Halcyon [Mister + Assi] - R-18

Arthur couldn’t help but smile at Alfred’s comment, amused.

“It’s your soul that’s singing,” he murmured. “The quality of your voice is unimportant.” Or so he thought, at least.

Although he was sure that he wouldn’t hesitate in telling a bad singer to be quiet.

“Nay,” Arthur responded simply, not really wanting to continue as to why he wanted to listen to Alfred play instead of read. He didn’t know why. He just… did. He wanted to listen to Alfred play; he silently listened to the song Alfred began to play and allowed his mind to wander. The music was soothing, and it gave Arthur time to think about the world, and his life.

He found himself looking across at Alfred, who looked so concentrated what he was doing. Arthur was able to see the light dusting of freckles upon his cheeks from Columbia’s stunning weather, the blue of his eyes that reminded Arthur of the ocean. Or what he’d seen of the ocean in paintings.

Alfred was really quite lovely to look at, he realised, looking dazedly across at the other.

Alfred just smiled at that and he nodded.

"I'm sure you're right about that," He murmured right before he began playing. He was extremely caught up into playing the instruments, just enjoying the sound that was filling the room and the fact that he actually had an interested audience listening to him. Usually it was only Madeline that ever really listened to him but...it was different for someone else outside of his family to actually want to listen to him.

Especially after all they had been through.

After playing a few more songs, Alfred finally placed his viol down and looked curiously over at Arthur. He couldn't help but gaze at Arthur, observing his lovely, almost peaceful features and his cheeks dusted a light pink, despite himself.

"...Like what you see?" He teased.

Arthur held Alfred’s gaze for a few moments before scoffing at Alfred’s comment. He rolled his eyes, wrinkling his nose.

“Don’t be preposterous,” he scoffed, unable to help but feel embarrassed. His face felt hot and his stomach felt strange and light. He sighed a little, feeling slightly concerned that he felt so strange. Maybe he was becoming ill? He certainly hoped not. He wasn’t quite ready to die yet.

“I was daydreaming, I wasn’t looking at you,” he explained (lied).

Feeling a bit more confident now, Alfred simply grinned a bit wider.

"Daydreaming about me?" He joked more before humming and getting more comfortable on the bench. "But you were staring straight at me."

He soon glanced away, a bit flustered from saying all of this and well, implying very silly...very forbidden things. Even if he was joking about it.

“Don’t be revolting,” Arthur growled out. “Why would you imply something like that?”

It made him all the more uncomfortable. Did he know about Arthur and the stable boy? How could he know? Why would he know? Alfred was trying to be friends with Arthur and patch up a rocky beginning. He shouldn’t be insinuating such things. Particularly those of an illegal activities.

“Well, if you’re quite done being ‘funny’, I would like to get back to my book.” He stood up, unable to make himself look at Alfred. It was a total lie, as well. It was just making him feel nervous talking about such a thing.

Alfred felt his heart drop at that and he found himself a bit confused and surprised all at once.

"W-Wait! Prince Arthur! I didn't mean like...that! I was just joking! I'm sorry!" He called out, standing up also and trying to reach for Arthur's wrist.

He looked nervous. Was Arthur disgusted with him? For even talking about that subject?

He didn't blame him though. Especially since homosexuality was very illegal, in both of their kingdoms and it wasn't as if that was something you casually threw out.

Arthur grimaced but turned to look back at Alfred. He shook his head and took a few steps away.

“Whatever you were insinuating, I do not wish to continue the conversation,” his cheeks were flaming red. “I’ll see you at dinner.” He continued to head backwards, bumped into an instrument and then fled the room from embarrassment. He didn’t trust Alfred. He couldn’t entrust, should the boy know, that Alfred would tell someone and Arthur would be punished for his actions.

He didn’t want Alfred to know.

Alfred just watched as Arthur went to flee and he found himself extremely confused. What...what was that about? Why was he so angry about it? Did it really disgust him that much?

The thought had never really disgusted Alfred. It was more odd than anything else and he knew that it was punishable by death.

But still. Why did Arthur react like that?

Soon enough dinner came and Alfred felt a bit awkward around Arthur especially considering how he reacted before. Yet as soon as dinner finished, Alfred quickly hurried after Arthur.

"Arthur! Wait! Can we please talk? I didn't mean to offend you earlier. I didn't know you were so disgusted about it." He kept his voice low just in case.

Arthur jumped when Alfred called for him after dinner. He hadn’t been expecting to be followed as he left the dining hall; he had been planning to go and spend some time with Maddie. Which seemed unlikely now that Alfred was pestering him again.

He turned to face the younger boy and gave him a horrified look as Alfred was actually trying to talk about this out in the open where people could hear them. He tsked loudly and grabbed Alfred by the wrist before promptly tugging him along the corridor.

“Not in public. We’ll… go to my chambers, or something. I do not want to discuss it here.” He kept his voice down.

What Alfred wasn't expecting was for Arthur to grab his wrist and start tugging him down the hallway though he quickly stumbled in after him.

"H-Hey! Don't tug so hard!" He argued though he continued on following him. He soon saw Arthur's bedroom and he blinked curiously.

What really was the matter though? It was so confusing.

Arthur ignored Alfred’s protests until they reached his bedroom, where he let go of Alfred as they went inside of the room. He sighed shakily, trying to regain some composure as he looked back at Alfred over his shoulder.

“Now we can talk,” he said simply, a little pink in his cheeks. He huffed and folded his arms over his chest.

Alfred just closed the door behind him and he looked at Arthur with some confusion, a little bit pink also. Though he was still terribly confused.

"I...well I just wanted to say that I was sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't know you were that...disgusted about you know...you know I was joking, right? I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

He shifted around uncomfortably.

Arthur watched the other carefully for a few moments, observing to see if he could tell if he knew something. Perhaps a servant or two heard or saw it happen and news had spread. He hoped not. He really, really, really hoped not. It would probably get him castrated or even killed. Neither of which sounded appealing.

“You didn’t offend me, nor am I disgusted by such things…” it would have made him a hypocrite. “However, I do not wish to entertain such foolish things. Do you know what you were accusing me of? Sodomy is not an activity for a future king of Albion.”

He’d had an ancestor that was killed by his servants for it.

Alfred hesitated at that and he nodded, a bit withdrawn for once.

"Yeah, I know. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to well...imply that. It just kinda slipped out without me thinking about it."

Though he soon paused for a moment, really thinking about what Arthur was saying. He looked at him confused.

"You're not disgusted with it? I thought everyone else was."

He knew how very illegal sodomy was. And it was terrible to accuse someone of that but he hadn't really thought anything about it, admittedly.

Arthur froze upon realisation of what he had said and began to splutter to try and explain himself but couldn’t think of anything to say to support such a comment other than: ‘I’ve done it, it’s not bad’.

He gulped and began to pace, just so that he wouldn’t have to look at Alfred.

“No. I’m not, no,” was what he decided was best to say.

Alfred seemed to relax at that and he smiled a bit, scratching his cheek sheepishly. He really didn't understand Arthur's reasoning but he decided to go with it. Of course he never did sodomy! He never was attracted to any guy to the point of wanting to do it. He had been curious of course but otherwise, nothing else. He knew that was more trouble than it was worth.

"...Yeah. Me either," He admitted with a sheepish scratch of his cheek. He looked terribly embarrassed.

Of course just because Arthur was more accepting didn't necessarily mean he did anything, right?

Arthur cleared his throat, having stopped pacing although he refused to look up at Alfred to see his reaction.

“I suppose that it’s either a good or a bad thing for our kingdoms that we think as such,” he murmured. He hadn’t really thought about what he wanted to change about Albion when he became king. He knew that he’d have to listen to the court, which was frustrating, but hopefully they would allow him to change Albion for better.

Alfred just stared at Arthur for a moment before laughing a bit, shrugging.

"I don't think that the churches would ever be so accepting," He joked lightly though he glanced away. Soon enough he took a seat on Arthur's bed and got comfortable before looking back up at the other boy.

"I don't see why it would ever be a concern for you. You are marrying my sister after all."

Arthur eyed him as he crossed the room to sit on his bed. Arthur harrumphed in response.

“I unfortunately have to agree,” he said quietly and then bristled at Alfred’s other comment. He flushed and muttered a string of curse words beneath his breath. He just nodded, not really wanting to say anything in case he made it obvious that he wasn’t as straight as the other might have thought (or hoped).

He went to the window and looked through the stain glass at the dark of the city, with the exception of a few beacons to prevent criminals from operating. Arthur imagined that in wartime those beacons must have had to be put out lest the enemy found them.

Alfred just watched Arthur as he went to the stained glass window and he got more comfortable on the bed.

"Why did you get so angry about it earlier? You act as if you were caught red handed or something."

He had no idea why they were even talking about this. Well he did now why. It was his stupid idea but he didn't know why he continued on talking about it. Especially considering that it wasn't as if...he actually wanted anything like that.

Or as if he might have stared at Arthur for a bit too long a few times.

Or...

No, none of that, Alfred.

Arthur tensed and grimaced. He couldn’t tell Alfred. He just couldn’t.

It didn’t stop him from going red all the way to his ears though.

“Ha-ah… don’t be ridiculous,” he had tried to sound confident, but he’d messed that up. It had sort of sounded broken, making it pretty obvious that he wasn’t telling the whole truth. He didn’t move away from the window so that Alfred couldn’t see the morose expression on his face.

He, personally, hadn’t thought much beyond that Alfred was very attractive and would one day grow into a strong, handsome man. Well… that was what he was telling himself. He’d refused to let himself look at Alfred for too long in case his mind began to wander to less than pure thoughts.

Alfred was starting to get worried by that point and he soon stood up, walking towards the other. He stepped right behind the other, looking at Arthur with some concern and he took in a few quiet breaths. He had to admit it was getting a bit dark and so it was harder to see Arthur and how he was reacting.

"...What's wrong, Ar--Prince Arthur?" He questioned with a slight frown. "...Did you do something?" He asked, seeming a bit bewildered and just not knowing what to think.

He just kept his gaze on the other, looking at his somewhat messy hair and how lovely a colour his hair was, even when it was too dark to see the real lovely colour.

Alfred lightly reached out to rest a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

Arthur felt like he was frozen; a deer in the torch light. He heard Alfred’s footfall as he crossed the room to come to his side. Arthur shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot, keeping his mouth shut. He shouldn’t have reacted. He shouldn’t have done anything. He should have just told Alfred that he wasn’t offended and should have sent him on his way. Now they were just left with a giant mess.

He jolted when Alfred touched his shoulder, whirling around to look at the other with wide eyes as he fumbled for words to say.

“I – I… I can’t. I can’t.” He couldn’t tell him. Alfred would go to higher authority and have him killed, just like he really wanted. He wanted Arthur dead. How better to get rid of him?

Despite the darkness, Alfred could see Arthur's wide eyes and he looked at him quietly, breath caught in his throat for a moment. He never had seen such vulnerability with Arthur. It...made him feel bad.

Soon he put his other hand on Arthur's other shoulder and he bit his lip, looking at him with concern.

"Of course you can, Prince Arthur. You can tell me. I won't tell."

Arthur desperately wanted to get out of this situation but he was quite certain that Alfred wasn’t going to give up easily.

And with the dim light sparkling in Alfred’s sky blue eyes and his stupidly attractive features worn with worry, he didn’t feel like he had the right to stay silent.

He swallowed thickly. To hell with it. If he was killed, then it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

“I… last year, just before I became a real man, there was,” he was speaking slowly, finding it hard to look at Alfred, “a stable boy that worked in the castle. I was close to him and I told him that soon I would… become a man,” he didn’t know how else to put it tactfully, “and he…” Arthur pressed his hands to Alfred’s chest, as though he would push him away, although he didn’t.

“He showed me what to do so that I wouldn’t embarrass myself in front of the whore.” He would not tell Alfred that he enjoyed it.