First off I'd really like to thank everyone for the super nice and supportive comments. You all really have no idea how good it makes me feel to hear feedback on the story. Thanks so muchཀ You guys are the absolute bestཀ So as thanks for all the nice comments here's another chapter up earlier than it's supposed to. Please enjoy and thanks so much to everyoneཀ
Political meetings had to be one of the worst things Alfred ever had to sit through. E-V-E-R. He found himself struggling to keep conscious every single time one of his old fat superiors started droning on about this issue or that. It wasn't as Alfred didn't care about his job or about the people that were influenced by his decisions- that wasn't the case at all- it was just those positively boring-to-the-point-where-he-could-practically-cry meetings that he had sit through at least once every business week. Sitting still like that for three hours or more wasn't exactly easy for the jittery caffeine high American.
It was Monday morning- four months since Mary Jo had called Alfred and Arthur and told them that she was successfully pregnant with their child- and Alfred hadn't been able to get a good and proper sleep for days and not for the dirty reason he wished it was. No it wasn't night after night of hot passionate sex with his petit British husband that kept him awake but the worried rambling of the Brit in question. After the two of them had found out Mary Jo was pregnant Arthur headed off to the bookstore and came home with an entire shelf's worth of books on children and babies. Alfred understood Arthur was excited- Alfred was so excited himself that he thought he would burst at the seems- but Arthur was getting a little too ahead of himself.
The blonde Brit would sit in bed every night starring at his latest book over the rims of his reading glasses- occasionally waking Alfred to show him something or make a comment- his latest book had been '101 Things That Can Go Wrong With Your Pregnancy' and so far it had been the worst one yet. Every five seconds he would jostle Alfred's shoulder asking him what would happen if their baby developed this disease of that medical disorder. Even though Mary Jo had called them after all her doctor's appointments to tell them everything was going smoothly that didn't leave Arthur convinced one single bit.
Now that Alfred hadn't earned a decent night's sleep in days it was even more difficult to remain even coherent during those long droning meetings. One of his colleagues was going on about some kind of recycling project as Alfred's heavy lids stung his eyes beyond belief as his head jolted forward and back as he tried to fight off the urge to lay his head on the table and take one very long nap. He was tuning in and out of reality when suddenly "I am an anti-Christ and I am and anarchistཀ Don't know what but I how ta get itཀ I wanna destroy the passer byཀ" Began blaring full blast out from the cell phone in his pants pocket.
His head jerked up; blues eyes stretched wide. "I'm awakeཀ" He shouted in thoughts that the music was his alarm clock instead of his cell phone. He blinked his eyes and starred around the table at the others who were starring at him just as much. His cheeks flashes hotly for a moment as he realized what was happening and grabbed his phone; pressing the volume button so the ringer would turn off. That ring tone meant it was none other than his British husband Arthur calling him. He stood up and laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his neck near the ends of his ash blonde hair. "Eh heh, heh sorry about that gentleman; forgot to turn it off." Some of his superiors shot him a disapproving glare; Alfred deemed it would be best if he got out for a second to get some fresh air and pick up his phone. "Excuse me for a moment please." Before any could protest his excuse Alfred high tailed it out of the meeting room and took a deep relieved sigh as the chunky wooden doors closed behind him.
Alfred looked down at his phones screen where a picture of him and Arthur flashed as a symbol that the blonde Brit was still attempting to get in touch with the hulking American. Alfred stuck his thumb under the lid flipping the phone open in one smooth motion and bringing the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"
"What if our baby is a hermaphrodite?" Arthur stern logical voice question from the other end of the line.
"What?" Alfred questioned back in dismay; raising on eye brow inquisitively (Not that Arthur could see that.) "Wait, what does that even mean?" It was just one of those large medical terms that Alfred never bothered to learn because he wasn't a doctor.
"Bloody tosser, it's when a person has both male and female organs." Arthur scoffed.
Alfred began walking down thehall way of the building as he continued the conversation.
"Arthur come on, that isn't going to happen stop worrying."
"You don't know thatཀ You can't see the future can you?" Arthur protested angrily. "It happens to 1 in every 20,000 people; it happens more often then you think it would." It sounded as if the Brit was reading right out of the book as he spoke to his American counterpart.
"Then that would mean there are at least 5 people in the area are hermaphrodites." Alfred folded his arms over his chest and stopped to lean back on the wall by the vending machines.
"Well... well you still never know." His voice was flustered and Alfred guessed he was probably burning a bright shade of red; how cute.
"Thanks for sharing with that with me Arthur, but I was in the middle of a meeting when you called me and now all my bosses know that your ring tone is 'Anarchy in the U.K.'" He chuckled.
"Well then I wont keep you. I just thought I 'ought to let you know."
"Thank Artie; I'll see you at home. Love you."
"Yes, yes I love you too."
Alfred flipped his phone closed before shoving the small contraption back in his pocket and glanced over at the vending machine. He resisted the urge to buy a can of coke-a-cola to regenerate his caffeine stores and headed back to the meeting room where he knew an unhappy boss would unfortunately be waiting for him.
"Man was Mr. Madison pissed at you." Alfred's co-worker Jack laughed as he slung his coat over his shoulder and grabbed his brief case off from his chair.
"Yeah well at least I got off relatively easy. I just can believe I forgot to turn my phone off." Alfred sighed as he did the same as Jack.
The black haired man snickered. "Not that surprising; you're a very forgetful person Al."
Alfred sighed again. "It wouldn't have happened if Arthur wasn't so paranoid all the time. Ever since this whole baby business thing started out he's been on edge about every single thing. I mean I love the guy and all it's just that he tends to get so worked up over everything."
"Y'know I'll tell you when my wife was pregnant with Jessica it was the same thing. She read baby books constantly and was worried about every single little thing. If the doctor so much as looked at her weird during a check up she would freak and nearly burst into tears thinking something was wrong."
That was pleasant to know. Alfred's male husband was worrying the same as if he was the one who was pregnant instead of Mary Jo. It was obvious who the girl in the relationship was (*cough*Arthur*cough*) but this was just beyond ridiculous. Jack beat Alfred's in a reassuring way that only be conveyed through one guy to another. "Best of luck to ya man."
Alfred nodded his head in appreciation. He was going to need all the luck he could get once he made it home.
Sure enough when the clock struck three and Alfred returned home he wasn't shocked to find his petite British lover huddled up on his favorite green velvet arm chair intently starring down at his current book; emerald eyes darting back and forth as he looked over every line. Alfred gently rapped his knuckles against the wooden door frame; trying to get his husband's attention. The blonde in the chair hardly flinched let alone actually life his head to look Alfred in the eye. "I'm home..."
"Welcome back. How was your day?" He still continued to furiously read; speaking as if his brain was on autopilot and was merely going through the motions.
Alfred sighed heavily and shoved his hands in his pockets as he leaned back against the doorframe. "S'okay..." The hulking American shrugged his broads shoulders. Arthur gave a near silent hum in recognition that he had actually heard what Alfred had said. Alfred gritted his teeth and gazed down at the grain in the wood flooring. Arthur hadn't even given him so much as a dirty look for misusing his precious English language.
"So..." Alfred breathed out as he rocked back on the heels of his shoes. "I think I'm gonna go flush all your tea down the toilet before dinner, then maybe burn all your flowers with a blow torch, and then I might finish off the night by chucking some of your awful rock hard scones through a few of the windows in the living room." If that didn't get his attention nothing would. If there were three things you weren't allowed to poke fun at with Arthur- even if you were married to him- was his tea, his garden, and his awful cooking. (Alfred remembered many a time when Arthur had cooked for him as newly weds and caused the poor American to be up half the night with stomach troubles.)
Arthur didn't so much as bat an eyelash; not bothering to make any kind of noise that singled to Alfred that he was even still listening. Hurt by his normally loving husband's cold attitude Alfred turned around and slunked out to the living room where he kicked off his shoes and plopped down on the couch; flipping on the TV in the process. Maybe later his British counterpart would be ready to actually hold a conversation with him or maybe at least look him in the eye and acknowledge his existence.
By the time dinner rolled around and Alfred had finished grilling up two large medium done stakes he placed the plates on the table and walked down the hall to where Arthur was still sitting in his study; absolutely infatuated with his book. "Artie..." Alfred called into the lavishly decorated room as he wiped his hands on a dish towel. Sure enough Arthur was still in that green velvet chair. The scene looked exactly the same except for the fact that the lamp next to the chair had been turned on with the ever fading sunlight outside.
The brit didn't respond.
"Arthur." Alfred called more loudly. Still nothing. "Arthurཀ"He shouted this time.
"Yes, yes I'll be there in a minute; don't get your knickers in a knotཀ" His blonde counterpart shout back in annoyance. "Just go sit down and I'll meet you in there."
Alfred breathed out a very long over dramatic sigh as he shuffled back down the hall and flopped down into his seat at the dining room table. His head fell onto the tables thick wooden surface with a loud clunk as he waited for Arthur to come down the hall and join him. He'd be here soon. He probably hadn't eaten much all day so he was probably starving as hell. He'd be walking down that hall way any moment.
Fifteen minutes went by and slowly the piping hot delicious meal had begun to grow cold with the passing time. Alfred played with his fork; pushing around the mashed potatoes on his plate with the shining piece of silver wear. Even though it was apparent that Arthur wasn't going to be joining him anytime soon he still didn't feel quite right chowing down without his husband's constant scolding of his impolite eating habits. That was even if Arthur was his husband anymore....
At the beginning of it all Arthur had been cute and clingy; always seeking comfort from Alfred which always led to long nights of happily cuddling together on the couch. Now Arthur had distanced himself from Alfred and focused on the baby and nothing but the baby. Alfred was just as happy and excited as Arthur was- truly and honestly he was- but shouldn't the couple enjoy what time they had left before they had to worry about a crying baby? Alfred nearly felt like a dog whose owners had just cast him aside as soon as their little bundle of joy had come bouncing into their lives. To tell the truth it really hurt the rather sensitive American....
Alfred dropped his fork- letting it crash to the plate with a loud clatter- and pushed back his chair with a loud screech. The ash blonde American stormed down the hallway; bursting into Arthur's study and proceeding to where he still sat curled up on the chair. Alfred quickly grabbed the book out of the brit's hands; throwing it off to the other side of the room where the gold blonde couldn't easily reach it. "Heyཀ What the bloody hell do you think you're-ཀ" He shouted furiously but quickly cut himself off as Alfred cupped the smaller man's face gently in his large calloused hands and tenderly crushed their lips together.
For a moment Arthur didn't know how to react; it had all happened so fast the poor dear even forgot to close his eyes and found himself starring crossed at the bridge of Alfred's nose and his rectangular glasses. Alfred pulled away and left only mere centimeters between them; foreheads touching and noses brushing. Arthur looked up into Alfred's endless blue eyed gaze and gently caressed his cheek. "Git... what brought that up all of a sudden?"
"Arthur you've been ignoring me."
"What? N-no I haven't I've just,"
"Look me in the eye and tell me that you haven't been ignoring me." Alfred's gaze was intense; deeply searching through Arthur's for answers. The Brit could not bring himself to look his loving husband in the eye. True it hadn't been intended, but he guessed he had been rather distant from Alfred there past couple of weeks.... "Look Arthur I know you didn't really mean it but when you treat me like this I don't think you realize how much it really hurts."
"Alfred..."
"I know this whole baby thing is super important and like a really big milestone in our lives and all, but just because we have a kid in the picture doesn't mean we have to just wistfully stare at each other from across the dinner table."
Arthur closed his eyes as he felt the old green orbs sting with his growing guilt. Alfred gently snaked his arms around Arthur's small thin shoulders; holding his beloved husband close as if the distance between them- no matter how small- was still too far. "Please Artie... promise me that no matter what happens that you'll always pack one of those weird scones in my lunch, that you'll laugh when I write notes with the steam on the mirror when you take a shower, that you'll always give me a goodbye kiss when I leave for work and cuddle with me before we go to bed at night. All those things may be little, but they mean the world to me Arthur and always show me that you love me. So please don't stop doing them."
Arthur could feel the tears growing in the corners of his eyes as he flung his arms around Alfred broad shoulders and pulled himself closer to him. "Gitཀ" He cried as he buried his face into the crook of Alfred's neck. "Don't you ever think that I don't love youཀ I promise that no amount of children is ever going to make me stop loving you. Sure it will be difficult to take care of ourselves as well as a child, but we can do it and no matter what it will never ever change the fact that we are married and that we love each other."
With the sun retired for the day the two blondes embraced by the dim light of the table lamb; holding each other with no will to ever let go. Alfred would have gladly stayed like that forever and Arthur would have only agreed; well that was until Alfred's stomach let out a long and loud growl. With the mushy moment gone at the hand Alfred's insatiable appetite the two merely laughed together and headed down the hall to the kitchen hand and hand. With the two newly piping hot meals Alfred and Arthur sat down to dinner laughing and talking about the days events together. No matter how busy the couple came with the new baby on the way there would never be any way that they could ever stop loving each other. All the little things in life showed those wonderful aspects.
Arthur was gathering the plates and rinsing them off before gently placing them in the dishwasher rack when suddenly the door bell rang. Who could it be at this hour? "I got it," Alfred offered as he finished placing a container of leftovers in the fridge. He headed down the hall to the front door; not bothering to look through the peek hole as always.
It gave him a great shock as he opened the door and gazed down at the couple's surprise visitor. "... Mary Jo?"
I'm sorry, I love you all, please don't kill me. *hides behind desk* I know that was pretty mean of me to end with a cliff hanger, but if you're all good little readers and supply some feed back you may be rewarded again (haha oh, threats...) Well in any case rewards or not feed back is very much so appreciated and always give me the strength to continue writing. Thanks so much to you allཀ