Arthur woke up on the sofa. He hadn't planned to fall asleep. He can hear the murmuring of voices coming from the kitchen.
"...Speak of the devil." Francis says. Arthur is winded when Alfred throws his arms around him in a hug, almost picking him off his feet.
"Get off me." He pushed Alfred away, but not too far, still in touching distance.
"I told ya I'd come." Alfred said. "And here I am."
"Good. At least you're doing as you're told."
"Like you'd know anything about that."
"I always do what I'm told." Arthur said. "I've never broken a rule in my life."
"Course not. Anyway, it's been a warm day so I thought we'd go for a walk. Spend some time together. Maybe go for dinner." Alfred said.
Arthur was looking at Francis, who was smiling smugly so this was obviously his idea.
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"Where are we going?" Arthur said, trudging along behind Alfred, who seemed be half skipping along the road.
"Just for a walk." Alfred said. "Well, actually, I know where we're going. But it's a surprise. But I can't tell you."
Arthur nodded and pulled his coat tighter around his body.
"Are you cold? I thought it was kind of warm for early December."
"Not that cold." Arthur said. "What happened to your face? You cheek looks swollen."
"Blushing in your presence."Alfred said, taking Arthur's hand. "I was always thought this was kinda a liberal place to live."
"What do you mean?"
"I gotta into a little...disagreement with some people that don't like that I'm gay."
"A disagreement? Alfred, are you okay?" Arthur said.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Alfred said. Arthur hadn't been paying attention to where they were going. "Even though some people didn't like it, I still feel better people knowing. And some girl called Elizabeta asked me if I wanted to start a LGBT club with her."
"That's nice," Arthur said. "Why are we outside your house?"
"I wanna come out to my parents." Alfred said. "And I want you to be here for me."
"Alfred...I'm not sure. I look terrible and I'm not dressed...I thought you meant an actual walk..."
"You owe me, Arthur Kirkland, you said so yourself that you double owe me. Triple if you count that stupid bet, quadruple if you count me looking for you all that time."
"I didn't ask you to look for me," Arthur said, testily. "How long are you going to be holding the bet over me?"
"If you help me, I won't mention it ever again." Alfred said.
"Alright."
"Yes!" Alfred said. He dramatically punched the air. "And you can spend Christmas with us. I wish you could have had Thanksgiving with us, but you were all disappeared and stuff. I barely even enjoyed it, I lost my appetite and only had seconds, but Christmas, that'll be awesome -"
"Alfred. I don't think we'll be spending Christmas together with your parents. They probably won't approve."
"What do you mean? My dad liked you."
"He liked me when he thought I was some idiot you were tutoring, not some idiot who dropped out of school that you're dating." Arthur said. "But we can try." He added, seeing Alfred's face drop.
Alfred squeezed his hand and then let go.
"So last night I just asked if I could have a friend over for dinner. They agreed. I was thinking we could tell them while we're eating."
"Whatever you want."
"Mattie knows already."
"I guessed that when he let me sleep in your bed."
"Oh yeah." Alfred said. "Jeez, I'm sweating."
Arthur rolled his eyes. He thought about hissing; 'think about how I feel'.
Alfred was the innocent in all this. He was the one corrupting Alfred. Their precious son.
He stayed close to Alfred as they walked into the house, which was mostly eerily silent, but there was a faint clattering in the kitchen.
Alfred took his coat and hung it up in a closet.
"She's cooking." Alfred mumbled. "Let's get a drink."
"Hi, Mom!" He said brightly. "Just grabbing a drink. This is Arthur."
Alfred's mother was tall and pretty, a lot like Alfred.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Jones." Arthur said, holding out his hand.
"Well, you're more polite than Alfred's other friends. But I prefer Julia." she said.
Arthur nodded and put his hands behind his back once she released him.
"Water, Arthur?"
"Yes, please." Arthur said.
"I'll see you at dinner, mom." Alfred said, and he pushed Arthur towards the door. Once they were out of the kitchen, Alfred grabbed his arm and ran up the stairs and didn't let go until they were in his bedroom.
"I can't do it, Artie." Alfred said. "That was horrible, she was horrible."
"She wasn't horrible, Alfred." Arthur said, rubbing his arm. "And no one is making you do it."
"You're supposed to make me do it now. Tell me I should stick with my guns."
"Then do it." Arthur says.
"Your arm is red? Did I hurt you?"
"No, Alfred. Not at all. I'm used to worse."
Arthur sat down on the sofa.
"Do you wanna play video games?"
"Not really." Arthur said. "But I'll watch you."
"But that's boring for you. Wanna play Monopoly?"
"That's a bit dangerous, for so early in the relationship." Arthur said. "And only if I can be the boat."
"That's fine because I wanna be the race-car." Alfred said.
"Is your brother home?"
"Yeah, why?"
"It's more fun with more people." Arthur said.
"'K." Alfred said. He opened the cabinet under his t.v. and put the box down in the floor. "You set up, I'll go get him."
Arthur opened the box. He hasn't played Monopoly in ten years, maybe more. He doesn't remember the rules, but that probably doesn't matter - he doubts Alfred is the type of person to actually follow the rules of Monopoly. He sets it up before Alfred comes back and then goes to sit on Alfred's bed.
Alfred's alien hides under the pillow. He smiles. It was nice knowing that about Alfred.
The door creaks open and Arthur slides off the bed. Matthew follows behind Alfred.
"Matt wants to be the thimble."
"I do not want to be the thimble."
"Yes you do you're always the thimble."
"No-one is ever the thimble, Alfred. It's a completely superfluous piece." Arthur said.
"I'm always the dog," said Matthew. "But I kinda feel sorry for the thimble now."
"Let's just get started." Alfred said. "I'm gonna kick your asses."
Arthur did not like Monopoly. In fact, he hated the frustrating game and felt like throwing it out the window. He wasn't quite as bad as Alfred, who brought himself near bankruptcy twice before Matthew bailed him out, but he wasn't having fun. Matthew was good at it, and both he and Alfred were enjoying themselves. Arthur at least liked watching Alfred grin and laugh and argue with his brother. Arthur was considering plunging himself into bankruptcy on purpose, but before he could throw the dice trickily so he'd land directly on Matthew's hotel-ridden property, it was time for dinner. He watched Alfred inhale deeply and then exhale.
"It's pretty obvious I'd win, guys," he said, but his laugh was cracked and nervous.
Matthew rolled his eyes and went downstairs ahead of them.
"You can do this, Alfred." Arthur said. He pecked Alfred on the cheek. "I'm here."
"I really don't know if I can." Alfred said. "What if they react like people at school? What if they think I'm sick and twisted, or crazy, or sinful."
"Well, you're not any of those things so they'd be stupid to think it, wouldn't they?" Arthur said. "It couldn't be any worse than when my stepfather found out about me."
"How'd he find out?" Alfred said.
"I was fourteen. And I'd been with the guy for a while - the one I'd lost my virginity to, and my stepdad and mother went away with Peter to see his grandparents. I invited him to stay the weekend. But they came home early, and walked in on us. He nearly killed me that night." Arthur said. "My mum always knew, though. She didn't care. Well, she's doesn't care about what I do let alone who I do."
"Ok. Stop making me guilty for complaining about my family." Alfred said.
"That wasn't what I was trying to do." Arthur said. "But I'm not very good at pep talks."
"I think it worked, though. I feel better." Alfred said. "We should get die stayed before dinner gets cold."
Alfred held his hand tightly, walking down the stairs, and only let go just as they were walking into the dinning room. Arthur felt horribly underdressed, in torn black jeans and a baggy Clash t-shirt he'd slept in the night before. Alfred's family weren't dressed up, but they were dressed impeccably.
Arthur sat next to Alfred. He could feel Alfred's knee jig up and down under the table.
"It's nice to see you again, Arthur." Alfred's dad said.
"You, too. Thank you for having me." Arthur said. He wrapped his foot around Alfred's.
Alfred picked up his fork and then promptly put it down again.
"Mom," he said. She looked up and Alfred cleared his throat. "Dad. I actually have something important that I wanted to say."
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A/N: thank you for reading/following/reviewing it makes it happier than it probably should :)