He Thinks Too Much
Being outside was a treat after a week of not being allowed out of the house. Alfred could really be annoying, Arthur had been thinking a lot as of late. Not only did the man boss him around as if he had adopted Arthur as opposed to the other way around, he had to keep asking questions about that stupid Frenchman. Arthur was at the end of his rope. Which was soon to be placed around Alfred's neck.
It is a good thing that the boy wants to move ou– Arthur stopped that train of thought right in its tracks, feeling slightly sick again. Okay, maybe when Alfred mentioned that Arthur was the type to worry himself sick there had been a grain of truth.
Alfred was twenty years old. He was a medical prodigy who had chosen to stay in a small town when he could have left a long time ago. Arthur considered this. Alfred had chosen to stay here, for whatever reason. Arthur had his own reasons for returning (most particularly he had not thought that Francis would ever return here), but for some reason Alfred loved Hearth and had not taken the opportunity to stay away after he had flown through med school. He had the opportunity to go far, but... but...
Maybe it's time I let him go.
Alfred was twenty years old. It was strange. Arthur did not feel like he was that old. He still felt like he was in his twenties – maybe thirty at the oldest.
Huh.
"Good morning, Arthur."
Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Arthur gave a small wave toward Ludwig. "Morning Ludwig. Where are you off to? The rehearsal is not yet, is it?"
"No." Ah, Ludwig still seemed sore about the subject, his hesitation was just barely contained by the single word. "Elizaveta just realized she needed someding from de store ant called to ask if I't get it for her. So dat's vhere I am going."
Arthur nodded, his next words coming slowly from his lips. "I just... do you mind if I ask you something, before you go?"
Ludwig, who had been about to turn and walk away, stopped again and stared over at Arthur's porch. "Very vell."
"When are you and Gilbert going to begin on that house?"
It did not seem as if Ludwig had been expecting that question, but after only a few seconds of thinking, he spoke. "Alfred said ve could vait until after de vedding."
"Feliciano forcing you to do much?" Arthur asked wryly, just able to imagine it. He felt rather sorry for Ludwig, actually, while he also found that he was glad he had been incapacitated for a week and therefore out of the loop of all of the insanity which had apparently happened while he had been under some form of house arrest.
"Actually..." Ludwig started slowly, no longer seeming like he wanted to walk anywhere. Arthur's attention was immediately seized, though he tried not to seem too interested, because that would just be rude. "I dink Feliciano vould rader de entire ding be over now. He has been... been..."
"Tired?" Arthur asked. Ludwig shook his head.
"Irritated."
The words he wanted to say did not come to his mouth immediately. "Feliciano? Irritated?" Arthur asked incredulously. If it had not been Ludwig, he would have asked if he was joking. But Ludwig did not tell jokes. And he did not try and make life more difficult for himself by saying that Feliciano was being irritated.
"Because Marcus has been so wrapped up in eferyding," Ludwig said dryly. And while Arthur might have not been able to imagine Feliciano actually irritated, he could understand the possibility now. Understand it and know that he really did not want to see it.
"Ah," he responded.
Ludwig pursed his lips. "I just... I don't know how to deal vith dis."
"Deal with it?" Arthur asked, surprised. Ludwig nodded and Arthur shook his head, unable to restrain his smile. "You deal with it as you deal with everything else with him."
"I don't understand."
"Feliciano isn't always going to be... irritated," Arthur managed to say. "It's just another segment of your relationship that you have been either lucky enough or unlucky enough not to have dealt with until now. If you are still yourself, if you can do that while dealing with Feliciano's bad side," which was the strangest thing he had probably ever said about Feliciano, "you'll have proven yourself even more – to yourself and to Feliciano, when he is over it and realizes it all. It will be good for the both of you."
Slowly, Ludwig nodded. "So... I just treat him as I usually do?"
"What else can you do?" Arthur asked. "He loves you for you, why would he want you to try and treat him differently, even now?"
This seemed to be a lot for Ludwig to chew on. Then again, emotions had never really come easily to the German. "...danke for de... adfice."
It sounded like he should have said 'I guess' after that, but Arthur decided to just take his victories and run with them. "Any time. See you later, Ludwig."
With a similar farewell uttered from the other, Ludwig walked off. Walked off and left Arthur to think about what he had said. He knew what he said was true. He knew it.
I'm just a fucking hypocrite. Goddamn you, Francis. Damn you.
He returned inside, trying not to feel sorry for himself. It was a long time in gone. He really should have been over it by now. He found Alfred in the laundry room, taking the clothes out of the drier.
"I love you."
Alfred turned to look at him, then went back to what he was doing with a smile on his face. "Love ya too, Mom."
It was like it was not a big deal. And Arthur supposed, between the both of them, it really was not. It was just the truth. It had always been the truth. It was no big deal. It would always be the truth. And just like that Arthur felt so much weight fall from his shoulders.
"Whoa, what's with the hugging? Somethin' wrong?"
"Shut up, idiot."
"You're smiling, so I choose to disregard that comment."
"Heh..."
