Life is as short as Butterflies' piss

Vash kicked the door open with his leather boot, inspecting the area with inquisitive eyes. If Ludwig wanted Arthur back in a minute, he would have him back in 30 seconds. With a coffee. Ah, coffee! Vash concentrated on the closed stalls in front of him, trying to perceive any pissing, chatting or smacking sound, when a murmur coming from the 3rd stall attracted his attention. There he was!

Behind the door, Arthur was covering Francis' pursed lips with his hand, glaring at him for wetting his palm with his -oh, so sweet!- saliva. Pushing him insistently, he urged him to step on the ceramic bowl and keep quiet and still. Yet, as soon as Francis lifted his foot, the loud frightening noise of Vash' angry boot-steps made him jump so high, that he lost balance and his shoe entered the basin.

Arthur cursed under his breath, not even slightly amused by his many efforts to take the foot out of the watery hole. "It's stuck!" Whispered Francis both alarmed and scared, and when he eventually managed to move it a little, there Vash' shadow appeared. Backing away from the door, Arthur bumped Francis, who smashed his beautiful face against the white tiles of the wall behind them. Before his hands succeeded in supporting the whole of his body, Arthur grabbed his free leg lifting it so Vash wouldn't see a third shoe on peeking under the door. Yes, Vash would do that.

From that position, Francis could contemplate the finest edge made by a wall and a block of yellow painted wood, before realizing that the water had completely soaked his jeans up to his knee. Merde.

"Arthur, I smell you in there! Come out with your hands up or I'll shoot so many times that this door will match a form of Gruyère!"

"Shut the fuck up, Vash! You'd be better off breeding cows in Switzerland, you failed form of a shepard!" Arthur shouted in placing Francis' leg down, before dashing out the stall so fast, that Vash failed in looking in.

"Why did you close the door?" Vash asked suspiciously, noticing Arthur's firm grip on the handle.

"Err..." Taken by surprise, Arthur couldn't form a sarcastic answer then and there, so he just went for something random. "Well, yesterday we ordered chili and don't take it personally, but entering now would turn you into an albino. Not that you wouldn't look great in white, but-"

Raising his eyebrows in a mixture or disgust and surprise, Vash moved some steps away from the stall and approached the exit door quickly. "Lud's waiting for you in his office. Oh, and bring that Frenchie, too, he's got news for him! So...Tschüs!" He greeted in rushing out of the restroom, glad he wouldn't need a bathroom till Lily and he got home.

Brilliant. I am bloody brilliant. A bloody brilliant tool! Yet, Vash was out of the way now, which was incredibly delightful. That brought Arthur to his previous conclusion: he was impressively bright. Ready to share his new proven theory with Francis, he found him limping out of the stall in a pair of half-doused jeans.

"Take that smile from off your face." Pfft, what was that? A threat? Arthur's smile soon transformed into a jiggle. "Arthur. Do not dare!" Oh, very intimidating! Arthur's giggle then became a snicker. "Fuck, Arthur! I've got a problem here!" Now the snicker turned in a whole-hearted laugh.

"Have you? Ahahahah! I didn't notice!" Arthur had to lean on the sink not to fall on the floor laughing. That pouting face, half-offended and half-amused, which only the most childish part of Francis could wear was now glaring at him with enthralled eyes. With a wide smirk, Arthur teased in approaching him. "I hope you're not wearing pink panties today, Fran! They might think you have some weird tendencies..."

"Shut up, rosbif.Even your exposed ankles would scream 'Look at him, he's gay!'"

Arthur punched his chest fiercely, before pushing him back into the stall. "At least I don't sway my arse as if I was on a cat-walk. Take them off." He ordered in indicating his wet jeans.

"I don't sway my ass! I just move in a way that makes it more noticeable." He replied in shifting his hands down to his belt, when he took a glimpse of Arthur's eyes, hungrily exploring that particular part of his body. "Hey, Art..." Arthur blinked and raised his pupils, nervous but attentive. Francis smirked, glancing at his hands. "Would you mind helping me?"

Arthur lifted his eyebrows in surprise, feeling suddenly robbed of his breath. He coughed lowering his gaze, before replying. "Well... If you're slouch like that..."

Raising his arms in a surrendering manner, Francis thrusted his body slightly forward to his knelt lover's hand. Lover... Ah, are these angels singing? His eyes followed his ministrations with a hint of childish curiosity mixed with care and, only partially, desire. Arthur was somewhat goofy in his movements, as he was embarrassed to touch him so intimately. His fingers shook nervously in unfastening his belt, not to mention that his efforts to water his dry mouth could be heard from the exit door.

As soon as his pads touched under Francis' tee-shirt, he tingled all over from the coldness, embarrassing Arthur even more with his short gasp. Tenser than before, he didn't manage to unbutton his jeans at once, but he had to try several times, pulling on the fabric while insulting those demmed tight-fitting jeans.

Perfectly knowing that Francis was enjoying the view, Arthur pulled at the elastic of his pants, remarking with a sarcastic tone. "You really had to wear this pair, didn't you?" Francis smiled widely. Arthur liked fancy underwear, just to say that giving him blue pants with a giant yellow star on the front would be a great Christmas present. Yet, his favourite undergarments consisted in all-black pants with a single white skull between two crossed bones on the frontal middle section. Those which Francis' had given him with a copy of "Treasure Island", a pat on his shoulder and a comment on his love for piracy.

"Of course I had. They fit me perfectly!"

Wearing a savvy look on his face, Arthur let go of the elastic band. "You're so gay it's not even funny."

"Excuse-moi, who's knelt down in front of me?"

Arthur glared at his smug grin, before replying. "Only a pervert like you could find this enjoyable."

"Then, I wonder what would excite a kinky bastard like you."

"I'm not kinky!"

"But you're a bastard."

"Belt up, Frog." Arthur concluded in unzipping his jeans, swearing even more at their tightness, now that they followed every curve of what there was thereunder with an extreme precision. Swallowed the rest of his non-existent dignity, he pulled them down and forced Francis to step out of the way.

"Stay in." He warned in rushing outside to walk up to the hand-drier. After placing his hand under the sensors, he lifted the cotton clothes to be under the hot-air jet, waiting.

Thoughts crept into his mind, one after the other. Thoughts of him and Francis, thoughts of what he was doing, thoughts of what they did. The prickling sensation of his lips eating his own was still there, itchier and sourer than before. The smell of his skin still pervaded his nose obscuring his senses, along with the warmth of his cheeks pressed against his neck, the warmth of his hands, wrapping around him like poisonous snakes. His breath mixed with his own, his hands dancing on his own, his body craving to be taken. He sighed, glancing at Francis, peeking from behind the door. So many doubts, so many questions, so many things to do, to say, to live. Together.

Perfectly knowing he wasn't ignored, Francis spied Arthur. He was only a few steps away, and still he seemed so distant. What was he to do now? He had followed his heart till there and now, now that he could still feel it beating in his chest, he was doubting he could keep on. Battled between loving Arthur purely, waiting for him to be ready for something more than hidden kisses, and backing off, denying having done anything at all, he retreated, sitting on the toilet, waiting. So many doubts, so many questions, so many things to do, to say, to live. Together?

Without glancing at him, Arthur offered him his crumpled, still-quite-humid jeans, before setting of to Ludwig's office. "Move." He said humourlessly in exiting the restroom. Arthur strided up the corridor munching his lips, ignoring the whispers all around him. Francis soon stumbled out the restroom, coggling behind him.

"Arthur!"

Still, Arthur ignored him, marching on to the office. When he reached the door, he turned down the handle and swiftly entered, closing it in Francis' face.

"Arthur, are you okay? You've surely taken your time!" Ludwig wasn't the best spy of all, but he could hide his feelings very well. He perfectly knew that something had happened in the 3rd stall, the only one whose interiors could not be seen by the cameras placed everywhere in the building. That Frenchie was doing something to Arthur and his swollen lips were a proof.

"I'm fine, thank you. Now, didn't you want to see me?"

The annoyance in Arthur's tone made Ludwig even more suspicious. "Actually, I asked for Mr. Bonnefoy to take part in our conversation as well." Then, Mr. Bonnefoy entered the door.

"Bonjour à tout le monde! Qui me désirait?" He replied with a fictitious jolly voice. He just couldn't put Arthur's reputation more in danger than it was already and pretending to be fine would save theirs both for the time being. Maybe.

"No-one. Now, would you shut up and listen, stupid muddy slimy frog?" Arthur replied hastily, but still, he left a light smile colour his features. He was lying, the bastard!

"What, already taken your sulphuric acid with tea?"

The couple hadn't started making trouble yet, that Ludwig intervened. "You two, stop it! Now, would you please take a seat?"

Both of them shifted to the red ladder-back chair in front of Ludwig's desk. Waiting for Ludwig to start his speech, Francis looked around the new environment. It was so bright and clean that his mother's eyes would bleed. The furniture was rather modern, but it had been paired with so many antiquities -Is that a Celtic cross?- that the whole mixture showed itself to be quite odd. Francis examined the lights, which bathed and inflamed everything in the office, leaving only some half-shadows here and there under the shelves. The colours strucked him immensely: it was all so white and pure, that even the black and metallic frames appeared lucid and liquid. He turned his attention back to Ludwig, innerly thinking that a guy attaching so much importance to order must have some serious problem.

Arthur, on the contrary, seemed quite at ease in the strange room. His snowy skin enjoyed being part of that so congenial environment, but what annoyed Francis the most, was the great care Ludwig reserved to Arthur.

"Now that we're all here reunited, I inform that we have wonderful news for you, Mr. Bonnefoy." What do you mean, murdering Nazi? thought Francis, glaring back at him. "Since your journey was cancelled, we managed to book a flight back to Paris just for you. Aren't you impressed by the efficiency of the British police?"

Francis looked at him blankly. A flight? That means... Arthur! Meeting the same bewildered look in Arthur's eyes, they both spurted out. "When? What time?"

Ludwig could well-understand Francis' terrified reaction, still he couldn't decode Arthur's terror. Wasn't he happy to get rid of him? "Your flight's leaving at 9.00 PM, so... I guess you'll better get going. You have to be there at least 2 hours before it takes off."

"Two... Hours?" Francis shook his head. He didn't want to go, not now. What would he do alone without Arthur? The idea of coming back into that cold flat didn't sound enjoyable at all.

"And here you have the tickets." Arthur grabbed the two pieces of paper confirming the booking and glared at them with such strength, that he hoped to see them burning.

Sighing, he stood up and thanked. "Thank you for your kindness, Ludwig. We do appreciate that." Never minding your own business, you plunker! "We do hope we'll be able to repay you soon." I'd kill you in your sleep. "Now, it's better for Francis and I to hurry up." And away from your filthy breath. "Fran, stand up. let's get going." Or I swear I'll make him choke on his golden medals.

Francis stood up hurriedly and rushed to Arthur's side, leaving the office in a moment. The air in there was smothering him and his could feel his blood boiling at a too high temperature. God, how much he wished to join in Ludwig's funeral. He would gladly bring violets to his grave.

"Hey... It's not too late." Arthur spoke softly in Francis' direction. "And Ludwig has practically given me the day off. So... Wanna spend some time with me?" He asked timidly, a little frightened by the possible answer.

Francis smiled, nodding. "I'd love to." He stretched his arm to reach for his hand, but then, realising that they were still in the middle of the corridor, he preferred moving it to pat his shoulder. "Take me anywhere you like."

Arthur smiled back with glittering eyes. "If I could, you would never leave my place."

"What do you think?" Asked Ludwig, peeking from behind the mirror-glass window.

"I don't know." Replied Lily, who had been hiding under the desk all the time. "I don't fancy that Francis particularly, but I can't bring myself to consider him a threat either. I mean, Ludwig, look at him. Doesn't he remind you of one of those little butterflies that keep on flying from flower to flower, looking for a lover, searching for a place where to depose their eggs and doing this all with admirable passion and care, even though they perfectly know their life lasts only 3 weeks?" Ludwig stared at her with empty eyes. "I mean, don't you think they're stupid, those damned butterflies? I think that Frenchie is just as stupid as them. He's always had all he could wish for, and still he's always chosen Arthur over everything. Francis, if you ever noticed, is happy only when Arthur's around. And Arthur's the same. If their lives have a meaning only when they're together, why would we like to separate them?"

"You can't make this sort of speech about two guys."

"Why can't I?" Remarked Lily, slightly offended.

"Don't take me wrong, I'm not against this kind of, you know, same-sex relationships. It's just that- C'me on, Lily, Arthur's not that type of man!"

"I wasn't implying anything sexual, Ludwig. What I'm trying to say is that, when I look at them, I see two happy individuals. That's why I can't see your point."

Ludwig furrowed his eyesbrows seriously before speakin again. "Arthur suffers for him. You perfectly know that."

"Have you ever wondered if Francis suffers for him, too?" Ludwig looked with the same stern expression. "I know him very little, but I can tell he is no strong man. He's too sensitive to be a cynic, if you prefer saying it this way. And Arthur... That poor, poor Arthur..."

"I'm worried for him."

"Only you are." Lily sighed in walking to the door. "That's the problem, Ludwig. Only you still worry for him."

End Ch.17

To all of you: HAPPY EASTER! Get fat and boost up your glycemia levels for the docs' joy! ^^