On The Force (Case 2) [R-18]

Arthur hissed and winced as the slap to his back sent shockwaves of pain down to his lower back and hips. That hurt. He experimentally kneaded at his lower back, feeling very old all of a sudden. They’d only gone one round, and he’d been left like his. Hopefully his body would readjust fairly quickly; Arthur knew that his boyfriend was a hormonal young man no matter how much he tended to hold back from his urges and now that they’d done it once, Arthur wanted to be able to satisfy Alfred.

He had mixed feelings about Matthew though. While the man was nothing but polite and fairly friendly, there was something guarded about him. Arthur felt as if Matthew wanted nothing more than to have Arthur leave. Which was fair enough, he supposed. After all, he’d come all this way to visit his brother, only to find Alfred’s attention on someone else. Arthur knew that he should leave, but… he’d wanted to wake up together, have breakfast together, maybe even… sit, though definitely not cuddle, on the couch together for a bit. He didn’t want to leave.

“I… will just set the table, then,” he said, deciding to give them some time to chat without him being in the way. He went to the bathroom to wash his hands and face first, before returning to set some plates and cutlery out.

Alfred smiles at both Arthur and his brother and moves to the little kitchen area of his apartment pulling open the door to the refrigerator and peeking inside to see what he had that could be used to cook with. He pulled out some eggs and butter bacon and juggled those items while grabbing a pan from the cabinet. Alfred may not have looked like it but he could cook quite well when he wanted to.

Meanwhile Matthew who vaguely remembered where things were from previous visits toke it upon himself to mix some pancakes up. Alfred usually begged him for his pancaked when he came over saying how much he missed them and appreciated them. Alfred hadn't said much this time though. His brother was busy humming to himself and peeking around the corner once more, looking for his boyfriend probably Matthew figured with a sigh.

"Arthur..are you okay in there?" Alfred shouts out leaning away from the stove and trying to peek around the corner.

"So..how have you been?" Matthew asks while Alfred waits for a reply. "I mean, you got a new job at the station finally? Isn't that what you always wanted?"

Alfred looks back to his brother and nods. "Yeah, It's been great. Just..well It's hard work still but I don't mind it."

Arthur set the table quickly and efficiently before leaning against the wall with a gasp. Fuck, he needed to… something. Stretch? Take painkillers? Because it hurt and he’d be limping around all day at this rate. Bloody hell, he used to be able to fuck and then quite happily chase criminals fifteen minutes later. But getting shot and then remaining abstinent for over a year hadn’t done much good for his body. Perhaps it would be a good idea to start at the gym or something of the sort.

He heard Alfred call for him from the kitchen and straightened, determined not to let his boyfriend see his pain and fuss over him. “Y-yes!” he called back, massaging his lower back. “I’m fine, concentrate on the food!” A ringing started up from within the bedroom and Arthur gingerly made his way into the room, recognising his ring tone. He answered it quickly, knowing that only a small number of people would call him on his mobile.

“Kirkland,” came the Chief’s familiar voice. Arthur listened carefully to what the Chief had to say, then hung up with a frown. It looked like he’d need those painkillers after all. Arthur made his way back into the kitchen and rummaged in the medicine cabinet before dry-swallowing two pills.

“We’re expected at the station as soon as possible,” he said, turning to face the brothers. “Breakfast will have to wait, sadly.”

When Arthur came back into view Alfred smiled tries to show him what he was making like a kids trying to show what he could do. Then he spots him going to the medicine cabinet and he frowns. "Arthur...Are you sure your feeling alright?" Alfred asks putting his pan down and scratching at his head trying to figure out why Arthur might be feeling bad. Alfred himself felt rather energetic now that he had been up for a bit.

"Work? Ah, oh!" Alfred says looking a cross between excited and wary. He takes one last glance at his pan and gives his brother a apologetic look. "Could you finish up for me. You can eat all you want and make yourself at home like usual. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Matthew had paused in what he was doing as well and gave a glance between Alfred and Arthur. "You..work together too then? That..that must be nice." He says forcing a smile. "I'll take care of things here." He adds.

Alfred gives his brother that sparkling smile and nearly bowls him over with a tackling hug before nodding to Arthur. "Well..duty calls right? We should go get our uniforms on." He says taking Arthur's hand and pulling him towards the bedroom that Alfred had almost began to call in his mind 'theirs'.

Arthur tried to decipher the look on Matthew's face but the man's expression proved unreadable. "Er, yes... We're... We work together," he said cautiously. "And thank you, your pancakes smell delicious. Hopefully I'll be able to have a taste of them soon." Still no change in the other blond's smile. Arthur sighed inaudibly, limping quickly and biting back curses as Alfred enthusiastically dragged him back into the bedroom by the hand. 

"I'm fine," he said as soon as the bedroom door was closed. "Don't fuss, Alfred." Arthur made his way to the wardrobe and pulled out both uniforms, freshly washed and ironed by Arthur himself only a day or two ago. While Alfred wasn't too bad about actually washing his dirty clothes, Arthur had learnt that Alfred would sooner wear a wrinkled uniform than haul his ironing board and iron out from their respective hiding places. 

Arthur took his uniform and ducked into the bathroom, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Of course, Alfred had seen every inch of him last night, but... It had been dark. And also, Matthew hadn't been hovering outside, no doubt watching their every move to try and gauge how far they'd progressed. He took the opportunity to go about most of his morning rituals at double speed, brushing his teeth and hair at the same time. 

Once he was fully dressed and presentable, Arthur hurried back into the bedroom, clutching at his lower back and wishing that the painkillers would kick in already. He reached up to stop his boyfriend from strangling himself with his own tie and deftly knotted it around Alfred's neck before leaning in for a quick kiss. "Just sore," he muttered with a blush, knowing that Alfred wouldn't stop until he got an explanation. "I just... I haven't... Done that in a long time. And last night was absolutely amazing. So I'm a bit sore, but I'll be fine, dearest. Now, let's be off."

Alfred didn't notice the look on his brothers fae or didn't think anything of it since he didn't seem to be bothered by anything at all. In fact, he was still in quite a cheerful mood.

Seeing Arthur pull out their uniforms all nice and clean Alfred felt the need to thank him. "What a loving boyfriend I must have..to do my laundry this nicely." He says with a chuckle taking his uniform gratefully. Despite what Arthur said though he did cast a worried glance at him as he closed the bathroom door behind him.

Alfred toke the time to get his own uniform on wiggling into his pants and throwing his shirt over his head battling with it to try and get everything on at once since they were in a hurry. When it came to the tie though Alfred always had problems. He stood in front of his mirror with a concentrated face and tried tightening it to make it look better. That was when Arthur reappeared just in time too. He helped him out and Alfred wrapped his arms around him as he did, giving him a peck back. "Thank you."

"Sore...oh..OH." Alfred says finally realizing what the cause was and blushing himself. He held onto Arthur just a little more protectively than before. "Sorry. I..I didn't know that would happen. I'll try to be more careful next time?" He says with a promising smile.

"Alright though..let's go get this over with so we can come back and let you relax." Alfred leans down rubbing noses with Arthur briefly before pulling back just to take his hand and leading them out the door.

Alfred waves to his brother as they leave promising to return as quickly as he can.

"Don't be sorry," Arthur said, shaking his head. "I'm not fragile. It'll fade soon enough. And I... V-very much enjoyed myself, so if you hold back next time, I won't be pleased!" Blushing, he allowed his boyfriend to tug him out of the apartment by the hand after exchanging a brief farewell with Matthew. The painkillers were finally kicking in and he found himself walking much more easily, without the obvious 'well-shagged' limp that he'd used the entire morning. 

They arrived at the station soon enough. Arthur led his boyfriend--and partner--into the Chief's office, where the older man was looking distinctly stressed and exhausted.  "Kirkland. Jones." The Chief wasted little time on greetings. "A body was found this morning behind the local cinema. There are no witnesses, no reports of suspicious figures or disturbances and the coroner's report is somewhat... Disturbing, even for our line of work."

Arthur exchanged a look with Alfred. They'd been at the cinema the previous night, and Arthur hadn't noticed anything particularly strange. "Disturbing, you say?" he muttered, leaning over to get a look at the report. The time of death was estimated to be some time between eight and ten PM... Which was when they'd been in there, watching a film and cuddling. How could they have missed this?

"The killer appears to have inflicted many deep cuts on the victim's arms and upper body, causing maximum pain before leaving the victim to bleed out. Forensics is on site right now, and the coroner just call me to say that he's identified the victim. I need you two to go and interview the victim's family. Figure out who would want to kill him, and why." The man shook his head wearily and sighed. "I haven't seen anything like this before in all my time as head of this station."

Alfred walked in behind Arthur into the chief's office not exactly holding hands still but they stuck close enough together and by now the entire office pretty much knew of their relationship.

The chief launched into his report before Alfred could even say hi to the man so instead Alfred just gave a small smile and listened, although that smile quickly faded as the story when on. He gave Arthur a nervous glance when the location was mentioned.

Alfred gradually started listening less and his thoughts were turning more. They had been there at the same time...it could have easily been one of them that had gotten attacked. The thought made Alfred cling into Arthur's waist just a bit tightly. He felt very protective suddenly. But of course, the murder had to of had a motive. That's right and no one had a motive against them..at least not anyone who they hadn't locked up from work.

"Interview..right." Alfred says coming back into the conversation. He shook his head to clear his mind of any lingering bad thoughts and put on his usual determined to get the job done face. "We can do that. Piece of cake. Right Arthur?" Alfred turns to look at his boyfriend for reassurance.

"Yes," Arthur reassured his boyfriend absently, "of course we can." He was distracted by the photos that had slid out of the folder when he'd tried to read the rest of the coroner's report. It was a picture of a pale arm striped with deep, angry cuts. Most of the cuts were torn, jagged lines which suggested that a serrated blade had been used. Arthur stared at the picture for a moment before turning to the Chief. 

"This is the first killing," the man said wearily, "but we're expecting more. From the amount to work that went into this killing, our killer obviously planned this well. The fact that the killer got away with no witnesses will feed his ego. I'd be very surprised if the killer doesn't take another victim. He, or she, will try again."

Arthur nodded. They typically didn't get many serial killers in this area, so when one turned up everyone who wasn't already assigned to something would be pulled onto the case. He collected the address of the victim's family and tugged Alfred out of the office with a nod to the Chief. 

"Here," he said, handing the address over and ignoring the other officers. "I'll take notes; you conduct the interview. All right?"

Alfred listened quietly and tried to peek around Arthur to get a better look at the things spilling out of the file folder as well. One or two of the pictures sent chills down his spine but he tried not to let it show. Policemen aren't supposed to be squeamish. His face looked grave though at the mention of the possibility of other killings. They needed to stop this guy as fast as they could if that was the case.

When Arthur tugged him out of the office he followed without question. He glanced at the address. "That's not..too far away from here." Alfred mumbles glancing in the direction of the street named on the paper. He let a small smile slip onto his face. "You always let me do the interview. Your penmanship is better than mine though. I bet your notes will look all proper and cursive-y." Alfred gives a chuckle just to try and lighten his own suddenly damper mood.

"'Cursive-y' isn't a word," Arthur said absently as he slid into the passenger seat. Generally he preferred to be the one in charge of driving, but he trusted Alfred. His boyfriend would never drive badly and place the both of them in danger. "And you're more... Friendly. People don't mind talking to you. They'll be more open and honest if you're the one speaking." He held no illusions about how other people viewed him. But it didn't matter, as long as he had Alfred. 

The trip to the victim's family's home had indeed been short. The house was quiet and the curtains were drawn, but they still made their way up the driveway and knocked on the door. It took a moment, but eventually a mixdle-aged woman came to the door and peered out. There was a moment of calm as she took in their uniforms, then she struck. 

"You!" she shouted, opening the door wider and rushing at them, distress evident on her face. "Aren't you people supposed to protect us?! How could you have let this happen? He never hurt anyone in his life, and still he was taken from us! It's your fault! You should have done your job properly! You should have saved him! It's all your fault!" She punctuated each accusation with a blow to Alfred's chest before collapsing to her knees, sobbing loudly. A group of what appeared to be her family members gathered at the door, staring at the two of them accusingly. 

Alfred slide into the drivers seat of his truck and nodded absently. He was known for being friendlier and people tended to view him as someone trusting. He knew all these things. It still surprised him a little though he was glad. "I think your pretty nice too though." Alfred comments as he starts the truck up.

Alfred tried to remain optimistic as always as they approached the house. At least this time there wouldn't be any dead bodies waiting to be found he thought. He knocked on the door and put on his best smile. When the woman opened the door he held his hand out in a friendly manner. "Hi, I'm Detective Jones and I would li-"

It all faltered as the woman spoke up and Alfred was hit with the barrage or insults and finger pokes and he actually stumbled backwards somewhat off of the ladies porch. Alfred was stunned. This was the least he had been expecting or prepared for and he looked at the lady at a loss for words. "I..I..I'm..s-sorry." Alfred manages to get out once it is all over. He glanced over all the faces and felt like shrinking back against Arthur. "I'm..just..h-here to interview you."

Arthur watched the woman’s actions calmly and waited for her to run out of anger. This was a fairly standard reaction to a police presence after a murder. When he turned to glance at Alfred though… the poor lad looked terrified. He had to fight back an amused snicker and gently helped the woman up. “We’re very sorry for your loss,” he said softly. His foreign accent seemed to catch her attention and she mopped at her eyes with her sleeve. “But we would very much appreciate it if you’d give us just a moment of your time, so that no one else will have to go through what you are going through.”

The woman glanced at the other family members and they seemed to silently come to an agreement. “Fine,” she said listlessly, “come inside,” They were led into the kitchen, where a younger woman offered them coffee. Arthur politely declined and sat down next to Alfred, who was offered a seat across from the older woman.

It was very obvious that this family was in mourning. The woman’s face was pale and sickly, and there were dark shadows under her eyes. Her hair was tangled and limp around her face, and her hands shook as she raised a mug of coffee to her lips. The others around her were much the same, dazed and in disbelief at their sudden loss. Some were still openly hostile towards the officers, but most seemed simply tired. “Shall we begin, then?” Arthur murmured, placing a recorder on the tabletop and opening his notepad. He glanced at Alfred, nodded, then clicked the recorder on.

Alfred watched how Arthur handled the scene so expertly and was harshly reminded of just how much of a gap in experience was between them. Alfred was still new to this even if it had seemed like a long while since he had started working with Arthur as a case Detective and not a paper work boy. He just pulled on his best apologetic smile and nodded in agreement. "Yeah..if you wouldn't mind."

Alfred followed Arthur inside slowly, taking a glance around the house before taking his seat. He hesitantly accepted the coffee offered to him. he felt a little shaken up still and though maybe it would help him calm down again. Another glance around the room and he felt like everyone was watching him. It was the kind of attention Alfred dint like to have. He toke a deep breath and nodded with Arthur though. They needed to get this time and then they could help more. "So..did you notice any change in behavior in your, son I assume, lately?" He asks trying to put his charming smile on but the people around him didn't seem to take to it like they normally might have. Usually that smile could have won him anyone's affection but he still felt hostile sense in the room.

For a moment, Arthur wanted to kick his partner. Did that git not know how to read the atmosphere? It was like laughing at a funeral – smiling while interviewing someone about their deceased family member was unacceptable. He watched, mentally wincing as Alfred seemed to try to smile even more brightly, and finally kicked him under the table. When Alfred glanced at him in bemusement, Arthur frowned and subtly shook his head

“He was the same as always,” the woman was saying hoarsely, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. “He never hurt anyone, never did anything wrong. Kept to himself in public, but he was a loving and dutiful son. Went to his classes, and to work… Never hid anything from us, and brought his… partner around often.” She buried her face in her hands. “Oh God, why? He was my baby boy, so kind and smart and handsome! He didn’t have enemies, everyone liked him!” A few other family members rushed in to try and calm the distraught woman down.

Arthur absently stared at the red light on the recorder, trying to give the family as much privacy as possible while the two of them were sitting there. Had the murder been completely random? No, that was unlikely. There had to be something that the family wasn’t telling them… or something that the victim hadn’t told his family. And that was what they needed to uncover.

Alfred felt a sudden kick under the table and turned his head to look at Arthur a little hurt but then he nodded back slowly and his smile shut off, mouth forming a line that didn't seem to know if it wanted to bend up or down. He turned his attention back to the woman listening to her answer.

It really pained Alfred to hear things like this happening to good people. Then again that was why he was in this line of work. he wanted to keep these things from happening. Everyone one of them was right, they should have been able to prevent this from happening. Should have at least be able to do something for then while they sat mourning someone who was innocent.

He tried to think of anything that might be helpful when Alfred blinked and looked up again. "You said..his partner..d-do you think its possible it was a hate crime?" Alfred's voice felt small and his throat felt tight. It was the only thing that stood out in the story.

Arthur glanced up when he heard his partner’s question and watched the woman’s face closely. “A h-hate crime?” Her mourning face turned bitter then, and she sobbed angrily. “We told him it wasn’t right! We told him to stop. But he insisted, so we accepted it. Why did he have to die, when his boyfriend is still alive? That boy tainted my son, and now he’s gotten him killed, too! Where was he last night? If he loved him as much as he claimed to, why didn’t he help him? Why didn’t you help him? Why is my son dead?!”

After glancing at his partner, Arthur quickly scribbled: Homosexual. Check on victim’s significant other. A hate crime… it was hard to be certain. “Was your son openly homosexual?” he asked, looking straight at the woman.

She shrugged weakly. “He didn’t make a huge deal of it, but he went to the gay clubs every now and then. He was always with his boyfriend, though. Always together.”

Gay clubs. Had the killer seen the victim at one of these clubs, and then followed him? Where had the victim been the previous night? What had he been intending to do? And where had his boyfriend been? Arthur subtly flashed Alfred a note to make sure that he asked.

Alfred had to hold his tongue and the urge to shrink back at the woman's barrage of anger again. Why did she seem so bitter..certainly she supported her sons orientation didn't she? Alfred couldn't understand a mother that wouldn't support her son in something that he must have been happy with.

Alfred toke a sideways glance at Arthur and noticed the notes and with a small nod he sighed. He addressed the woman again once she had a moment to compose herself. "Do you know what your son was doing the night of the incident? Where he was supposed to be? Was his boyfriend supposed to be with him and could be possibly get his name and address as well?"

Alfred prepared himself for another barrage from the lady stiffening his legs up against the sides of his chair and bracing his arms. He almost wanted to grab for Arthur's hand but that was clearly big no. Not only were they on the job but these people didn't seem too kind to their kind of relationship.

“He was working,” the woman said. “He had a part-time job at the cinema. And wherever he was, his boyfriend was sure to be close by. They were always together and they’d never failed to walk each other back to their apartment after work or class.” She took a deep breath and sipped at her coffee. “He found my son’s body, you know. Does that make him a suspect?” she sounded almost hopeful.

“We’re not able to discuss that at this point in time,” Arthur cut in smoothly, “but rest assured, we will do our utmost to bring your son’s murderer to justice.” To him, the words sounded detached and empty, but they seemed to somewhat comfort the woman. She certainly seemed eager enough to give them the boyfriend’s home address and phone number, though.

He listened closely and kept an eye on the woman’s face as Alfred continued to interview her. She seemed to be telling the truth. The only obvious point of contention between the victim and his mother seemed to be his homosexuality. Arthur wanted to reach out and reassure Alfred in some way, but knew that it wouldn’t be wise.

“Do you happen to know which clubs he frequented?” Arthur asked when his partner seemed to be winding down his interview. There were a few gay clubs in the area, but Arthur hadn’t been to them since being wounded almost a year and a half ago.

“Velvet,” she replied immediately, not hiding her disapproving tone. “He went there with his partner every Friday after work.”

The victim had frequented a gay club in a set routine. It was possible that someone had seen him there. But, from the rest of the interview, there was also his church, his workplace and his classes to consider. The killer could be hiding in any of these places. Arthur shot his partner a look, signalling that they were done here.

Alfred listened and nodded as the woman talked but he wasn't taking in the information as well as he should have been. He was too preoccupied by the woman's bias and how..just how could someone think that way. She obviously loved her son but hated anyone he had contact with because of his preferences.

Alfred was glad though when Arthur butted in and concluded their interview. As Alfred stood up he felt stiff, he must have tensed himself up more then he thought and it almost made him tired and achy. He wanted to lean on Arthur and go back to his apartment and snuggles alone...but oh that was right. This brother was there.

"Thank you all for your time and thank you for the coffee." Alfred says looking at the family and giving a small smile. "We'll catch the person responsible for this in no time thanks you the information you gave us." He reaches out to shake the woman's hand but she doesn't seem to respond so he pulls it back hesitantly and just nods instead.

Finally he turns back to Arthur and gives a very business like tone. "Well then, Let's be on our way. Bay guys to catch and all that."

It wasn’t until they were safely buckled into Alfred’s car that Arthur leaned over and placed a hand on his boyfriend’s thigh. “You did well,” he commented, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “Encountering people who don’t mind our kind of relationship isn’t as frequent as those who do, I’m afraid.” He hoped that Alfred would never have that kind of hate directed towards him specifically, but it would be inevitable.

“We should head back to the station,” he commented, leaning his head against Alfred’s shoulder and closing his eyes. Arthur was quite curious about this boyfriend, but the Chief was only just beginning to forgive him for not keeping him informed during the last big case. He dozed, his aches still evident despite the painkillers.

After a while, he blearily blinked up at Alfred and shifted, inhaling sharply as all of his muscles protesting the movement. “Shall we go out tonight?” he asked, moving to lean against the door so that he could look at the American. “Your brother should come too, of course. We could take him to a club, maybe.” He wasn’t going to go and interview the victim’s boyfriend without orders to, but… he couldn’t get in trouble for going to a club while off-duty. Even if it was the gay club, Velvet.

Alfred quickly retreated to his truck and slide into the drivers seat slumping down forward onto the wheel and burying his head against it. It wasn't until he felt a hand on his thigh that he looked up and gave Arthur the best smile that he could manage, which wasn't quite as astounding as he was hoping it might be. "I know." He mutters in reply.

It toke Alfred a long moment to start up the car, he felt heavy like all the tension had just let out of him once he had exited that house. With Arthur leaning on him he didn't mind so much but it was obvious that this stressed him out very much.

Once Alfred managed to get them back out on the road and headed back to the station he listened faintly to what Arthur was saying. The hum of the truck was rather comforting. Alfred hums himself as well. "...Alright yeah. Maybe getting him to loosen up a little would do some good. We could all use a good time out I think." Alfred finally perked up a little. The idea of going out was always nice to him. He liked to be adventurous and do things, sometimes to the point that he would run himself into the ground before taking a break. Then he would laze about until it started all over again.

Arthur was glad that Alfred had agreed to his suggestion readily. “It will be fun,” he nodded, smiling gently at his boyfriend. They hadn’t really gone clubbing much together, and when they had it hadn’t been to gay clubs. It would be… different, he supposed, to be somewhere they were able to publicly show affection without offending the majority of people there.

They left the station half an hour after they arrived back there, with a stern order to not take the case into their own hands and to wait for orders, God damn it. Arthur just shrugged. He had a long history of not doing what the Chief ordered; what made anyone think that he would start changing now?

“Drop me off at my place, love,” he requested when they were both situated in Alfred’s car once again. “I need to shower. Pick me up again at five thirty or so, all right?” Matthew hadn’t seemed too bothered about his brother’s relationship, so Arthur hoped that Velvet wouldn’t be too much for him. Oh well. If it was, there were plenty of other clubs in the area that they could shift to instead.

Alfred was a good deal more cheerful once they were on their way and back at the station and eventually back to their houses. He drove around to Arthur's flat and dropped him off but not without leaning over across the seats and kissing him for a few long moments to convey how he would miss him until five thirty. "We'll have a good time tonight." Alfred says mostly to himself more then Arthur.

He parts ways with his boyfriend, waving enthusiastically before backing out of the drive and heading to his own apartment. Once there he walks in and glances around before settling on the couch with a sigh.

"Alfred..."

"AH!" Alfred nearly jumps out of his skin, looking over at his brother sitting right beside him. "Matthew! I didn't see you there!" He says with a laugh.

Matthew doesn't laugh. "Did your..um boyfriend not come back with you?" He asks quietly.

Alfred shakes his head..then nods and before Matthew could give him that too confused look he quickly explained himself. "I dropped him off at his place. He suggested we all go to the club tonight..us..and you too!"

Matthew nods the corners of his mouth turning up into a small smile. "Oh, I see. Alright. That does sound fun I guess."

Alfred smiles himself, bright and shining again glad that his brother is welcoming of the idea. The boy didn't do things as social as clubbing often and getting out would be good for both of them he thought.

Arthur most definitely did not stand on his doorstep and peer down the street until Alfred's car disappeared. Of course not. He wasn't that sappy. But... He was. He unlocked his door and slipped inside, closing it behind him. Sometimes it scared him, how in love he was with the American. He dumped his things onto his kitchen counter, then made his way to his bedroom. 

They'd shared a bed on many occasions, but... Never like the previous night. Arthur collected a towel and experimentally pressed a hand against his lower back as he trudged into the bathroom. There was a dull ache, but he kind of liked it. It was a reminder that last night hadn't been a dream. Alfred had taken him, had physically claimed him while still conveying pure love. It was a concept that Arthur was somewhat unfamiliar with, but... Alfred made it work. Somehow. 

He slipped into the shower and closed his eyes as he washed himself, imagining Alfred's hands running across his skin. Unconsciously, he mimicked the strokes and caresses that Alfred had laid upon his body, trembling in pleasure. Alfred had managed to make him feel so good... his hand closed around his hardening cock and he moaned softly, trying to pump himself in the same rhythm that Alfred had touched him the night before. "A-Alfred--" he gasped quietly, reaching his orgasm almost too quickly. 

Arthur leant back against the glass door of his shower and panted for breath as the evidence of his activities swirled lazily down the drain. Oh yes, he could definitely get used to Alfred's sweet love-making. After being simply fucked for so long... It was nice to be loved. 

Eventually he finished washing himself and turned the water off. He towelled himself dry as he made his way to his bedroom and paused only to tug some underwear on before sprawling on his bed, cuddling the pillow that Alfred used whenever he stayed over. He fell asleep like that, a small smile on his face.