AUTHOR: Anonymous

15th of November, 2014 - X Marks the Spot

"Care for something to drink?" Arthur asked with a casual tone. He gracefully rolled the rum around in his glass, making the ice clink together. The strong taste of the rum would mask the sour taste of the sleeping draught he had poured into the glass earlier.

Alfred looked up from the map and his papers. He removed his glasses with one hand and rubbed his eyes. He gave Arthur a weary smile and accepted the offered rum. "I suppose one glass wouldn't hurt."

"That's the spirit," Arthur agreed. "So... any luck figuring out this little puzzler?" he asked as he set his glass down on the table and stared at the treasure map, hoping it would reveal its secrets. He knew that the compass in Alfred's luggage held the necessary clues, but the American wasn't willing to share. And for good reason; even the naive American could tell that the English con artist couldn't be trusted. After all, Arthur had stolen Alfred's wallet the first time they met. He would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for the other thieves.

"No, not yet." Alfred sighed and sipped the rum. He coughed as the alcohol burned the back of his throat. He frowned at the map, nursing his drink in silence. Alfred wasn't good at keeping secrets, so Arthur could tell that he was genuinely puzzled by the map and the compass. Eventually Alfred placed his empty glass next to Arthur's. "I think I have an idea, but it's too early to tell. I should know more by morning."

"I'm sure a good night's sleep will make everything clearer," Arthur suggested.

"But it's still early!" Alfred protested, even as he began to yawn. He stretched his arms and blinked tiredly. "Maybe you're right," he admitted as he stood up, swaying from side to side. Arthur guided him over to his bed, helping him as he began to stumble.

Alfred sat down heavily and pulled the other man with him. He grabbed Arthur's wrist and gave him a strange look. "Hey, do you ever feel... kind of odd?"

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, feigning innocence as he his head to the side. He wondered if he should have added even more sleeping draught to the glass. It was taking Alfred an eternity to fall asleep.

Oblivious to Arthur's plot, Alfred continued to stare thoughtfully into the distance. Finally, he turned and gave Arthur a hopeless shrug. "Like you're not the way you're supposed to be."

Arthur smirked. "No. I tend not to care much what society thinks of me."

"Yeah, I like that about you." Alfred smiled fondly and leaned forward. He stared deeply into Arthur's eyes and blinked dreamily. "I think I like you."

His lips gently brushed against Arthur's, sending a pleasant shock down Arthur's spine. But before they could even begin a proper kiss, the entire weight of Alfred's body slumped against the smaller man. Arthur huffed in disappointment. He had been impatiently waiting for the sleeping draught to take effect and now he found himself wishing that it hadn't. Frowning to himself, he pushed Alfred back onto the bed, guiding the young man's head down to the pillow and lifting his feet up onto the mattress. He took off Alfred's shoes and then wondered why he was wasting time.

As he stole away with the map and the compass, Arthur felt a uncomfortable knot start to form in his gut. He hadn't actually been drinking, so he knew he couldn't blame the alcohol.

Really, it was for the best that he left. Poor sweet Alfred was reminding him of feelings he hadn't felt in years, and a con artist couldn't afford to have a conscience.