Somewhere Only We Know Part 1
Title: Somewhere Only We Know
Pairings/Characters: FrUK, France/England or rather Francis Bonnefoy/Arthur Kirkland
Rating: PG
Summary: Sometimes the simplest thing is the most valuable, AU human verse
He was busy reviewing the newest design from his junior art director before his mobile phone rang. He glanced the screen a while to notice the name, it was Arthur’s lawyer. He halted his job and pick up the phone.
“Yes?” he asked dully, ignoring the formality that had forgotten a long time ago.
“Ah Mr. Bonnefoy,” said a heavily accented person across the phone. “Mr. Kirkland asked me about the property value sharing to be talked further…”
Francis’ eyebrows twitched, he knew it was more the lawyer’s initiative since he knew Arthur didn’t really have a time to talked or decided things like this. “Okay, what does he want?” he pulled his glasses and let it clattered on the desk.
“I know you have no prenup before you’re married, and - he - demanded half of the fortune you both own before Mr. Kirkland has a stable job.”
Francis pinched the bridge of his nose, why does divorce really took his time and mind? Especially the property/wealth splitting, why Arthur let this buffon acted like he wanted? Oh gosh he wanted nothing but to finish this sooner.
“Fine, take what you like! I don’t care anymore!”
“In cash.” The lawyer added and made Francis vein almost popped.
“Did you just ask me to sell some of my belongings and give half of the money to him?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Francis sighed, he was on the losing side. “I understood, I’ll list the property under my name before Arthur has a stable job.”
The lawyer bid him goodbye, Francis pushed the disconnect button a little bit too hard because he almost could see the lawyer’s sneer behind the phone.
He slumped his back on his chair, completely neglecting his current job that still splayed on his desk. He gazed outside his glasses office, the door was opened, the young art director forgot to close it before he walked out from his office. Eyes watching him in wonder, curiosity and as if he was blessed with super power hearing, he could hear the staffs murmuring his little fight with someone on the phone.
“What did I do wrong? Why it came out like this?”
He stood and took a sip of coffee from the counter and at the same time his eyes met a dusty and forgotten frame he used to put on his table but then he put the frame aside since it was a bother when he needed to spread a poster on his table to review but ever since he was forget to put it back to his table. In the forgotten picture, he can see both of them are laughing happily in front of a house - their house.
His fingers traced the side of the frame cautiously. It was old story, both of them already moved to more practical place, near their workplace and abandoning the house. He thought that he wouldn’t go back to the happiness he and Arthur owned before, and then he remembered that he needed to list the property.
He bit his lower lip and thought, “The house is the first to go.”
***
“I assume you’ve talked to my lawyer.”
The voice over the phone was cold, lack of emotion or probably he was only really tired. His job as a hit reporter made it hard for him to have a proper rest, let alone to meet his husband - correction - soon to be ex-husband.
And Francis’ job as a creative director didn’t make things even better. They grew tired and bitter in each other presence, no more touches and kisses; all of those kind of loving activities already buried deep inside their memories, very reluctant to resurge and ignited the lost love.
No, they’ve tried and failed. The last time they tried to talk about things, it ended in discomfort silent. Both of them swallowed their anger, something that in old times are most likely happened and ended up in makeup sex.
“Yes.” He chugged down the wine in the dark room of his apartment. “I’ll sell the house first and handed you half the payment.”
Arthur was silent for a while, “…I understood, goodnight…”
“Wait Arthur!” He called and he could hear the heavy breathing across the line.
“What’s the matter?”
“I- “ He was hesitant, “…nothing, goodnight.”
Arthur said goodnight once again before Francis could hear the click that cut the only connection between him and Arthur in three months. He stared at the ceiling, his adam apple bobbing up and down as the result of swallowing uncried tears as the question popped up once again in his brain.
“What did I do wrong? Why it came out like this?”
He could still picture it perfectly when he bought the small cozy house for them to live together, to live close to each other. Spending his entire life savings after they graduated the university without stable job, as long as they’re together and being together is enough for them.
Francis couldn’t forget Arthur’s face when he opened his blindfold as they arrived on the said house; he was smiling so bright and raining him with thousand kisses on the yard.
Francis chuckled darkly, now after 15 years old of them together, apparently they had had enough. Maybe Arthur already grew tired of him or he was the one who tired of all the domesticity. He knew he was an adventurer, can’t stay too long in the same place and same person too long, and Arthur was his longest record. But is it true that he wanted to keep on wandering?
He gulped and stared at the clock on the table, his fingers thrumming on one of his kneecaps, he was thinking and as the minutes passed he decided to snatch his mobile phone and pushed a certain number.
“Hello? I would like to know, can I have my leave for a few days?”
***
It wasn’t a nostalgic visit, he insisted, but a survey whether the house is still valuable enough to be sold. He left his apartment when the sun just started to show itself and woke a partial part of the earth. He needed this to end soon; his burden will be lift half when he sold the house, too many memories to be handled for his brain.
It was still early when he arrived at the neighborhood, he didn’t want to drive his car since he found it isn’t necessary, it was quite close to his current apartment, only took a bus to reach the house.
Even though so, the environment really different from the busy city he lived now, his house was placed on the top of the hill, where everything is green and still paved with cobblestones and grasses, not the hot asphalt and dirt.
He had his purpose to leave early, basically he didn’t want to meet people he - they - might know and they would asked him where they had been all the time. He hated that, more than anything, to be reminded about the crumbling of his household, and now he was alone, stepped carefully and not caring, the world around him mostly still asleep. A bliss he wouldn’t have if he decided to left later.
He sighed as he reached the front of his house, it was still the same with rather large garden since he knew Arthur loved gardening and the house was still placed at the end of cobblestones pathway. The only different were the garden was not different than a small jungle and the house’s paint started to peel, showing the yellowish basic paint and in some part of it, Francis could spot moss spreads on the wall.
He didn’t even want to know how much it will spend to polish this house like it was before.
He stepped further and tried to recognizing the remaining plants that Arthur planted and cared before he left. Francis knew he loved to plant any kind of flowers and some of vegetables, the later mostly ended in their stomach when the harvest time came, actually they were a good combination when it comes to plant and cook - as long as it wasn’t Arthur who cooked.
He scoffed and shook his head, it was long gone and there were no benefits by remembering what makes his heart ached.
Francis decided to walk further; the tall tree swished its leaves as if welcoming him at the forgotten place. He stood, unmoved as he arrived at the stairs to the porch, as if there are invisible root that made his feet firmly planted on the ground.
“Is this the place we used to love?”
He was afraid, he knew. Afraid of the rush of memories that will attack him and made him weak, but he already decided that it is now or never, would he rather to lived with the burden or broke himself free?
Gripping the copper key tightly in his palm, he moved forward. A click was heard as he turned the key to its hole. Francis gulped when the door was opened and the musky odor from the house invaded his nose. Quietly he walked inside the darkened alley, relied on his fingertips to guide him through the rooms and unmoved furniture that familiar yet so strange to him.
He was a little bit disappointed when there were no memories attacking him; it was only silence and darkness.
As his eyes gradually get used with the lack of light, he walked towards the big window adorned the living room and pulled the curtain, giving the room a source of light. It was a place where he and Arthur used to talk for hours, watching TV, eating brownies or cookies he used to bake. Snuggle under the blanket and listening to pitter-patter of the rain or fight over trivial things.
The liveliness of the said room already left him as the occupants of the house decided to walk in their own path.
Francis dropped to his knees and started to sob uncontrollably, he missed that time, where everything was so simple, only them and the house, but most of all he missed Arthur so much it made his heart clenched, it was hard to breathe.
“What did I do wrong? Why it came out like this?”
~to be continued~
Pairings/Characters: FrUK, France/England or rather Francis Bonnefoy/Arthur Kirkland
Rating: PG
Summary: Sometimes the simplest thing is the most valuable, AU human verse
He was busy reviewing the newest design from his junior art director before his mobile phone rang. He glanced the screen a while to notice the name, it was Arthur’s lawyer. He halted his job and pick up the phone.
“Yes?” he asked dully, ignoring the formality that had forgotten a long time ago.
“Ah Mr. Bonnefoy,” said a heavily accented person across the phone. “Mr. Kirkland asked me about the property value sharing to be talked further…”
Francis’ eyebrows twitched, he knew it was more the lawyer’s initiative since he knew Arthur didn’t really have a time to talked or decided things like this. “Okay, what does he want?” he pulled his glasses and let it clattered on the desk.
“I know you have no prenup before you’re married, and - he - demanded half of the fortune you both own before Mr. Kirkland has a stable job.”
Francis pinched the bridge of his nose, why does divorce really took his time and mind? Especially the property/wealth splitting, why Arthur let this buffon acted like he wanted? Oh gosh he wanted nothing but to finish this sooner.
“Fine, take what you like! I don’t care anymore!”
“In cash.” The lawyer added and made Francis vein almost popped.
“Did you just ask me to sell some of my belongings and give half of the money to him?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Francis sighed, he was on the losing side. “I understood, I’ll list the property under my name before Arthur has a stable job.”
The lawyer bid him goodbye, Francis pushed the disconnect button a little bit too hard because he almost could see the lawyer’s sneer behind the phone.
He slumped his back on his chair, completely neglecting his current job that still splayed on his desk. He gazed outside his glasses office, the door was opened, the young art director forgot to close it before he walked out from his office. Eyes watching him in wonder, curiosity and as if he was blessed with super power hearing, he could hear the staffs murmuring his little fight with someone on the phone.
“What did I do wrong? Why it came out like this?”
He stood and took a sip of coffee from the counter and at the same time his eyes met a dusty and forgotten frame he used to put on his table but then he put the frame aside since it was a bother when he needed to spread a poster on his table to review but ever since he was forget to put it back to his table. In the forgotten picture, he can see both of them are laughing happily in front of a house - their house.
His fingers traced the side of the frame cautiously. It was old story, both of them already moved to more practical place, near their workplace and abandoning the house. He thought that he wouldn’t go back to the happiness he and Arthur owned before, and then he remembered that he needed to list the property.
He bit his lower lip and thought, “The house is the first to go.”
***
“I assume you’ve talked to my lawyer.”
The voice over the phone was cold, lack of emotion or probably he was only really tired. His job as a hit reporter made it hard for him to have a proper rest, let alone to meet his husband - correction - soon to be ex-husband.
And Francis’ job as a creative director didn’t make things even better. They grew tired and bitter in each other presence, no more touches and kisses; all of those kind of loving activities already buried deep inside their memories, very reluctant to resurge and ignited the lost love.
No, they’ve tried and failed. The last time they tried to talk about things, it ended in discomfort silent. Both of them swallowed their anger, something that in old times are most likely happened and ended up in makeup sex.
“Yes.” He chugged down the wine in the dark room of his apartment. “I’ll sell the house first and handed you half the payment.”
Arthur was silent for a while, “…I understood, goodnight…”
“Wait Arthur!” He called and he could hear the heavy breathing across the line.
“What’s the matter?”
“I- “ He was hesitant, “…nothing, goodnight.”
Arthur said goodnight once again before Francis could hear the click that cut the only connection between him and Arthur in three months. He stared at the ceiling, his adam apple bobbing up and down as the result of swallowing uncried tears as the question popped up once again in his brain.
“What did I do wrong? Why it came out like this?”
He could still picture it perfectly when he bought the small cozy house for them to live together, to live close to each other. Spending his entire life savings after they graduated the university without stable job, as long as they’re together and being together is enough for them.
Francis couldn’t forget Arthur’s face when he opened his blindfold as they arrived on the said house; he was smiling so bright and raining him with thousand kisses on the yard.
Francis chuckled darkly, now after 15 years old of them together, apparently they had had enough. Maybe Arthur already grew tired of him or he was the one who tired of all the domesticity. He knew he was an adventurer, can’t stay too long in the same place and same person too long, and Arthur was his longest record. But is it true that he wanted to keep on wandering?
He gulped and stared at the clock on the table, his fingers thrumming on one of his kneecaps, he was thinking and as the minutes passed he decided to snatch his mobile phone and pushed a certain number.
“Hello? I would like to know, can I have my leave for a few days?”
***
It wasn’t a nostalgic visit, he insisted, but a survey whether the house is still valuable enough to be sold. He left his apartment when the sun just started to show itself and woke a partial part of the earth. He needed this to end soon; his burden will be lift half when he sold the house, too many memories to be handled for his brain.
It was still early when he arrived at the neighborhood, he didn’t want to drive his car since he found it isn’t necessary, it was quite close to his current apartment, only took a bus to reach the house.
Even though so, the environment really different from the busy city he lived now, his house was placed on the top of the hill, where everything is green and still paved with cobblestones and grasses, not the hot asphalt and dirt.
He had his purpose to leave early, basically he didn’t want to meet people he - they - might know and they would asked him where they had been all the time. He hated that, more than anything, to be reminded about the crumbling of his household, and now he was alone, stepped carefully and not caring, the world around him mostly still asleep. A bliss he wouldn’t have if he decided to left later.
He sighed as he reached the front of his house, it was still the same with rather large garden since he knew Arthur loved gardening and the house was still placed at the end of cobblestones pathway. The only different were the garden was not different than a small jungle and the house’s paint started to peel, showing the yellowish basic paint and in some part of it, Francis could spot moss spreads on the wall.
He didn’t even want to know how much it will spend to polish this house like it was before.
He stepped further and tried to recognizing the remaining plants that Arthur planted and cared before he left. Francis knew he loved to plant any kind of flowers and some of vegetables, the later mostly ended in their stomach when the harvest time came, actually they were a good combination when it comes to plant and cook - as long as it wasn’t Arthur who cooked.
He scoffed and shook his head, it was long gone and there were no benefits by remembering what makes his heart ached.
Francis decided to walk further; the tall tree swished its leaves as if welcoming him at the forgotten place. He stood, unmoved as he arrived at the stairs to the porch, as if there are invisible root that made his feet firmly planted on the ground.
“Is this the place we used to love?”
He was afraid, he knew. Afraid of the rush of memories that will attack him and made him weak, but he already decided that it is now or never, would he rather to lived with the burden or broke himself free?
Gripping the copper key tightly in his palm, he moved forward. A click was heard as he turned the key to its hole. Francis gulped when the door was opened and the musky odor from the house invaded his nose. Quietly he walked inside the darkened alley, relied on his fingertips to guide him through the rooms and unmoved furniture that familiar yet so strange to him.
He was a little bit disappointed when there were no memories attacking him; it was only silence and darkness.
As his eyes gradually get used with the lack of light, he walked towards the big window adorned the living room and pulled the curtain, giving the room a source of light. It was a place where he and Arthur used to talk for hours, watching TV, eating brownies or cookies he used to bake. Snuggle under the blanket and listening to pitter-patter of the rain or fight over trivial things.
The liveliness of the said room already left him as the occupants of the house decided to walk in their own path.
Francis dropped to his knees and started to sob uncontrollably, he missed that time, where everything was so simple, only them and the house, but most of all he missed Arthur so much it made his heart clenched, it was hard to breathe.
“What did I do wrong? Why it came out like this?”
~to be continued~