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

Alfred raised his eyebrows as he saw Arthur blush more but he decided it was best not to question it. He knew that his boyfriend was a pervert (though he would probably deny it if he said so) and so he would just leave the other to his thoughts for the time being. He soon watched as Arthur as he went into his room to change his t-shirt.

He thought about it any of the ideas that came up into his mind, he knew Arthur wouldn't find particularly thrilling. All he could think of was eating quite a bit of food, playing videogames or the like. They could always just cuddle on the couch or the bed, if Arthur wanted that.

Despite everything, he still wanted to keep close to Arthur, have him nearby. He soon flipped on the tele as background noise and he sat on the couch, waiting for the other to come back. "I don't have any ideas. Do you? Usually you wear me out so much after work that I end up falling instantly asleep." Alfred joked, a grin on his lips. "I'm not used to having some free time."

Well, he did have some free time on rare days when he wasn't too tired but usually he wasted that by doing well, absolutely nothing at all. Or surfing the Internet on some of his favourite sites.

Glancing at the shirt, he thought about it before smiling. "You can just put it in the wash basket. We can clean our clothes later. You know, do it in one go? Good for saving money." He admitted, a bit more casual about it than Arthur. He curiously looked over at Arthur's shirt, wondering what it said, if it said anything at all.

Arthur laughed flatly at Alfred’s joke and made the decision not to try and explain himself. He noted that the television had been switched on but didn’t care much to bother finding out what the program was. He usually only watched it for the news, and of course BBC America – his little bit of home.

“I tend to stay behind on Mondays to try and get all of my work done for the day. By the time I get home I just… read.” The thought made a knot form in his throat. “We can do whatever you’d prefer, Alfred. Be it dancing or nothing at all.” Although he really hoped that Alfred didn’t expect him to get up and dance. He didn’t feel like dancing, at all.

He returned to the bedroom and dropped his t-shirt into the dirty pile of clothes, feeling a little anxious. Why, he wasn’t sure. He scuttled back to Alfred and sat beside him before he got too much of a chance to see his t-shirt. Although, a part of him doubted that Alfred would even know what it meant.

Alfred knew that it was Arthur's job to make him work and so he didn't complain about it and he certainly tried not to slack off though he was actually put more at ease now that Arthur was pretty much living with him. He watched a lot of television but he found that just having it on as background noise made him content enough. He was uncomfortable in just complete silence. He always needed something to take his mind off of it, even if it was the slightest gust of wind.

Actually, no. That was a bit creepy at this time of night. He wouldn't want that.

Smiling a bit, he couldn't help but laughed softly as he pressed a bit closer to Arthur, content to have his body pressed up close to his. He missed having Arthur so close to him, especially since he was hospitalised and their fight before as well. It was nice to have that reassuring presence right next to him. He tried to glance over at his shirt just out of mere curiosity.

"Mm, I think I'm fine with just lazing off a bit. I'm rather tired from work." He truthfully murmured. He soon thought about the other's books or well...the lack of books. He quickly looked at his bookshelf and gave a small, hesitant smile. "If you want, you can always take a look at a few of the books in here. Dad gave me some books before I left to college. Maybe there's some that you'll like and possibly haven't read?" He asked. He had a fair number of classics and other somewhat more modern books though he preferred books on space and the like.

How Alfred had managed to guess that he was lacking in books was totally beyond Arthur but he was grateful that he didn’t have to explain it to him. He probably would have broken down which would have been embarrassing. He just nodded mutely and stood up again to go and look through the books. He recognised a few titles instantly. 1984, The Catcher in the Rye, We Need To Talk About Kevin… There were a lot of great books there, most of which he’d read before, unfortunately. However, revisiting a favourite of his didn’t seem like a bad idea. He tentatively pulled Great Expectations off of the bookshelf and turned back to Alfred, momentarily forgetting that he was trying to hide the front of his shirt.

“Would it be okay if I read this?” he glanced at the television. “I mean, you can watch telly and I’ll just sit with you and read. I’m not really a fan of television.” Unless it was Doctor Who or Sherlock or Merlin. He doubted Alfred would be interested in any of them though.

Alfred thought that Arthur couldn't have carried all of his books or maybe they had...well...that they were gone now. He had an extensive collection from what he remembered and he was certain that Arthur wouldn't have left a single one behind. It wasn't all that hard to deduce that maybe something might have happened to those very books. He watched as Arthur grabbed one of the books and he smiled a bit. So maybe he was correct, especially since he saw him pull a book out that he thought he remembered seeing in Arthur's bookshelf. Or maybe not. He couldn't really tell the difference anymore.

Though he soon saw the front of Arthur's shirt and he raised his eyebrows at the sight of it. He remembered kind of what it meant though he never really said it so he couldn't help but snicker a bit. "Wanker? Really?" He asked, amusement lacing his voice.

Though Alfred soon nodded, looking at the title before smiling. "Of course, go for it. Anything that I have in here, you can use." He offered before grabbing the clicker and beginning to change channels to try finding something at this time of night.

Arthur silently berated himself for not searching for a different shirt. He cleared his throat.

“It was a present from my cousin. We don’t get along very well.” He returned to Alfred’s side, making himself comfortable beside Alfred. He smiled slightly up at the younger man. “Thank you,” he was quiet. He settled into the book, going right back to the beginning. He’d read the book at least twice but he loved the story of Pip and his estranged love for Estella. It was all quite romantic despite the horror with which Dickens told the story.

He leaned against Alfred’s side as he got settled into the book.

Alfred couldn't help but laugh more at that, leaning a bit closer to Arthur as he gazed at him with absolute amusement.

"Don't worry about the shirt. I know that you definitely don't have to 'wank'." He soon leant just a bit closer to let his lips lightly brush against Arthur's ear. "After all, you have me." And with that, he pulled away and ever so grinning as he settled right against Arthur comfortably, now focusing on the television instead. It was just so extremely nice to have Arthur so close to him and to feel him leaning against his side.

It was perfect. They didn't even really have to talk. He was just content with the two of them like this and it certainly took the edge off of a work loaded and stressful day. After all, America was a very work driven place and so it wasn't often that he actually was able to rest like this.

A few hours passed by and Alfred was starting to get a bit more exhausted, the wear of the working day pulling at his eyes and the strain of the television making his head throb. It seemed as if Arthur was more at ease with reading the book though it was hard for him to tell Arthur's emotions at times or state of mind. He made it a note to himself that maybe he should buy him some new books tomorrow to help keep his mind off of his lost books.

With a sigh, Alfred soon flipped the television off and he yawned, looking over at Arthur. "I think I'm done for the night." He murmured with a lazy smile, a bit teasing. "Care to join me in the bedroom?" He questioned, winking at Arthur.

Arthur turned scarlet within seconds. He gawked up at Alfred for a few moments before his expression faded into a smirk. He pecked just beneath his jaw quickly.

“Berk,” he muttered affectionately before really getting into the world of Dickens.

By the time Alfred had yawned a few hours later, he’d actually gotten pretty far in the book. He was a quick-reader. He had rested comfortably at his lover’s side, just enjoying his company and closeness although in the past hour, he had felt himself beginning to droop. He looked across to the American and quirked an eyebrow as he turned off the television. He gave a small nod.

“Yes, bed sounds like a magnificent idea,” he agreed, keeping his cool despite Alfred winking at him (which made his insides do funny flips). He climbed off of the sofa and went to carefully slide the book back on to its place on the shelf.

Good night, Pip, he thought to himself.

Alfred laughed a bit at Arthur's reaction when he had whispered those words to him and dammit, he just loved seeing the other's reactions at times. They were so expressive and it was just rather endearing at times.

After a few hours, Alfred couldn't help but rub his eyes tiredly, more than ready to fall into the world of sleep. At least this time, there wouldn't be as much tossing and turning and worry that Arthur wouldn't be alright. He was out of the hospital now and with him and that's what mattered to him the most. He soon stood up, stretching out a bit and heading towards the bedroom.

Wow, his bed looked extremely comfortable, especially in comparison to the chair right next to Arthur's hospital bed. It would actually be the first time that he would get decent sleep in a bed. He soon climbed in, waiting for Arthur to climb in with him as he simply grinned at his lover. "Huh, I guess this is going to be our first night together." He mentioned, thinking about it. This would be their first night sleeping together...with...Arthur actually living with him. It seemed extremely...domestic in a sense.

The Brit didn’t miss the opportunity to watch his lover’s muscles flex beneath his skin. It was much too mouth-watering a sight. He licked his lips because they suddenly felt very dry after looking at Alfred. He followed him into the bedroom, switching off the lights as he went. He smiled over at Alfred, looking all inviting and sexy under the covers. But Arthur was putting hygiene first. He rummaged through his belongings and held up his toothbrush triumphantly.

“It will be, yes,” Arthur hummed, not really thinking at that specific moment. “I’ll be back in a minute, love.”

He found Alfred’s bathroom and had flash backs of throwing up in there. He grimaced and instantly set about cleaning his teeth. He was pretty eager to get it over with, though and rushed back to Alfred in bed once he was satisfied with his job. Suddenly, he felt nervous. It really was going to be the start of something entirely different, a new era. He was living with Alfred after knowing him for under a year. It was a big step.

He pulled off his socks and climbed into bed beside Alfred, happy that he at least would smell and taste fresh. He leaned down to the blue eyed boy and pressed a kiss to his cheek before settling down. It was an odd feeling. He didn’t think that they’d ever slept in the same bed as one another without the promise of sex.

“You’re really… you’re okay with me staying, aren’t you?”

Alfred just smiled over back at Arthur, not really noticing the gaze form his lover though admittedly, he didn't notice all that much if he actually wasn't trying to notice. He made himself comfortable under the sheets, waiting for Arthur to come into bed with him. To think that this would be their first night together in a very different context other than just coming back from a date.

It was actually pretty exciting though it was a bit nerve wrecking as well. They had slept in the same bed quite a few times already but to think that it would be like this. It was just so extremely domestic. In reality, Alfred was quite fond of domesticity but he wouldn't admit to that really any time soon.

Or maybe he would.

He waited for Arthur to come back from the bathroom, laying down comfortably instead of sitting up and soon smiling at the other when he saw him come in again. It was just...so weird though relaxing. He doesn't think that he would really get over this or at least not for a good few weeks. He soon pressed a kiss back though a bit closer to the corner of his lips.

"Of course I'm okay." He reassured. Even though they had known each other than less than a year, he knew that he could trust Arthur and that he was in need. He didn't even hesitate in letting him in because that was just the kind of man he was. It was too hard for him to turn anyone down and he couldn't ever really turn down Arthur.

Arthur hadn’t ever been in a relationship as serious as this before. He’d never experienced this extremity of domestic. Even though he’d lived with boyfriends before, none of them had quite been the same as Alfred. They’d all been bastards in some sense of the word. The beautiful man lying beside him had been nothing but gentle ever since they’d met. It was ever a bit worrying – Arthur felt as though he’d fall in love with Alfred too easily. He always had worn his heart on his sleeve, which was why he tried (and usually failed) to be sparing with it. He’d been let down so many times before.

He lay awkwardly at Alfred’s side, unsure if he should cuddle up to him or prepare to spoon or even if he should just lie totally still. They’d slept in the same bed before, but they’d usually just collapse next to each other and end up with limbs tangled. He let out a slow sigh and closed his eyes.

“Good. I’m glad.”

Alfred didn't seemed to be as worried as Arthur and when he saw the other settle by his side, he soon wrapped his arms around the smaller man and pulled him closer to his body. He didn't want things to be awkward between them and he actually yearned for the other's touch. He would at least try indulging himself with this even though it was strangely domestic. Alfred had never lived with anyone other than his family and roommate in university because quite honestly, he was much too young to live with anyone during the times that he actually did have a relationship.

After all, he was still a rather young man.

Admittedly though, Alfred was a bit harder to have his heart given out to but when he really did like someone, he would give grand romantic gestures to express his affection. Though he still enjoyed the small aspects of a relationship as well. It was hard for him to easily love someone or the like mainly because he was a man that might have (a bit foolishly) believed in a one true love.

He had been disappointed with relationships before but he had never really chased after any of the women to have them back. He had always let them go but for Arthur...he was a different case. He wouldn't say that he loved him (not just yet anyways) but it still didn't change a thing.

He had chased after Arthur in the end.

Arthur curled himself around Alfred, hooking one of his legs around Alfred’s now that he’d been given the chance to cuddle with him. He shifted close to him and breathed in his scent, enjoying the faint smell of aftershave and Alfred’s own musk. He buried his head into the crook of Alfred’s neck and limply rested a hand on his side, his fingers stroking the skin there affectionately. Alfred’s skin was nice and warm beneath his touch.

“You forgot to eat, Alfred,” he observed from his spot pressed up as tightly as possible to him.

Alfred saw that Arthur was a lot more loose now and he was more than glad to hook his leg around the other's own as he pulled him even closer. He soon closed his eyes, enjoying Arthur's own scent which wasn't as strong as his own (though he was much too used to his aftershave and his musk). He didn't care if he was shirtless or the like. After all, they had cuddled plenty of times with much, much less clothes than this.

He laughed softly, tired as he remembered that he actually did forget to eat. "Yeah, I suppose I did. Just a bit too excited to see you again, I guess." He murmured. "I'll just have some breakfast tomorrow morning before I go off to work then."

Arthur smiled against Alfred’s neck and kissed there lightly. His hand slid from his side to caress his stomach and then upwards to his chest; he could feel his heartbeat beneath his palm. His hand progressed back down to his hip where his hand stopped moving entirely. He was definitely taking advantage of Alfred’s half-nakedness. His skin felt lovely and soft.

“Have a big one. I know what you’re like with food. This is a rarity for you, to skip a meal.” He kissed Alfred’s skin again, equally as lovingly as he had done before. He felt far too comfortable to move to turn off the light. “I’m that that I’ve excited you so,” he chuckled tiredly.

Alfred relaxed under the touches and admittedly, he loved it when Arthur caressed his body a bit. It just felt so nice and the older man was always so good with his hands. He knew just how to make him relax and to simply enjoy being with him. His breath began to slow down and he simply listened to their soft breaths in the otherwise quiet room. It was surprising to have a flat that was actually rather quiet despite the hustle and bustle of New York City. It was as if they could escape from all the noise in here.

"Will you cook me breakfast?" He teased a bit, not necessarily meaning it. He was admittedly curious about Arthur's breakfast but he would most certainly not force him to make breakfast for him. He just wanted to tease a bit more before he slept. Even as he was talking, he could feel himself slowly start to drift off.

Arthur took that the wrong way. He assumed that Alfred must have known about him burning the food before the fire actually started in his apartment. It stung to hear him say something so untactful. But Arthur gritted his teeth and took it.

“Very funny.”

He shifted slightly to turn off the lights via the bedside lamp before he lay down comfortably with Alfred again. He sighed shakily and wrapped his arm around Alfred’s side, feeling particularly vulnerable at that moment in time, in the dark. He closed his eyes and tried to stop thinking about things, but he couldn’t. He swallowed thickly.

“You know,” he whispered, “all of my books are gone. They were all… burnt in the fire.”

Alfred frowned a bit at that, rather surprised that the other actually seemed...offended by that? He had thought that the fire was started by the other's smoking instead of the cooking. In fact, he had no idea about Arthur's cooking.

"Ah well...I mean. Sorry if I offended you." He murmured as an apology. "I mean, I guess it is kind of rude of me to ask. I shouldn't be asking the person I'm living with to cook for me, it's kind of rude as the host." He hesitated, not knowing what exactly he said wrong though. "I just was curious about your food is all. You really seem to like cooking." He continued though he stopped it at that. He really didn't know what happened.

Alfred felt extremely guilty now when he heard that Arthur's books all burnt up in the fire. He just held Arthur closer, lightly rubbing his arm. He didn't speak for a few moments before finally finding his voice once more. "...I'm sorry." He whispered. He didn't know what to do and all he really could do was just hold him closer.

Arthur rolled his eyes and just kissed at Alfred’s skin again. It seemed that it was, in fact, Alfred just innocently teasing and Arthur being a grump. As per usual, then.

“Be quiet before you hurt yourself, love,” he murmured. “I’ll cook for you in the morning, if that’s what you’d like for me to do. I love to cook. I sound like quite the housewife, don’t I?” he tried to joke.

Arthur was grateful for the way which he was held and hummed quietly. He just snuggled up to Alfred (snuggling not being something that Arthur could be associated). He shook his head slowly.

“It wasn’t your fault. If I’d have had an ashtray then it wouldn’t have happened and… God, I want a cigarette,” he muttered the last bit to himself. He sighed and just went back to trying to enjoy their closeness. “Don’t worry about it… let’s just get some sleep, yeah?”

Alfred sighed a bit and it seemed as if the other had forgiven him for saying it and instead he soon leant towards the kiss again his skin. He really couldn't help himself. He would never maliciously tease Arthur nor really anyone. He just wasn't that kind of man and he never intended to be.

Though he smiled slightly when he heard that Arthur would cook for him and instead he nodded. "Mm, I think it's kind of endearing actually. That you know all these handy skills and love doing them." He murmured tiredly, yawning softly. In fact, he actually liked cooking as well though he was more fond of grilling outside.

Alfred couldn't help but frown at the mention of the ashtray and he nodded, not really catching the last part of Arthur's sentence. "Yeah, let's go to sleep." He agreed before finally leaning down to press a kiss to Arthur's lips though only briefly.

"Good night, Arthur." And with that, he slowly began to fell asleep.

Arthur chuckled softly, “That’s a nice way to look at it, I suppose.” He was the opposite when it came to cooking. He preferred baking, to be more specific. He enjoyed making scones and cakes. He thought that he was pretty good at them, too. But he could good a full English breakfast pretty bloody well, too. Bacon, eggs, sausages, hash browns – yum.

“Good night,” he replied, returning the quick kiss before closing his eyes yet again to try and sleep.


It was about four hours later that Arthur woke up, sweating and gasping for breathe after yet another nightmare. He was too hot. Far too warm pressed up against Alfred, who had acted as the fire in his dream. He struggled to get out of Alfred’s grip but he managed it. He slid to sit at the edge of the bed and stripped himself of his ridiculous t-shirt to allow his skin to breathe. He rolled his shoulders and eventually heard a satisfying pop which instantly made him feel better. He held his head in his hands for a while, trying to lower his temperature. His throat felt incredibly dry.

Glancing at his watch, he could see that it wasn’t even past five yet. Alfred wouldn’t have to get up for some time. He didn’t want to disturb him and perhaps walking around a bit would make him feel tired?

He left his stupid top on the bed and went straight to the bathroom to relieve his bladder and then to check the bandages on his head. He winced as he unravelled it, the fabric sticking to the wound. Luckily, he seemed to be healing pretty quickly. He redressed the wound and eventually felt his eyelids beginning to sag again. Arthur didn’t want to have another nightmare, so sleep, he didn’t think was an option.

Watching Alfred sleep, however, was.

He was careful as he got back into bed, checking that he hadn’t disturbed the sleeping man beside him. Even in the dim light he could make out Alfred’s features. He wanted to reach out and brush his fringe away from his eyes but knew very well that it’d wake up Alfred if he did. He just got as close as he could to Alfred to share body heat but not to disturb his slumber.

Alfred couldn't help but smile a bit at that and he soon nodded in agreement. He really would like to try Arthur's cooking for once because he never really tried English cuisine (if Arthur was even going to prepare that for him) and it would definitely be a different experience. He had trust in Arthur's cooking abilities. After all, he really seemed to like to cook so he couldn't be all that bad.


Admittedly, Alfred never really did wake up all that easily and so it really was no surprise that he didn't wake up when Arthur managed to get out of his grip though he couldn't help but frown a bit for the moment that he actually lost contact with the other. He was completely unaware of the nightmares that were plaguing Arthur and considering that he didn't necessarily scream or make sudden movements or the like continued on making him unaware of what was going on around him.

The moment that Arthur got close to him again, Alfred didn't hesitate in bringing Arthur close to his body again when he felt his snuggle back up against him. He slept for another hour before he finally started to wake up, a soft yawn escaping his lips as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. He soon glanced around, finding Arthur awake and he smiled sleepily.

"Morning, Arthur." He murmured, rubbing his eyes even more as he sat up in bed, no matter how lazy he was at the moment.

Arthur was more than happy to be pulled back into Alfred’s arms, amazed that he’d been able to sense that Arthur hadn’t been there whilst fast asleep. He chuckled quietly to himself and settled to simply watch him rest. He was a very beautiful man, after all. Alfred was a lovely thing to wake up to.

As the hour had gone on, he pressed a kiss to Alfred’s forehead when he started to disturb and be pulled from sleep. He just smiled at him, green eyes gleaming in the darkness of the room.

“Good morning, darling,” he replied with a loving gaze. He shifted to allow Alfred to sit up and simply remained lying down for the time being, too warm to get up just yet. “Did you sleep well?”

Alfred was always a rather clingy person and so it wasn't all that much of a surprise that the moment that he felt warmth close to it, that he would pull that warmth close and cling onto it. He definitely liked waking up to Arthur in the morning, it was definitely a change during a work day.

He chuckled softly as he gazed at the other with the same loving gaze. He leant down a bit so he could stroke Arthur's hair lazily, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes. "Mm, I slept very well." He mumbled and he actually did. He slept a lot better than he had for the past few days. "How long have you been awake?" He asked, glancing at the clock and seeing that it was about time for him to start getting ready.

Though he didn't move just yet, instead preferring to keep close to Arthur. He really, really didn't want to get up.