Breathe Anew

Watched

We're gonna get there; I swear we will!

Disclaimer: Kept my promise; didn't I?

Characters: Mostly Arthur, Matthew, Gilbert

Breathe Anew

Watched

Arthur Kirkland was not a perfect man. He never claimed to be one and therefore, he knew that he was prone to messing up every now and then. However, he was also a very prideful man so therefore, when he happened to make a blunder, it took him a while, before admitting to his wrong.

He was stubborn, strong willed and of strong opinion, but there were times when he even knew that he pushed his grudge too far. The incident with his brother was one of them. Yes, it was true that he had never been Gilbert's greatest friend, but he lately realised that he put misplaced anger on the man. Even though everyone pointed it out to him. It took him a while to come to terms with it himself.

That was why he was currently on his way to Matthew's and Gilbert's place.

When they were children, Arthur always got along well with both of his younger brothers. There were times when he was closer to Matthew and other times when his greatest affiliations was with Alfred, but at the end of the day, they were always family.

They had many spats as brothers would and those fights increased in numbers after the death of their parents, but they stuck together.

He didn't know why it was that he was going to see Matthew, when he didn't see him in many months, but part of him wanted to mend the situation. Maybe he was wrong, or more like, he had been wrong, he knew it wasn't Gilbert's fault for the accident and he knew the other man cared for his brother, but when he heard the news… he was brought back to the day his parents died and how scared he was then, how scared he was now.

He lashed out on Gilbert, because Gilbert was supposed to protect Matthew from these things. Or at least, that's what he told himself. Arthur was protective of his family, so therefore, he expected his brother's boyfriend to make sure nothing drastic happened to his little brother. Of course, he knew Gilbert wasn't a superhero and there would be times when Gilbert wouldn't be able to stop Matthew from getting hurt, but he didn't care at the time.

Now was a different matter.

Matthew had given him a spare key to his place a long time ago and even though he never used it, it was always on his key ring as a friendly reminder of the trust Matthew put in him. Every time he visited in the past, he knocked like any civilised person would have done and waited for Matthew to answer. His brother teased him for being so proper all the time and he always brushed it off as good etiquette.

They key in his hand felt warm and unfamiliar at the same time. He rang the doorbell like he always did, but no one answered him. He knew his brother was home, or at least, that someone was home, since their car was in its usual spot and after waiting ten minutes at the door, Arthur decided that he would give the key a chance.

He didn't want to pry and wouldn't stay long, if the place was empty. He really wanted to see his brother and drop off the sugar pie he brought. He knew it to be Matthew's favourite and he hoped it would be a good peace offering.

He found the place to be silent, yet the shoes were still on the boot tray, so Arthur knew someone was home. He removed his own shoes and put his sweater on the entrance bench before walking in and looking for Matthew.

There was no one in the living room, kitchen, or bathroom and study, so that only left the bedrooms. The old guestroom, which was converted into Matthew's room, was just as void of life as the other rooms and he was about to simply leave, but he heard a soft snore come from the one room he hadn't checked.

Curiosity getting the best of him, he tiptoed to the room and pushed the parted door further open. He wasn't one to pry, but he would later be glad that he did so, this time. Had he stumbled on this same scene a week or maybe even two or three months ago, he would have been livid, furious and he would have done everything in his power to destroy it, but now he just felt a wave of calm wash over him.

Gilbert and Matthew were snuggled close together under the blankets, asleep and both of them looked simply at ease. Arthur was touched by the way Gilbert had his arm wrapped protectively around his brother and how Matthew's head rested softly on the other man's shoulder.

The bedroom curtains were partially drawn and the daylight that filtered through the window shone directly on their splayed hair, making it seem lighter than it really was.

Arthur felt something warm install itself into his chest, as he smiled to himself and closed the door halfway, on his way out.

He went back to the kitchen and dropped the pie on the table. He found a piece of paper and pen, before scribbling a note to Matthew saying he would very much like to see the both of them next week for Sunday dinner and that he would like to talk to them.

He then placed everything on the centre of the table, before going back to the entrance, putting his shoes on, taking his sweater and quietly making his way out.

It was hopefully a step towards healing.

OWARI 17

TO BE CONTINUED

4 chapters left.

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Started writing: January 14th 2011, 11:32am

Finished writing: January 16th 2011, 6:41pm

Started typing: January 29th 2011, 4:41pm

Finished typing: January 29th 2011, 5:06pm