Chapter Three:
Music belted out over the fence and into Arthur's house. The loud, abusive, screams, however, were doing a good job at drowning the music out.
Arthur winced, turning from his chair in the library. His eyes gazing out the window to the house below.
"You fucking ungrateful brat! I can't believe I gave birth to a piece of shit like you!" screamed a woman, banging around pots and pans. Kicking doors and throwing chairs.
"Aw, shut your fat face Moreen! He's always goin'na be a fuckwit. Ain't got no sense on his shoulders, thinks the worlds all flowers and cucumbers!" Alfred's dad laughed, taking another swig from his place on the dirty torn sofa.
Alfred blanched, sitting on the ground where he'd fallen. "That doesn't even make sense!"
Cucumbers?
"SHUT UP!" screamed his mother again, raising a hand to hit him.
The father just sat forward, pointing an accusing finger at his son. "Ain't it you who always said you was gonna grow up to be a hero!? You reckon'd that you was gonna do all sorts of things. Well now you know what the world's really like, don't you, you little pisser. Ain't no goodness. All them fat cats sitting around and eatin' and shit on us poor folk. We don't get anything!"
Alfred just about screamed.
"You don't even work!"
His mother hit him.
"You can't expect anything if you don't try!"
She hit him again.
"I CAN be a hero!"
This time she kicked him, making Alfred choke.
"I HATE YOU SO MUCH!" he screamed, watching his father dash forward. Fists pummelling his gut and his mother's screams and rants in the background. A bottle smashed somewhere and all of a sudden they were fighting with each other and not Al.
Blood dripping down his nose, tears streaming down his face, Alfred Jones of Brick Street bolted. Out the front door (because the back one was nailed shut), over Rex, Terror and Killer the dogs, and –with hands splayed out like a cat – he jumped for the brick wall. Nails digging into the cracks, Alfred began to haul himself up the fence that divided his 'home' from his 'safety'. He edged closer and closer, slipping slightly as he heard his parents call out.
"ALFRED!?" his Dad bellowed.
The dogs were barking like crazy, pulling at their chains and lunging at Al's heels.
For a moment there he thought about giving up. Dropping down to the ground and either letting the dogs have him, or letting his Dad beat him senseless. Either way, he probably wouldn't go to school for a week. Then, while his head was down, something warm snaked over his fingers. Covering his hand.
Alfred looked up, finding two glowing green eyes above him.
"Are you just going to hang there all night, Alfred Jones?"
"N-no!" gasped Al, smiling as Arthur pulled him up to the top of the wall. They sat there together for a moment; dirty, worn out Alfred beaming over and the straight-laced, well dressed Arthur.
"Thanks bro"
"You're rather welcome".
*******
"So...Peter lives in your tree?" Alfred asked questioningly, blue eyes firmly planted on the wavy branches of Arthur's tree.
"Yes, he's taken it hostage. I've been trying for a rather long time to get it back" Arthur said, nodding to himself. His little browny-gold locks falling around his eyes. He tried so hard to beat them back.
"You need hair pins!" cried Alfred, excitedly.
"Do not! Those are for girls, you silly boy!" howled back Arthur. Girls were SO gross.
The two smiled at each other, turning back to kick the soccer ball between them. Their tiny feet made passing the ball a challenge, aiming was thus totally out of the question. "You are not very good at this" Arthur said, sportingly. It felt good to be good at something.
He watched Alfred run back and forth trying to kick the ball.
"But it's hard! It rolls the wrong way!" Al sobbed, falling backwards onto his bottom. Tiny grubby fists rubbing at teary eyes as he choked back more sobs. Arthur felt a little shocked.
Had he caused that? He certainly hoped not. Alfred was, though he never told him, his best friend. He'd be really upset if Al didn't want to play with him anymore.
"Don't cry, please don't cry! I didn't mean it – you're getting rather good, you know. Practice makes perfect, I bet if you practice a little more you could be a super athlete!" Arthur muttered, rubbing little Alfred's back gently.
"You mean it?"
"Yes! It'd be really fun too, I bet. You could play in competitions!" he added.
"But how will I practice that much? I don't have my own ball" the chubby face of Alfred Jones fell again. He starred down at his feet. The ground was all muddy; the rains had started early this year.
Maybe if he was really good, Santa would bring him a ball? Alfred dreamt.
Arthur, from listening in on his parent's conversations, knew better than to dream such for Alfred.
"They're deadbeats" his mother would say. "We need to complain to the council – this isn't a safe environment for a child. It's not a safe environment for their child!"
And his father would say back, "But where would they send that boy? That kind of family doesn't have enough money to even buy him a bus pass to his Aunt's home for the summer. I had that no good father asking me for ten dollars the other day, which I highly doubt went towards his son"
Arthur had edged in closer then, listening in hard. "Maybe we could take him? Arthur has always wanted a brother" mother added. There was an odd silence, when Arthur's father finally spoke it was in a hushed, croaky voice.
"But Molly, we agreed... no more children..."
"You can borrow mine"
Alfred looked happy then, Arthur noted. "Serious?"
"Yeah, but...but you have to promise me something!" Arthur snapped, waving a finger at his neighbour.
"Okay, sure. What?" Alfred had a toothy grin, only without the teeth. Little black holes in between baby teeth showed up in his smile – it was rather cute.
"You have to be my little brother from now on. We shan't tell anybody either, it'll be our secret" the green eyed boy positively beamed, "We'll be secret brothers! I'll take care of you and you shall take care of me. No matter what!"
Sitting up on his heels, Alfred leant forward, wide-eyed. "Yeah? Secret brothers!? Can we, like, play games and go on treasure hunts?"
"We sure can. Also, because we're brothers now, we have to travel the world together and we have to marry girls that the other one likes" added Arthur.
"Oh yuck, we have to marry girls!?"
"Not for a long, long time. And only ones we like"
It seemed like a fair bargain.
"Wow, how long's that!?"
"Hm, oh I'd say that's at least three years!" Arthur said, holding up four fingers. Alfred gazed in wonder.
"So we're going to be brothers forever then?"
Arthur smiled, patting Alfred's head – "That's what being brothers is about, silly".
"Awesome".
AN: OHMAHGAWD, it's been so long since I wrote on FF that I forgot what a review-whore I am. Lol. I woke up this morning, logged on, saw I had 4 reviews (I don't know how people manage to get hundred of them!) and nearly whizzed mah pants I was so excited.
So thanks a bundle!! And, because I think it's nice, I'll reply to all reviews in the chapter following those reviews – you put in the effort to review, I may as well put in the effort to thank you whole heartedly.
To my first reviewer – nekocele - THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I plan on continuing; for once I actually have chapters done in advance! And foxyaoi123, thanks and yeah I'm thinking of having Greece and Japan in this (together).
Kind of unsure though, because I'm a SadiqHeracles shipper... so it may be TurkeyGreeceJapan?
It depends on popular demand, I think.
PROKARIN-and-proud; thanks so much for reviewing – I love stupid!Spain.
Which brings me to lucky number four! Faerichylde! You did hear a Antonio/Romano in the vicinity!! They'll be coming to a chapter near you~ *movie presenter voice*. And don't fret too much if you're not a huge AmericaCanada shipper - all pairings get a fair go in this (except for FrUK because I love it, so it'll probably get a little more attention! BIASED I KNOW!!)
THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE!!
Oh... and... did anybody catch on to the fact that Treeland is actually Sealand? Hehe. =D