Same Job, Different Time and Place [R-18] - Part 3

Alfred just continued on singing softly, ignoring the stares of Matthew and his mother and he knew that Matthew was probably secretly cracking up about his voice but he didn't really care if he was slightly off tune. And it didn't seem as if Arthur cared in the end if the gradual relaxation was any indicator of it.

He lightly rubbed the other's back, humming to himself before finally finishing the songs, smiling up at Arthur tenderly.

He didn't say anything though, instead leaning forward to lightly peck the corner of his lips.

Arthur continued to feel more at ease, finding it easier to block out the wind and the downpour. He returned Alfred’s smile, lopsidedly, a little reluctant. He felt calmer, yes, but his fear wasn’t entirely gone. He felt a little spark run through him as Alfred kissed him. Arthur was quick to give him his own kiss, but didn’t linger, choosing to bury his face into his lover’s neck and enjoy the warmth and security that it provided.

They’d be okay. Alfred was with him and… and Alfred would protect him if anything bad happened. And if anything fell, then at least Arthur would be able to shield him from the rubble.

Katyusha elbowed Matthew for staring at the couple.

Alfred enjoyed the warmth that the kiss brought to his lips and he simply smiled over at the other before holding him close. He wanted to give him all the warmth and security throughout this storm and he promised himself that he wouldn't pull away. Not from Arthur, not until they got the go ahead to go outside again and there would be no more fear. He would never let Arthur take the rubble for him if there ever was any.

No, he would have flipped them around and have taken the hit instead. He could never let Arthur get hurt when he could do something about it. He would always protect him.

Matthew jumped a bit and soon glanced away, a bit red in the cheeks from embarrassment. "Sorry," He mumbled quietly and Mary soon looked away from the couple as well, seeming to contemplate.

Arthur’s breathing had more or less returned to normal; he felt safe now. He just focused on Alfred’s breathing, his body heat, his scent. So long as Alfred was there, they’d be okay. The world could end and so long as Alfred was there, he’d feel safe.

It was a nice thought to know that, without even having to say a word to each other, that they would protect each other. It was quite easy for Arthur to say that he would die for Alfred, that he would rather be hurt than see him hurting. Or at least, this was the kind of connection that Arthur felt like they had.

Katyusha just laughed a little and nuzzled closer to her own lover, holding his hand.

A few minutes passed before she spoke up, “I think that it’s dying down now.”

Alfred just closed his eyes, relaxing with the other and simply enjoying the closeness that they had. He was comfortable like this and he knew that there was an mutual understanding between the both of them. He knew that they would want to protect each other and it was a reassuring thought, to know that he was this loved by one single man.

He had never thought of emotions that made him feel so vulnerable yet so light all at the same time.

Soon he glanced over at Katyusha, listening a bit before nodding.

"Yeah, it might be just a bit more time until we can actually go outside. But best to stay inside the house though I think it's safe to actually go up to the first floor now."

Arthur immediately returned to clinging to his boyfriend. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to go upstairs yet. He wasn’t convinced that it was safe. He tried to hide the fear he was feeling from his expression. He was expecting to return to some sort of apocalyptic world.

Katyusha just shot him a kind smile and tugged Matthew’s arm as a signal to follow her. She started to head to the door of the basement, quite confident in her movements. She wasn’t afraid.

And that made Arthur feel a bit pathetic. He closed his eyes and held Alfred close, not ready to let him go yet.

Alfred didn't really mind staying down here for right now, as long as he had Arthur with him and as long as the other wanted to stay down here. He just sighed softly in contentment, more than happy to just relax with the other on top of him. He knew that despite the other's retorts, he was still a bit nervous overall. In a way, he would have found it endearing if it wasn't for the fact that it was actual genuine fear that Arthur had. Hopefully after this, he wouldn't nearly be as scared.

Matthew just smiled at the two of them before finally heading up the stairs with his wife.

Mary lingered for a few moments before stepping up to her son and his boyfriend. "Ah, may I speak with you later, Arthur? I have a few things to say." That was all she said before she headed up the stairs but not without patting Alfred on the head.

Arthur gulped at Mary’s words. That was either an incredibly good thing or catastrophically bad. He just nodded, squirming a little as he realised that he was curled up around Alfred.

“Y-yes, of course,” he watched her leave and looked down at Alfred, not bothering to hide his concern about this. He sighed and dropped back into place atop of Alfred. Great. Two storms in one day that Arthur was going to have to face: the hurricane and Mary’s motherly wrath. He rubbed at Alfred’s ribs.

“That’s going to be a disaster,” he sighed. Hopefully Alfred would understand that he was referring to the fact that he was useless at talking to women.

Alfred couldn't help but gulp a bit as well when he heard his mother's words. Goodness...he didn't even really want to imagine how badly this would all turn out. Hopefully not all that bad...though he knew how awkward Arthur was around women.

Which he supposed was a good thing for him. But not when it came to talking with his own mother if anything. He just lightly rubbed Arthur's back reassuringly, smiling up at him.

"It'll be alright. Hate to make you hurry up to an apparent doom but best not keep her waiting for too long. I'll be upstairs in the bedroom afterwards, yeah?"

Arthur made a sort of noise to vocalise his feelings about this (if it could even be described as that; it was a strange sound that came from his throat). Especially at how Alfred appeared to be mocking him.

“Don’t patronise me,” he scowled. “I have every right to be cautious of alien experiences.” He didn’t really consider Alfred’s assurance as at all consoling.

He shook his head, “I don’t want you to go upstairs. You said that the first floor was safe, not the second. Just. Just… sit somewhere not near a door or a window. Or anywhere dangerous.” He leaned forward and pecked Alfred’s lips quickly. Though he was distressed and a little irritated, it didn’t mean that he cared for him any less.

He could see the years of high blood pressure in his old age awaiting him.

Arthur sighed heavily, gave Alfred one last look and he got up, off of him. He carefully, worriedly began to climb the stairs and took his time to do so. He was checking it was safe, obviously. He gulped and began to search for Mary, trying to straighten out his clothes as he did so.

At least there wasn’t an apocalypse, he supposed.

Alfred just grinned over at the other but soon he pecked his lips back before letting the other get off of him. He just hummed, still laying on the couch. "Mm, I'll just be down here then," He called out to the other before laying back down on the couch.

He couldn't help but be a bit worried about Arthur though. What if something terrible happened between the both of them and his mother would never like Arthur ever again? He just would hope that wouldn't be the case.

If Arthur looked out of the windows, he would be able to see that the outside hadn't changed all that much. There was a bit of trash scattered on the streets and a few small and young trees knocked down. Other than that, nothing else really seemed to be affected. Matthew was in the living room with Katyusha and Mary was in the kitchen putting away most of the food that they stored up just in case.

She soon glanced over at Arthur, quiet and soon pulling her gaze away from him as she continued on putting the cans in the cupboard.

"You're aware that I haven't been accepting of your relationship with Alfred from the beginning, yes?" She asked, her voice prim and she soon went on her tiptoes to put one of the cans on a higher shelf.

Arthur felt like he was going to have flashbacks of the time that he was reported to the headmaster at his school. That had been equally as terrifying. He felt like Charles I, Louis XVI, even Marie bloody Antoinette! He felt like he could (and should) quake in his socks.

It certainly wasn’t the best line to hear at the beginning of a conversation. He felt his heart sink. So, all hope of her accepting them seemed to be lost. He didn’t want to come between Alfred and his family, but leaving him wasn’t an option. He could never leave Alfred and he would just have to hope that she wouldn’t ask him to.

“Yes,” he answered quietly, unsure of what else to say.

Mary paused at that and just hummed before finally pulling away from the cupboards and sitting down at the kitchen table, twirling her blonde locks around her finger before finally looking up at Arthur.

"At first, I didn't know what to think of it. It came to be such a surprise that Alfred would actually settle with a man and a part of me was actually quite disgusted," She admitted with a frown. "But...he's my Alfred...my son and the most I want is his happiness. I thought it wasn't possible with another man." She soon looked up at Arthur, quiet but not hesitating.

"I came here to apologise, Arthur." A small smile settled across her lips. "You've proven me wrong in every way. I had never seen Alfred like that with someone else, even yesterday. It was the happiest I had ever seen him and...as long as he's with someone that treats him as if he's the world and he can do the same back...then I'm the happiest mother that there could be." She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the smile on Alfred's face, the genuine love in her son's eyes.

"It would be one of the greatest things in my life to have you as part of the family, Arthur. Whether actual or not."

Arthur prepared himself to hear something that he knew he wouldn’t want to hear. He had steeled himself, readied himself but it hurt to hear that she was ‘disgusted’ by it. Like his own mother. He wasn’t sure that he felt comfortable under her gaze and shifted anxiously from foot to foot.

But things seemed to be looking up.

He raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. The previous sinking feeling began to be replaced by a strange floaty one. He was speechless for a while, opening and closing his mouth before finally a smile (a genuine one) settled upon his lips.

“Thank you, Mary… that means a lot to me. I’m incredibly grateful.”

He was beaming at someone who wasn’t Alfred, what a miracle.

“Thank you.”

To be accepted into a family, something his own had never really done. What an honour. Truly.

Mary just smiled at him, for once a genuine smile directed at Arthur and she soon stood up, reaching forward to hug the taller male closer to her. The hug was brief before she pulled away, her smile jokingly mischievous.

"There we go. I took my reward for accepting you into the family." She paused before laughing a bit. "But...you're a good man, Arthur. I should be the one thanking you. For giving Alfred everything he ever needed emotionally. Now go on back to him before he starts complaining about getting lonely again." She chuckled, motioning him off before finally brushing her dress off.

It had taken her a while but she knew that Arthur was good and that he deserved every bit to be accepted into the family as well.

Matthew couldn't help but glance in from the living room, curious though not questioning.

Arthur wasn’t all that good at hugging with anyone he wasn’t intimate with. But he forced himself to ignore how soft she was in comparison to what he was used to and to just hug her back. Thank God it was brief, though.

He just gave a small laugh at that, trying to be as good-natured as he could be. He felt several emotions at once when she said that he was good. He had never had a maternal figure in his life, even the nurses and maids he’d had didn’t care about him. So for someone of Mary’s position to say that to him, was a big deal to Arthur.

He just gave her somewhat of a giddy nod before trotting off to return to Alfred. He gave Matthew a smile in passing.

All of the fear he’d previously felt about everything had disappeared. Fear that Alfred’s family disliked him, fear that there would be an apocalypse, everything. Life was good. Life was sweet.

He grinned at Alfred and climbed on top of him again, not caring if he elbowed him or if it was uncomfortable. He just kissed him soundly on the lips, once, twice, thrice. And then deeply.

Alfred was a bit surprised when Arthur climbed on top of him and started to kiss him soundly and soon deeply. It seemed that judging from the smile that Arthur gave him, that the discussion went well. So he reached up and wrapped his arms around his lover, kissing him right back and soon he shifted around slightly so he would get more comfortable.

Soon enough he pulled away from the kiss, panting a bit and his glasses a bit skewed.

"What's that about? How did the talk with mom go?" He asked, his voice light as he pecked Arthur's lips again.

He couldn't help but wonder what his mother said though that made Arthur look so happy overall. He hoped it was good news.

“She accepted us,” Arthur was grinning. He fleetingly enjoyed the mussed up look that he’d given Alfred from kissing and dove in again to kiss, heartily and passionately. “She accepted us. She said that she was happy to welcome me into the family,” he pressed his forehead to Alfred’s, gazing down at him affectionately.

“She doesn’t hate me after all,” he laughed a bit, having to use his arms to hold himself up and not crush Alfred.

Although, it didn’t take him long to realise that he was smothering Alfred. He sat back and tried to catch his breath, looking down at him. He brushed his hair back from his face and corrected his glasses with delicate touches.

“Sorry, that wasn’t particularly dignified of me to jump on you.”

Alfred grinned back at Arthur, feeling an overwhelming sense of happiness for not only himself but also for his lover. He knew that the other had wanted to be accepted and...and his mother just did it. His mother just accepted their relationship...and it was an amazing feeling. It was so amazing to know that there wouldn't be anymore complications from his side of the family.

He was excited. Extremely excited. And he knew that his father would have been happy if he was still alive. Maybe that was another motivation that drove her to accept them. Either way...she accepted them and that was what mattered.

"She never hated you. I...I'm so glad," He whispered with a wide grin to match Arthur's own.

He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the other though at the last statement and soon he rolled his eyes, grabbing Arthur's shirt and tugging him down for another kiss. He let it last for a few long moments before pulling away.

"I don't mind."

“I was pretty sure that she –” Arthur let himself be pulled in for another kiss and just laughed but it was muffled against his lips. “Jolly good,” he beamed, kissing him yet again.

This gave them a nice sort of security in their relationship. It meant that now, despite some of Arthur’s family, that they could be together without any issues. They could stay together for years to come and it would be seen as normal. They could spend the rest of their lives together, if they wanted to. And Arthur did. But he wouldn’t be that lucky all in the same day.

He pulled away after a few minutes of solid kissing and bumped his nose gently against Alfred’s.

“I love you,” he whispered.

Alfred just laughed against the kiss and he was more than happy to return it right back. He did love security in their relationship and he knew that even if parts of Arthur's family didn't really accept of their relationship, he really couldn't give a damn about them. A few of them were pricks, he had to admit, and as long as Arthur was happy with him, then he would stay as long as he could with him.

And it just made him more confident that Arthur actually wanted to be with him for a long time. Considering how happy he was when he was told that he was accepted...God...they could really be together...couldn't they? Without anymore fear.

He laughed, still panting from the few minutes of solid kiss before he rubbed their noses lightly together.

"I love you too."

Arthur was starting to feel tired from the emotional rollercoaster he’d experienced so far that day. He began to climb off of Alfred, satisfied with the nice, bubbling feeling in his chest.

“Come along,” he held his hand for Alfred to take, to help him up (although part of him doubted that Alfred would do that and he’d just hold his hand afterwards). “I want to write,” he admitted, feeling a little creative from the intense emotions he was experiencing. For years, he’d been so unemotional and now…

He put it down to old age.

Alfred just smiled a bit and he laughed, taking the other's hand lightly before following him.

"You better let me read it afterwards!" He called out with a wider grin, obviously wanting to read what was in Arthur's mind. And he felt happy that he had that inspiration once again.

The day after next, both of them were packed up and ready to leave back to New York City. Mary wished them both a safe journey and for the both of them to come back soon while Matthew simply gave a polite farewell to Arthur before getting wrapped up in a tight hug from his brother.

Unfortunately for both Arthur and Alfred, their trip turned out to be far from fine and it would only end up getting worse. The American sighed as he stared at the road in front of him, tired and wanting to get home quickly.

"We should take a shortcut, Arthur. It can get us quicker back to New York and I wanna have some time to rest today before we head off to work. 'm tired also," He mumbled, rubbing his eyes before sighing. He couldn't wait to get back home to the flat and actually have a nice long sleep. Just alone with Arthur.

Arthur just scoffed and hurried up the stairs. “If you’re good.”

The Englishman had really enjoyed his time with this lovely family. Mary had let him garden with her, Matthew seemed to forgiven him for the unfortunate incident in the dark and Katyusha had appeared to like him, too. The said woman was eager to hug and kiss the two of them farewell, inviting them to stay with her and Matthew sometime.

The journey home, however, was not as blissful. It was boiling hot, roads were closed because of various fires and Arthur was starting to get pissed off by the endless horizon. Whilst it was beautiful, it was mocking them. Somewhere, Arthur was convinced that someone was laughing at them as they sat in traffic.

Arthur had, had to unbutton his shirt a bit because of the heat. He felt quite bad for Alfred having to do the entire journey himself but Arthur didn’t know the way, despite having the map next to him just in case they got lost.

He raised an eyebrow, looking across at Alfred sceptically. It was the first time Alfred had said anything about it, which made Arthur unsure. He felt that, that was a perfectly legitimate reason to be wary.

“What shortcut? You didn’t mention…” he decided not to bother finishing the sentence, he knew that the other probably would have nothing to say about it anyway. “Alfred, love, are you sure that’s a good idea? I’m not really… what if we run out of fuel or something?”

He’d heard a lot about the American wilderness and how there was literally nothing in some places.

Alfred was glad that Arthur seemed to be getting along with his family and that his family definitely liked his boyfriend back. That was more of a relief than anything else.

Yet as they sat in the traffic, which was quite jammed up like always considering they were passing by DC, Alfred found himself to grow more and more irritated with each passing moment. He just wanted to go home and going upstate was always worse than going down.

"Of course it's a good idea! It's a shortcut for a reason. We won't run out of fuel or anythin' like that. We have plenty of fuel nonetheless. We'll be fine," He mumbled, tries to tilt the AC in the car more towards himself though the heat was still overwhelming and this metal heat keeping death machine.

"Plus I know how to get through and stuff. It's seriously no big deal. I just don't wanna wait for this fucking traffic. Upstate always takes hours. It's so annoying," He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. Normally he would be more cheerful about this but right now, Alfred just wanted to knock out on the bed.