What is this? An on time chapter? No problems for this one? Huzzah!
Warnings: Fluffiness. Y'all got an easy chapter this week!
Arthur's sleep was far more restful than that of the night before. Feeling warm and protected he allowed himself to fall into sleep and stay asleep for more than the fitful hours he had gathered the night before.
Waking just as sun was falling behind the horizon he cracked open an eye and glanced around blearily, not wanting to shift Antonio's arm from around his shoulder. Looking around he found that he didn't recognize the area that they were driving through, but he could tell that they had to be somewhere in the countryside. Peeking up at the man he was amused to find that the Spaniard was so focused on the road that he took no notice of the alert Englishman under his arm. Yawning to catch the man's attention Arthur smiled and sighed heavily as the arm around his shoulders tensed slightly in surprise at the sudden noise.
"Where are we?" He questioned hoarsely rubbing at his eyes in an attempt to clear the film that filled them. "How long was I asleep?" Antonio jumped slightly when Arthur spoke, but smiled down at him happily, amused with himself for being startled.
"It's good to see your eyes again. I was starting to think you'd never wake up. *He teased softly, though in all honesty he was glad Arthur had been able to sleep for as long as he did. "I'm not entirely sure where we are. I have a vague idea though…I'm pretty sure we're pretty close to the middle of nowhere." He joked halfheartedly, too tired to really laugh at his own attempt at humor. "As for how long you've been sleeping? A little more than five hours."
"Five hours?" Arthur grumbled sitting up stiffly and adjusting his seat belt so it fit more comfortably around his shoulder. He had only meant to nap, he hadn't meant for Antonio to be alone for that long. "How are we doing on gas? You want me to drive? *He asked reaching into the backseat and pulling a water bottle from the bag. Taking a drink he sighed and extended the bottle to Antonio. "Or maybe we should just find a place to stay for the night?" He suggested scanning through the surrounding area with a discerning eye before he reverted his gaze back onto Antonio with a small adoring smile. "I honestly didn't mean to sleep that long...how are you doing?" Antonio laughed at the small tirade and shook his head.
"Truthfully? I'm exhausted and my mind keeps conjuring horrible images of what could happen to us... but then I realized you were right there, and that we were safe, and I realized that there was nothing to worry about until the next time we run into…whatever those things are." Catching the worried look in Arthur's eyes he shook his head and grinned at the Englishman. "I'm alright, I promise." Antonio insisted with a smile as accepted the water bottle and took a sip from it.
Thinking to Arthur's other questions he couldn't keep himself from frowning. Gas was running a bit low, which wasn't terribly concerning because they had more, but what happened when they run out of the extra fuel? He sighed but regained his smile after a minute.
"Whichever you prefer I am ok with. If you want to keep driving, then we'll keep driving. If you want us to stop for the night, then we can stop." Arthur nodded at the choices and frowned slightly in thought.
"Why don't you pull over and let me drive? I'll try to find a place for us to sleep while you rest for a bit." *Arthur suggested after a moment, feeling a small pang of...something when Antonio mentioned that he was worried about him. Beaming happily when Antonio's faltering smile regained its strength he accepted back the water bottle and recapped it placing it in between them in the large cup holders. "You've been driving all day. Even if you don't sleep I'd rather you let me take the wheel? The last thing we need is to have an accident out here in the middle of nowhere with those creatures running around." He pointed out when Antonio seemed reluctant to pull over. "Just find a nice open area. If we need to we can even sleep in the car. It'll be cramped but I think we can manage."
It took a few minutes, but after a few more insistent looks from Arthur, Antonio reluctantly pulled over and looked over at Arthur with a slight frown.
"You sure you'll be ok to drive? I think I can keep going for a while yet amigo. Really don't worry about me..." Antonio attempted before a yawn revealed his lie and Arthur raised a judgmental eyebrow. "Well...you know maybe I should let you drive." He sighed reluctantly. "Where are you planning on having us stop though? I doubt there is much out there for quite a ways yet." Arthur thought for a moment, but didn't need much time to make a decision as he thought on it.
"We'll just keep heading further out into the countryside. Hopefully we'll hit a military outpost or something between here and there." He pointed out once he had solidified his idea in his head. "There will be gas stations out that way, and like I said: we can sleep in the car if necessary, and I did get a rather long nap I'm sure I should be fine for the rest of the night." Arthur explained, unclipping his seat belt and opening the car door.
Groaning as he stepped outside he stretched and felt few bones pop out of the uncomfortable sleeping position he had taken up. Muttering to himself he glanced back at the car where Antonio was still sitting and gestured for him to step out and stretch. Taking a moment to look around him he found that Antonio was right: there was nothing around them for miles.
As far as he could see, open plains and wooded areas stretched on for miles. It was both a blessing and a curse, they were far away from the zombies, but also a decent time away from any gas stations or potential run ins with people. Glancing over his shoulder he leaned against the side of the truck with a heavy sigh once Antonio stepped free from the driver's seat stiffly.
"Tell me...how are we on fuel? Should we fill up the tank while we're stopped?" He asked curiously, not wanting to have to stop again after dark if they didn't have to.
"We have a little less than a quarter tank it might not be a bad idea to fill up." Antonio stated as he came to stand beside Arthur. Stretching the stiff muscles in his neck and back he winced a bit, muttering sleepily under his breath as he examined the area where they had stopped.
It was strange; standing in the middle of nowhere like they were it was hard to remember there were more than two people left in the world. Then again, he had no way of knowing if they weren't the last people alive.
"I feel so... alone. *He said after a minute, moving closer to Arthur unconsciously. "It feels like we could easily be the last two people alive, though I pray to God that's not true." As Antonio spoke, Arthur brought his attention back to the Spaniard and smiled sadly nodding in a glum agreement.
Let's hope that we're not. *He whispered, hesitantly reaching out as Antonio approached and brushing some of the chocolate colored hair out of his verdant eyes.
He knew that as strange as the day had been it was entirely possible that he and Antonio were the last people in the area at least. He didn't remember seeing a single living person as they drove through town in an area as densely populated as the outskirts of a large city. It was a disturbing thought, but not having seen anyone made his chest feel a bit tight and his stomach churn sickeningly.
"We'll be ok... I'm sure that the military has a base set up somewhere, or that there are other people nearby that we just haven't seen yet." He pointed out encouragingly hoping to raise Antonio's spirits if he couldn't raise his own.
Antonio smiled weakly and nodded, a flash of warm bubbling in his stomach as Arthur brushed hair from his face with a couple pale fingers. They couldn't be the last two alive...That just wasn't possible. Surely there had been other people who had outsmarted the creatures? They just had to find them. The more people they grouped up with the easier it would be to stay alive, but then again that was just a theory.
"I'm sure you are right. We can't be the last two people." He nodded before bringing his hand up to catch Arthur's with a smile before the Englishman could pull away. "How about we fill the beast up with gas and keep going for a bit?" He suggested amused when he spotted a faint blush form on Arthur's cheeks.
"You're right...there has to be at least a couple people as lucky as we are out there." Arthur chuckled and nodded, the knots in his stomach disappearing as Antonio wrapped his warm fingers around the hand that Arthur had placed against his cheek. "I suppose we might as well keep going." he sighed removing his hand from Antonio's face reluctantly and moving over to the car.
Throwing open the door to the back seat he looked down at the jugs of Gasoline with a calculating eye and hauled it out of the car with a grunt.
"There's only enough gas in here for one full tank." He pointed out. "Enough to make it to the next town at least...I think." He muttered unscrewing the lid from the gas can and starting to fill up the car. Antonio shrugged leaning against the side of the car.
"That's all the further we need to make it to get more, si? Maybe we'll find more people in the town over too..." He said encouragingly, glancing over at Arthur out of the corner of his eye. "Though we probably don't want to head into a town anywhere near dark: Something tells me these things would be harder to fight when we can't see very well..." he reasoned as he watched for any infected as Arthur filled the car.
"I can agree with that...never been a big fan of the dark in the first place." Arthur murmured shivering a bit at the idea of running away from the undead creatures in the dark when fighting them in the day time was already so horrible. "If there are people in this next town, how will we know if they're friendly or not?" He asked cautiously as the last of the gas dribbled into the tank. Moving away from the tank after shaking out the remnants he reattached the lid to the jug and tossed it into the back seat before turning back to Antonio. "I mean you've seen how people act times of crisis...what if they attack us?" He demanded his face not concealing his worry as well as he had hoped. Antonio frowned a bit and gently rested his hand on Arthur's shoulder.
"Well, then they attack us, but somehow I think people will be easier to talk to than you think... Would you attack another living person in a time like this? I know I wouldn't. We'll just have to be careful is all." He said softly, wanting to calm Arthur's worries as best he could.
"I suppose you're right." Arthur sighed looking back at Antonio with a small frown still on his face. "But we should be careful...we haven't gone this far just to get killed by some psychopath with a hand gun." He pointed out reaching out and pulling aside Antonio's jacket so he could look at the scratches on his shoulder. "We should clean these..." He muttered almost to himself, eyeing the blood caked around the angry looking red wounds "Would you mind if we patched you up before we moved on? I don't know when we'll get another chance." he explained studying the wounds with a frown on his face "We can't risk infection... especially since we don't have any antibiotics."
"I…I guess so." Antonio said hesitantly, looking around them again. He didn't like being out in the open, even if it did seem like they were relatively safe where they were. "But quickly... I don't like being stopped. At least the car offers protection..." He said, biting the inside of his lip nervously. "I'm sure they are fine though... they sting but that's expected after all..."
"Sit down...I'll only take a minute I promise." Arthur insisted pulling open the passenger side door and forcing Antonio to sit before moving into the back seat and fishing the first aid kit out of the center counsel." In my opinion…sitting in an area in the open right now is much safer than anywhere else. We can see for miles from here." He pointed out gesturing for Antonio to take off his shirt while he rifled through the items in the kit and producing a few bandages and some antiseptic wipes "If you cooperate we'll get moving a lot faster." He pointed out knowingly chuckling when Antonio grumbled something under his breath, but removed his shirt.
The small pained noise that fell almost unwilling from Antonio's lips when he lift the fabric over his head made it pretty clear that Arthur had a point. They probably should at least try and bandage the wounds. From where they were sitting, they could easily see if any of the creatures were coming, and they could be safely in the car long before any of them were close enough to do any harm. Shivering a bit as cool air swirled around his now bare torso and little goose bumps rose up on his sun kissed skin Antonio crossed his arms over his chest to bite back the chill.
"Here is as good as any place..." He relented, glancing back at Arthur with a sigh.
Arthur would be the first to admit that he was stunned for a moment when Antonio tugged his shirt off revealing his well-toned chest and abs. Feeling yet another blush curling onto his face it took him a moment to realize that he was staring and yet another before he remembered why he told Antonio to take off his shirt in the first place when he spotted the angry red gouges on his shoulders, neck, and chest glaring back at him angrily.
"I think these might scar." He pointed out after regaining his composure and setting to work cleaning the wounds gingerly with a feather light touch "We'll be matching then..." he teased softly his free hand flickering up to his injured neck as he cleaned the blood from Antonio's neck. "Do they feel warm at all? We should have dealt with these yesterday...they're red which makes me think that you might have some sort of an infection and that worries me." He rambled in order to fill the eerie silence filling the air around them.
"If they scar then they scar. I don't know if they feel warm, you are the one touching them, not me. If they are infected then we just have to hope I don't die from it." Antonio responded back, not at all positive sounding, surprisingly enough, but realizing he didn't sound very nice he looked down and sighed. "Lo siento, I just don't like getting hurt." He sighed heavily. "Try not to worry too much. They are fairly new yet and new wounds always are ringed with red and angry looking." He winced as Arthur brushed past a particularly painful scratch and he bit his tongue to hold back the soft whimper he could feel trying to escape from his throat.
"It's alright...you're tired and in pain. I understand that you'll be a bit grumpy." Arthur chuckled continuing his gently cleaning only to hesitate when Antonio flinched. "I'm sorry...did I hurt you?" *He demanded looking up at him with worried eyes and earning a pained, but reassuring smile in return. "You're lucky he didn't do any more damage than this...he was strong for as small as he was." He pointed out with a smile on his face as he pulled out a patch of gauze and placed it over the gashes on Antonio's shoulder before taping the patch down with a sigh.
It took him a good twenty minutes to clean and dress all the wounds on Antonio, but once he finished he was satisfied that they didn't seem infected. Giving him one last look over he smiled and nodded proud that he had managed to bandage all the wounds with limited effort.
"Alright...I think I'm done. How does it feel now? I think there was some ibuprofen in the bag if you need it." Arthur pointed out eyeing the man discerningly as he searched for any further injury his hands ghosting across a few bruises on his shoulder with a frown.
"It feels better now, more just a sting than any actual pain. *Antonio said his voice relieved as he tested out his newly bandaged shoulder.
He shivered a bit at the light fingertips that feathered across the bruises on his shoulder and half closed his eyes. It felt strangely... nice to have Arthur's hands touching him. A deep blush flooded his face at the thought as his mind wandered, and he quickly averted his gaze, though he glanced up at Arthur through his eyelashes with a shy smile after a moment. "Gracias… For taking care of me."
Arthur couldn't help but notice the small shivers moving through Antonio's skin as he touched him and felt the blush already on his face curl up into his ears. Smiling happily back at him, he retracted his hand a bit reluctantly from Antonio's warm skin and sighed in relief that he wasn't in pain.
"As I remember it...you took care of me first." He pointed out flushing shyly and cleaning up his mess replacing the medical kit into the back seat. Finished, he turned to face Antonio whose eyes were following after him slowly in a curious fashion. "Are you...umm...ready to leave?" he demanded flushing as he realized just how intimate the contact between them had actually been.
Antonio found himself trailing Arthur's every move with his eyes as the man moved around to pick up. He admired the way the late afternoon sunlight shown in his tousled blonde hair, and how the warm blush on his cheeks made the Spaniard's heart clench and the butterflies rise up in his stomach. He had savored the feeling of Arthur's cool fingers gently probing at his injuries more than he probably should have, and was struck by the pang of longing that shot through him when he had pulled away. He knew he was staring, and yet he couldn't pull his eyes away. Not that he had any particular desire to. He was so caught up in his thoughts he jumped when Arthur spoke.
"Oh... Um I guess I did... Didn't I? I... Arthur?" He started, but before he could speak his mouth seemed to dry, his heart beat too quickly, the blush in his cheeks flamed impossibly redder and... he chickened out. "I guess I'm ready to go... If you are that is..." Arthur blinked, waiting for Antonio to finish his statement as he stared back at him hopefully.
Hopefully? What was he hopeful for? His stomach was tying itself into knots as he stared up at the man whose face was flushed to an almost impossible shade of red, and he couldn't help but be disappointed when the man finally turned away with a defeated look in his eyes.
"I'm ready to leave if you are. I know how much you hate being in the open." Arthur smiled shakily moving to walk towards the driver's seat only to hesitate. "Antonio...what were you going to ask?" he asked quietly turning back to Antonio with a quizzical look on his face. He really wanted to know what made the man look so flustered. "I promise I won't be upset...what is it?" he asked smiling encouragingly.
"I... Um... It wasn't a big deal or anything amigo." Antonio stuttered with a wobbly smile. His emerald eyes were bright and it was clear there was something he wanted to say, but he just couldn't get the words out.
Arthur said he wouldn't be upset... but how did he know? What if Antonio did say something to upset him? His heart clenched painfully in his chest at the thought of Arthur being upset at all let alone upset with him. No, he couldn't do it. Emerald eyes flitted up to Arthur's smiling face and away again, fixing themselves safely out the window.
Arthur sighed when Antonio seemed reluctant to say anything further. He felt a horrible pang of disappointment fill his chest as he nodded and moved into the driver's seat closing the door behind him.
"Alright then…" He whispered starting the truck and pulling out onto the road once again. "Why don't you get some sleep? You seem sort of flushed." He pointed out glancing shyly over at the man as he moved into a cruising speed his eyes focusing onto the endless stretch of road ahead of them. "I'll let you know if we reach anywhere we can stop to rest...or gather supplies...or if anything seems important enough to wake you."
Antonio cursed himself mentally with every foul name he could muster when he caught sight of a disappointed gleam in Arthur's eyes. He somehow knew he really could tell him anything. so why was he so hesitant in just admitting he... admitting he might...
He sighed softly; frustrated he couldn't even think the words to himself. Maybe he really did need sleep. When he woke up surely he'd be able to talk to Arthur then? Miserably he looked out the window, somehow knowing it wouldn't be any easier to say no matter how long he waited.
"Ok, but don't hesitate to wake me up if you need me...for any reason ok? *He said with an unconvincing smile. He just needed to spit it out... 'Arthur. I like you.' see? Not so hard... but it was hard: Harder than fighting a zombie, or staying calm, or getting supplies...
"I promise I will." Arthur chuckled, his hand reaching out to turn on the heater as he glanced over at the conflicted looking Antonio. Frowning slightly he fought the urge to reach out and take the man's hand, but knew it was best to leave him alone if he was going to try and sleep. "If you'd like you can use my jacket... the window is sort of uncomfortable." He pointed out feeling the flustered vibes rolling off of Antonio in his own mind as he peered out into the increasingly dark night. "Or you can use my shoulder...you let me use yours." He smiled warmly attempting to catch the man's eyes but finding them stubbornly glued to the window. "Are you sure you're ok?"
No! He wasn't ok at all! Antonio just wanted to... To what? He didn't even know...
With a deep breath he turned from the window and fixed Arthur with his emerald green eyes, an intense, unnamed emotion in there bright green depths. A blush was already on his face as he opened his mouth to speak, and again his heart started thundering away until he was sure Arthur would be able to hear it, but it didn't matter. If he didn't say it now, he'd never say it.
"Arthur... I.. Um..." He trailed off, but then he remembered the soft, shy smiles and the glow of adoration he had seen in this man's eyes, and thought maybe, just maybe Arthur felt the same way he did. Of course he could be wrong. "I like you." He blurted out, eyes flying wide as he realized he had actually said it.
Arthur felt his face turn an entirely new shade of red as he saw Antonio struggling over what he was trying to say. When he finally spoke though, he felt his heart jump into his throat.
Did he...did he just...maybe he meant it in a friendly way? But why would he be so flustered if he meant it in a wholly friendly fashion?
Flustered and confused he struggled to come up with a response and realized he might be taking too long to respond. Antonio's eyes were filled with such...emotional turmoil that Arthur felt himself freezing. Afraid that his distraction might lead him to crashing into something he pulled off to the side of the road and took a deep breath. Turning to Antonio he smiled shakily and sighed.
"I like you too Antonio." he whispered shyly his hands fidgeting in his lap as he struggled to figure out what he should do next.
Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe Arthur didn't like him too. The stunned, flustered look on his face only served to confirm Antonio's heart breaking suspicions.
He was so stupid! They barely knew anything about each other! Why would he think... but then they were pulling off the road and Antonio glanced over at Arthur in confusion. It took a long while for him to realize what Arthur was saying to him, but when he did a smile, warm and affection spread across his face, though his cheeks still burned bright red.
"Really?" He asked in a hushed voice, his heart all but exploding out of his chest with his excitement and happiness at his words.
"Yes...really." Arthur chuckled watching happily as a warm smile spread across Antonio's face. "I suppose it has something to do with the whole end of the world thing...but I'm finding that I really don't have the time to ask you out on a date or bring you presents which would probably be more acceptable in a normal setting." He flushed, unable to meet Antonio's gaze as he explained himself shyly "I know we just met each other, but I've been through more with you in the past two days than anyone else I know. I'm not afraid to say that I care about you." He whispered glancing up at him through his eyelashes and finding that Antonio's eyes were filled with a strange mixture of emotions that left Arthur's stomach churning.
"I think these last two days have been long enough to cover two lifetimes" Antonio chuckled softly averting his gaze for a moment. "As for the date and such, the end of the world sort of puts a rather large dent in that plan. We just might have to survive this whole thing first." Antonio said with a smile, adoration clear in his gaze. "I care about you too." His voice was soft as he spoke, and seemed to all but radiate with happiness and affection.
Arthur chuckled and nodded his eyes glancing down at his hands as he struggled to find out how to respond to the man. Looking up after a moment he steeled himself and smiled. Leaning forward he gently kissed the man on the cheek, barely brushing his lips against the skin before pulling back and lowering his eyes onto the steering wheel.
"We should probably get going..." He pointed out fidgeting slightly as he glanced over at Antonio. "We still need to find someplace to sleep." He stammered out not daring to meet Antonio's eyes in his embarrassment. Why was he so stupid? Stupid stupid stupid! He just said he liked him and there he was kissing him on the bloody cheek?
Antonio's eyes were wide, but a soft, wondering smile quirked at his lips. He hadn't dared to hope for such a sweet gesture, and having received the soft kiss on his cheek he felt like he had been given a precious gift. But when he tried to meet Arthur's eyes, he found that the man wouldn't look at him and he felt panic claw at his chest.
Why was he so flustered? Why wouldn't he meet his eyes? Surely Arthur wasn't cruel enough to just mess with his feelings? But, perhaps he was just embarrassed and flustered? Antonio himself had been in a similar situation after all, but how to reassure Arthur that it was ok? He could only think of one thing. Slowly he leaned over to him and cupped his face with gentle hands, forcing the Englishman to look at him before very slowly leaning in and kissing him softly.
"It's ok. You don't have to be embarrassed amigo." He whispered once he slowly broke the soft kiss his thumb brushing across Arthur's flushing cheek.
Arthur was about to apologize for his stupid and rash action when he felt Antonio's hands cup his cheeks gently. Glancing up at him in confusion he was stunned to find Antonio leaning in. Surely he wasn't going to...Arthur was quickly corrected as Antonio pressed his lips against his gently.
Stunned, Arthur felt a surge of electricity shoot through him as his eyes flew open in surprise and he melted into the kiss that ended much too quickly.
"I...I..." He stammered his face crimson as Antonio reassured him with a small smile on his face. Grinning stupidly he brought his hand up to his lips and ran his fingers over the spot where Antonio's lips had been moments before. Was it wrong to think that was the best kiss he had ever received? He didn't think so... Flushing he leaned into Antonio's hand and nodded. "Alright...I believe you now." he laughed embarrassedly.
Antonio laughed warmly at the comment his eyes dancing with amusement as he pulled retracted his hand. Was it possible Arthur was even redder than before?
"Good. I'm glad you believe me, otherwise I might of had to do it again." He teased though he wasn't sure he was actually opposed to that, after all that had been the best kiss of his life, even if it was short. It had been sweet, loving, and perfect.
"Don't let my belief stop you..." Arthur muttered almost under his breath as he turned back to the wheel and pulled out onto the road with the furious blush still on his cheeks knowing they couldn't afford to stay on the side of the road much longer.
Moving down the road he caught himself glancing over at Antonio every couple of seconds before he gave in and reached out taking the man's hand in his own bringing their hands to rest on the center council.
"You should try to sleep...I'll wake you up when we reach a safe place to stop." he murmured tracing his thumb across Antonio's wrist as he smiled fondly back at the man his heart still thundering in his chest.
Antonio looked down at their intertwined fingers and smiled before he rested his head against Arthur's shoulder finally ready to give up the battle of staying awake.
"Alright, but if you need me wake me up..." He said in a voice already slurred by sleep. He kept the hands together even after he had drifted off, though his grip was loose in sleep. He slept fitfully, but there was one time, after perhaps an hour or so, that the word 'Arthur' slipped from his lips in a soft, loving whisper.
Arthur had to admit he must have had a stupid grin on his face every time Antonio murmured his name in his sleep. Humming happily he found himself in a sort of daze.
Antonio kissed him...he actually kissed him!
He was so distracted by his thoughts and the lack of objects to look at that in a moment of habit he slipped into the opposite side of the road not thinking twice about the action on the abandoned road. Almost dozing himself, he almost didn't see the oncoming car until it was too late.
Yelping when a horn blared ahead of him and a pair of blinding headlights filled the cabin, he jerked the wheel to the side and skidded off the road coming to a screeching stop just as the other car pulled to as stop behind them.
"Bloody hell! Antonio are you ok?" He gasped, his hand clenched around Antonio's hand with enough force to strain his hand
Antonio was jostled awake roughly by the sudden swerve off the road, a seat belt burn forming over his collar bone almost instantly.
His emerald eyes had lost all pretense of sleep and were wide as he looked around, trying to figure out what was going on.
"Arthur?! What's..." He began only to cut off with a yelp as a rather furious looking woman with what appeared to be a large iron skillet in her hands came to stand outside his window. He turned to look at Arthur, only to find a silver haired man outside his window as well, tapping a gun against the glass.
What was it Arthur ad said about strangers that might want to kill them?
Hey guys, thanks to those who left wonderful reviews! A couple people now have said they don't like zombies but are planning to stick around so... you guys are awesome and thanks! Hope this chapter was up to par!