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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 28, 2011 21:16:02 GMT
Humming lightly, Alfred just watched him for a few moments then reached over, sipping some water from the glass. Once the plate was taken, he managed to get down and he snuggled under the blankets a bit, eyes half closed before he shook his head a bit. "Nah, I'm good." But that did tell him at least that Arthur was curious about what had happened...
Well, he did tell him some information. If he got too curious he could probably go to the library and look up hold newspaper postings. A lot of what happened was reported there at least...And as soon as Arthur left, blue eyes closed, and it was mere seconds before he was dead to the world, sleeping soundly.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 29, 2011 0:48:37 GMT
Smiling as Alfred snuggled into the blankets, Arthur thought he looked cute. He must have been even cuter as a kid, he couldn't help but think, and he reached over to tuck him in a little better. "I'll be back in a moment, then." He told him, as he stood up.
In the sitting room, he covered the plate with cling film before putting it in the fridge and returning to Alfred. He smiled when he saw he was asleep, and couldn't resist moving in to kiss his forehead lightly. "Sleep well." He murmured, making sure the blanket was tucked up properly. He pottered around the room quietly for a moment, tidying up a little and closing the curtains, but then left Alfred to his sleep, pulling the door too behind him.
Arthur did his best to do his work while Alfred was sleeping, starting his column for the week, but after almost falling asleep on his desk he finally shifted to the sofa again, pulling his pile of blankets around him and snuggling up. Even though he was tired, it was difficult to drift off entirely. His head was too full of questions and worries to fall asleep properly, and when he did finally drift off, his recurrent nightmare came back to haunt his sleep. He woke, sweaty and uncomfortable, with tears in his eyes, and the young man buried tighter into his blankets, clinging to them as he tried to brush off the sense of dread and unease that the dream left him with. He thought about Alfred, but hoped that the young man would have the sense to call to him when he woke again.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 29, 2011 8:31:26 GMT
The sleeping man only faintly let his head lean more to the side at the kiss, a quiet mumble slipping past his lips but other than that he did nothing. As soon as the room was darkened he smiled lazily and his fingers twitched, searching for something to grip on, and his head lolled to the other side, inhaling deeper for a moment.
His sleep was generally undisturbed, but...Later into the night, one of his own bad dreams came up. It wasn't the usual recurring one at least, but this one was just as bad, and he faintly whimpered to himself as he reached up to wipe his eyes free of wetness. It actually kind of felt like he was still in the dream, a little foggy...But the sight of the room at least reassured him that it wasnt the case and he breathed out, getting his bearings fully. After awhile of attempting to sleep, he glanced towards the door. There was no light peeking out from under it, so he wasn't sure if Arthur was awake, but..." Arthur..?" He called quietly. If he wasnt awake, he wouldn't hear him he reasoned.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 29, 2011 16:15:04 GMT
Huddled in the blankets, Arthur tried to relax and get back to sleep. It was difficult, though, since every time he closed his eyes he had flashbacks to the dream that was so familiar to him now. He was still trying to doze off again when he heard his name, or at least thought he did. It was so soft, that he wasn't sure at first, but after a moment he pushed himself off the sofa, keeping the blanket close around him.
Padding over to the bedroom, he peered into the darkness, and smiled when he saw blue eyes were open again. He came to sit on the side of the bed again, and held back from reaching out to brush Alfred's sleep tousled hair. "You didn't sleep that long." He said, gently. "You should try and get back to it." He was a little worried that he'd yelled out in his sleep and woken Alfred - his brothers said that he did that sometimes. Besides, sleep would help Alfred heal, and Arthur wanted to him to heal as possible so that when he inevitably got uncomfortable in Arthur's presence he would at least be better equipped to deal with the streets again.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 29, 2011 19:33:02 GMT
Jumping slightly when the door opened, Alfred relaxed again when he saw that it was just Arthur and breathed out in faint relief. Blue eyes followed as the other walked over, and he waited to make sure that he wasnt dreaming and the older was sudenly going to turn into that man or something.
When he didn't, he closed an eye as he brushed his hair, making a quiet noise. "I had a bad dream..." He sighed quietly, then faintly shifted."I'm not tired now...Did I wake you up?" He asked, noting how tired looking Arthur seemed to be, and feeling bad about it instantly. Obviously he was so selfish sometimes..."I just wanted to see if you were awake still or not...If you're tired, you can go back to sleep though.." He didnt mind sitting around in teh dark. It was something he did on many an occasion.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 29, 2011 19:50:51 GMT
Surprised when Alfred started as he came in, Arthur paused for a moment, giving him a chance to catch himself before he came over to him. He didn't want to panic him again, after all.
Sighing out when he heard that Alfred had a nightmare too, Arthur closed his eyes for a moment and leant against the headboard. "No... I had one too." He admitted with a sigh. "I thought I might have woken you..." He thought that he would have rather that had happened.
"How bad was it?" He asked, wondering whether Alfred would go back to sleep or not. He shifted a little to get comfortable in the slightly awkward position, and ended up on his side next to Alfred, still mostly sitting, his hand resting next to Alfred's. "Can I do anything to help?"
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 29, 2011 20:07:40 GMT
Frowning to hear that, Alfred made a quiet noise before he blinked a bit. "You're a night screamer?" He asked, arching a brow faintly. "Mm...Bad..." He mumbled, letting Arthur come closer without much incident before he looked at him for a moment, frowning a little as he went over the nightmare in his head.
"Mm....Ionno...I mean, you probably should get back to sleep, right..?" He asked softly, looking up at him then. The moment made his hand faintly twitch though, and it leaned in against Arthurs, the contact making hi flinch at first but then he just left it. "But..Um...I don't mind if you...stay around here." He mumbled, looking embarrassed and unsure about it, but the thought of having someone around rather than no one sounded a bit better to him.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 29, 2011 21:05:22 GMT
"Um... Not usually, but my brothers said I did sometimes." Arthur explained, looking away. "I guess it's just as well I didn't." That probably would have scared Alfred more than anything else, and that was the last thing that Alfred needed right now.
Closing his eyes, Arthur tried to relax, and started a little when Alfred's hand brushed over his. He blinked at the other blonde in the dark, trying to take in his expression, and then slowly laced their fingers together. "I can stay if you want me to...?" He said, sounding unsure himself, but only because he wasn't sure if Alfred was offering because he wanted him there or because he felt obliged to.
"We can talk for a bit, if it'll help." Arthur offered. "Not about the dreams!" He didn't want to tell Alfred his, and he was sure that Alfred felt the same. "Just... anything." Arthur chewed on his lip, looking unsure. He didn't know how to help, and that frustrated him.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 29, 2011 21:10:46 GMT
That made Alfred cock his head, kind of wondering what was in Arthurs dream then, and he nodded lightly before faintly starting at the hand. Still, after a moment of tenseness, he just let it be, getting used to the contact still. "...Yeah."
Pondering what could be good to talk about, Alfred then shifted, resting his cheek more on the pillow and kind of smiling sympathetically at Arthurs frustration. "Do you like animals, Arthur?"He asked, eyes closing for now because he could feel them aching slightly. Obviously Alfred could be the hero and start up a normal conversation to ease their minds and concentrate on something else.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 29, 2011 21:19:25 GMT
Arthur felt Alfred tense and prepared to pull away if he didn't relax. He was pleased that he did, though, relaxing as well. He was a little grateful for the contact himself, finding it rather calming. It made him feel a little less alone and betrayed.
Seeing Alfred's smile even in the semi darkness, Arthur smiled back. "Mm? Yes." He answered, easily. "I wish I could have seen all of the different ones that were alive before the flood..." Some animals had been saved, and the more exotic ones were kept and bred in a zoo in the High Lands, but a lot of species had been lost. "When I was younger, I had a rabbit, but I haven't had a pet since. I'm not meant to have one here." He said, with a sigh. "I'm not sure I'd want to keep one in the flat anyway, that seems a bit cruel. Maybe one day I'll get somewhere with a garden, and then I'll have one, and maybe a cat too." Looking at Alfred, he lightly stroked the back of his hand. "What about you? Did you ever have any pets?" He was aware it was bit of a risky question, but... it couldn't bring back too many bad memories, could it?
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 29, 2011 21:41:48 GMT
Lazily gripping on his hand, Alfred settled down into the bed, feeling a little better listening to Arthur talk, and he nodded in agreement at that. "Yeah, it's such a huge disappointment...I always feel bad for them too, cause most of em people just let drown."
Sighing lightly, he opened his eyes then hummed. "I had a fish...But I wasn't allowed to have a real pet. But um, there was this cat and dog...I think their owners just let them kind of do what they wanted when they were outside, but I took care of them too. So they were kind of pets I guess." He shrugged a shoulder, but smiled. "I like rabbits though, they're really cute."
The thought of Arthur having a nice place with a garden sounded quite nice to him, especially if he got some pets, and he lightly smiled at the thought. Then hopefully Arthur would feel less alone if he had some pets...Because he was pretty sure that he wasn't going to be around here much longer anyway. "What was your rabbits name? And what'd he look like?"
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 29, 2011 22:12:36 GMT
Feeling Alfred relax even more, Arthur did too, tucking his legs up and gathering his blanket around him to keep warm. "Well... I can understand that at least. I mean, they had a lot of things to deal with. And I don't know that there'd be space to keep everything that used to exist but... I'd love to have seen lynxes. And jackals, and rhinos." He let out a soft sigh. "And can you imagine the salmon run, with all of the grizzly bears? I've seen videos, but..."
Chuckling to hear that Alfred had a fish, Arthur tilted his head, watching him as he listened. "A fish counts. Sort of. What were the cat and dog like? Did you name them?" He asked, interested to hear more. He didn't know if they were from when Alfred was on the street or not, but didn't want to ask.
"I do like rabbits a lot... I miss mine. She was called Lizzie." He said, a fond smile. "She was white, with black eyes and black ears. I think I have some pictures..." Pulling his hand away, he got up, going into the other room, and returning quickly with the laptop. He'd already started it up, but it was still loading. "She was a sweet little thing. I snuck her into school a couple of times." He admitted with a chuckle.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 30, 2011 0:17:32 GMT
"Yeahhh, but...Ionno, just makes me sad is all " He nodded lightly, smiling at the other mentioning that. "They showed that as a commercial alot when I was little, and I had this teddy bear that I tried to make copy the grizzlies..." Alfred chuckled.
"I suppose but..I didn't even take care of it. I just got to watch it swim around." He frowned lightly. "Not to mention...It died probably seven times, and they hadit replaced without telling me, but I could tell." Sulking at the thought, he smiled thenat thinking about the cat and dog. "Well...The cat was pretty sissy, and she was kinda hard to get along with, but as long as no oneelse was around she loved pets..."
"And the dog was really happy and liked playing and usually liked to lean on me till I fell over, then he'd lay on my lap." Grinning faintly, he sighed out. "He was really silly, but he chased bad things away too so that was awesome...And uh...Nah I just called them Kitty an Doggy." Listening to Arthur talk of his rabbit made him smile more though and he snickered a bit at the admittance. "Oh..? And how did that go?"
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 30, 2011 1:26:28 GMT
Arthur nodded. "I remember that commercial." He said, thoughtfully. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sound of Alfred playing with that bear, though. "What did you use for the salmon?" He asked, interested.
Frowning a little at that, Arthur sighed. "Well, at least you had the other two, then. Maybe one day you'll get a pet?" He smiled to himself. Maybe he would get himself a rabbit, and let Alfred share ownership with him. That'd be nice. As long as Alfred didn't think he was trying to tie him down. Which... he was, but only because that way he could check that Alfred was all right. He listened to him talking about his pets, smiling and resting in a little. "They sound nice." He said.
As the computer finally loaded, Arthur started to click through folders to find the pictures. "Not too badly, but she wouldn't stay still, and it tickled." He said, blushing a little. "She escaped the last time, though." He'd come back muddied and battered from trying to catch her, and his father had threatened to give her away, and after that he hadn't dared to again. Finally he found some pictures and he shifted the computer so Alfred could see. There was one of a young Arthur cuddling her, a happy smile on his face.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 30, 2011 1:37:38 GMT
"Um...fish crackers I think?..THey were one of my favorite snack things..." He chuckled then flushed lightly at the memory. Nodding lightly he smiled then. "Well it's alright...I mean when I go out in the wild there's usually some animals out there, and we usually get along really well."
That made Alfred chuckle a little, and he smiled. "Tried to keep her under your shirt then?" He smiled, but then perked when he turned the screen towards him, looking at the bunny first, and then Arthur...And then suddenly his free hand moved up and he bit his knuckle. "Holy shit you were an adorable kid!" He exclaimed, his eyes kind of shiney at how cute Arthur was when he was little. "G'aww!" ...Yeah he liked kids.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 30, 2011 3:06:53 GMT
Arthur grinned at that, because it was an adorable image, but also because he'd remember that for the future. Fish crackers. He wasn't a fan of them himself, but he could certainly get some for Alfred. The image of Alfred making friends with animals in the wild was somewhat adorable. "Do you turn into a wolf boy?" He asked teasingly, enjoying the image. There were no wolves in the wild of course, but that wasn't the point. Squirrel boy didn't have quite the same ring.
"I kept her in my bag most of the time, but she preferred it under my shirt." Arthur explained with a little nod. He was surprised by Alfred's reaction to the picture, and he blushed darkly. "Not really." He said, quickly taking the computer away and closing the image. "B-besides, I bet you were cuter." He could imagine it now. With Alfred's big eyes and blonde hair... He was probably cherubic and perfect.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 30, 2011 8:14:40 GMT
"Haha! Well kinda. I mean, I have some friends out there, and I can um...Howl, and they know that it's me and usually come and find me." He said contently, blue eyes on Arthur for the moment and then he smiled more at hearing that. "Cuuute..." he chuckled, the image of small Arthur with a bunny in his shirt just adorable to him.
The others reaction also made him laugh softly, but he smiled amusedly, arching a brow. "Naw, I was ugly...Not that I could show you. I'm pretty positive there arent any pictures of little me left now anyway." He said softly, turning his head so he could stare up towards the ceiling once again, relaxing at the quickly becoming familiar sight. " Why did she prefer being under there?"
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 30, 2011 12:47:48 GMT
"...Howl?" Arthur repeated, blinking. That sounded... interesting. Wild dogs, perhaps? Arthur frowned, and curled up more. On the one hand, at least Alfred had someone out there, but on the other, wild animals...? He wasn't sure if that was so good.
Blinking at the look, Arthur blushed more and let out a little noise of annoyance to try and hide it. "I wasn't that cute." He complained. He couldn't imagine that Alfred was ugly, really. He was adorable now, he couldn't have been ugly as a child. But he didn't push it, because he was still stepping on eggshells around Alfred, not wanting to do anything to upset him when he was trapped with him, just in case he ran off while he was still injured and made himself worse.
"Hmm?" Arthur blinked at the question, and then gave a little shrug. "I guess she preferred to be closer and warm. It can't have been that nice shoved in my bag." He said, with a little smile. "She was so sweet." He said, with a pleased noise. He'd been heartbroken when she died.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 30, 2011 16:53:52 GMT
"Ah....Well...I dunno. They just like me I guess." He chuckled, laying back a bit more comfortably while his eyes closed, humming with a grin. He could tell the other man was blushing. How cute. "Yeah you were....I think you're the only kid who could pull off those eyebrows and be adorable while doing it." He teased softly.
Chuckling at the thought, Alfred noded then smiled more himself, imagining that, and he hummed happily. "I bet she was happy with you." He was practically the others pet at the moment and he was liking him alright, so he figured an actual pet must have liked him even more.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 30, 2011 19:45:13 GMT
"Git! There's nothing wrong with my eyebrows!" Arthur spluttered, nudging Alfred. He didn't want to hit him too hard after all. "I wasn't that cute." He couldn't help but be pleased with the praise even if he was blushing so much.
Letting out a pleased noise, Arthur hoped that Alfred was right. He had done his best to look after her as best that he could. He shifted to get more comfortable, but accidentally ended up a little closer to the other man, his hand now lightly against Alfred's side. "Maybe I'll get a new rabbit one day." He said, softly.
"You go out into no man's land, don't you?" Arthur asked, watching Alfred in the semi darkness. He spoke carefully, not wanting to scare him. "Have you ever been to the windmills?" He asked, curiously. "What're they like?"
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