He got such a fright, he was almost crying now! If Alfred left Arthur to clean the shards, Arthur would just hurt himself.

With that in mind, Alfred delivered a reluctant but obedient Bill to his guest's arms and leaned closer to his ear, muttering "please distract the kids while I take care of this. Sorry about the trouble. I promise you they will behave", before leaving to grab a broom and a shovel to clean all the broken glass.

Arthur had never picked up a child before, so his heart began to pound, for fear of letting Bill fall or hurting him by squeezing him too much, or... or anything else like that.

Swallowing, he went back to the living room, guiding Emily to follow him closely and avoid the glass on the floor. There, carefully, he set Bill on the couch and stepped away from him so he could climb onto his sister's lap.

Arthur then sighed, trembling and ashamed, and rubbed his eyes to wipe away the tears that had formed there. Ugh. The first time he went to Alfred's house, he...!

"Don't cry." Emily comforted him, giving him little taps on the top of his head. "I also break a lot of stuff. I even hide some from my dad."

Arthur looked up at the little girl in surprise.

"You shouldn't hide things from your father, you know." He said with a small smile.

"He worries too much about everything." she answered in a very nonchalant way. "Same as you. And Billy. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person who has everything under control in this house."

That, coming from a nine-year-old girl... Arthur ended up laughing a little, feeling his eyes getting wet again, but for a different reason.

He honestly could not remember the last time he'd laughed, even if a little. It had been at least a few months. He felt his cheeks warm, as if his muscles were no longer accustomed to that movement.

"How do you keep everything under control?" He asked, "What's your secret?"

Emily made a confused expression, as if she had never thought too hard about it.

"I just… I just do!" she answered, seeming a bit uncertain but very stubborn about it. "I always do my best to be a good girl and not leave all the work to my dad!"

"That's a great plan." Arthur nodded. "Your father is lucky to have a girl like you keeping things in order."

While that interesting conversation took place, Alfred finished sweeping the glass scattered around the kitchen and living room and went to pick up the vacuum cleaner just to make sure there wouldn't be a single shard left there that could hurt his children or his guest.

"Hey, Arthur, sorry to bother you again." Alfred approached the two, carrying a vacuum. "Can you take the kids to the kitchen while I vacuum the living room? The water is boiling and someone needs to put the pasta in the pan."

"Oh." Arthur sniffed and rubbed his eyes discreetly, "Sure, no problem. Uh. Bill, is it okay if I pick you up again?" He asked as he reached for the boy.

Bill agreed with a nod and a slightly unhappy face. Poor boy. Alfred would have to think of a nice reward to give him for being so well-behaved in Arthur's presence even though he was clearly intimidated by him.

Carefully, Arthur took Bill in his arms, leading him into the kitchen and being followed closely by Emily.

He placed Bill sitting on a chair and picked up the pasta to put in the pan. He felt like he was forgetting something, though, but he couldn't remember what it was.

"Put salt in the pasta! And garlic! And sausage!" Emily reminded him, pulling his clothes. "Aren't you going to fry the garlic? Or grate the cheese?"

Oh, salt, right. And... everything else...

"Uh... Garlic goes... goes along with the pasta? Or later?" He asked, confused.

"Hm, first you make the pasta! Then you put the sausage sauce on it! Or was it the other way around? I don't know! Maybe it doesn't make any difference!"

When Alfred returned to the kitchen and put his vacuum aside, he noticed that Arthur seemed to be very lost about the progress of the dinner preparations. He kept picking different ingredients and then putting them aside and staring at the pan filled with pasta as if he was facing a elaborate puzzle. Alfred couldn't help but let out a chuckle looking at him.

"Are you having problems here? Never fear for Alfred is here now to save the day!" Alfred winked at him, giving him a thumbs-up.

"Emily is helping me, but... I don't know how to make these complicated sauces..." Arthur commented, handing the spoon he was holding to Alfred and then looking away, "... sorry for all the trouble..."

Alfred took control of the situation by putting a little salt in the water and checking to see if it was done. It looked like it still needed a bit more of time.

"Actually, it's a pretty easy recipe once you learn it. I'm not very good at cooking." Alfred admitted. "I cook with my kids to convince them to keep eating my food even though I don't know many recipes." he explained, stirring the pasta. "To make this dish, you only need to cook the pasta and then add a sauce to it, which is pretty simple to make."

Arthur nodded, pretending to agree with Alfred that the sauce was simple.

"What do you most like to cook?" He asked Emily.

"I like making fruit salads. Meat has a nasty smell when it's raw!" Emily said, making a face and covering her nose.

"You love eating meat, though!" Alfred amusedly pointed out. He finally turned off the stove, thinking that the pasta looked pretty nice now. "Listen, Emily. To have roast beef, you need raw meat first. Equivalent exchange!"

"Equivalent exchange... is it not the main idea of a series?" Arthur asked as he noticed how Alfred was grinning.

"It might be." Alfred smirked, appreciating Arthur getting the reference. "Can you drain the pasta while I make the sauce, Arthur?"

"Um, sure." Arthur replied, doing what Alfred had asked him carefully not to drop anything else. And as he did so, he watched Alfred closely as he prepared the sauce, wondering if he could reproduce the recipe on his own later.

Alfred instructed Emily to pick up the ingredients for him and grate the cheese as he cut the sausages and mixed everything in a pan. He also asked Emily to help him mix the sauce a little before putting it on the stove, even if it was a more symbolic gesture than anything.

Meanwhile, Arthur sat in a chair next to Bill,

"Don't you like to cook, too?" he asked. The little boy flinched and turned his face to the side, which Arthur took as a bad sign. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything.

"Bill is too small to help. He just watch us to learn how to do it later." Emily replied for his brother, as Alfred concentrated on trying the sauce to see if it was already done.

Arthur nodded, deciding to leave Bill alone.

"Can I help with anything else?" He asked.

Distracted by his task, without even listening to Arthur's question, Alfred poured the sausage sauce into the pasta, mixing them as he whistled a song. He was happy to turn to the table and see Arthur getting along with his children. They made the most adorable group in the world together.

"Who wants to have dinner now?" He asked, proudly holding their dish for that night.

As the children raised their hands excitedly, Arthur simply watched Alfred as he smilingly served the children's plates and helped Bill to his chair.

Arthur only served himself after that, when Alfred asked him to do it, and only ate after Alfred had already served his own plate as well.

The pasta was delicious. Arthur made sure to say so to Alfred.

This praise was well received not only by Alfred, but his children who smiled excitedly and exchanged happy looks.

"Daddy's great!" Emily said, making Alfred slightly embarrassed.

"I didn't teach her to say that!" He hurried up to say, before Arthur had the wrong impression.

"Of course not! I'm not a parrot!" Emily said. "I'm saying that dad is great because he IS great."

Arthur smiled at the little girl,

"Yes I agree. You and Bill are great too, Emily. I hope my baby will be great as well." He commented casually.

Oh, Alfred hadn't told this detail about Arthur to his children! How would they react to these news?
"Are you going to have a baby?" Emily asked, seeming suspicious of this statement. "If you're going to have a baby, why isn't your belly big?"

"The baby is still too small. My belly will grow bigger as it grows." Arthur explained, amused by Emily's curiosity.

"How big is the baby going to get?" Emily asked curiously. She could not remember much of Antonio's pregnancy. She was too small at the time.

"I don't know," Arthur said honestly, placing a hand on his belly, "Well, really big, I think, so my belly will get really big too."

"Satisfied, young lady?" Alfred joked, bending over to her side and ruffling his daughter's hair. "Now, eat your pasta, princess!"

"I'm gonna eat it! I'm gonna eat it! Why are you complaining, dad? You always tell me not to eat too fast!"

"Darn it, you got me this time."

The rest of the dinner went quietly. Emily didn't ask any more questions about the baby, but Arthur caught her staring at his belly several times. He almost asked if she would like to touch it but ended up not doing so. In the end, when they finished eating and Arthur praised Alfred for the food once again, he also offered to wash the dishes.

"I'm sorry I broke a plate before, but I guarantee it won't happen again. I'll be more careful. I'd like to at least help out a bit." He insisted after Alfred denied his offer the first time.

"Come on, Arthur. You are a guest. I'll handle this after you're gone." Alfred stated, carrying the dishes to the sink. "I want to play a game with you and the kids while you're here and I know you can't leave too late".

Arthur wanted to insist, but he could feel that Alfred wouldn't change his mind, so he sighed.

"Okay... what kind of game?"


"Alright! This is how the game works! You hold that controller in one hand and put this little cord around your wrist for safety! Then... there you choose a song and you have to dance just like the person on the screen! You got it?" Emily explained while Alfred put his Just Groove disc inside his video game.

The dirt dishes were left on the sink for later, the kids' homework was done, Arthur didn't seem about to die of hypothermia anymore... Now, they could have some real fun!

"I see..." Arthur replied with a bland smile. Emily was offering him one of the controllers, but he shook his head. "Can I see you playing once before I try?" he asked because he had never played that before and he knew that he didn't have enough motor coordination to not embarrass himself.

"That's all right, Mr. Arthur! We can dance together, right, dad?" Emily ran towards Alfred, friendly patting his back as he crouched on the floor, turning the video game on.

"Yes, princess. Just be prepared to lose. I won't take it easy for you just because we are in front of visitors". Alfred teased, turning to her with a huge grin.

"I don't need your pity! I'm going to have a fair victory!" Emily assured him with her thumb up and a charming wink, in mannerisms that really made it clear that she was Alfred's daughter.

"I want the mermaid song." Billy shyly asked, sitting on his favorite corner of the couch.

Alfred played the mermaid song and Arthur and Bill sat on the couch to watch Alfred and Emily dance. The movements were simple and the two of them seemed to be having fun, with Alfred laughing and winking at Emily constantly, while the little girl seemed to be taking it much more seriously. At the end of the song, Arthur clapped.

"Who won?" He asked curiously.

Emily had won. Barely. Three stars versus two by Alfred. Well, maybe Arthur would think that Alfred had been just kind to her, letting her win, but he had been serious during their match! Just not as intensely serious as Emily.

Emily put her fists up in the air, celebrating, and Alfred snorted, rolling his eyes.

"I was not serious enough." he mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Arthur seemed to find it funny.

"Who'll dance now?" Arthur asked, trying to stay on the couch for as long as possible, "Emily and Bill?"

Bill got up and ran towards Alfred and Emily, looking pleased to accept that proposal. After hearing the mermaid's song, he got really excited to dance too.

"Okay, but only if we don't dance the mermaid song again. "Bill just wants to hear the mermaid song." Emily complained, and in fact the next words that came from Bill's mouth were 'mermaid song! Mermaid song!'

"Come on, princess." Alfred encouraged Emily, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Be nice to your little brother. He loves the mermaid song."

"He loves it too much!"

"Mermaid song! Mermaid song!" Bill started to hop around like a rabbit, with clenched fists and a bright smile.

In the end, Emily agreed to dance to the mermaid song with her brother, bragging about being a great sister, and Alfred came to sit on the couch beside Arthur while the children danced.

"They're so cute." Arthur commented casually, smiling a little more as he saw Bill jumping and laughing as Emily struggled to imitate the person on the television screen.

"Yes, they are". Alfred nodded, smiling tenderly at his children. "I'm very proud of them".

"I can see that." Arthur nodded. "Bill was so shy when I got here... but now he seems to be enjoying himself."

"Yes, he REALLY likes the mermaid song." Alfred laughed. Arthur was also a bit shy and nervous when he arrived, but Alfred felt that pointing that out would only make him more self-conscious so he didn't.

"I can see that too." Arthur said, "Uh... I don't know if I can do this..." he remarked finally, scratching the nape of his neck, "To dance, I mean..."

"Awww, come on!" Alfred turned to Arthur with a huge pout. "We must dance a song together! How can we keep on living without knowing who is the best dancer between us?"

"We don't have to dance to know it's you..." Arthur shrugged, "I... I'll probably just embarrass myself..."

"Noooo, I'm sure you won't! I won't judge your dancing moves, silly. However, I will judge you for not dancing with me!" Alfred joked (in part).

Arthur looked down when the children's dance ended and Emily jumped victoriously, winning by two stars. Even having lost, Bill didn't look upset and ran towards Alfred, who ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead.

Arthur would feel silly dancing along with Alfred, because he could see how awkwardly his moves would be compared to Alfred's, however...

"Bill, do you want to dance with me now?" We can dance to the mermaid song again." he asked. He wouldn't feel too silly if he danced with Bill. After all, he'd just be playing with a kid, right? He would feel more comfortable that way.

And even if he didn't trust Arthur, Bill eventually accepted it because, really, he was very fond of that song.

The mermaid song was a peaceful romantic song. Bill, however, only knew how to dance it by jumping up and down, which was kind of funny. Now, something that Alfred had never noticed before is that that dance had some beautiful smooth moves to watch. He enjoyed dancing it with his children just to play around, but seeing Arthur do it, he honestly felt a little charmed. Arthur's movements looked amazing.

And as he danced Arthur knew he was being watched, but he tried not to feel too embarrassed about it. The dancer on the TV was making elegant and smooth moves with her arms and hips, but Arthur knew he was all clumsy and rigid, which must have been funny (Emily was laughing after all).

Glancing to the side to see how Bill was doing, Arthur tripped in his own foot.

And fell.

Alfred almost had a heart attack. He got up in seconds, cushioning Arthur's fall with his own body. Luckily, he was right behind Arthur and he was able to catch him in time.

Alfred had wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist and pulled Arthur towards himself. So instead of falling on the floor, Arthur had fallen on Alfred, practically sitting on his lap.

Panting, eyes wet with fright, Arthur moved from Alfred's lap and sat down beside him on the couch.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't hurt you, right? I told you I can't dance..."

"Are you alright?" Alfred asked, holding Arthur's face and staring at him intensely, looking for any sign of pain in his face. Arthur was only a few weeks pregnant. A fright in these circumstances could be highly dangerous. Alfred was genuinely distressed. Who cared about the fact that his own back hurt a little because of the impact? Arthur could lose his baby! "Breathe, okay? Breathe deeply. I... I'm going to make some chamomile tea for you! I read somewhere they have a calming effect!"

"Why are you so nervous?" I... did I get hurt...?" Arthur asked as he tried not to sound scared, looking at himself and then back at Alfred. Emily and Bill both looked nervous as well, and Arthur was feeling lost.

SHIT. ALFRED WAS MAKING THE SITUATION WORSE.

Maybe he was the one who needed a deep breath!

"I… I just got worried! Are you okay? You aren't feeling anything weird, are you?" he asked, letting go of Arthur's face, but still looking intensely at it.

"No, I'm not..." Arthur muttered, staring at the floor. His heart was beating too fast and his face felt too warm, but... other than that, he felt fine.

Alfred sighed with relief, but his heart remained apprehensive and he wanted to do everything possible to make Arthur comfortable and relaxed.

"I think we had enough dancing for today." Alfred replied with a tired smile. "Now the adults are going to watch a movie and the kids will go to bed because it's late for them!"

It was getting late for Arthur as well, but he knew there would still be buses, so... he'd be fine.

Plus, it was fun to watch the kids grumble that they didn't want to go to sleep yet and Alfred insist they needed to and running after them to tickle them and to make sure they would brush their teeth.

After putting Emily and Bill to sleep, Alfred joined Arthur on the couch and they went through several channels, looking for a good movie to watch.

Arthur curled up on the couch, so warm and cozy, and looked out the window. Arthur was not sure if it was snowing or raining, but anyway he sighed. It was probably much colder outside than when he had arrived, and he was not at all excited to face his journey back home.

"I've seen this movie." He said as Alfred paused on one of the channels, "It's cute. And it has just started."

Alfred agreed to watch the movie Arthur suggested, curious to see some of the tastes of his new friend. He and Arthur were sitting at different ends of the couch, with a reasonable distance between them and Arthur looked very comfortable in that position, which made Alfred pretty glad.

Arthur had watched that movie a long time ago with Gilbert. He remembered they had missed a few bits here and there making out and making silly jokes about the characters, and perhaps that was the reason why he had liked the movie at the time. Reviewing those memories was a bit painful, but Arthur did his best not to cry or let it show.

By the time the movie was over, even though his eyes were wet, he had managed let out some funny comments and act casual, which was nice.

"I should go now," Arthur said as he looked out the window again.

Alfred checked the clock in the living room and saw that, in fact, it was pretty late, indeed. It was already half past eleven. Time had passed so fast. Wow.
"Oh, all right. I'll call a cab for you now!" Alfred said, getting up to pick up his phone.

"Oh, no, it's fine!" Arthur was quick to say. At that hour, a taxi would cost too much! "I don't like taxis, remember?"

"I know and I'm sorry." Alfred said, his phone already pressed to his ear. "But I can call you as soon as you get in the cab and keep talking to you until you get there. It's late and I can't let you walk out on the streets this late and in this weather, Arthur." He added seriously.

Arthur opened his mouth to answer, but honestly, he didn't know what to say. He knew that Alfred was being logical, and that there was no better alternative, but even so…!

Arthur sighed, frustrated, and folded his arms as Alfred spoke on the phone. He hoped the taxi could take credit cards because he didn't want to borrow money.

However, that was not necessary because when Arthur was getting into the cab, Alfred put twenty dollars in his hand and said "To help pay for your race! In case you don't have enough money at the moment since you thought you would just get another bus."

That was true. Arthur had five dollars in his wallet, at most six counting some change.

With his face flushed in embarrassment, Arthur looked down and nodded.

"I'll pay you back next time." He said.

"Don't worry about it. You can pay me by making more visits to my house! I really had fun today!" Alfred waved happily, feeling his heart calm down as Arthur entered a car. That looked so much safer compared to the idea of him walking to the bus stop again. Arthur was a bit distrustful with taxis and, honestly, Alfred would give him a ride home in other circumstances, but he could not just leave his two small children alone in the middle of the night even for a few minutes. That would have to do.

They said goodbye and Arthur sighed after he informed his address to the driver. He commented he didn't know where that was and that he'd need to follow his GPS. Arthur decided not to say anything about that.

Less than half a minute later after they left the street where Alfred lived, Arthur's phone rang in his pocket. He picked up his phone and ended up smiling at Alfred's name on the screen. He even got a little guilty about it.

"You really called." He said as he answered.

"Duuuuh, 'course I did." Alfred voice's clearly suggested he was smiling. "Despite getting scared twice, did you have fun today?"

"Yes," Arthur confessed, "... I haven't had this much fun since..." He trailed off and stared at the blur of houses they were passing by, his eyes heavy, his chest heavy. "...In a long time."

"Did you enjoy dinner? I'm not the better cook but I do my best."

"Dinner was great, Alfred, don't worry about it. I'm sorry I broke a dish, though... really. I'm so sorry."

"That was just a dish. That's fine!" Alfred's voice became a little louder and more emphatic. "Look, I was more concerned with you than with a plate, Arthur. By the way, you were a bit clumsy today. Do you think that was because you were nervous?"

"I don't know... I've been a bit clumsy for the last a few days, but not this clumsy..." he sighed.

"Then, maybe it's something related to your pregnancy. Changes in the body and such. Hey… Be careful, okay? I care about you." Alfred's last two sentences came with a slight touch of embarrassment.

"... Yeah..." Arthur muttered. For some reason, those words made his chest feel heavy. He sighed, "Alfred, I..." Arthur began to say, but noticing the look the taxi driver was giving him, apparently interested in his conversation, he cringed in his corner and swallowed half the words he meant to say, "... thank you. For everything."

"You're welcome. I hope you're comfortable coming here more often. To be honest, I was pretty worried you'd find it kinda weird to go to an alpha's house." Alfred let out a nervous laugh. "Especially a alpha with two kids."

"Everything's so weird right now, that was one of the most normal things I've done lately." Arthur laughed a little, holding the phone firmly against his ear. "Your children are lovely. It was great meeting them."

"Would you... Would you like to make other visits here? If you want, I'll pick you up at home with the kids. So it wouldn't be heavy on your body."

"Oh, uh…"

That seemed like a bad idea. It wouldn't be good if Alfred went with the children to...

"That sounds great. But, uh... you can pick me up at work or something. It would be more practical." he suggested.

"Oh yes! You're right! I can do this too! Where do you work, by the way? You never told me nothing about your job!"

"Oh, true. I'm a game developer. I work for a small company, so... it's not a big deal" he answered.

"WHAT?! YOU ARE A GAME DEVELOPER?" Alfred's voice rose so high that Arthur had to momentarily pull his phone away from his ear. "THIS IS AMAZING! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT BEFORE! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! WHAT KIND OF GAME DO YOU MAKE?!"

Arthur noticed the streets getting quieter and the houses losing size and light as they approached his neighborhood. He could smell the taxi driver's tense smell and it made him tense too.

"It's no big deal, really. It's a very small company. I work with psychological horror games..." He smirked at that, mocking his karma, "That's why I still have a job. My boss says my tormented soul can contribute to our upcoming games atmosphere. I... I can show you something some time. Some of the games, I mean."

"Oh. I mean… Sure! During the day, right?" Alfred asked, disguising as best he could (not very well) the fear in his voice. "Not that I mind if it's night, but, haha! I don't want the children to walk on us playing the game and have nightmares!"

"Of course." Arthur replied. He thought Alfred sounded uncomfortable, but he wasn't sure. If they were closer, he'd ask about it.

Arthur noticed that they were already in the street in which his building was and sighed. A bus trip that took almost two hours, by car had not even reached twenty minutes.

"The taxi is in front of my building now, so... uh, thank you, Alfred. Good night." Arthur said awkwardly.

"You're welcome, dude! Take care! Let's do this again!"

Arthur ended the call and paid the taxi driver, who disappeared around the corner before Arthur could even enter the building. He closed his coat tightly and went inside, climbing the stairs to his apartment without haste. There was nothing waiting for him there.