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

By the time that the next morning came, Alfred was extremely far from wanting it to come. He really, really didn't want to move from his spot and so he was more than happy to cling on whatever sleep he had left. Or any amount of sleep that he didn't have left. It really didn't matter to the assistant at that moment and time.

He knew that he shouldn't have been so rough on Arthur but he had thought that he really, really wanted it in the end and in reality, Alfred really didn't want to have an unsatisfied lover. So maybe he was a bit rough and when he woke up, that would be something he felt a bit bad about but hopefully Arthur wouldn't mind too much. If not that, then at least he hoped that no one else would notice if Arthur ended up having a hard time manoeuvring around because of the pain. Maybe next time he would be just a bit softer...if there was a next time considering how hard he had gone. Though they had both been extremely consumed by lust last night.

He vaguely heard Arthur's words as he laid sprawled out on the bed, a bit resistant to letting the other man go but finally he let him go though he remained laying there with his eyes shut. He really, really didn't want to wake up at the moment. Normally he was usually ready to get up but after a long night of sex, waking up was the farthest thing he wanted to do. He would just have to clean up the mess later. Maybe his boss wouldn't mind if he came to work a bit late.

Oh wait, Arthur was his boss and he seemed rather insistent on getting him up. Well fuck.

Alfred groaned loudly as Arthur smacked his leg, rubbing his eyes before finally slowly sitting up. "It's way too early to wake up." He mumbled tired, rubbing his eyes before slipping out of bed, not really even caring about his clothes at the moment. He would deal with them later...when he was more awake. Seeing Arthur taking the bathroom for the moment, Alfred set himself on cleaning the mess that they had cause the night before as well as the sheets so he could put it in the dirty laundry. There was no use having soiled sheets laid out on the bed.

Grabbing a towel, he wrapped it around his waist and went into the kitchen where he smelt the wonderful, wonderful scent of coffee. He was more than happy to get himself coffee while he waited for Arthur.

The water felt wonderful on Arthur’s skin, when he was finally under the warm stream of water. He exhaled slowly and simply enjoyed the water cascading down his body. It was peaceful and relaxing, much nicer that being fucked into oblivion like the previous night… okay, well, maybe it wasn’t but it still felt glorious, soothing his aching bones.

He didn’t necessarily regret being that rough, but next time he would definitely request that they were slower. The pace had been fine but it was the force within their movements that had been damaging, that had rattled Arthur’s bones. Around ten minutes later, once he was clean and feeling much better, he got out of the shower and promptly dried himself off with a towel in the bathroom.

Arthur brushed his teeth and dressed himself – boring white boxers and a white vest that was extremely un-sexy but incredibly warm and comfortable. He re-emerged, towelling at his hair. He spotted Alfred instantly, relieved that he wouldn’t have to tell him to wake up for a third time.

“The bathroom’s free now,” he informed him before starting to limp his way towards the bedroom. He paused and looked back at Alfred, eyebrow arching upwards sharply at the sight of Alfred in a towel. “Couldn’t be bothered to get dressed…?” he queried, sceptical.

Alfred just sat on the chair with just his towel wrapped around his waist, rather content with just sipping the coffee and waking up with every sip though still, just looking at the bedroom door made him desire for the bed increase with every moment. Maybe with even more desire than he felt for Arthur last night. Okay, so maybe not that much but dammit did he really want to go to sleep. He just hoped that he didn't hurt Arthur too much and if the other wanted to go slower, then he would be more than willing to take it slower.

He didn't regret the night before either but maybe he should have been a bit gentler, no matter how amazingly wonderful it felt for him. Finally finishing his coffee, he cleaned out the mug before standing up, quirking an eyebrow as he looked over at Arthur. Maybe his hopes were a bit too high so he was slightly disappointed with the other's choice of clothing after he got out of the shower but he decided that really didn't matter. They would be changing into suits anyways soon enough.

"Ah, thanks." He said with a small smile, soon heading towards the bedroom though he noticed the limp as Arthur went towards the bedroom. "Are you alright? Do you need painkillers or something?" He asked with a small frown, taking off the towel. He really wasn't bothered to get dressed, especially when he was going to jump in the shower anyways. He glanced over at Arthur once more, still concerned before he finally stepped into the bathroom so he could take his wonderful shower.

It didn't take him long to take a shower, knowing that he would have to be a bit quicker if he wanted to get to work on time with Arthur, especially in New York traffic. The water felt wonderful and it relaxed some of the stiffness in his bones but he knew that he couldn't just relax in it forever. Soon enough, he was out of the shower and he dried himself off before grabbing his boxers, a pair of smart trousers and another white button up shirt that he could dress himself in.

Maybe he should wear a cool tie this time. One with cool patterns! Come in with a different look and the like rather than those bland ties that he always saw his co-workers wear.

Arthur was much too proud to take painkillers. He wouldn’t admit that he was in a lot of pain. He wouldn’t give Alfred the satisfaction of knowing that he had successfully managed to make Arthur loose all of his senses. No, Alfred was not to know. Unless he’d already guessed, which he probably would have done judging by all of the embarrassing yelling he’d done the night beforehand.

And to think that not even a week ago, he’d been in the midst of a fire. He hadn’t been screaming like that then. He shuddered a little at the memory, trying not to think about the smoke. He dropped his towel into the laundry basket.

“I’m perfectly fine,” he said with a disdainful sniff.

He did, however, gawk as soon as Alfred dropped his towel. He blushed and muttered something inaudible to himself about propriety as he set about finding one of his suits – which were, of course, all creased. He heaved a sigh and began to dress himself. Brown socks, white shirt and an old green-brown suit that he knew would drop out the creases pretty quickly. He’d have to press his suits when they got back later on.

He could only pray to God that no one would notice his ridiculous new hobble-walk.

“The marks on my neck aren’t showing, are they?” he asked as Alfred re-appeared. His shirt was completely buttoned up and he had begun to pull on his own (red) tie. As his knuckles brushed beneath his chin, he noted with some irritation that he would have to shave that evening, as well.

He caught a glance of himself in a mirror and frowned. His hair was sticking out at odd angles, and his suit had a faint tweed design (something his father had bought him years ago).

“Good Lord, I look like Mr Bean.”

Alfred actually wasn't expecting Arthur to deny some painkillers even though he thought that he needed it considering the limp that the other sported. Though he really couldn't force his boyfriend to take any if he didn't want to. He knew that he made Arthur lose all of his senses considering how he was last night. Now God...that was hot. Having Arthur lose himself like this, it made Alfred lose himself in the haze of lust as well.

What he would do to do that instead of having to get ready for work. Certainly he was shy when he was exposed to Arthur but that was usually in a sexual situation when he knew that Arthur's eyes were just on him. Right now, he knew that was definitely not the case so he wasn't as nervous about it and quite frankly, he was much too tired and sluggish to really do anything else other than that.

After getting out of the shower, still bare, he couldn't help but glance over at Arthur with a small smile.

"Hey, Mr Bean is pretty cool. I think you look fine." He said as he tugged his boxers on along with his trousers. It felt much nicer to be cleaned up from all the sweat and cum that was on his body just a while before. Slipping on his button up shirt yet not buttoning it up just yet, he walked over to Arthur and had a closer look at the other's neck. He soon shook his head.

"Nah, no marks there. Just on the collarbone." He mentioned with a small smile. At least no one would see Arthur's collarbone other than himself. So fortunately enough he was safe for this time. He was actually rather surprised that there were no marks along his neck considering just how frisky he got the night before. With that, he began to button his shirt up and decided that maybe he should just wear a regular tie today. He didn't exactly imagine Arthur being approving of his other ties which he quite enjoyed.

So he soon tied on his tie, trying his best to make it look as nice as possible. Standing in front of the mirror next to Arthur, he worked on his own hair, trying to straighten it out and make it look nicer (though that strand of hair always seemed to be the exception).

"So how does it feel, going back to work?" He asked with a small smile though he knew that Arthur really didn't miss all that much. Still, it seemed forever for Alfred considering he didn't have Arthur there with him.

“Mr Bean is anything but cool,” he said with a sigh and rolled his eyes. He’d pointedly been ignoring Alfred and his nakedness, surprisingly. He’d been much too focused on the way that Alfred’s preparation for work seemed effortless in comparison to his own. His lover’s hair shone brightly and his style was always tasteful. Arthur, on the other hand, always had problems controlling his eyebrows and his hair – and he had stubble every other day (as if his majestic eyebrows weren’t enough to prove just how much testosterone there was inside of him).

At least it was a relief to here that no one would see that Arthur had turned work down the previous day but had been indeed well enough for coital activities. He nodded once and turned away again, finishing up with his tie (it was Italian, actually and its style clashed with his extremely English suit).

“Awful,” he said with a grimace. “I would much rather gorge myself on tea and biscuits with a good book,” he turned to Alfred, beginning to tuck his shirt into his trousers with careful movements not to pull at the fabric too harshly or catch Alfred’s skin. He'd caught Alfred looking at himself in the mirror, in a way that Arthur thought was much too self-depricating than necessary. He decided pointedly not to say anything but did, however, peck softly at his jaw; the first kiss of the day. He left his side to go and look through his bag of clothes again, wincing as he bent down to search. He pulled out a belt that would have to do for the day.

He stared at the bag for a while before looking up at Alfred, a curious frown upon his face as he slid his belt through the loops at his hips.

“What am I to do with my belongings, Alfred…?” they couldn’t sit about in bags forever, after all.

Alfred frowned a bit at that and he rolled his eyes. Honestly, he thought that Mr Bean was very, very cool but he supposed that was just a differing taste between Arthur and himself on the matter. That was a shame but he decided that there wasn't anything all that bad about disagreeing on such a small thing. Actually, it was quite common for him to go around his flat with barely anything on though that was usually because he was alone. Yet he still didn't think that Arthur would mind all that much if anything.

He was admittedly a very clean man with perfect straight white teeth, lovely and soft golden hair, bright blue eyes, lovely skin and a nice body along with it. Maybe his fashion sense was a bit off at times (he did have some but he preferred being comfortable more than anything). Despite this, Alfred critically looked at himself and many times, he would simply look for all the flaws in his appearance. He thought that despite Arthur's messier look, his boyfriend was still much too lovely for him.

He couldn't help but laugh a bit when he heard what Arthur said as he straightened out his tie, smiling slightly. "Aw, it's alright. You have me around so I'll make it as easy for you as possible." He assured, rather determined on actually doing this. Alfred stayed still, letting Arthur tuck his shirt into his trousers and soon he glanced away from the mirror so he could lean against the lips against his jaw. The action simply made him smile more, happy that Arthur gave him the first kiss of the day.

Alfred soon grabbed his briefcase and went to look at the bags before frowning a bit, thinking. "Ah, I'll make some room in my drawers for your stuff!" He assured. "Also in my closet for the things you need to hang. I don't have way too many clothes with me so there's plenty of room. If there isn't, then I'll try finding something else that will help with the storage." He continued, looking at the different things in the bags. "We can do it when we come back but since you're pretty much living here right now, put it wherever you feel comfortable."

It would weird to share the same space...but...it was actually kind of nice.

The stupid dolt was smiling too much. Always so happy, always so joyful. Why was he with a misery-guts such himself?

Arthur just nodded at the response. That seemed reasonable enough but the idea of sharing things such as clothing space was strange to him. They’d barely gone out for long and yet here they were, living together. Of course, the circumstances were different to what he might have initially hoped but he still had the horrible feeling that they were going to argue just a bit too much for it to work.

“Yes, of course,” he agreed and began to search for his own briefcase – soon finding it amongst a bag of his more personal belongings (such as photographs and his university diploma). He prized his briefcase. Quickly hiding the contents inside, he made a note that he’d have to find somewhere to either store it away or hide in Alfred’s flat. The latter sounded less appealing, but less expensive.

“What’s the time?” he asked off-handedly, checking his appearance again. “You should make yourself some food, lad. You won’t get a chance to otherwise.”

Alfred was always a rather happy lad though one really couldn't blame him considering last night, even if he did have to go to work this morning. That was always a drag but at least it would be better considering that he had Arthur with him this time. It was much too boring in the work place to go around without Arthur there to at least look at or at times talk with. Or just about anything. It was too boring just sitting around, barely doing anything unless he was preparing his things for him.

Which he did of course.

He really didn't mind sharing his things with Arthur. At least they still had their own possessions, they were just sharing a space was all. There wasn't really anything wrong with that, especially since they were together. Or maybe it was the fact that they were together which made it much more significant. He honestly wasn't ever expecting Arthur to live with him. He was always so well off, it seemed as if Arthur was out of his realm. Yet to think that he would come and live with him (due to unfortunate circumstances of course though), it was almost unimaginable.

He glanced over at the suitcase and he raised his eyebrows but he decided not to question it. It wasn't his business if Arthur wanted to keep something secret from him or something. It wasn't necessarily like they were married or anything so there really was no problem with it.

Glancing over at his watch, he hummed as he headed over towards the kitchen to grab a quick pop-tart which would hardly stave off his hunger until morning. "Thirty minutes until we have to be there." He said but with the traffic, that was the time that they would need. Soon shoving the pop-tart in his mouth, he grabbed his flat keys and headed towards the door, looking back at Arthur. "I'll be down at the car. If you need to grab anything else, then feel free." He said before heading out.

Arthur heard the front door close and let out a long sigh. His arse was throbbing. How he was going to stay sat down all day, he had no idea. After inspection of his behind in the mirror, he could see bruises forming.

“Bollocks,” he cursed, re-adjusting his trousers and belt. He grabbed his briefcase and rummaged through his belongings for a coat before stopping upon remembering that they’d been burnt in the fire. He continued to swear under his breath as he left the flat, following where Alfred had gone down to the car.

He cringed at the thought of sitting in there with Alfred driving as recklessly as he had done to get them to a meeting. Surely he was due to go to another board meeting soon? Arthur gave his lover somewhat of a tense smile.

Alfred soon sat down at the car and started it up, more than happy to eat his pop-tarts as he waited for his lover to come down to the car. He wasn't aware of the bruises that were forming on Arthur's body but if he did see them, then he would have noted that he would have to be more gentle the next time around.

With a sigh, he finished the rest of his food before he waited patiently for the other to come down, still rather hungry. Maybe he should have grabbed two packets instead of one. Ah well, maybe he could sneak in food without Arthur noticing later on. That sounded like a plan. If Arthur would even allow him to slip out of his sight for a quick snack. He just smiled when he finally saw the Englishman come down and he waited for him to get into the passenger's seat.

It was only when he was in a huge rush that he would drive a bit...recklessly. Yet he didn't think he was all that bad! He drived safely all the other times and as long as they weren't running late, they would be perfectly fine! No need to rush through traffic to get to their destination. Soon enough he pulled away from the flats and started to drive to their work, humming a small tune to himself as he turned on the radio for the meantime. Just another day at work.

Arthur got into the passenger seat, concealing his grimace with surprising skill. He placed his briefcase neatly in his lap, making sure to fasten his seatbelt.

“So, do you have any idea of what’s happening today? What I have to do, I mean?” he furrowed his impressive brows, looking out of the window as he shifted uncomfortably. “I’ll have to call Mr Vargas and ask him if he’s finished his designs yet. The last time I spoke to him, he told me that his brother was still making threats because I let him go,” he rolled his eyes, as if the Italian was being over-dramatic. “It would be alright if he was actually any good at getting profit rather than his own strange ideas about what women want,” he ran his fingers back through his hair tiredly.

“And I’ll have to see Ludwig. Good Lord, I hope that he doesn’t ask any questions,” he closed his eyes. Questions about the fire, questions about where he was living, questions about his current limp… He almost wanted to ask if he could just go back to bed but he decided, with some determination (and exasperation) that he would have to go back. “I’m sure that there’s a lovely pile of sums waiting for me, am I right?”

He focused on Alfred, noting the few crumbs left on his suit from eating. He would dust them off of him at a red light or something.

Alfred's driving wasn't all that bad this time around, considering that he wasn't rushing through the traffic this time around. He just listened to Arthur as he kept his eyes on the road, trying to go through the schedule in his head as he thought about it. What did Arthur have to do anyways? All the business terms were starting to get jumbled in his head and maybe it would have been helpful if he actually paid any attention to any of his business classes before.

He wasn't really aware of what was going on with Mr Vargas at the moment but he decided that his main job was just to make certain that everything went as smoothly as possible for Arthur as he could possibly make it. Though he did pretty much have a job almost exactly like a secretary except maybe with just a bit more work rather than just take calls and organise meetings and the like. Yet still...

"I'm certain that he won't ask anything, Arthur." He assured, humming a bit to himself. "I think he's deemed you as a trustworthy person and if he does ask you anything, it would probably be about whether you have a place to stay or something. You know, just concern I suppose?" He smiled a bit. He really couldn't imagine Ludwig prying in too much about Arthur's personal life. When they hit the stoplight, he finally took the time to actually try remembering just what the other had to do.

"Uh, well probably just dealing with the sales and the like and how you want to carry it out. There's a profit and loss account and also a cash flow forecast over the year waiting for you at your desk though the numbers haven't changed that much from the last time we've checked." He continued to think, sighing a bit and soon starting the car again after the red light turned green.

It didn't take all that long but soon enough they were at the workplace and in reality, it was a relief to have Arthur back.

“I certainly hope not,” he agreed with an exhale. At the red light, Arthur reached across and thumbed at Alfred’s lapels, brushing away the remnants of his breakfast. He shifted uncomfortably, trying to ignore the stinging in his backside. It was his own fault. “Doesn’t that sound like fun,” he murmured dryly. “No rest for the wicked, eh?”

When they reached the building, Arthur unfastened his seat belt and hopped out of the car, briefcase in hand. The air was cold. At least he’d worn his trusty vest beneath his shirt and suit. He headed towards the building, sparing Alfred a quick glance over his shoulder as he reached the doors.

He tried to smile again.

Arthur hobbled to the lift, being greeted by the ever persistent Ms Brown. He ignored her, as he usually did. He waited in the lift for Alfred.

Alfred blinked when he saw Arthur brush away the remnants of his breakfast and he hummed quietly, glancing at him for a moment though he decided that the other would be fine. He really should have taken the painkiller but it didn't seem all that bad. From what he could tell at the very least. He simply grinned a bit, running a hand through his hair as he nodded. "Nah, no rest." He reaffirmed.

After he parked the car, he was about to reach out so he could steal a kiss but already Arthur was out of the car and he decided that the kisses could wait later. Fortunately enough, he wore a winter jacket over his business suit considering that this was New York City and it got rather chilly during the winter. Heading towards the building, he followed Arthur into the lift and gave a kind smile to Ms Brown.

Stepping inside, he pressed the button to close the doors before he pressed another one to their floor, rather content with everything. As much as he hated work, he much preferred to have Arthur with him than not.

Alfred was always much too polite to the daft girl in Arthur’s opinion. She’d done nothing but bother him since day one. He wouldn’t protest, however. It was all a part of Alfred’s charm.

He waited for the doors to close before he finally, finally leaned up to Alfred to press a quick kiss to the corner of his lips (which was all that he could reach from that angle). He saw the door beginning to open and walked out of the lift, giving Alfred a gentle pat on the bum as he did.

“Thank you for the lift to work, Jones,” he covered in case anyone saw them both leaving the lift.

He went straight to his office, pointedly ignoring all of the shocked faces he saw on the way there. He could only hope that his limp wasn’t too noticeable. It felt strange to be back at work after so soon. He’d been in hospital not even a week ago and yet, there he was. It probably showed determination and courage to his subordinates (or at least he hoped that it did instead of making him look like a work-obsessed maniac).

Once in his office, he put down his briefcase and let out a sigh. There were a lot of papers on his desk. Joy of all joys.

Alfred really didn't find the girl to be all that annoying though he had a different tolerance level than Arthur. He generally had a very cheery attitude and he really couldn't put that down for anyone. Well he could but it was out of character for him unless he really disliked the person he was talking to.

He couldn't help but smile a bit though when Arthur finally leant up to press a quick kiss to the corner of his lips. He leant down so the other could reach him a bit better but he soon pulled away when the lift finally stopped and the doors were starting to open. Yet the moment that Arthur started to walk out of the lift and he felt the gentle pat on his bum, Alfred couldn't help but redden horribly. Certainly it was not all that uncommon for Arthur to do it but it still managed to fluster him each time.

"No problem, Mr Kirkland." He managed to say with a steady voice (surprisingly) before he headed towards the office as well, noticing the other's limp but he decided it was best just to look away. He could see the stares directed at Arthur from everyone in the office but he decided that it was just best to ignore it and instead he smiled at the people around him before he followed him inside.

Soon enough he grabbed his mobile and started to look through Arthur's schedule, quickly writing down everything he needed on a post-it note just in case.

Arthur was hard at work for the next few hours, familiarising himself with what he’d missed until he remembered with a horrible knot in his stomach that he’d have to see Ludwig. He felt tired already, wanting to sleep and his arse hurt like hell from sitting on it. The phrase ‘I’ll make sure that you can’t sit for a week’ had put into literal terms, it seemed. He wondered if it made Alfred feel proud that he was able to do that to him, an older man and his superior as well as his lover. Did it give him a sense of achievement to see Arthur like this?

Undeniably, Arthur had to admit that he still strangely enjoyed the feeling of pain for the next few days. Not for the pain itself, but more because he remembered how it had been inflicted. And oh, had it been wonderful.

After debating moving for several minutes, he decided that he should catch Ludwig just before he shot off to one of his many meetings in the other building; the German man was so busy. He left his office and considered stopping to chat to Alfred before thinking better of it. He instead nodded at him, as formal and static as possible to silently inform Alfred of what he was doing. Doubtlessly, the boy was hungry.

“Go have lunch, Jones. Make sure that you’re back on time today. I’ll have none of this five minutes late business from you again.” He continued across the office to Ludwig’s.

Admittedly, Alfred did feel a bit proud that he was able to do that to him. If he though that Arthur got no pleasure from it, then he would feel a lot less proud but the fact that he was able to do it and then have Arthur also enjoy the night was good enough for him. In fact, it bolstered up his ego just a bit though he wasn't all that happy with the side effects.

Okay, so maybe he was a bit pleased to see that he could make Arthur limp a bit but he didn't want him to be in pain. He also took a sort of satisfaction knowing that the hickeys he made were just under the man's suit and no one else but the two of them knew about those marks scattered over that lovely pale skin.

For the next few hours, Alfred did everything that Arthur wanted him to do and a bit more, taking it upon himself to handle most of the man's calls and the like and if he wasn't doing anything, he would go and make the man some tea to keep him going. Yet already he was feeling a bit tired and maybe he should have gotten a bit more rest the night before but that was hard considering what he was doing that night. He didn't regret it in the slightest bit.

Admittedly, he was looking forward to eating lunch with Arthur but when the other nodded at him so formally and static, he easily received the message that he was trying to convey. Instead Alfred just smiled and nodded back.

"Of course, Mr Kirkland. I won't disappoint you." With that, he was more than glad to quickly head off to lunch, his stomach grumbling already from the lack of food.

Ludwig was in his office and fortunately enough (or maybe unfortunately), he was available though only for a short time. He had heard that Arthur came back to the workplace and for that, he was glad that he had such a diligent and hard worker.

Arthur had looked back over his shoulder one final time as the other got up from his desk to leave. He was extremely lucky to have Alfred as an assistant. He was attentive and always checking up on Arthur so that he didn’t overwork himself. He was good at talking to clients, rarely ever late and was a complete knock-out with his colleagues.

He swallowed thickly, staring at Ludwig’s door for a few, long moments before he at last raised his hand to knock before opening the door.

“Good morning, sir. I assumed that you would like to see me?” he asked, standing fully in the doorway.

Alfred was definitely a knock-out with the colleagues and he always tried his best though he normally was a rather unmotivated man. Yet he had a job to keep and if he wanted to keep his job, he would have to work to the best of his abilities and despite contrary belief, he was a rather diligent worked when he had the motivation to be. He needed to keep this job, especially when he still had college fees to pay and living expenses as well.

Ludwig looked up from his paperwork when he heard the knock on his door and soon he couldn't help but smile a bit when he saw that it was Arthur. He was always rather timely about these kinds of things.

He just motioned to the chair in front of his desk. "Good morning, Mr Kirkland." He said. "Please take a seat. I won't take much of your time." He continued, observing the man. He could have probably gone with a few more days of sleep but he was grateful that the other was here.

"Are you doing well? I hope the work isn't too much for you in your state." He questioned before he remembered about the fire and though he knew it was a personal subject, he wanted to make certain that Arthur was actually doing alright and whether he had a place to live. "And have you found a place to live, Mr Kirkland?" He questioned. It wasn't his business where Arthur stayed at the moment, as long as he had a place to live or stay at until he could get settled in again.

Arthur strategically limped to the seat offered to him, returning Ludwig’s expression with a polite smile. He sat down and tried to make himself as comfortable as possible so that he wouldn’t fidget like a five-year-old schoolboy in the headmaster’s office.

“The work is fine, thank you sir,” he tried not to sound tense or as though he was irritated that his abilities were being doubted. “I’ve already caught up on the last few days with the help of Jones. He organised the things that I need to see so it’s been much quicker because he’s done the admin work.” He then nodded, slowly. “Yes, I have. I’m staying with a friend until I can find accommodation of my own.” Which was a point. Should he bother to look for a new apartment or just stay with Alfred? Would Alfred want him to look for somewhere else?

“And Jones has been kind enough to start a carpool with me. So, so far it hasn’t been too much of a difficult transition. Is there anything that you think that I should know, business-wise?” He was well-aware that not all of the information in the company would have been shared with Alfred to pass on. Alfred was just an assistant, after all.

Saying that Alfred was only just an assistant made Arthur feel incredibly guilty.

Ludwig didn't really seem to notice how he was limping and if he did, he didn't say anything about it though he kept a critical eye on Arthur. He really didn't doubt Arthur's abilities to work but he just wanted to make certain. He knew that it was definitely a lot to go through and he didn't want to overwork the man in the first few days.

Though...

He firmly nodded his head, glad that Alfred was at least doing his job. There were times that he was hesitant but it seemed as if the man did a good job and exceeded what was expected of him. He was worth keeping for right now though if the company was to go down any lower, then he would regret knowing that Alfred may have his job at risk. It was quite a shame because even if he was a hard worker and had a cheerful personality, he was just an assistant. There wasn't much he could do about it but he seemed to be doing his job well at the moment.

"Is that so? That's good to hear." He murmured before he finally looked up at the other, nodding. "Of course, Mr Kirkland. Next week, you're going to be sent off to Australia to help train the employees who are going to take positions in the marketing and sales directing over in the branch in Australia as well as discuss your ideas with them there. Is that alright with you?" He asked though there was a tone in his voice that pretty much implied that Arthur really had no choice.

Arthur jolted in surprise at the sudden load of information. Australia? What the devil was he going to do in – train employees to do his job in a different country? And then present his ideas to them? Fuck. Bollocks. His eyes had widened slightly, but other than that he barely reacted.

He cleared his throat.

“Excuse me, sir but I do not remember being informed of this…” surely they wouldn’t want to send Arthur after he’d walked out on the team-building activities earlier in his employment there? He licked his lips, a little nervous. Okay, so perhaps it wasn’t all that bad. “How long will this trip be for?”

He hated jetlag with a passion. Going to Australia, he’d be so out of it that he’d barely be able to function. He furrowed his brows slightly at the thought. He wouldn’t be able to get up, probably – that or he would have to go without sleep for two days. He’d have to manage, somehow. Although he couldn’t help but wonder how the hell he’d been selected for it.

“I assume that my assistant will be accompanying me on this visit?”

Ludwig just raised his eyebrow at that though maybe he should informed the other about it before he had come to the work place. Yet he wasn't able to have a lot of contact with him though maybe he should. Either way, he knew now and that was what matter. It seemed as if he accepted his fate anyways (though it wasn't as if he necessarily had a choice in the matter).

"The trip will be for two weeks. Your hotel room has already been booked and the company will pay for everything on the trip." He said, thinking about it. He knew that Arthur was a good choice in this and even though he was a bit of a grump at times and maybe a bit too work-oriented (though he really couldn't speak without sounding like a hypocrite), he knew that the employees needed his aid to succeed.

He couldn't help but be a bit confused with the insistance of Alfred though but he decided to brush that off to the side. They hadn't set out enough money for Alfred to come along with the trip.

"I apologise but Mr Jones will not be coming on this trip with you. We'll give him other duties to work on while you're gone."