To Serve And Protect. [R18]

Alfred finds himself flushing rather sheepishly. "Your probably the only one that thinks that." He mumbles, looking off to the side. "But thanks..That really means a lot. I mean, all I did was tackle the guy and cuff him but still." He allows himself to smile softly.

"You though, you've done so many cool cases! You've put away the big bad guys! You did it all with hard work. I guess, I really admire that." He says quietly.

After a moment Alfred shakes his head and looks around. "Should we pay and leave?" He asks, looking to see if Arthur is done with his lunch. He didn't want to rush the other if he wasn't ready.

"You admire my hard work?" Arthur said quietly, taking a final, wistful sip of his tea. "You'd never imagine the things I've done, just to try and finish a case." He had never regretted the things he'd done to catch the criminal in the end. But now that he'd met Alfred... He wondered if he could have gone about things differently. If there could have been a better way to solve things. After his mother had passed away, his father had all but exiled him from the family home, claiming that Arthur was being a bad influence on Peter and was teaching the boy to disrespect his elders. His father had apologetically contacted him a while later, but by then Arthur had been throwing himself into his cases with all the anger and bitterness he could muster. For a while, he'd been without reason or conscience, doing what had to be done to reach his desired endpoint. He wanted an outlet with which to express the unfairness of it all. And now his partner admired him for it?

"Yes," he agreed, "I've had enough to eat." They hadn't quite finished all the food on the table but they'd gotten close. Arthur took one last look at the intricate embroidery and then called for the bill. He grabbed a hold of it as soon as it was brought out so that Alfred couldn't get at it. 

Alfred didn't need to be reminded of some of the things he already knew Arthur had done for cases. Still, it didn't change the fact that he had done, whatever it toke, he supposed. Self sacrifice was in the job description after all, he'd just never seen anyone do it quite like Arthur had. At first he had found it bit repulsive but now he could see things a bit more like Arthur might have saw them. He was still determined not to have either of them do anything like that on their current case though, not if he had anything to saw about it.

When the bill came, Alfred wouldn't of have any problem paying his own part but Arthur snatched it before he could get the chance. "Fine, It's yours this time." He says with a bemused grin. He'd have to learn to be faster next time.

He stood, gathering himself and this things up, waiting for Arthur to do the same. "Do you want to go back to the dorm? or was there somewhere else you wanted to go?"

"Of course it is," Arthur said, "you'll just have to learn to be a bit faster." He stood up and paid the bill before gesturing for them to leave. Some of the other patrons were looking at them and whispering as they left, but it didn't seem mocking. Arthur didn't take any notice of them anyway.

"No, there wasn't anything else." He hesitated, then continued, "thank you, Alfred. I really needed that, you know." As he said it, he lightly touched Alfred's arm but made no move to take Alfred's hand. He reasoned that it was a cover for on campus; they weren't on campus right now so they didn't need to act like they were together. Besides, if Alfred wanted to hold hands then he'd reach out, right?

Of course, Arthur would fully deny that he wanted it too, though. 

Alfred laughs in good humor. "I'll be sure to work on that." The others whispering making him a tad self conscience but he is thankful that none of it seems malicious in nature.

Once they were out of the shop Alfred relaxed a bit more. " I figured. I'm glad I could help though..You kinda worried me back there, going off like that." At the pat on his arm he shifts, taking Arthur's bruised hand to look at it once more as he walks. It wasn't exactly holding hands but Alfred..he missed the contact and this was a way he could get way with it without seeming clingy he supposed.

"Let's go back then."

Arthur sighed. "It's just that Braginsky bloke... He's completely insufferable! What does he think I am, a pet to own? And that boyfriend of his, the one who's selling people's bodies -- which we'll have to look into, by the way -- seems completely--" He cut himself off as Alfred gently examined his sore wrist, eliciting a small hiss from him.

"It's all right," he said, "I can still move it okay." He wiggled his fingers in demonstration, and hid the resulting wince. He'd have to go easy on that hand-- at least it was his weaker hand that Braginsky had grabbed. Arthur was touched to find Alfred positioning himself on the Briton's injured side, even if it was completely unintentional. "It's only a bit bruised. That fellow is a complete brute. It's amazing that you can match him-- just how strong are you?"

They were nearing the university now, so Arthur used it as an excuse to press himself a little closer to Alfred, feeling strangely secure with the taller blond standing on that side of him.

"He is kinda weird." Alfred agrees. "But no one thinks your a animal. At least I don't anyways." He says before hearing that hitch in his voice. He hold's that hand a little more loosely, not wanting to put him in any pain.

"Maybe you should get a brace?" Alfred suggests. "That way it'll be kept still until it heals."

Alfred shys up a bit at the question, trying to laugh it off. "Well,..I usually work out..when I'm not er working at the station." He pushes at his glasses even though that aren't falling down his face. "I mean, I eat a lot so I gotta make up or it by working out a lot."

Once they are back on campus Alfred slips his fingers between Arthur's, just enough so that their hands remained linked but not enough to squeeze Arthur's injured hand any.

"Nonsense," Arthur said, waving off his partner's concern. "It doesn't need anything as extreme as a brace.  It's just a bit of bruising, I'll be fine in a day or two, honestly." He'd just have to keep from moving it unnecessarily, he knew. That would be easy enough. The hardest part would be keeping it from getting jostled or bumped by other people.  

Ah, that explained the American's strength. "Looks like it paid off," he commented. Arthur had tried strict gym schedules and had even tried taking protein powder, but he seemed forever destined to remain lean and wiry rather than buff. He wasn't by any means weak, he just didn't look strong. 

He felt Alfred interlocking their fingers and flushed lightly despite knowing that they had to have a show of affection now that they were back on campus. But Alfred's hand remained completely relaxed, and Arthur rolled his eyes before gripping his partner's hand pointedly. "It's bruised, not broken," he reminded the American, but despite his annoyed gripes he found that he actually really enjoyed seeing the gentle, careful side of Alfred. 

They made their way leisurely towards their dormitory. Arthur assumed that they'd met a lot of people at the party whom he just couldn't recall, so he nodded at anyone who greeted them and left any talking to Alfred. 

"If you say so." Alfred nods as they walks. He begged to differ a bit and thought Arthur might be making light of his injury but he couldn't very well do anything unless he wanted him to.

Alfred let's a smile slip onto his face naturally at the compliment. He wasn't used to his strength being pointed out in a good light. Try as he might he could be quite clumsy with it at times and often got berated for breaking something. He tried to be gentler with people as a rule. So it was a bit of a pleasant surprise when Arthur gripped his hand and he squeezed it back just a tad.

He was surprised by the amount of people who recognized them already. He just waved back and says hello, not really remembering many faces. They all seemed to be friendly enough he supposed.

He was glad though when they got back to their dorm and he opened the door. The first thing he did was go straight to his bed and flop down on the mattress, shoes and everything still on.

Arthur also sank onto his bed bonelessly, wriggling around a bit to find a comfortable position that didn't put any weight on his wrist. He lay still for only a short moment before sighing and sitting up, dutifully taking off his shoes and lining them up neatly. "What should we look into, then?" he asked, curling up on top of his covers. "There are several routes to take, but we have to be careful to not get distracted. At the same time though, we can't just ignore any serious crimes." He huffed softly and rolled onto his stomach. 

Were they in too deep? Arthur would never drop a case, but he was getting worried. It wasn't just him this time. He had to think of his partner too. His actions impacted on what would happen to Alfred, so he had to be extra careful now. 

Alfred just lays that making no move to take off his shoes or anything. At first he appears that he might have fallen asleep but that is not the case. He finally rolls over to lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

"Well, honestly there's a lot we probably should have reported by now." Alfred admits frowning. "but if we do that then it's likely that we'll be found out and never figure out who's the murderer. Heck I don't even know if any of this will stand up in a court." He gives a sigh.

"That's really the things I'm worried about the most." Alfred admits. "That we don't find this guy any someone else ends up dead. I..I'd feel like such a .. He shakes his head and raises a hand to take off his glasses and cover his eyes from the light.

"Technically I guess we're on good terms with Ivan, so that's good. I mean, as far as getting invited to parties and such."

"We have to make the connections before attempting to gather additional evidence," Arthur said, worrying at his lower lip. "Otherwise we're just wasting time and resources if we don't know what we're looking for." He understood Alfred's worries. It was normal to fear loss of lives. Realistically though, unless they were incredibly lucky, Arthur knew that the chances of another death occurring before they found the perpetrator was relatively high -- assuming that the killer would strike again, which he or she most likely would. And Arthur also knew that he should make that perfectly clear to Alfred, bu instead found himself scrabbling for something comforting to say. 

"We won't let that happen," he said firmly after a moment, even though he wasn't sure how much he believed himself. "Though we'll need to get a move-on if we want to find our killer quickly. Did you hear about any parties on tonight? Or should we head down to the campus pub?"

"I'm not sure what connections we're looking for though?" Alfred says making a face to himself, "Other then, the drugs are probably connected to Ivan's weird little boyfriend. I don't understand how that's connected with murder though..but yeah I understand." He knew that rushing into things wasn't a good idea and he hadn't intended on doing so. He hated waiting around though, he wanted to at least be making a little progress over nothing at all.

Alfred looks over at Arthur when he speaks. He is happy for the encouragement. "Right..We..There's a pub on campus?" Maybe he hadn't been around that kind of thing enough but it surprised him a bit. Then again he wasn't the kind to drink a lot. He wasn't technically of age enough yet either but it hadn't kept him from trying the stuff before. "That..sounds like something." He agreed although making no move to get up from his spot on the bed.

"Well we know that the drugs are linked to some kind of disappearances," Arthur reasoned. What they'd uncovered up until that point was messy, but not worthless. They had to work with what they had. And they had to understand that all they had done wasn't wt all pointless. They were making progress, albeit slowly. 

"I don't even know if they have a pub out there," he confessed, "but then again, your drinking laws are ridiculous here, aren't they?" He sat up then, cradling a pillow in his lap. "And if we actually were to go to one, I think we'd have to head down much later. Classes have barely finished, so there wouldn't be anyone done there."

"True" Alfred says with a hint of interest before he suddenly frowns and looks over at Arthur. " Do you think all those people that disappeared got killed?" What if they had stumbled upon the case too late and people were already dying in numbers.

"They probably do somewhere. There are always bars around colleges." He has to chuckle at Arthur pointing out the laws. "Yeah, they are. Not that it really ever stops anyone." He nods, closing his eyes now, arms spread out. "It would be quieter around this time yeah. They'll probably be students and others out later though. Is that the plan then?"

"I don't know," Arthur admitted. The case was too big, too wide, too deep and even though there were two of them, Arthur wasn't sure that they had enough manpower to get to the bottom of it. Should they get someone back at the station to look into the other details? Some of the other officers owed him a favour or two. 

"I think we should go," he nodded. "There's a chance that we might not uncover anything there, but we definitely won't find anything by sitting in here and twiddling our thumbs. Say we leave at seven thirty? That gives us a few hours to do whatever we'd like."

Alfred seems a bit saddened and rolls over pulling on his blanket a bit. He won't let himself brood over it for long but while he is resting he feels it's not too bad to just think for a moment. He didn't want to give up, no matter how complicated things got. they had only been at it for a few days after all and when he put it that way, they had learned a lot in those few days. Maybe there was some hope yet. Just that alone was enough for Alfred to settle into his sheets contently for the moment.

"My thoughts exactly." He says from where he is at the idea. "Sounds good..I think I'll just..nap until then." He mumbles as his face is pressed into his pillow a bit. "Wake me up when We gotta get ready." He adds

Arthur hummed in agreement and curled up tightly on his side. He wasn't sleepy, just tired. There was a big difference and he absently pitied anyone who thought they were the same. Arthur allowed himself to slip into a light doze. 

His internal body clock woke him at precisely  six forty five. As he surfaced from a strange dream, Arthur could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest and he groped around the bed for something that wasn't there. The sound of Alfred's distinctive snore eventually brought him back and he sat up with an effort, fully awake. 

"Alfred," he called. "Alfred, you should wake now."

He busied himself by washing his face while he waited for the American to rise. Surely they didn't need to dress differently; it was the campus pub, for goodness sake! Arthur briefly wondered how they'd get Alfred in if the university happened to employ security outside the bar. 

Alfred moved on his mattress and nearly fell off it when he heard Arthur voice. He had been dreaming about saving a princess with oddly striking eyebrows. He pushed himself up off the bed though, rubbing his eyes before putting his glasses on. He was feeling much better now and his energy had returned to it's usual bounciness.

"I'm up!" He says in a chipper voice as he stands and swings his arms a bit, rocking on his feet to get moving once again. He vaguely registered that he fell asleep with his shoes and clothes on and now they are a bit wrinkled. He looks down at himself and wonders if he should change, or run a comb through his hair for that matter. It was sticking up at all angles again.

For a moment though all he could do was laugh, he must look silly but it was still the best silly he'd been since this whole case had started. He toke it as a good sign and moved to go get himself looking a bit more presentable.

Finding Arthur in the bathroom already at the sink he grins. "Oh! Fancy seeing you here!" He jokes before grabbing his brush and utilizing his height to use the upper part of the mirror to battle at his hair.

Arthur scowled as Alfred's happiness seemed to brighten up the other room. The boy was far too enthusiastic. Arthur was a fan of unbroken sleep; a whole, solid eight hours each night kept him happy. Anyone who interrupted those eight hours was a dead man. And while naps seemed to help with his energy levels, they left him feeling irritated and cranky. 

When Alfred walked into the bathroom, though, Arthur's irritation fled and all he could do was shake his head and chuckle. Arthur generally didn't move too much in his sleep. He sometimes ended up in different positions, but never managed to tangle the sheets around himself or the like. Evidently Alfred  did though, judging by the mess of hair that stuck up at all angles. 

He watched Alfred battle with his hair for a moment before tugging the comb from him and holding it under the tap for a few seconds. "Here," he said, reaching up to comb Alfred's fringe down flat. The water helped a lot. And though Alfred probably knew what to do now, Arthur continued to brush the American's hair, leaning up to reach the top of Alfred's head and steadying himself with a hand on his partner's shoulder. 

Alfred lets the comb slip through his fingers as Arthur takes it. He wonders what he is doing and opens his mouth to ask but before he can speak Arthur is close..almost too close.

Once he figured out what is going on he leans down a bit so that Arthur can reach his hair better. He won't admit it but he likes when someone plays with his hair. It feels nice and he has a hard time squashing down the color that insists upon appearing on his cheeks. He just looks down and waits for Arthur to be done before he asks. "Does it look better?"

No matter how hard he tried to flatten it, that one stubborn cowlick refused to lie flat. The rest of Alfred's hair was quite easily tamed. Arthur sighed in annoyance and gave up, taking a step back to eye his partner critically. "Oh yes, much better," he nodded, fixing Alfred's fringe absently with his fingers. "You might like to change your shirt, at the very least. It's rather crumpled."

He turned to examine himself in the mirror. Pale and tousle-haired, his reflection sullenly stared  back at him. Arthur half-heartedly tried to fix his hair but gave it up as a lost cause. His shirt wasn't too rumpled, and it was mostly hidden by his sweater-vest anyway. 

"Don't let me drink anything tonight," he requested, making his way back out to the bedroom. He didn't want a repeat of the other night, even though they were highly unlikely to encounter drugs in such a public setting. 

Alfred looked into the mirror again in inspection and nodded. Arthur was right of course. He managed a thank you to his partner and exited the bathroom to go dig through clothes. Eventually he came up with a plain blue shirt, one that he had always gotten compliments on that it brought out the color of his eyes. He quickly changes and readies himself to go out.

He looks up at Arthur's strange request but agrees. "Ah,..Alright if you say so." Alfred has to remind himself they are not going out solely to have a good time. They were still looking for clues right?

"Are you ready?" He asks, once he has retied his shoelaces for good assurance and pocketed his phone and wallet.

Alfred looked good in blue, Arthur decided. It went well with his eyes, blue enough to complement them but not too bright as to drown them out. Then he shook his head slightly, wondering if he had gone mad. He could see Alfred giving him a funny look, so he relented. "Maybe one drink couldn't hurt," he said, "as long as I don't have too much." Even if there were no drugs involved, Arthur knew that he had a low tolerance for alcohol and was a terrible drunk. Chances were that if the lad hadn't been scare off already then nothing would make him leave, but Arthur preferred not to take too much for granted. 

"Yes," he said, smoothing down his trousers before slipping his shoes back on, "I'm ready. Let's head off now, shall we?" He pocketed his phone and wallet and they left the dormitory. Almost automatically, Arthur felt his hand reaching for Alfred's. They followed the noise and crowds, and eventually found themselves at the campus bar. 

Alfred looked amused at how easily Arthur had been persuaded to drink a bit. He hadn't even had to say anything. "Don't worry, We'll..er I'll make sure you don't." Alfred was't sure how he should word that. After all it wasn't like he hadn't ever drank before himself. He still had a fake ID that had been rarely used back in his own school days. Yes, he had his own tiny rebellious streak to own up to. So he knew he could get in without a problem if need be, but still. They were both law keepers, it would feel rather strange to break a law, however silly, in front of his partner. Even if it was just to have a drink.

The hand holding was becoming sort of a reliance he realized as they walked now. He could always trust for it to happen when they stepped out the door. He kind of liked that familiarity, something stable in their current welfare.

As they drew closer Alfred could smell alcohol in the air, as if the crowd in the street wasn't a give away already. Scantily clad girl's and their obnoxious boyfriends swarming along the sidewalk with other individuals. The atmosphere was different from the parties though, it was less menacing, more easy going, like everyone was there to just have a good time.