Disclaimer: I own nothing
It was the alarm clock that woke Alfred in the morning, nearly six AM, which felt far too early for his late night. Groggy, and for a moment confused, he turned it off and blinked blearily at the ceiling. For a moment, he'd forgotten about Arthur altogether, until he sat up and spotted the mop of tawny blonde hair, and followed it to the rest of Arthur. Rubbing at his eyes tiredly, Alfred grabbed his glasses off the nightstand, and slid out of the bed, stretching, and glancing around to look for where all his clothes had ended up the night before, since he'd not spent a great deal of time worrying about it.
Arthur startled when the alarm went off and blinked several times before he remembered where he was. As the body next to him began to move, he stayed still, curled up, lanky arms wrapped around himself. He'd slept lightly catching a few hours rest. A fair night's sleep by his standards. He listened to the other move, felt the weight of him lift from the bed, and figured he should rise, to, lest the master think him lazy. He disturbed the covers as little as possible as he slide from the bed and stood. He was rather hungry and he needed a bathroom, but his body's needs came as a distant second to the needs of his master. With eyes kept low and cautious, he turned to face the direction of the man, the bed between them, and gave a submissive bow. "W-what does the master wish of me this morning?" he asked in a low voice. A good slave must be attentive.
Alfred had not meant to wake Arthur, though he supposed he shouldn't be surprised that he had. He turned a little and stared at the slave for a moment, contemplatively. It was odd, to think of allowing someone else being woken with him, usually the only other person in the house who woke as early as Alfred did was Kiku, who woke and made breakfast for everyone in the morning. By the time Alfred was leaving, everyone would be finishing breakfast and starting their chores. He wasn't sure, at first, what to think of Arthur, what to do with him.
"For now, go in the bathroom and run the shower, after I've taken mine, you can take one as well." He stated, flippantly, trying to remember what all he had to do today. There was meeting at some point, but without coffee, he couldn't bring himself to think clearly enough to remember who it was with or why.
It seemed to take a while for the master to come up with an order for him. Was this man so unaccustomed to a personal slave? As wealthy as he must be, given the lavish surroundings, surely Arthur could not be his first experience with one? He gave a submissive nod and walked briskly to where the bathroom was. He blinked at the piping and knobs, used to much simpler showers himself, but after a moment or two of turning them (and nearly scalding himself in the process) he had the water set on what seemed to Arthur like a comfortable temperature. He made sure that there was soap and shampoo available, and a washcloth. He found the clean towels and hung one neatly on the rack. And then he stepped from the bathroom, standing by the side of it with his head lowered to signify that all was ready.
While Arthur disappeared into the bathroom, Alfred kicked his clothes from the night before into a pile by the bed to be picked up after he left, and went about picking out his suit for today. This is something he'd likely, eventually, leave to Arthur, but for now, he picked out his clean clothes, and laid them out on one of the chairs. He noticed Arthur coming out of the bathroom, and turned to look at him for a moment, before turning his attention back to the clothes he'd laid out, "Arthur, were you given clothes on the way here?"
He'd be getting the slave new clothes, even so, but for today, it would be good to know if Arthur had something he could wear now. Alfred didn't like the idea of him wandering the house nude, it would be easier if he had something to cover up with.
Arthur glanced up briefly at the question before lowering his head again. "I…. no, master… I have nothing…" He had been brought from the slave trainer directly to the house in his standard issue clothes from the facility – which were little more than a shirt that was too big for him and shorts that were too small. He'd been stripped and prepared with the ribbon and left in the master's room. "I had some from the trainers'…. But I don't know what happened to them. They were taken away when I was left here for you." He didn't really mind being nude. He was accustomed to it. For his purposes, he didn't really need clothes. They just got in the way when one's master decided he wanted sex.
Nodding, Alfred glanced back at his own closet. Arthur was small enough that one of Alfred's larger shirts, maybe one of the ones he wore when he was tinkering with some gadget or other, would likely cover Arthur enough for now. "Alright then." He made his way towards the bathroom, and paused as he went passed Arthur. Turning a little, he let his gaze run over the blonde for a moment, "I'll be at work most of today, after, you and I will go into town and get you some clothes." As the words left his lips, he moved into the bathroom, not quite closing the door behind him as he went.
Keeping his eyes down, he glanced in the master's direction, to show that he was listening. He felt the eyes on him again. He thought maybe he would be asked to join the master, to wash him, or dry him, or give him a blowjob to start the day. He was not really expecting the master to be so eager to get him into some clothes. He wondered if he didn't live up to expectations or if this master were more…prudish and conservative than he had been lead to believe most masters were. He had time to utter a "Thank you, master-" and nothing else, for the master had disappeared into the bathroom, mostly closing the door between them. Arthur gave a quiet sigh and remained where he was. He thought clothes were likely unnecessary, but that was the master's decision, not his.
Alfred made quick work of the shower. There was more to do today then usual, so he wanted to get moving. He scrubbed away the sweat and grime that had formed from the night and day before, washed his hair, and was quick to dry off. He left the shower running, and took a little longer in front of the mirror shaving and getting his hair mostly styled, before he left the room. As he stepped out, he was a little surprised by Arthur being exactly where he'd been before, and rested a hand on his shoulder, a light touch, "You can use the bathroom now. Try not to take too long, alright?"
It did not seem like he had waited long before the master had reemerged, letting a haze of steam out with him. Arthur had realized the man was done, since he could still hear the shower running. But that was true… the master had said that Arthur was to shower as well. If this master was the type to insist on clothes and offer showers, then perhaps Arthur should change his behavior to suit the kind of man this master appeared to be in order to please him more. Experimentally, he leaned into the soft touch to his shoulder for a moment before nodding. "Yes, master". He stepped into the steamy bathroom, wasting no time before stepping into the shower. Though he had set it for the master's comfort, it was too warm for him, and he had to turn the hot water down. He was very quick to wash, soaping up his hands and scrubbing his body with them. He rinsed his hair and debated for a moment whether he was supposed to wash it or not. In the end, he decided that yes, washing one's hair was part of a shower. He took a tiny bit of shampoo and scrubbed his hair, very unused to the rich lather that this high quality shampoo produced. He rinsed and stepped out. He did not see fit to waste another clean towel on himself, so he used the one the master had left. It was damp, but could still do the job.
Pleased by the way Arthur leaned into his touch, Alfred felt a little better as he moved to continue getting ready. He got dressed quickly, before beginning to look through his closet for something that Arthur could wear, at least until breakfast. The shirt he finally pulled out of the closet was big, even a bit so on Alfred, the fabric was soft, and a pale blue color, he'd gotten a while ago, just to relax in, but it had been sitting in the back of his closet for well over a month, untouched. He laid it out on the bed, and sat down to pull on his shoes while he waited for Arthur to come out of the bathroom.
He did not linger in the bathroom longer than he had to. He had not even stopped to take care of his need to pee. Since the master was apparently about to leave, there would be time for that once the master was off. He made sure he was dry enough not to risk dripping on the carpet and turned to leave before catching sight of the brand on his shoulder in the mirror out of the corner of his eye. It was his first chance to actually look at it. He could not see it without the aid of a mirror. It looked worse than he thought it would, blistered and red and angry looking. He could not really tell what the image of it was due to the swelling. The worst part of it though, was that he didn't really know how to feel about it. This marked him as the master's, so it was good. But it was so ugly, so harsh looking, it was hard to associate it with being "good". It was confusing to think about and it made his head hurt. He was glad it was in a place that he couldn't really see. He didn't want to have to think about it that much. He turned his back on his reflection and walked out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, stepping up to where the master was putting on his shoes. He wanted some task to distract him from his thoughts. "….would the master like me to assist?"
He looked up at the sound of Arthur's voice, letting his gaze flicker over the slave's face for a moment, before he leaned back, "Yes, I would." He rested his hands on the arm rests, and watched Arthur. It was odd to let someone help him do something as simple as getting his shoes on. He had asked Arthur to help him undress the night before, but it had not been as if he'd needed help with the task, just that he'd wanted to see the other move, get a better look at him,and what better excuse? Even so, he bit back the odd feeling, and stayed still while Arthur did up his shoes. When the other was done, Alfred rested his hand on Arthur's head, "I left a shirt on the bed, it should be long enough, I'd like to you wear it today while I'm gone, alright?"
The slave kneeled down on one knee and focused on the task at hand. The master's socks were already on, so Arthur only had to assist with the shoes. Gingerly, he lifted one of the man's legs and slipped the expensive looking shoe upon it, letting it rest against himself while he used both hands to tie the laces. He had to think for a second about how to do it. He didn't wear shoes very often either. But he managed to remember and moved on to put on the other shoe. When he had finished and set the master's foot back on the floor, the man's hand had come to rest on him, as if acknowledging a good job. The master seemed to like to reinforce good behavior. And that was quite fine…. Arthur nodded. "I will do as you say, master."
Alfred smiled, couldn't help it. For a moment, he ran his fingers through the slave's damp hair, before getting up. Patting Arthur on the head, he motioned to the bed with his other. "Put that on, and we'll go have breakfast." He could feel the growing need for coffee, and when he glanced at the clock it was a bit later then he'd thought it was, which was very troublesome, he'd probably have a bit of trouble for it. But, his gaze slid over Arthur one more time, and he decided it was worth it for this one day. Tomorrow, he wouldn't have work at all, so he could make up for the lost sleep, and perhaps get to really try his new slave out, for today, work, then shopping.
He liked the way the master smiled. For more than just the fact that it meant the Master was pleased with him. It made him feel a bit warm inside, even though he was slightly chilled due to his nude state and damp hair and skin. Turning, Arthur followed the master's gesture to the offered shirt. It would be big on him, he could tell right away. But it hardly mattered. Arthur was very used to clothes that did not fit properly. He was fairly sure he had never worn any. Well... maybe when he was much younger and his family had not yet been in debt. But that seemed a lifetime ago.
He was hungry, so the prospect of breakfast was good. He took little note of the fact that the master was looking him over - that's what Arthur was there for, after all - and picked up the shirt, sliding it on easily. It was baggy and hung down to mid thigh and would be perfectly functional for the day, as well as leave easy access in case the master got frisky again. Though Arthur did not know what he was supposed to do with himself while the master was away... perhaps he would be told while on the way to breakfast.
Alfred'd been right about the shirt, it was a good size to keep Arthur adequetely covered for the day. In the evening, when he was back from work, before they went to shop, he would find adequete pants and shoes. To be inside, Arthur was fine.
Once Arthur was dressed, Alfred got to his feet, and moved towards the door. He motioned for Arthur to follow, and led the slave through the sitting room, into the hall, and then down the stairs. Alfred took him to the kitchen. Since he had the house to himself aside from the slaves, he rarely bothered with the dining room, lest there were guests.
Kiku was already finishing breakfast for Alfred, and there was enough for two there. Alfred pulled a chair out for Arthur to sit in, before calling Kiku over. The asian male moved silently, and bowed to Alfred at the waist, offering the usual morning greeting, "Ohaiyo, Master Alfred."
Alfred nodded, offering a smile. "Kiku, this is Arthur. Arthur, Kiku runs the house, if there's anything you need while I'm away, you can ask him."
Arthur had not been able to fully take in the scope of the house when he had been brought in the previous night. It had been dark and Arthur had taken special care to keep his eyes humbly glued to the ground as he did not know the station or standing of the men who were handling him. He still did not know who they were to the Master. He'd only heard something about his being a gift and that he looked rather nicely fuckable with just that ribbon on.
But now daylight shown through the windows, and though he was careful to keep a few steps back from the master, he lifted his eyes to take in the magnificently adorned walls and the luxurious rugs and the expensive looking furniture. He had been brought to a very fine house and the master was obvious quite wealthy. Arthur wondered how many other slaves were here. Probably dozens. He may only be expected at the master's bed once a week or so. Though he hardly knew what he was supposed to do with himself in the time between meeting the master's needs.
He met the first such of the other slaves in the kitchen. A strange man with an accent Arthur took a moment to grasp. He kept his eyes lowered and bowed respectfully to the senior slave. "T-thank you. I'll try not to be any inconvenience..." The last think he wanted was to get on the bad side of the resident slaves. He would likely interact more with them then the master.
Arthur was so polite that Alfred found himself quite amused. It was rather cute.
Alfred took a seat, and waved for Kiku to get food for both of them. While Kiku went to do that, Alfred turned slightly to look at Arthur, sizing him up a little. The man was so slight, he looked like he'd break so easily, it was actually a little unnerving.
"Do you know how to read, Arthur?" Alfred asked. He knew a fair few of the household slaves could not, and it was not something often taught to those who were bred. It wasn't a needed trait in a slave. But he was searching for something Arthur could do that was not cleaning or minial chores around the house.
Arthur perked up a bit at the question, looking up at the master with a small look of surprise. It wasn't the sort of thing he expected to be asked. "I... yes I do, Master." He'd learned in his youth. He'd only owned a few books, but he had read every used newspaper and discarded magazine that he could find. Though the last few years or so, he had not had cause to read much. He didn't know if this was a valuable skill in a personal slave or not. It had not been one of the things covered in his training.
The food that the Asian man was cooking did smell wonderful though... It was a bit distracting. Arthur had not eaten since the previous afternoon and his stomach was churning in hunger. He wondered what he would be given to eat here. It had never been much at the slave trainers. Breakfast gruel... bread for lunch... watery soup for supper. What he was smelling now certainly didn't smell like any of that.
Offering a very bright smile at that, Alfred nodded, "For today, I'd like you to stay inside the house, tomorrow, I'll show you the grounds, where you can and cannot go. There is a library, here in the house, if you would like to put it to use."
Alfred looked back up at Kiku, who was bringing over two plates filled with food. Bacon, eggs, toast, it was nothing spectaular, but it was plenty. As soon as the food was set down in front of them, Kiku walked away to get a hot cup of coffee for Alfred.
Alfred had already started to munch on the bacon, though his eyes latched onto the coffee like he'd been dying for it. When Kiku set it down, he immediately took hold of the hot mug, and nearly burned himself taking a big gulp. "Thank you, Kiku."
Alfred wiped at his mouth with his hand, "Arthur will need a room set up for him, one of the ones in my wing, can you handle that?"
Kiku seemed to think this over, mentally going over everyone's schedule, before nodding, and giving a soft, "Of course, Master."
Arthur blinked, unsure he was hearing correctly. Was he to be mostly free to move around the house and grounds? Would he really have a library for his own use. Surely... surely he was misunderstanding. No way that a master would give a slave, especially a new one, that degree of freedom.
He had not even recovered from the shock of what he was hearing when what seemed to him like an enormously overloaded plate of food was placed before him. He almost didn't recognize the items before him, it had been so long since he'd seen them. Toast was not so odd... But eggs and meat... these were rare to him. Even before he was a slave, these were often out of his family's price range on most days. The smell of it was nearly overwhelming and made his mouth water. But he was still hesitant to dig into it, hungry as he was. He still could hardly believe that this food was for him for one. And his master had not yet given him permission to sit or eat yet. It was still possible that he'd jumped to conclusions. Maybe someone else lived in the house and that's who this food was meant for, and Arthur would be expected to wait until the Master had finished and left before being given a breakfast more fit for a slave. He didn't want that to be the case. But it was better to expect the least, than to be disappointed or shocked by reality.
He furrowed his brows and kept his eyes downward cast as he stood there, listening to the master make plans. A room of his own, too? This all seemed like too much... too good to be true. It made him a bit nervous because he was expecting a bomb to drop at any minute. Like they were planning to hunt him for sport or use him in the perverse slave shows. There was no way he could be spoiled so as a simple personal slave...
As Kiku walked away, Alfred noticed that Arthur hadn't even sat down yet. He turned a little to glance at him, looking him over, the pulled chair next to him out a little. "Sit down and eat, Arthur."
None of things he was offering seemed odd to Alfred. The slaves that could read were allowed to use the library, as long as they were very careful with the books. Many of them had rooms of their own, though the rooms in the slaves quarters were much smaller then the room Arthur would have. They were all fed well. Happy, and healthy slaves made life easier.
Alfred had never dealt with an untrained slave- even if he had one, he had no worry about a slave attempting and succeeding in escaping. So it didn't even cross his mind to be worried. Arthur seemed so well behaved anyway. "I'll show you the library before I leave for work."
He was stretching his morning a little thin- but he was the boss, so he could afford to be a little late once in a while. No one would mind, he was sure, and he had no meetings until the afternoon.
Arthur blinked again at the master and blushed slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed about his own confusion. There were not a great many things that could embarrass him anymore, but not knowing how he was supposed to behave was one of them, particularly when it was something as simple as breakfast. But this...this just flew in the face of all his expectations. He was never trained to prepare for his own room and full meals and a master that spoke to him so kindly.
He nodded and sat down finally, tentatively eyeing the plate before him. He was sure he could not eat all of that... Though part of him really wanted to try. He was famished and who knew if he would continue to see such meals? Maybe this was only because it was his first day.
He glanced again in the master's direction, nodding at his statement. "I would... I would very much enjoy that..." He wasn't even sure how to properly respond. "I am... most grateful for Master's generosity..." He meant it, but he wasn't sure he was showing it enough. He picked up his fork, which was much finer than anything else he had used before, and took a bite of egg. It practically melted in his mouth. His stomach growled for more and he was happy to oblige, shoveling food in as quickly as he could while still keeping his manners.
Alfred watched the slave sit down, nodding in response to the man's words. It struck him that in normal cases slaves didn't eat as well as their master, but Alfred didn't see a reason. They worked hard around the house, and a healthy meal was important. He liked to make sure everyone's needs were met.
He grinned, as Arthur actually began to eat, and turned his attention to his own meal. It didn't take long for him to finish his plate completely, and down his first cup of coffee for the day. Kiku took his plate, and refilled Alfred's cup half way.
Alfred gave him a nod of thanks, and began to drink it, while Kiku returned to the stove to begin making breakfast for everyone else in the house. They would all be waking soon, and need to eat before getting their chores started.
Arthur was only halfway done with his meal when he began to regret eating so much so fast. His stomach just wasn't used to that much rich food. He had to set his fork down and stop, even though it was easily the best tasting food he could ever remember eating. He was going to have to remember to compliment the other slave... Kiku was his name... on preparing such a delicious meal. He wondered if the leftover could be saved for him for later.
He settled his hands in his lap, pulling the oversized shirt down a little, more for the sake of warmth than modesty. Even with the kitchen stove going, it was a bit drafty. He wondered how long the master would be gone today... and if he would really be allowed to kill the time in the library. He admitted that would be nice...
Seeing Arthur had finished with his meal, and knowing he was running late, Alfred finished what was left of his coffee quickly, and stood up. "If you're done, Arthur, I'll show you to the library now."
He had to stop in his office on the way to the library to grab his briefcase as well. His mind was quickly going over his work for today. He had only one or two meetings later in the day, but lots of paperwork, and he wanted to work on a few little gadgets he'd begun designing- he always had a couple of interviews with a few possible personal assistants.
Once Arthur was standing, Alfred motioned for him to come along. He led the way out of the kitchen and into the hall. "The upstairs is mostly bedrooms, there's a living room back that way," He pointed in the directio. Behind them, "And a sitting room in the very front of the house. If the door to a room is unlocked, feel free to explore. The only room on this floor that is off limits is my office."
As they passed it, he motioned to the closed cherrywood door. Then continued on, he opened the door to the library, and held it for Arthur, motioning for him to enter. There were more books then Alfred would likely ever read, since he wasn't much for sitting and reading.
"A lot of them are old, so just be careful with them. You can spend as much time as you like here." Alfred clucked his tongue, and let his gaze sweep over the room, "Some of the others come to read here when they have free time, but it's mostly unused."
Arthur glanced towards the master and nodded to confirm that he was finished. It was so strangely kind of him to even ask... He stood and when Master indicated for him to follow, he did, trailing a few steps respectfully behind. He was curious about what the master did in order to be this wealthy... but he didn't want to ask. He would probably figure it out on his own if he was observant enough. That, or he could just ask one of the other slaves later.
He took careful note of where everything was, trying to memorize the layout of the house. It was large enough that he could easily get lost if he wasn't careful, and he did not want to end up somewhere he wasn't supposed to be... even if it did sound like he had almost free range of the house. He took special note of the office though, memorizing the look of the closed door. If the master mentioned it specifically, he must really mean that he wanted that room to remain off limits.
And then they reached the library and as he stepped inside, Arthur could not help but gawk at just how many books there were. More than he had ever seen... more than he had even ever imagined... He could read every day for the rest of his life and likely still not read them all. His eyes trailed over shelf after shelf, trying to take them all in. "Ah... Of course, Master... I will be... very careful, I promise."
Grinning, Alfred leaned back against the door frame, letting his gaze drift over the shelves and books. Most of his attention was on Arthur though. He looked so tiny in that shift, slim and pale, just a bit too thin for Alfred, but that would fix itself as Arthur was here for a while. "Just... stay inside for today. Kiku will introduce you to everyone, I'm sure, and he'll get a room cleaned up for you."
Alfred pushed off from the door jam, and stepped into the room with Arthur. "I'll be done work at around five today. Until I get home, enjoy yourself."
As the master stepped into the room, Arthur turned to give him his full attention. It was only right after being spoiled so this morning. A full belly.. a huge, warm house to stay in... so many, many books at his disposal... Even when the eventual catch came, it could hardly be so bad as to cancel all of this out. He bowed to the Master, his arms humbly folded in front of himself.
"I will do as Master says... I thank Master for his overwhelming generosity and wish him a pleasant day at work. I eagerly await his return..." He was going to have to be extra pleasing for the master that evening.