Hi everyone! I bet you are surprised to see me so soon? 8D I have been a bit busy but I still took the time to write you this little chapter! I hope you like it! I have tried some tiny parts of it on the lovely Randomlvr1, who has helped me a bit with it all. Thank you so much! :D
Still, there should be some spelling errors in this chapter, since I have not had the time to show it to my beta... but I hope you will like it just the same :)
Warning!: There will be lemon in this story, which you all must be missing right now so please be patient! (L)
Disclaimer: All rights belong to the creators of APH and for them, we all are extremely greatful!
Hope you like these next turn of events!
"Good morning" Al smiled as he stepped into the kitchen, Saturday morning, with his hair standing in all directions, his eyes drowsy with sleep but still shining with energy somehow. Arthur smiled back and felt a sting of longing somewhere in his gut... a longing to have someone like Al in his life, someone that would wake up all cozy in the morning with his hair all messed up and a soft smile on his lips, enveloping him in warm hugs or just kissing him with warm lips. In front of Al however, he didn't show it and instead of looking at him, he put his nose back into the newspaper.
"Did you sleep ok?" he asked from where he sat and pretended to read but he didn't get an answer. Just after Al had entered the room, so had Lauren as well... that lovely girl with the perfect body and the cutest smile ever playing on her lips. As soon as Arthur noticed, he bit his lip hard and swallowed his jealousy even harder. Why he even got jealous in the first place was beyond him. That he was horny he knew, all to well, but there where other men he could look at and get fucked by than his own cousin who happened to be younger than him as well.
"Hi baby" she said and soon she was all over her boyfriend, not at all seeming to mind Arthur where he sat. Al didn't seem to mind either, he must really have made his mind up, about this whole 'I don't know if I love her'-thing, and Arthur felt a sting of panic too, somewhere deep down. What did guys usually do when one of their friends started making out with their girlfriend? Did they look away and pretend they weren't there, to give them space..? Wasn't it more normal to start laughing and calling him a sissy? He had seen Al's friends do it but he couldn't understand that at all. For as much as it annoyed him to hear their little moans and see them all twirled up in a bundle when he was re-filling his cup of tea, the two of them where in love and you shouldn't really mess with that, right?
So instead of really doing anything bad, no matter how much he felt like spilling all his hot tea all over them both, he just sat there and waited for the blond man with the gorgeous blue eyes to realize they weren't alone in the room and that they really shouldn't go further than just making out. When Arthur realized that the thought would never hit his cousin however, he decided to leave the kitchen and head for the living room, ignoring the smell of woman on the couch as he sat down and turned the TV on with a sigh.
"Hello old friend" he half whispered in a chuckle and drank from his gigantic cup, which was one of the few things he had actually brought from England that wasn't a piece of clothing. "I hope you didn't miss anyone watching you too much?"
The TV wasn't to much delight though, since all it showed was old episodes of Family Guy, which he had grown tired of long ago. He still sat there and watched two episodes before he could hear Al coming down the stairs again. (and yes, Arthur had tried to ignore the sounds coming from upstairs after they had somehow managed to get up there without falling over from all the grabbing and kissing.)
"God morning again" Al chuckled as he, a couple of minutes later, entered the living room as well with a smoking hot cup of tea in his hands. He looked tired but still content, hair even messier now than before but it had, to Arthur, completely lost its charm. Messed up hair from after a long nights sleep was cosy and charming, messy hair from banging someone you hardly knew if you loved; not so much.
"Hi" he answered with a smile though and moved a bit so that Al could sit comfortably next to him without having to be pushed up agains him. He focused his eyes on the show, trying to get the jokes, even though he was only half paying attention. Why had Al suddenly become such a fucking sex God in his mind? Why where all his thoughts about being horny suddenly falling on the man sitting next to him? Arthur bloody well knew he was drawn to unavailable men, but this one wasn't even gay, anywhere in his body? He wasn't even unavailable, he was impossible to even get. So either Arthur was just horny and had no other handsome man in his prescience that he could fantasize about... or he had started to get turned on by seemingly heterosexual men as well. These thoughts should stop, along with the sudden bursting feelings of dislike towards that girl, now sleeping soundly in Al's bed upstairs.
"Sorry about running out on you like that" his cousin half mumbled, apologetically, as if he had been able to read some of Arthur's thoughts on his face. "We had a bit of a fight yesterday so I thought I should make it up to her.."
"Don't apologize" he chuckled back, even though it felt a bit better knowing that Al had actually realized that he was leaving him alone like that. "If you've decided to stay with her, you should really try to make things up to her as soon as the problems occur"
His cousin didn't answer and at first, Arthur just thought he was to tired to really be listening, but when he threw a soft smile to the side, he saw the wrinkle on that otherwise so smooth forehead. Maybe this subject was still a bit hard to talk about? He couldn't read minds, if he had been able to do that, he would have made sure not to dig to deep in that mind of his... because at the moment, Al seemed more troubled than Arthur had ever seen him before.
"You okay?" he had to ask, watching as the wrinkle grew deeper when Al started steering the spoon around in his cup of tea. Love trouble was never fun, at least not when being a guy and everyone expected you to keep your tears in. Truth be told, Arthur could never have handled being straight, since he cried to much. Francis had joked a lot about that back before they broke up and Arthur agreed with him. When being a man, you weren't supposed to cry and society knew it. If you did cry, you'd have to face the consequences. "Al, I know you're upset about all this and you told me before how much you care about her... but to be honest, you don't seem like the same happy person you where when I first came here. Are you really sure this is what you-..."
"Can you just shut up about it for once?" The sudden change of atmosphere cast chills down Arthur's entire body and he looked up in slight shock as Al stood up from where he had been sitting, hands clutched into fists at his sides. "I am tired, okay? I am tired with this fucking mess and all the things everyone is trying to tell me about the whole situation! Just get off my case and leave it alone Arthur, is that so hard? Do we always have to talk about this when we're together? Can't we talk about something else? Can't you just make me feel good for a change? You have no idea what I feel and what me and Lauren have, do you?"
Arthur felt his heart freeze in his chest, you know, that terrible feeling which tells you that soon it will stop beating and you can't do anything to stop it from happening. The feeling that even if you'd put it in the sun it wouldn't melt for hours and when it finally melts... it's still too damaged to save. What had just been said? What had he done wrong..? What had he said that had made Al so upset he now had that look on his face? The look which Arthur knew all to well from looking himself in the mirror endless nights in a row...
"No but..." he tried but as usual, his voice got stuck in his throat when he saw the anger and confusion in those blue eyes. Fuck, he didn't want Al to feel like this. Wasn't there anything he could do? Couldn't he help in any way? There had to be something..? "Al..."
"You know..." his cousin breathed out in a deep sigh, his eyes still burning but his voice slightly broken now. "I can take fucking care of myself... if you wanna play psychologist, go to someone else." With that, he turned away and left the room within seconds. It didn't take long after that before the front door of the house closed as well and left Arthur alone in the sad silence the other had created with his sudden burst of emotions.
It was the TV that brought him back to reality some minutes later, some woman who was crying frantically about her boyfriend leaving her or something, bloody irony of life. He poked at his cousin's cup but realized the tea had grown cold a long time ago. Since he had no idea what time it had been he couldn't really tell how long ago it had happened, but it must have been a while... He sat there for yet a little while, wondering what he would do now since his mind was definitely in shock after what had gone down.
As he stepped into the kitchen, the guilt came crushing down on him like rain from a clear sky and he had to stop and gasp for air, fingers clutching the cups he was holding. Not hard enough though since one of them slipped out of his grip and hit the floor with a crashing sound that would have woken everyone in the house, except... there where no one else there but him and Lauren, plus Michael who would probably be stoned by now. The noise was almost as devastating as the sound of Al's voice earlier and it took some time for Arthur to collect himself enough to get down on his knees and start cleaning it all up.
He knew this wasn't his fault, it couldn't be. Because he was not Lauren and he was not all the others who had pestered Al about all this. Al had said so himself, that he liked talking to him like they had that evening when they we're both so tired... hadn't he? Al must know the only thing he wanted was for him to be happy right? For fucks sake, he didn't want anything else...!
"Arthur?" Lauren's voice sounded from the door and he cursed inwardly as he heard it, closing his eyes quickly, not to let it all over flood. "What happened?"
He looked up and gave her a quick smile. She wasn't asking about Al right away at least, how kind of her. She even looked worried as she hurried over to him and it was only then that he realized he had cut himself pretty badly on a sharp edge, sending red liquid down over his palm and fingers, dripping down on the floor slowly.
"Oh... I'm quite alright.." he said, smiling even though he was totally surprised by the sudden wave of pain rushing over him. "Ouch..."
"Oh stop that" she sighed and he looked at her in confusion as he realized she was already down on her knees on the dirty floor, slimmed fingers wrapping themselves around his wounded hand with a napkin, which she had swiftly pulled up from her pocket, softly drying the blood away with a worried wrinkle in her forehead. "Don't say you're ok when you obviously aren't, come on... sit by the table and I'll bring you some bandaids, okay?"
He obeyed, lumping over to the table and sitting down silently while watching her hurry through the kitchen. Her pretty little body and those brown curls looking cutely ruffled after sex and sleep... she was an adorable creature, Lauren. She reached into a cupboard and pulled out some bandaids, jumped over the shattered cup on the floor and smiled as she approached him with it.
"Al showed me where they where yesterday, I accidentally broke some skin on my knee when I slipped on the driveway..." he half giggled and he forced a smile. Why she thought he was interested he had no idea, but he better not show anything else than kindness towards her. She was just trying to help after all... "So, give me your hand, I'll make this right, kay?"
He nodded, a bit uneasy as he reached his hand out to her, wincing when she cleaned the wound off with a piece of wet paper and then put the bandaid on neatly. He fingertips where softer than any fingertips he had ever felt against his skin and it gave him goosebumps to know that even though she might look like a bitch, she must have a very gentle side for her hands to be that soft... or she was just an abuser of moisturizing cream.
"Thank you..." he managed and felt fairly bad for thinking so many bad things about her the last hour. It wasn't really like him at all to do that... Of course Lauren was a lovely woman, why else would Al be wanting to spend this much time with her? He should really stop with these fucking mean thoughts already. Starting to sound like a damn bitch himself soon enough...
"You're welcome" she smiled, no, more like beamed at him and he just couldn't resist smiling back at her. "Now, just sit here for a while and I'll get this mess cleaned up." She then continued and gave him a look that he was sure meant that if he tried to argue she would not be merciful. "You really shouldn't be such a cluts..." she sighed as she threw the rests of the poor cup in the trash, along with the bloody paper and some left overs that had been left on the counter since someone had been up for a midnight snack. He gave a soft chuckle and looked down at his hand, which was now only pounding faintly.
"Says the girl who slipped on the driveway?"
Lauren laughed a little before turning to look back at him with fake fury playing over her delicious features and Arthur had to catch his breath at how wonderful she looked right there. So this was it then? The way Al saw her, the way they where together? Why hadn't he realized sooner..? "What did you say, young man? I happen to be excellent at everything I do"
"I can see why" he grinned and felt his heart melt at it all. He knew that he was definitely gay, so there was no worry. But there was something about the way she spoke and moved, which made her seem so much more alive than all her friends put together. Almost as alive as Jody, and that was saying something. She would truly grow up to be a wonderful woman... and he knew it, that right from this moment, she would be just as great as she deserved to be. "And by the way, I am older than you... young lady"
"Then I supposed you should be the one cleaning this off and not me?" she smiled, pointing at the counter which was filled with breadcrumbs. "Or am I your maid now, dear sir?"
He laughed at her failed attempt of impersonation a British woman and shook his head while leaning back in the chair he had occupied. "No dear girl" he said, his accent now shining through even more than it usually did, since he kind of tried to hide it in school... (he had met all to many people there who would gladly kick his ass just for the fact that he was British.) "You told me I should sit here, so here I sit, waiting for you to tell me differently, yes?"
She just shook her head and finished off, before returning to his side, sitting down on an empty chair while looking at him. Her eyes looked slightly worried, somehow, and she was biting her bottom lip as if thinking real hard about something he couldn't read from her forehead. Arthur was still just waiting for the question about where Al was and then the accusations about the fight being all his fault. The question that she did ask was a total surprise though. He hadn't expected that at all...
...
The cold morning air was bloody freezing and Al cursed as he pulled his sweater closer around his body, hating himself for not taking a coat or something. It was supposed to be summer now right? So why this damn cold?
His mood had improved a lot since he left the house though and at the moment he was kind of trying to tell himself that he was still fucking mad and he did NOT want to go back. No. Under no circumstances did he want to go back to tell Arthur how sorry he was, because he was so damn sorry for what he had said that it hurt just to think about it. He had turned his words over in his head about a thousand times now and no matter how he looked at it, those things he had said had been way to fucking harsh and he had had no reason to tell his cousin all that. After all, the only thing Arthur had been trying to do was to help him...
"Damn it..." he cursed as he looked around for somewhere to take shelter against the rain which had started dripping from the heavy skies. Yeah God... he thought and gave the sky a mad eyes. Thank you so much for punishing me for my deeds...
"You know, for someone who is a total idiot, I would not have expected you to be out of bed at this hour...?"
He felt his heart sink by the soft voice and the evil tone it brought. He knew exactly who is was and God, was there no end to the punishment? Did he have to run into an ex at this particular moment? When he was already feeling bad as it was? Or ok, this wasn't really an ex... they had had sex once and that had been it, but Al knew he had been hated ever since. What the reason was, he did not know though. He had made it perfectly clear that he had just been feeling like it and that it was nothing he was going to get used to. It was years ago too, at least it felt like it, so why bother dragging the past up with a shitty attitude.
"Maybe I went out to get a soda, you see..." he answered and turned to the black haired, angry creature behind him, who stood there under a big umbrella, all dry and warm (probably, looked like it anyway). "..unlike you, who always seem to follow me around, I have a life and just maybe... maybe I never even went to bed last night? Ever though about that? Because, unlike you, I got laid and let me tell you what it's like to get laid all night, since you clearly have no clue what that's like, do you?"
"You would know all about that, wouldn't you?" the other snapped back at him and there was the grin he had gotten so used to seeing in that otherwise so lovely face. "You know, I hear a lot about you Al..."
"Only bad I hope..." he mumbled, was he gonna get a lecture now? On how bad he was and how fucking horrible he had become... like he hadn't always been like this?
"Very funny... But you know, from what I hear, most of it's fucking bullshit, isn't it?" Al didn't even comment on that. Why was he even standing here, taking crap from someone who had been obsessing about him and his wring doing for almost two years? "Can you get all your buddies to believe everything about you? That you're some kind of sex God and that your penis is huge, stuff like that Al?" the other continued, an irritated wrinkle in an otherwise pale and smooth forehead, hands twisting around the handle of the umbrella.
"K, we had fucking sex two years ago" he now grunted as answer and shook his head and when the dark haired one tried to protest. "My dick has been fucking growing and I have learned stuff since then, why do you think I would fucking lie about the size about my dick to my male friends? They see me in the showers all the time anyway so they'd be knowing if I was lying, wouldn't they? If you choose to believe everything you hear about me, that's cool... you can do what ever the fuck you want with your life, just don't come to me and expect me that I am going to apologize for something I haven't fucking done..."
"Then prove it to me Al" the light voice almost whispered and the proposition came as a damn shock to him, making him look back at the other in slight wonder.
"Prove what to you, exactly?" he asked, even though he was suspecting where all this was headed. Was this really a serious suggestion that them both should hook up? Have sex just so Al could prove that his dick as not tiny and he had gained skill between the covers? Even though everyone must know by now that he was in a serious relationship and everything..?
"Come with me home... no one will be there, I won't kiss and tell... you know I won't Al..."
"Fuck off K, you're such a bitch you know that, right?" he shook his head and turned away, walking as quickly as he could away from the pathetic being who had obviously been obsessed about him for far to long. He hated bitches like that, no matter what their reasons where. "Just get a life and leave me alone, I promise, I'll make your life longer"
He grinned inwardly. Fuck please let that be the end of this nightmare... he thought and wrapped his sweater even tighter around himself. I just want to go home and apologize... can't believe I was such a dick towards him...
Warm arms where suddenly wrapped around his torso and even though the first thought that popped up in his mind was to push the other away and run, maybe throw a punch over his back to buy himself some more time, he couldn't. He closed his eyes, feeling a soft nose bury itself in his neck, fingers gently folding closer along with the arms around his body.
"Please..." that soft voice whispered. "...just once and I promise... that will be the end of it"
...
"Sorry..?" Arthur blinked as Lauren blushed and looked away, as if she was regretting the question she had just asked with every fiber of her body. Arthur on the other hand was more surprised that she had even dared to ask than by the fact that she had suspected he was gay, which was what she had asked him ever so boldly. She now shook her head and smiled apologetically while skillfully avoiding eye contact at every price.
"No nothing" she said and stood up from where she had been crouching on the chair, almost looking terrified, as if he would launch out at her and kill her instantly if she moved to quickly. "Forget I even asked you..."
"No it's okay, really" he smiled, standing up to, trying to catch her eye but it was pointless. "You don't have to be embarrassed about asking me? Of course you wanted to know, since you where suspecting it. That's just human nature and all"
"I really wouldn't have anything against it though!" she hurried to say, forgetting she was avoiding eye contact and meeting his eyes with that frightened expression still lingering on her face. He felt a warmth grow in his heart towards her, because right there she was so scared he would be saddened by her question that she forgot everything bad she must have ever heard about him...
"I know I know" he just smiled and gently stroke a lock of brown hair out of her flushed face, this tiny touch making her shudder as if she had never been touched before in her life. Pretty strange. "It's ok, Lauren, I'm fine with you asking me so just calm down and we can talk about it? After all, you asked because you wanted to know, right?"
"Well... yes..." she hesitated and looked down at their feet in slight confusion. "So.. you are gay then?"
It was weird, talking to Lauren about his situation, because even though he had already spoken to Jody about it, it king of felt like he was coming out for the first time when talking to this girl. Firstly, she was the girlfriend of his cousin (and potential erotic fantasy, Al that was), secondly, her personality was not at all as easy to understand and joke around with as Jody. This girl sat there quietly and listened to what he had to say for himself, never interrupted, just listened and spoke when she was supposed to. She nodded and looked very serious as he spoke of what he had had to go through with his mother and classmates and even though he really liked Jody and her free spirit, this had always been the way he had wanted at least his mother and his friends to react... to be honest.
"So there you have it..." he finally said, two hours later, when his stomach was crumbling for food and his tea had once more grown cold where he had forgotten about it in the big cup. "That's about it..."
She nodded, thinking about it for a while it seemed. "So you never had sex with anyone then..? Or did you just leave that out of the story?"
He blushed. Gotta hand it to you Lauren... you sure talk about certain things more casually than I do... he grinned inwardly and bit his lip before taking a sip of his tea even though it was disgusting to drink it could. "I left it out..." he then answered and gave her an embarrassed smile. "My sex life isn't really something I am used telling people about, and I'd rather not do it... I guess you'd understand?"
She nodded and seemed content with his answer without even asking anymore. He didn't really know why she feel silent, but somehow, it felt better now... the whole thing with her and Al. She really was a smart young woman and even though Al was completely immature, she was good for him and Arthur was kind of hoping that Al would see that before it was to late.
Before long, they both decided to get up and make something to eat, since they had both skipped lunchtime for a chance to get to know each other. Lauren had asked a while back weather he knew where her boyfriend had gone of to, when he had answered that he didn't, she had just nodded and dropped it. The question hadn't come up since, but Arthur could see her looking out the window from time to time... just like he himself was when she wasn't looking. Where was that dick anyway... He was getting worried by now.
He tried to distract his mind by making a french omelet with some spring onions, left over sausages and potatoes. Lauren watched what he was doing with interested eyes and laughed as he told her to crack the eggs. She wasn't at all good at it but managed pretty well after some incidents. She did seem to enjoy helping him though and it wasn't that long until they both sat down by the living room table, each with a plate of steaming omelet on it.
"It smells delicious Arthur" she smiled, almost sounding as if she was sining as she spoke. He could hear all the way to where he was sitting that her stomach was grumbling even more now than it had done when they where cooking. Or was it his stomach? He wasn't even sure anymore. It sure sounded like her's.
"I hope it tastes good too..." he chuckled. "To be honest, I might look like a pro in the kitchen but everyone I know, except maybe Al, is better at cooking than I am... at least that's what everyone else tells me."
"That's totally mean of them..." she sighed and shook her head before tasting the still steaming hot food on her plate. "..It is different from what I usually eat" she then said and took another piece of fried egg and potato. "..but I still like it a lot. If it was up to me to judge the food you make, or at least the little I've seen you make, I'd say that you are a really good cook. Just so you know"
"Thank you Lauren..." he chuckled and raised his glass with soda. "Too our awesomeness in the kitchen and for combined efforts"
"Cheers" she smiled and drank.
They then ate, hungry as they where, in front of the TV, watching some old season of America's next top model. Arthur soon realized that even though he didn't want it to be true, he knew exactly who would win and why... which was more than Lauren knew so she spent the next fifteen minutes teasing him about it. The mood was even cheerful, which felt weird, and it wasn't until thy where out of food and there was nothing on the TV worth watching that Arthur felt the guilt and worry sneak back over him like a wave of cold water.
"Don't worry about him" Lauren suddenly said and when he looked up, sure she had seen the worry in his face, he realized she was not even looking at him, eyes fixed on the TV and a soft smile on her face. "He does this sometimes, he might just have remembered he wanted to take a long walk or maybe one of his friends called, okay?"
"Yeah..."
And there was the guilt again... he hadn't told her about what Al had said before he left. How could he tell her when the conversation had been about her and their future together? The mood his cousin had left in the living room was only visible for Arthur and it had to stay that way. He wasn't prepared to singlehandedly ruin Lauren and Al's relationship just because the other had been in a foul mood... By the way, hadn't he said him and Lauren had been fighting the night before..? Come to think of it, what had that been about?
"I guess I should get going though" she smiled and interrupted his thought proses mid thought. She had already stood up even though he hadn't noticed and he hurried to stand too, being as polite as he could of course. She picked up the dishes but he smiled and shook his head while gently placing a warm palm on her wrist.
"I'll take these, you have done enough already, I feel like a bully or something" She just smiled at that, nodding thankfully as she put the plates down on the table again. He followed her to the hallway where she put he shoes on swiftly and then turned to him with that beaming smile of her's again.
"I'm glad I got some time to get to know you Arthur" she said and tilted her head to the side, eyes twinkling.
"Likewise Lauren" he smiled back, truthfully.
"And I am glad, for Al's sake that he might get some... intelligent conversations with someone of his own age now that you are here" she added with a chuckle, reaching out to him and pulling him into a light hug. "All his other friends are fucking assholes, haha."
"Well, I am glad I might be able to bring him a new side of entertainment so that he won't grow tired of teenage life"
She laughed and left quickly after, walking down the driveway carefully this time, not to make the same mistake as last nigh apparently.
The house was so silent after she had left, that he had to go back to the TV, even if he knew there was nothing there for him to watch. The minutes where so slow he thought at some point that it might have been frozen by some wizard or something, but when the front door finally opened again, he realized there had only been half an hour since Lauren left.
"I'm home..." came Al's voice and immediately he could feel a rush of both fright and relief down his body. He hurried to stand up form the couch, realizing that he hadn't even taken the dishes out, before walking into the hallway. They needed to talk about this... he felt so bad about it all.
Please let Al want to talk about it too... I feel like such a jerk... "Welcome back..." he said, his voice not at all as strong as it should have been but it didn't really care. It wasn't like they had been shouting and he was expecting an apology... he was the one who should apologize for not seeing that he was pushing it too far...
"Arthur..." Al replied and there was something in his voice that threw him right of beat. He sounded almost as if he was about to cry, eyes looking tired as if he had not been sleeping for days.
"Gosh Al what have you done..?" Arthur just had to burst and hurried over to his cousin with arms reaching out for him, not quite sure how his hug would be seen by the other but he didn't care. He gently pulled the younger one into a warm hug, burying his nose in the other's neck. He needed a hug and it was a hug that he would get. For some reason, Al didn't even seem to mind it, in fact, he hugged back. "I'm so sorry, okay? I shouldn't have pushed you to talk about it Al..." he continued and made sure his feelings came across in the hug, knowing that this might be the only bloody time when Al would allow him to hug like this.
"What..?" came a surprised response and Arthur's heart sank as he felt those strong hands grip his shoulders and push him away. It felt at first as if he was about to get shoved into the wall but that wasn't the case. Al just held him at half arm length, looking at him with such serious eyes that Arthur felt pierced straight through. "No, you've got it wrong... I'm the one who should apologize to you, not the other way around? Jeez Arthur... I'm so sorry for fucking your mind up like that..."
Arthur was just so shocked that he didn't even protest. Instead he bit his lip and tried to think back about what had happened earlier. Wasn't he the one who had been out of bounds..? Or wait, he had tried to tell himself right after Al left that it wasn't his fault but he had not really believed in that himself, had he?
"Look..." Al continued and got Arthur to sit down on the small bench, which was located close to the door (a good thing to have if you, like Al's mother, had boots which where hard to put in if you where not sitting down), kneeling in front of him with his forehead wrinkled again. "...I shouldn't have told you all those stupid things, ok? I was just so busy thinking about it all and I... You didn't do anything wrong, at all. You where just trying to help me, you're about the only person that has not already given up on me even... gosh, I have no idea what came over me, okay?"
"Well.. I..." Arthur tried, scratching his neck. This situation was everything but what he had been expecting. And Al was just looking to adorably sorry where he sat with one hand on the sofa and one resting on Arthur's knee. It was a totally innocent action which his cousin apparently wasn't thinking twice about, but to Arthur, it was just so warm and calming feeling his hand like that...He was missing it so much by now, the feeling of getting touched by someone who cared more for him than Al did.
"You are the only one I can talk to about this Arthur, about anything..." Al continued and shook his head in slight desperation, not seeming to get the words out like he wanted them. "So please, I'm sorry... and I really wanna make it up to you ok? I don't want you to feel like you did anything wrong because you've never done anything wrong towards me and I... Fuck, I'm so sorry... please don't cry..."
Arthur quickly smiled and wiped a tear from his cheek, totally shocked that it was even there, he hadn't noticed that his eyes where filling with them. He didn't want to cry, he was just relieved because he was always the one to blame everywhere else... just hearing Al saying that it wasn't his fault made him all warm for some reason.
"I'm okay Al" he hurried to say, still smiling as he dried his eyes. "I was just worried that I fucked it all up by talking about it, because I should have backed off more about it... I should have understood how much it hurts you not to know what you should do about her and all.."
"I told you you didn't do anything wrong Arthur... so stop thinking that what I said had any meaning..." his cousin sighed and reached up to dry a tear away, which Arthur had missed and was now running down his chin. "I was a jerk towards you, like I am towards everyone so if anyone fucked it up, that would be me... So please, can we just forget about all of it? I'll buy some pizza or something and we can just... talk or something?"
"You'd really buy me pizza?" Arthur grinned, trying to sound as if he was totally excited about it. He knew the feeling Al had at the moment... he had felt it for years without even doing anything wrong. It felt a bit cheesy even, that Al was back and apologizing like this... something that only happened in the movies. The only thing that wasn't as in the movies however was the fact that Arthur wasn't Al's girlfriend or what ever. Funny thought.
"I'll buy you two if you want..." the younger one sighed in relief and then tilted his head to the side, a bit like Lauren had done earlier. "And here I left you alone with Lauren all day... did you survive?"
"No I am quite dead" he chuckled back and then stood up, almost simultaneously with Al, pulling him into a hug again. "I'm fine Al, so stop worrying. And Lauren was very nice to me, we made omelets and watched Top Model, very lovely girl" he added as he pulled away, not making this hug too long. He didn't want it to be awkward between them, never again. He liked this Al, the one he felt he could talk to and laugh with. He just had to stop his own dick from twitching at the sight of him. He had always had a thing for blonds... fuck.
Al seemed satisfied with the answer though and chuckled slightly, some of the colour returning to his cheeks now. He had been awfully pale when he stepped through the door but it was first now that Arthur really noticed the change. He didn't want to ask right away what he had been up to though. Al seemed both hungry and tired so it would be best to get him some food before even beginning to ask him things again.
They decided to walk the distance to the pizzeria, Arthur feeling as if he was just living a dream and he would soon wake up on the sofa and realize this was just that; a dream after Al had left. He would wake up and realize Lauren was a bitch and Al was fucking pissed at him. Oh he didn't want that...
"You know..." Al said as they where done ordering, siting down by a table in a corner of the almost filled dining room. "..Lauren and I, I mean you know I care about her a lot, but she has these crazy ideas..."
"Ideas like what?" he asked back, feeling good about the fact that Al had been the one to start talking about it again.
"You know, she hears things from other people..." Al continued and bit his lip slightly while trying to find the words. "And before, when we where just fucking around, she didn't care about what she heard and she didn't believe it either. She would tell me what someone had said about me and then we would laugh about it for days... but now, she takes everything she hears and put it together, thinking that it's the truth... and she doesn't even ask me about it. She just starts to hate my guts for it and there is nothing I can do about it, since she won't believe me if I try to tell her the truth..."
"Well, isn't that because she feels she is more dependent on you now? I mean... before it was just you and her, now that everyone knows about the two of you as a couple, she has so much more to lose..." when Al looked at him with a question mark all over his face, Arthur smiled and continued. "...we all know that you used to fuck around a lot before right? And I am not saying that's a bad thing, it wasn't like you where cheating on anyone, you just felt like it, right?"
"You make me sound like such a crazy dude..." Al laughed but then nodded, because it was indeed true.
"A very funny dude if I might add" Arthur chuckled back and took a sip of his coke. "But she used to be just like you so she knows the way, or more like... she thinks she knows the way you used to think. Now, you are together and that makes her worry that you will cheat or something, because at the moment you're just having sex with her and that might not be enough for you..."
"Did she tell you this..?"
"Nah, she wouldn't tell me right? Because she sees me as too much of a threat to tell me about her relationship with you..." he smiled but didn't wait for the questions he saw form in those deep blue eyes. "Anyway, she has everything to lose now too, since everyone knows about it, let's not even talk about her reputation if you where to dump her right? And she loves you, which is not a reason for you to stay with her if you do not feel the same way, if you do not feel strongly for her and if she is not what you are looking for in a partner more than sex, you should not hide it anymore because that only hurts you both. I'd say, if that is how you feel you should talk to her about it and part as friends before she is too deeply into it..."
"But both you and I know that I can't do that, right?" Al sighed and poked at some break crumbs on the table, eyes cast down. "I care so much about her and I really want her to be the one I need and want but... I don't know, she is so different now and it feels like she fucking hates me at times..."
"I've heard that's what love does to you"
"Wait..." Al said with a confused look on his face. "You're sitting here and giving me advice about my relationship with my girlfriend, but you have no experience of a relationship yourself? That can't be right..?"
"Who said I don't have experience? Come on Al, do you seriously thin that I'm a virgin at my age and with my way of life?" Arthur grinned back and was relieved the pizzas where being carried towards their table. Maybe this would distract Al long enough to make him forget about the conversation about Arthur's ex... His cousin did seem very interested in the burning hot food for a while, shoveling it into his mouth with little noises of pleasure.
"Anyway.." Arthur started again, when he saw his chance, letting his own food cool down for a bit. "Since she loves you, she is proud now, knowing that a lot of other people, both male and female would want you, she has probably been barging about it... just like you have"
"I don't brag!" Al protested, moth filled with pizza and the sight made Arthur half choke with laughter on the mouthful of soda he had just taken into his mouth.
"I know you do, so don't try to slither out of this. Besides, this is about Lauren, not you" Arthur then continued as if nothing had happened. "What she would want, I think, is for you to invite her to talk to you, like you do with me, you know? She wants you to open up to her and tell her about what you feel and stuff..."
"You mean like yesterday when she accused me of having sex with you every night just because there is a rumor at school that you're gay and since we share a room you fuck my brains out?"
Arthur was so stunned by this he even forgot how to breath for a moment, just stared at the other with wide eyes. Did that mean Al believed the rumor about him being gay or not? He couldn't just leave it like that, could he? He had to ask him now because if Al didn't, the thought of him knowing but not telling would drive Arthur fucking mad.
"That... That's an unfair rumor..." he then said to break the silence because the only thing he had received form Al before the other went back to his pizza was a glance of blue oceans. "I mean... even if I where to be gay, why would we fuck just cause we share a room? And since you're heterosexual, that's an even smaller possibility, right?"
"They are teenagers Artie..." Al sighed and chewed slowly on a piece of crust. "They don't really follow logic, if they see someone who is gay they make a gay stereotype out of him or her... just the way school is these days..."
"And now, who is sounding like an old man?"
"But seriously though Arthur..." the blue eyed one said, looking up from his already half emptied plate. "...Even if you where gay or whatever, It's not like I'd mind? But I guess they think I'd start hating you if I heard about it or something..."
Arthur didn't answer. He wasn't really liking where it was all going because honestly, did Al suspect the rumors where true or not? He bit down on his lip, hard and looked down at the pizza, which must have cooled down enough to be eatable now... not that he was the least bit hungry but what ever.
"And besides, you got it wrong..." Al continued with a slight chuckle. "I'm not heterosexual, quite sure I am at least bi curious, but don't tell Lauren that... haha"
Oh no. This wasn't happening.
Oh now there has been a lot of things happening in this chapter! o: how about Al's burst of anger? Or Lauren and Arthur's conversation! AND who the fuck is that mysterious umbrella carrier and did Al really come with said person home? O.o so many questions and so few answers... ;_;
See you ;)