So they spent the afternoon cleaning although they couldn’t agree on what music the radio should be playing – Arthur liked the punk rock or the classical music channels, but Alfred insisted on classical rock or the pop/R&B channels. Alfred took out trash twice to empty out all the bins Arthur had left alone for several weeks and also all the things that had gone bad in the fridge.
It took Arthur longer than usual to dust and clean too because any time he moved too strenuously, his scar started to hurt and he had been bedridden for several weeks now so he got tired easily and had to rest often to his own annoyance. He’d also lost quite a bit of weight thanks to the injuries and surgeries and having to stay in bed for so long and it made him feel rather self-conscious next to Alfred who was tall and strong and had the sort of body that easily built up muscle.
“I don’t have an extra bed but the couch is a futon you can use,” Arthur told Alfred when they collapsed on it finally after the afternoon of cleaning. “Are you sure you want to stay here?”
“Absolutely,” Alfred said cheerfully. He smiled and Arthur was caught, unable to look away from those brilliant blue eyes. They were so beautiful and he’d been seeing them for a long time now, but now they reminded him of something else – something in the back of his mind that slipped away when Alfred’s eyes did.
Alfred turned away, light pink dusting his cheeks. “So, you want to take the shower first?” he asked.
Arthur nodded and stood up in a hurry.
***
The next few days passed comfortably. Alfred made Arthur stay home all the time, which Arthur didn’t exactly mind, though he didn’t like being treated like an invalid even if he sort of was one. Alfred did all the shopping and most of the more strenuous chores. He went out for classes but came back almost always right after, though sometimes he had to go over to friends’ places for projects or meet with professors during office hours.
Arthur tried to do what he could to help out. Since he was stuck at home all day with not only Alfred, but also the doctors and the police all telling him to stay indoors and not to open the door to any stranger he didn’t know, Arthur could only phone and use email correspondence. He called to get work sent to him that he could do from home, and when he wasn’t occupied trying to get caught up, he cleaned or read some more or watched the telly.
The news nearly always mentioned the Leatherface Killer. It was one of the biggest sensations that had accidentally gone public despite the police force’s best efforts. A lot of it was thanks to Arthur because even with a witness, the police still hadn’t caught the killer. Arthur saw pictures of himself being posted up, film clips of himself wrapped up in Alfred’s leather jacket with Alfred’s arm around him, fending off the reporters. He wasn’t sure what to think of his newfound fame.
Alfred seemed to hate hearing and reading about those murders, and he always changed the channel when the news came on or surfed away from those articles when he was reading online.
“It’s disgusting, all those speculation theories,” Alfred said once when Arthur asked why he didn’t like to read about them. Then he looked over at Arthur. “And I don’t like hearing about all those reasons they think you were targeted.”
Forever Mine 3c/?
It took Arthur longer than usual to dust and clean too because any time he moved too strenuously, his scar started to hurt and he had been bedridden for several weeks now so he got tired easily and had to rest often to his own annoyance. He’d also lost quite a bit of weight thanks to the injuries and surgeries and having to stay in bed for so long and it made him feel rather self-conscious next to Alfred who was tall and strong and had the sort of body that easily built up muscle.
“I don’t have an extra bed but the couch is a futon you can use,” Arthur told Alfred when they collapsed on it finally after the afternoon of cleaning. “Are you sure you want to stay here?”
“Absolutely,” Alfred said cheerfully. He smiled and Arthur was caught, unable to look away from those brilliant blue eyes. They were so beautiful and he’d been seeing them for a long time now, but now they reminded him of something else – something in the back of his mind that slipped away when Alfred’s eyes did.
Alfred turned away, light pink dusting his cheeks. “So, you want to take the shower first?” he asked.
Arthur nodded and stood up in a hurry.
The next few days passed comfortably. Alfred made Arthur stay home all the time, which Arthur didn’t exactly mind, though he didn’t like being treated like an invalid even if he sort of was one. Alfred did all the shopping and most of the more strenuous chores. He went out for classes but came back almost always right after, though sometimes he had to go over to friends’ places for projects or meet with professors during office hours.
Arthur tried to do what he could to help out. Since he was stuck at home all day with not only Alfred, but also the doctors and the police all telling him to stay indoors and not to open the door to any stranger he didn’t know, Arthur could only phone and use email correspondence. He called to get work sent to him that he could do from home, and when he wasn’t occupied trying to get caught up, he cleaned or read some more or watched the telly.
The news nearly always mentioned the Leatherface Killer. It was one of the biggest sensations that had accidentally gone public despite the police force’s best efforts. A lot of it was thanks to Arthur because even with a witness, the police still hadn’t caught the killer. Arthur saw pictures of himself being posted up, film clips of himself wrapped up in Alfred’s leather jacket with Alfred’s arm around him, fending off the reporters. He wasn’t sure what to think of his newfound fame.
Alfred seemed to hate hearing and reading about those murders, and he always changed the channel when the news came on or surfed away from those articles when he was reading online.
“It’s disgusting, all those speculation theories,” Alfred said once when Arthur asked why he didn’t like to read about them. Then he looked over at Arthur. “And I don’t like hearing about all those reasons they think you were targeted.”