[F] On the Hunt

[Arthur Kirkland]

A month passed, and for the first time since he’d been living on his own, Arthur found himself staying away from the clubs. He did, however, a little hesitantly make his way down to the Lowlands in the daylight for the first time since he was 16, heading back to the café to check with the waiter that Alfred had been eating, and to give him some more money. He had half hoped to catch a glimpse of the other man, and did wonder around for a little bit after that until darkness had fallen and he’d started to feel uneasy.

The clubs were almost an addiction to Arthur, though, and if they weren’t, the alcohol was, and soon enough Arthur found himself dressing up to go out. His form fitting clothes, dirty dancing and frank manner kept the drinks coming as usual, and by midnight it was safe to say that the young man was wasted. Sitting at the bar, a row of empty shots in front of him, he sobbed to anyone who would listen about the man that had saved him and then disappeared into the night.

“So why don’t you go look for him, then?” Someone suggested, and there was laughter, but Arthur looked up, his tears suddenly forgotten. He clapped his hands excitedly, and ordered another shot for the road, downing it before wandering away, forgetting about his coat entirely.

Arthur lurched out onto the street, and looked around blearily. He was having a hard time staying steady on his feet, and an even harder time focusing. Peering into each alley way that he passed, Arthur wandered deeper and deeper into the heart of the clubbing district, searching dark corners for the boy, his logic being since that’s where Alfred had found him, perhaps that’s where he’d find Alfred. He called out his name as he went, but that soon turned into a song, an old tune that he couldn’t remember where he’d picked it up from, but one that he liked. He’d find Alfred! And then he’d help him! Some how.

[Alfred Jones]

As it turned out, Alfred had been being fed quite well, despite the boy having some issues with accepting the 'charity'. He was starting to visit less and less because of it though, notwanting to accept it apparently. In any case the man was glad to tell Arthur about how things had been going with the boy.

As Arthur was searching, of course he attracted the attention of a few people. They were of course not of the best type though, so they were considering not exactly the best things for Arthur. However, for once luck was on the older mans side. Alfred had been nearby, just strolling along, when he heard the song....Frowning, he glanced aroun, but eventually saw the man and frowned furthur. He had been hoping the other woul have learned his lesson...

"Arthur, what in the world are you doing here?" He asked as he slipped out from the shadowed area, his hand in his pocket. He at least looked cleaner this time, he hadnt had any work to get him dirty today, and as he stepped closer the smell of the booze hit him like a truck and he winced, faintly wrinkling his nose. "Jeez! How much have you had?"

[Arthur Kirkland]

Completely and blissfully unaware of the danger, Arthur continued. He was too far gone to even notice Alfred's footsteps, so he jumped and swore as the man appeared beside him, turning to face him with wild eyes. That was enough to knock him off his delicate balance, and reaching out, Arthur caught hold of Alfred's shoulder to steady himself. "Alfred! Ah, don't jump out like that, you'll kill someone one day with a heart attack or something!" Surprisingly, despite being less articulate than usual, Arthur wasn't slurring that much.

Having caught his balance, he freed his hand, running it through his hair as he considered the question with exaggerated care. "Not that much. A couple of shots and some pimms." While the 'couple' wasn't strictly speaking accurate (six or seven was closer to the mark), the not much was. Arthur could drink considerably more than that, and likely would have done if he'd stayed there. "I wanted to come and find you! To see how you're doing. Because you disappeared so quickly last time and I - I wasn't worried, I wanted to see how you're doing." He unwittingly repeated himself in his hurry to correct himself.

[Alfred Jones]

Easily grabbing Arthurs arm to keep him steady, Alfred frowned lightly and then just sighed faintly. Well at least he didnt SOUND drunk....But the others acting didn't really make him feel any better so he just sighed out lightly. How weird. "Sounds like a lot more than that..." Was muttered before he lightly arched a brow in response to Arthurs explanation.

"Well, obviously, I'm fine, so lets get you somewhere where you won't get mugged again." Glancing around, he then led the way towards the street again. "You really should go home and get to sleep you know, you probably have work in the morning." It was only tuesday after all...Or it was now. Once they reached the main street though, he looked at him, mentally frowning at the tight clothing he was wearing and what kind of attention that would definitely attract. "How drunk are you?"

[Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur's eyes widened a little. "Don't you believe me? Why don't you believe me? Don't you trust me?" He said, sounding a little upset.

"I won't get mugged again, you're here!" Arthur said, happily, allowing Alfred to lead the way. "You're a hero after all." He paused, trying to remember what Alfred had called himself, but couldn't quite remember. "You look better too." He focused on Alfred, and then nodded. There was a bit more colour and shape to his cheeks, and that made him feel a bit better. "You looked dead on your feet last time." Again, Arthur flicked between overly happy and serious with relative ease. It was clear at least that he was serious about that.

"I've been worse. It's not bad. This is good!" Arthur hummed, pleased with himself. "Why don't you come back and have a drink with me?" He paused, remembering that Alfred said that he didn't like the clubs. "Or, um, the cafe?" He suggested instead, trying to come up with an alternative.

[Alfred Jones]

The other sounding upset just made him sigh faintly, but lightly he just nodded. He wouldnt let him get mugged, he was right about that...Still, he furrowed his brow at the other continuing. "I did not! It was just cause I was tired and I didnt get much sleep the night before." He tried to explain...But he was drunk, there was not much he could do with arguing ith him.

"Why is it good..?" He asked, but then he frowned at him wanting to continue drinking. Hadn't he had enough! "I'm okay. How about I just get you on your way home." He frowned, gently steering him towards the highlands. Of course he dindt know where he lived, but he knew the general direction of the highlands of course.

[Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur did actually listen and accept that, nodding, but he frowned a little as well. "Why not? Are you okay?" He asked, worriedly, forgetting that it was a month ago.

Frowning a little as he was steered, Arthur didn't fight back, letting Alfred guide him. "It's good because... because I haven't had a drink for ages." He almost admitted that he was missing it, but he wasn't drunk enough to say that out loud yet. Taking a false step, he stumbled with a yelp, grabbing onto Alfred for support again. "A-ah, sorry, the pavement must be broken. Be careful." He warned him unnecessarily.

"Joel from the cafe says that you're not visiting as much..." Arthur said, looking at Alfred as he released him again. "Is it because of me?"

[Alfred Jones]

"...A month ago..? I just couldn't sleep, thats all." Easily he caught Arthur again though, and after uprighting him once again, he nodded a bit, closing an eye at the warning in faint amusement. ".....I feel bad accepting that." Alfred admitted, but continued gently nudging him on towards teh highlands once again.

"I want you to tell him to stop though, I dont want you to waste your money on me." He gently turned him again, letting him walk as slow as he needed while he was also looking around cautiouslyto make sure that they werent being followed. Of course, he had to say though..."...This feels weirdly familiar."

[Arthur Kirkland]

Stopping at that, Arthur pulled Alfred to a stop too. "Wait, Alfred. I'm not wasting my money. What makes you think that?" Again, he sounded surprisingly serious, given how drunk he was. "You need to eat, and you're not feeding yourself - I could see that, and I can still see it now." Well, that was a bit of a lie, it was kind of hard to focus on Alfred at the moment, but that wasn't the point. "So until you learn to take care of yourself, I will look after you." He sounded deadly serious, and just a little bit over protective, and Arthur blinked, surprised himself by that. He had no idea where that protectiveness had come from - debt he supposed. He'd never owed someone his life before, and he wasn't sure that he liked the debt.

Arthur blinked, and considered. It didn't seem that familiar to him. "Does it?" He asked, unsure. He was still standing still - or at least swaying lightly on the spot - caught in the spotlight of a street lamp. If it wasn't for Alfred, he really would be a walking target at the moment, even in the relatively safe streets of the Highlands.

[Alfred Jones]

Alfred just sighed out, not liking the older man to feel like he owed him anything, he-was- just a stranger after all. "I'm feeding myself fine, thanks." He mumbled with a small sulk, but e was also a bit surprised by the over protectiveness he heard...Well that was strange. Lightly he nodded though, just vaguely wondering why...

"...Well whatever. Do you at least remember where your place is?" He asked, a hand on his back lightly to steady him as he walked. Also he was kind of wondering how the guy got home every night previously if he got this drunk usually when he came down here...Well he hoped the other didn't mind him helping him home and, because of that, finding out where the other lived.

[Arthur Kirkland]

"Are you? Really?" Arthur asked, looking at Alfred. "Surviving isn't the same as looking after, you know." He surprised himself with that, blinking as though he wasn't sure what he'd said, and then brushing it off. It was true, and he wished that Alfred would accept that and look after himself better. "If you brought your own meals I wouldn't pay for them."

The hand on his back felt nice, and fairly comforting, Arthur was surprised to find. He couldn't remember such a tender touch. "I... Yes. It's this way. But it's a fair way... We need to get the train." He moved with surprising dexterity, given how much he'd stumbled before, and caught onto Alfred's hand, tugging him in that direction. Unlike Alfred, giving his home away wasn't a big deal to Arthur. He had little to be paranoid about, although he'd rather his father and brothers not finding out where he lived.

As they walked, Arthur tugged out his wallet, flicking it open to find his ticket, and to make sure there was money for one for Alfred. In the process of doing so, he stumbled again, and cursed as that flicked his cards out. With a noise of annoyance he dropped to his knees and started to grope for them, gathering them up.

[Alfred Jones]

Glad to let Arthur lead the way, Alfred faintly frowned at hearing that...But oh well, he'd just have a long walk back. When Arthur stumbled again, Alfred mentally sighed out, but knelt down as well, gathering them up as well before he held them out to him. "Maybe you shoudn't try to multitask right now." he suggested, giving a helpful smile. However, he reaced into his pocket and found his own small fold of money, and after a moment got the correct amount from it before he just paid for his own.

It wasn't long before they were on the train though, and Alfred was obviously slightly nervous about it. He hadnt been on one since he was eight...Still, as soon as they were seated on the empty train, he settled a little, looking out the window interestedly to see the things that passed by quickly with a smile, relaxing again. "Do you get motion sick?" He asked, suddenly aware the other might need to barf.

[Arthur Kirkland]

Grateful for the help, Arthur double checked that he had them all, but found that he couldn't really remember what should be in there. He had his debit card and his ID at least, so that was the important things. "Thanks." He frowned when Alfred paid for his own ticket, but also noted where he kept his money. Drunkenly, he decided that it'd be a good idea to try and sneak some more into there at some point, at least enough to pay for the train, so for now he didn't complain about it, leading Alfred to the platform to wait.

Too drunk to notice Alfred's nervousness, Arthur relaxed a little as they got on the train, and frowned at what Alfred said, shaking his head. "Used to go sailing a lot as a kid." He elaborated. "Not been sick since." Arthur was pretty good at not throwing up while he was drinking - pity the same couldn't be said for the morning after.

Arthur suddenly realised something, and looked at Alfred, tilting his head. "Have you been to the highlands before?" He asked, sounding a little hesitant, like he wasn't sure if he should ask that question or not.

[Alfred Jones]

"Well that's good, I don't really wanna deal with puke at the moment." He joked softly, setting on back while his bag sat next to his feet. His eyes were still following what he cold see out the window, but at the question he turned to look at Arthur and blinked. Debating if it was a good idea or not to tell him, he just shrugged.

"Yeah...I lived here for awhile." Smiling, he then looked on out once again. It wasn't a big deal. Sure the homeless were kept out though...So...That obviously would have left a big conclusion as to what he meant by that. "How old are you?"

[Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur blinked for a moment, looking at Alfred. "Wait, you're a highlander?!" He asked, clearly a little shocked. "What on earth happened?" Now that he thought of it... Didn't Alfred say that he'd been on the streets for a long time? And he wasn't that old, either, almost certainly younger than him. He probably wouldn't have asked if he was sober, or would have at least been more subtle about it.

"I'm..." Arthur had to think about it. He didn't really celebrate birthdays, not since he'd left home. "Twenty three." He replied, finally. "You must be... nineteen, twenty?" He guessed, looking Alfred over again. Too young to be living on the streets, anyway, although old enough that there was nothing Arthur could do about it.

Shivering a little in the cold carriage, Arthur looked out the window. It had been too long since his last drink, and the affects were starting to wear off, or at least being less immediate. His head was starting to hurt, but his vision was still out of focus, and he wasn't looking forward to walking again when they got off the train. He opened his mouth to ask Alfred about family, then lamely closed it again, realising that would just lead to questions about his own. "Do you... have a job?" He asked a little cautiously, instead.

[Alfred Jones]

The shock almost made Alfred laugh, and he shook his head. "I was, when I was younger..." He didn't bother answering the second thing though, just looking on down towards his feet to avoid it a bit. To be honest, Alfre dkind of thought the other looked older than that, probably from the life style he had. But he nodded at the others guess. "Ninteen, yep."

The shivering was somewhat noticeable, and he noticed finally that the other didnt have his jacket...WEll...He didn't know if he'd accept it, but he tugged his own off and offered i out. It surprisingly didnt smell bad, and it was clean..Mostly becuse Alfred did laundry earlier today. That was one of the things he did constantly spend his money on at last. "Hmnn....Right now? No. I had one last week, but I ended up quitting." Mostly because he had noticed a somewhat elderly man who had come in to apply. Plus it was an easy desk job, and that was just plain boring to him.

[Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur reached out for the jacket, and then paused. "Won't you be cold?" He asked, fingering the cuff of the jacket. It looked warm. It didn't even occur to him that it might not be well looked after, he was more interested in the warmth it might provide.

Frowning a little at that, he looked at Alfred. "What'll you do now, then?" He asked, concerned for him again. He knew that there were at least jobs to go around, but he was still worried. Was that part of the reason Alfred was homeless? Arthur had a hard time believing that Alfred couldn't find a job that worked for him, or that he got fired a lot. He was... well, too nice for that. "Will you be all right?"

Looking out of the window, Arthur watched the suburbs go by. Slowly but surely, the Lowlands faded into the scrubland that passed as a no mans land between the two, and then back into the suburbs of the Highlands.

[Alfred Jones]

"Nah, I'll be fine. It's not cold on the train anyway." He smiled, already draping it over the others smaller form before he settled back down, his fingers folding as he relaxed. "Mm...Wander, help people who need it, and if an opportunity comes up and I need the money, I'll take it." He decided. That was what he usually did anyway. "I dont really like staying in one place for too long anyway, I get an itch to move." No need to mention the paranoia.

Blue eyes glanced out again, mentally noting some landmarks he recognized before he relaxed more into the seat. He was quiet for now though, and at least didnt seem to be bothered by the cold, eyes closed as he rest them. Once they reached the first station though, he opened an eye. "Do we get off here?"

[Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur thought otherwise, but he didn't complain when Alfred draped the jacket over his shoulders, and he moved to wrap it around himself a little tighter, curling into it. It was heavier than the ones he tended to wear, but warmer too, and he let out a happy little hum as he snuggled in. "Let me know if you want it back."

Now that he was more comfortable, Arthur relaxed a bit as well, smiling at Alfred. "You're a good man, Alfred." He said, somewhat suddenly, but honestly again. "There aren't many like you." He wasn't what had caused that lifestyle, and Arthur wasn't sure he'd be able to live it himself, but Alfred seemed happy. Arthur just wished that he looked after himself more.

As they fell into a surprisingly comfortable silence, Arthur found his eyes drooping, and he leant into Alfred a little. He opened one eye at the announcement for the station, and then shook his head. "Next one, but it's only a minute or two away." While the train was still standing, Arthur lurched to his feet, using the window for support, then shifted to one of the bars, holding on when the train started and clutching Alfred's jacket around himself.

It really was only a minute or two before the next station was announced, and with exaggerated care, Arthur began to make his way down to the door, before glancing over his shoulder at Alfred. "Come on."

[Alfred Jones]

Alfred just nodded, glad that Arthur seemed happier with the added warmth,and just smiled lightly back, arching a brow. "Yeah, that's the sad thing about the world." He said, a bit playfully but it was rather truthful. Of course, he didnt mind the other leaning on him, the other was proably still immensely drunk and he didn't want the other man to not feel comfortable.

However, he blinked then nodded at the others direction, and once the time for the next stop came he watched him with a small amused smile, pulling his bag up on his shoulder. "Coming, coming...How far from here?" He asked, looking around. Some things had changed fro what he remembered, but he wsnt too bothered by that and just smiled at Arthur more, following him. One thing he liked about the highlands was at least the air felt cleaner.