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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 17, 2011 19:34:23 GMT
"You've just cooked me this, I couldn't make you cook something else as well." Arthur said, though it looked like he was considering it. With another glance towards the window, though, he sighed and settled down a bit. He wouldn't make Alfred go back out in the rain. That would be ungentlemanly of him.
Watching Alfred tap his fingers, Arthur found the noise a little irritating, and he was glad when he finished. He gave a light shrug, looking away. He wanted to tell Alfred to keep his nose out of his business, but he had invited him in somewhat. "I'm all right, Alfred. I could probably eat a little healthier, but... well, I'm fine." He hesitated, and then gave a cautious little smile, and rested his hand lightly over Alfred's, giving it a light squeeze before pulling away again. "Thanks for worrying, though."
Considering the question, he let out a little hum. "Not bad. Better than usual. But I drank less than usual. My head's still pounding, but I don't think I'm going to be sick if that's what you're worried about." He looked at Alfred. "Is there anything you need to do today? Because it doesn't look like the rain's going to stop today, and if you don't have to go anywhere, you're more than welcome to stay until it does." He wanted to protect Alfred for as long as he could.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 17, 2011 19:45:50 GMT
"Haha! I dont care, it's fun to bake." Still, he let Arthur defend himself and then lightly nodded, eyes following his hand. The light squeeze was...Oddly kind of comforting, but he just let it be for now, content to let him hold on should he wish.
"Mm. Well that's good." he smiled, glad if he helped the older man out with that. Pondering, he then shook his head a bit. If he left, he'd probably just go and wait out the rain somewhere else, since he didnt particularily enjoy walking around with wet clothing. "Ah..Really? Don't you have stuff that you need to do though?" He frowned, not wanting to impose on the other.
"I mean, I don't want to be a bother, you don't need to be polite if you really need me to leave." Smiling, he then stood, walking around the counter into the kitchen to start doing the dishes at least.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 17, 2011 20:09:31 GMT
Arthur chuckled, and shook his head. "Alfred, I'm a writer, I work more or less when I want to. And I wrote my weekly column yesterday; I'm not completely stupid. You're more than welcome to stay." Leaning forward, he let out a chuckle. "Especially if you want to make a cake with me. If the rain at least lessens." Perhaps he'd take Alfred out and see if there was something he could buy Alfred to snack on. Some dried fruit or something that'd last in his bag.
Frowning when Alfred started doing the dishes, Arthur stood as well. "You don't have to do that, Alfred... You cooked." He said, putting his hand lightly on his shoulder. "I don't mind doing it later." He wasn't intending on doing it immediately, though, and he lightly tugged on Alfred, trying to get him to come into the sitting room with him. Picking up his discarded book, he slid his fingers over the cover, before putting it back on the coffee table. "Are you still interested in reading the other ones?"
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 17, 2011 20:15:46 GMT
Looking a bit doubtful, Alfred watched Arthur for a moment then made a noise. "And you're sure I'm not bugging you..?" He asked. Faintly he pouted when Arthur did that, quickly continuing. "I don't mind, besides, you're the one who let me stay the night, so..."
He still allowed himself to be tugged though, and faintly flopped onto the couch where the blankets were stacked up now. "Yeah! I wanna see how much you improve with each one." Smiling brightly, he looked at Seas for a moment before looking at Arthur. "Unless there's something else you wanna do to keep us both amused?" Of course, he meant cards or some game or something, but that could easily be taken the wrong way.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 17, 2011 20:44:16 GMT
"You're not, Alfred. I quite enjoy your company, actually." Arthur said, smiling at him. "Don't be insecure. I told you that you're welcome here, and I meant it." He reassured him, wanting him to feel a bit more at ease. He still wanted to know what was that had made Alfred so insecure and paranoid, partially because he wanted to know if he could help, but also to make sure he could avoid triggering him. He didn't know the best way to ask though.
Shifting the blankets over, Arthur sat down next to him, and chuckled embarrassedly at that. "Not as much as I'd like." Hopefully Alfred would like them, though. He wasn't sure how he'd take the next one.
Frowning at the question, Arthur realised that he hadn't thought about it. He hadn't spent so long in someone's company since he left home, aside from a couple of 'special' auctions that he'd put himself up for at one of his clubs. "Um. I don't know." He admitted. "I'm not very good at being social. If you like watching films, I could put something on, or... I have a pack of cards somewhere."
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 17, 2011 20:49:28 GMT
The younger male still looked a bit doubtful, but he nodded slowly then, leaning back into the couch and pulling his knees up, lazily hugging on them as he relaxed, pondering the books. He was sure that Arthur was just being critical of himself, but he kept the thought to himself for now, just relaxing into the soft couch.
Smiling, Alfred cocked his head as Arthur thought though, and then perked at the thought of watching a film. "A movie would be awesome! I love them, and um, there was awhile back when I worked on production of one, or helped with it anyway. Go ahead and pick something out!" Well at least he was enthusiastic, and he slowly uncurled more from the defensive form he had gone into.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 17, 2011 21:07:20 GMT
Pleased to get that reaction, Arthur relaxed a bit as well, sliding off the sofa to open the cupboard with his DVDs, considering what he had. "Oh? What film was that?" He asked, while he looked. "That must have been interesting." In a way, he was a little jealous of Alfred, who'd had so many chances to try so many different things, but on the other hand he couldn't imagine breaking out of the rut that he was so entrenched in.
After a minutes deliberation, he pulled out two movies and twisted back to show Alfred. He'd guessed what he thought the boy might like. One was a horror, an old ghost movie that one of his brothers had given him to try and scare him once, and the other was a more childish fantasy, one that Arthur was particularly fond of. "Which would you prefer?"
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 17, 2011 21:14:41 GMT
"Um....Ahhh I forget the name of it...cause I was part of the crew who did stuff like filming, or sound, sometimes some makeup, not part of the actual movie....Hah, they tried to get me to be one of the actors too, dunno why, but I didn't want to ruin the plot to include me because the script was great as it was."
Looking at the two choices, Alfred blinked, staring at the two before he hummed. "Which one do you like better? I'm not really picky with movies unless they're horrible." he chuckled, pulling one leg up again to hug as he glanced at the horror movie, holding back a shiver.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 17, 2011 21:22:01 GMT
Smiling, Arthur let out a light chuckle. "I guessed that. I think you would have made a good actor, though. You're certainly handsome enough for the movies." He said, without thinking about it. Glancing at Alfred, he hoped that that wouldn't make him feel uncomfortable. It was true, though. "You should try and remember. I'd like to see it."
Arthur frowned as he saw Alfred hug his leg in. He could see him looking at the horror film, but wasn't sure whether that meant that he wanted that one or not. Well, it wasn't awful... And not even that scary, really. Arthur had laughed at it. Reaching over, he slowly slipped it in, starting to feel more comfortable. Alfred would have said if he didn't like them, right?
Grabbing the remote, he headed back to the sofa and hit play, before relaxing a bit. "If you want a drink or anything, help yourself." He offered, as it started.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 17, 2011 21:28:28 GMT
The compliment made Alfred blush faintly, and he smiled faintly in response. "I'll try. I didn't really pay attention cause I was so focused on doing the job right." Faintly he cocked his head as he tried to see which one Arthur put in, but he couldn't see whatit was so he just settled back.
"Mm...Would you like it if I made some more tea?" He asked, looking at Arthur with a smile as he moved, standing and heading into the kitchen. He could stll easily see the television anyway, so he wasnt going to miss any of the movie ...But then he froze when he noticed which one Arthur put in, and, shivering, just barely managed to get the kettle on for the water to heat up, attempting to hold any outbursts of fear in.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 17, 2011 21:34:42 GMT
Smiling at that, Arthur thought it was cute that Alfred had been so hard working. "Oh? If you don't mind. Only if you were going to make yourself some, though." He replied, smiling at Alfred. Hopefully some more tea would make his stomach finally settle completely so he could rest properly.
Snorting a little bit at the set up, Arthur relaxed into the sofa. He hadn't noticed Alfred's fear yet, his eyes on the screen. Honestly, why his brother's thought this would scare him he had no idea. It was a pity that they hadn't done it better, though. The story had potential. He considered tugging one of the blankets over, but left it for now, waiting for Alfred to return.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 17, 2011 21:39:44 GMT
"I was. How does mint tea sound?" He asked, since he saw that there was some in the choices there, and pulled one out for himself. As he prepared the tea, he ignored the television as best he could, but his eyes kept drawing towards it.
When he was finished, he gulped lightly but headed over, holding out Arthurs mug for him while he set his own on the coffee table to let the liquid cool a bit, staring at the tv. At the first jumping scene though, he yelped loudly and then pulled both legs up, squeezing them in tightly while frightened blue eyes stared at the screen.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 17, 2011 21:44:50 GMT
Letting out a pleased noise at that, Arthur nodded, before realising Alfred couldn't see him. "Please." He said, glancing back at him briefly and offering him a smile.
When Alfred came back over, Arthur made sure there was plenty of space for him, taking his tea with a murmured 'thank you', and then settling down to watch. He jumped as well when Alfred did, not expecting him to react like that, and frowned. Cautiously he reached out for him, and then hesitated, not actually touching him.
"Alfred, are you all right?" He asked, sounding worried. "I can turn it off if you don't like it. I thought... that you didn't mind which one I picked?" His instinct was to cuddle Alfred in, but he still didn't want to touch him in case that freaked the other out even more.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 17, 2011 21:49:47 GMT
Unable to hide it now, Alfreds entire body was trembling, he he stared at the screen determinedly, squeezing his legs in. "I-It's ok! I-if you want to watch it, then I c-can do it!" He replied, voice a little higher from the fear before another jumping scene came up, which made him jump and then hide his face in his knees.
Apparently he couldnt resist looking again though, and as he did, one of the more scarier scenes came and he cried out, immediately clinging onto the closest thing that was big enough to do so. Aka, Arthur. "I-I can do it, I can do i-it..." Hequietly mumbled, apparently not even noticing that he was cuddling close and clinging for dear life onto the smaller man.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 17, 2011 21:55:29 GMT
Frowning a little, Arthur hesitated. "I picked it because I thought you might like it." He admitted, watching him worriedly. He let out a surprised noise when Alfred practically jumped him, but after a moment relaxed, and wrapped one arm around Alfred, careful to hold him gently enough that he could break free if he wanted.
Picking up the remote, he hit the stop button, turning the film off, then put it down and cuddled Alfred in a little more, lightly rubbing his back. "Why didn't you tell me you didn't like horror films? I wouldn't have put it on." He reprimanded him gently, but he mostly sounded worried. "Are you all right?"
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 17, 2011 22:00:30 GMT
The teen was practically crying by the time the film stopped,and he shuddered in response to the rubbing, a foreign feeling to him by now before he lightly tightened his grip on Arthurs shirt. "C-Cause if you like it t-then I can w-watch it..." He mumbled, eyes closed now.
It took another ten minutes before he had calmed down--mostly anyway--and he finally realized what he was doing and pulled back, face red. "A-ah, I'm really sorry about that. I can't control myself when I watch scary movies, I have to cling to someone..." He admitted, embarrassed utterly.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 17, 2011 22:08:38 GMT
Frowning at that, Arthur just lightly pulled him in. He paused when Alfred shuddered under his hand, but after a moment continued, holding him protectively. "Idiot." He murmured, though there was no real meaning behind the word, but he was clearly still concerned.
As Alfred calmed down, Arthur slowed his stroking, though he did finally run his fingers through that golden blonde hair. "It's not your fault." He reassured him. "I'm sorry for not checking before I put it on." He slowly, and just a little reluctantly, uncurled his arm from around him, with one last stroke.
"How about we try again?" He suggested, with a smile. "With the other film this time. And we pretend that didn't happen?" He offered, for the sake of Alfred's ego. "I always preferred the other one, anyway."
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 17, 2011 22:18:27 GMT
The shuddering continued awhile longer, but apparently he got used to it after awhile and just made a quiet noise in response to the name. He did relax slightly when the fingers went through his hair, which was soft now that it was clean. A shake of the head was the response though and he frowned. "I should have said something...But, I figured if you liked it.."
Faintly he nodded though, settling down, a small shy smile on his face. "O-okay..." While Arthur switched out the dvds, Alfred reached over, snagging on of the blankets and dragged it over, snuggling under it while letting it rest across the area Arthur had been sitting, incase he wanted to use it as well, his eyes staring at the screen with more interest now that the fantasy movie was on.
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Post by Arthur Kirkland on Jan 17, 2011 22:33:29 GMT
Smiling at how soft Alfred's hair was, Arthur felt the urge to kiss his crown, but bit it back for now, instead just softly stroking his hair again, pleased to feel him relax. "I only offered it because I thought you might like it." He repeated, to reassure him that he'd done nothing wrong.
Easing out of Alfred's hold, Arthur crossed back over to the TV, taking the disc out and replacing it with the other film. Once that had started, he returned to the sofa, smiling when he saw the blanket. A part of him wanted to pull Alfred over again, but he reminded himself that that was a little too familiar, so instead pushed the blanket over so he wouldn't sit on it and trap Alfred under it, and curled back up on his side of the sofa. "Alfred... I want you to let me know if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable. Like putting that film on, but also... If I'm sitting too close, or I say something you don't like. I understand if you don't trust me, but I want you to be as comfortable as possible." He said, over the credits.
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Post by Alfred Jones on Jan 17, 2011 23:00:47 GMT
Nodding then, Alfred just settled down, comfortable where he was, before he snagged his mug and took a content sip. Smiling at the beginning of the movie, he enjoyed the childishness quite a bit, before he blinked at Arthur speaking, blinking in surprise. And then he laughed softly.
"You're the first person who's actually noticed....So sure, I'll tell you. And so you know, I don't care if you share the blanket." He teased lightly, but he did seem a little serious as well as he pulled the slightly puffed up thing to his chest, relaxing a little more. "Plus...It's weird, but, I feel different around you than for most people I interact with...Believe me, if I didnt I wouldnt have stayed over night. I probably would have left around 4 am or something." Falling silent for a few moments he then glanced at him. "And...Um...Don't feel offended if I back away or don't really like something you do, it's really not you, it's me.."
And with that, his eyes were glued to the screen.
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