[Fic] Summer Camp: Holding Out - Day 17
Title: Holding Out - Part 12: Animals
Characters: America, England Austria, Iceland
Rating/Warnings: PG13, Sorta X-men-universe crossoverish kinda sorta except I call 'mutants' 'supers' so maybe The Incredibles crossoverish kinda sorta? Point is, some people have superpowers. And it's a pseudo-police state.
Summary: A strange boy shows up and Arthur comes to a realization.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11
Predictably, Arthur had not been happy about Alfred’s nighttime excursions. They talked about it over and over again for the next few weeks, but their talks always ended in a stalemate, with Alfred refusing to give his vigilante ways up and Arthur refusing to let him go out and risk his neck for complete strangers every night. The one thing they were able to agree on was not to tell Roderich or Elizaveta what the other got up to at night.
Arthur knew about Alfred’s need to play the hero, knew about it first hand as a matter of fact. He was concerned, not just about Alfred’s safety, although that was the chief one, but about his pride as well. In a city as corrupt as theirs, Alfred’s good heart and deeds would amount to next to nothing. He was too young, what difference, no matter how heartfelt, could he possibly make?
One day, when having one of their daily private discussions about the subject, they heard Roderich call in his ‘this is serious’ voice from downstairs, “Arthur! Get down here!”
Arthur and Alfred went downstairs to the sitting room to find Roderich tossing blankets over an unconscious boy, face almost as pale as his hair was, with a puffin sitting on the back of the sofa he was lying on.
“Roderich,” Arthur cautiously asked, “Who’s he?”
“I was hoping you would tell me,” he huffed and turned to face him once his task was complete, “He just showed up at the door and passed out. It was very rude of him.”
Arthur raised an eyebrow, “He didn’t say anything?”
“Just your standard ‘help me.’ He’s probably looking for a free handout. Somehow found his way to the biggest house in the city hoping for some pity and free food.”
“Yes well,” Arthur placed the back of his hand on the boy’s forehead, “Feed him when he wakes up and send him on his way.”
“Yes, I’ll see if we have any leftovers anywhere,” Roderich huffed and left for the kitchen.
As soon as he was gone, the puffin on the couch started squawking, startling Alfred and Arthur and waking the boy. He seemed dazed as he looked around the room, eyes eventually setting on Arthur.
“Yes, hello,” Arthur cleared his throat and stepped forward, “Child, who are you and why are you here?”
The boy looked confused for a moment before his gaze wandered to Alfred.
“Do you even know where you are?” Arthur tried again.
He was panting now as he looked back at Arthur, “Kirkland Manor.”
“Yes, good start,” Arthur nodded, “Who are you and why are you here?”
The puffin jumped from the couch to his shoulder, “Alfred.”
Arthur furrowed his eyebrows, “You’re name is Alfred?”
“No,” the boy shook his head, “No, I’m looking for Alfred. Alfred Kirkland.”
“I’m here,” Alfred stepped forward, “That’s me.”
He absently started stroking the puffin, “Good… I found you…”
“Yeah,” Alfred pulled over an ottoman and sat down, “So, what’s your name and how can I help you?”
The boy winced and held his head in his free hand, “Tumi. My name is Tumi. I need your help. He said you could help me…”
“Okay,” Alfred gave him a reassuring smile, “Yeah, okay, I’ll help you. What do you need my help with?”
But Tumi seemed strained by the effort to stay conscious and merely clutched his head more as his breathing became labored.
Alfred jumped out of his seat, “Whoa hey, are you alright? You should have gone to a hospital if you were sick! I’m not a doctor.”
“Roderich!” Arthur, who had been silently observing their conversation, rushed over to the kitchen door, “Where is that food?”
“Right here,” Roderich reappeared with a tray containing a plate of last night’s meatloaf and a glass of water, “Always so impatient.”
“Yes, well, the boy seems to be dying,” he took the tray and nodded towards the bathroom, “Care to grab a thermometer, a washcloth, and a basin of water?”
Roderich’s eyebrow twitched, “Very well,” as he went off to do his task.
As Arthur approached the couch Alfred grabbed the water and held it out for Tumi, “Here, drink this,” he grabbed the glass from Alfred’s hand and greedily drank it all, “Now, can you tell me what’s wrong?”
Tumi stared at the food as Arthur placed it on his lap, “It’s a bit… complicated.”
“Well,” Alfred returned to his seat on the ottoman as Arthur made himself comfortable in the armchair, “if you want me to help you, you’re going to have to explain something to me.”
“Does, does he have to be here?” he stared pointedly at Arthur.
“Considering this is my house, yes, I feel I do have to be here, unless you’d rather lie on someone else’s couch and eat someone else’s food.”
“It’s okay,” Alfred smiled, “He’s not going to hurt you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Tumi shook his head as he started on the meatloaf, “It’s just, been a long day.”
Roderich returned then, shoving the thermometer in Tumi’s mouth as soon as he swallowed his food and placing the wet washcloth on his head before leaving the basin of water by Arthur and promptly leaving the room, muttering something about freeloaders as he left.
When the thermometer was done taking his temperature, Arthur leaned over and took it from his mouth. Tumi immediately started eating again as he read out, “Fever, and a high one at that.”
“That’s normal,” Tumi admitted between bites, “I’m afraid I’m a rather sickly child.”
“Then why aren’t you at home or in a hospital or something?”
“I ran away,” he pushed his empty plate aside, “I ran away from home.”
“And you want me to help you?”
“Gilbert said you could,” Alfred sat up straighter at the mention of his old friend’s name, “He said I should come here and you would help me.”
“I don’t know how-”
“I’ve heard about you. I’ve heard you help people, especially people like me.”
“Are you a Super?” Arthur asked, causing Tumi to wince.
“I, suppose,” his face went red as he turned towards the couch, “I can, talk to animals,” Tumi looked distant as he pet his puffin before he he turned back to Arthur, a pleading look on his face, “I didn’t ask for any of this! My family is already shamed by my health, and now they have to deal with my abnormalities? I just want them to stop talking to me, the animals. They always talk to me...”
“There’s nothing wrong with being Super,” Arthur scowled as he crossed his arms across his chest, “And I still don’t see what you want from Alfred. He can't make your powers go away.”
“I know, but he helps people, on the streets. You may not know this, but everyone is talking about him. Not by name, almost no one knows who he is, just what he does. He helps people, normal and Super alike,” Tumi took a few calming breaths before looking right into Alfred’s eyes, “I need to leave the city. There’s a point, not too far from here, where my brother can meet me. I just, I need him, and I need you to get him to me. Please Alfred, you’ve helped so many people and I-”
“I get it,” Alfred nodded, “I understand. I’ll help.”
Tumi relaxed for the first time since he woke up, “Thank you. Thank you so much…”
“It’s no problem really,” Alfred grinned at him, “I like helping people. Gilbert was right to send you to me, but, uh, how do you know him?”
Tumi shrugged as he closed his eyes and slid further into the couch, “Everyone knows Gilbert, and Gilbert knows everyone.”
“I see,” he would have asked more, but Tumi was already asleep, puffin keeping watch on the back of the sofa.
“You can use the helicopter,” Alfred blinked and stared at Arthur, “I know you were thinking about it, so you have my permission.”
“Thanks, but I thought you didn’t approve. I mean, he only came to me because of my reputation so-”
“Exactly,” Arthur sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, “There are hundreds of Supers in this city, some of them make a living on getting Supers out of it without the Bureau detecting them, yet he came to you. I may not like you putting yourself in danger all the time, but I can’t deny you’re doing a good thing, not just for the people you help but for the city in general.”
“Arthur,” he smiled, not quite believing what he was hearing, “Are you saying that…”
“Yes, I’m saying you can continue your vigilante activities,” Arthur frowned, “But you need to be more careful! Promise me you will.”
“Yeah, of course,” Alfred grinned in earnest, “Thank you Arthur!”
Arthur turned his face away, refusing to let him see the smile that was slowly creeping on. Yes, the city needed someone like Alfred, no matter how much Arthur tried to deny it. After all, even a little hope can go a long way.
Part 13
Characters: America, England Austria, Iceland
Rating/Warnings: PG13, Sorta X-men-universe crossoverish kinda sorta except I call 'mutants' 'supers' so maybe The Incredibles crossoverish kinda sorta? Point is, some people have superpowers. And it's a pseudo-police state.
Summary: A strange boy shows up and Arthur comes to a realization.
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11
Predictably, Arthur had not been happy about Alfred’s nighttime excursions. They talked about it over and over again for the next few weeks, but their talks always ended in a stalemate, with Alfred refusing to give his vigilante ways up and Arthur refusing to let him go out and risk his neck for complete strangers every night. The one thing they were able to agree on was not to tell Roderich or Elizaveta what the other got up to at night.
Arthur knew about Alfred’s need to play the hero, knew about it first hand as a matter of fact. He was concerned, not just about Alfred’s safety, although that was the chief one, but about his pride as well. In a city as corrupt as theirs, Alfred’s good heart and deeds would amount to next to nothing. He was too young, what difference, no matter how heartfelt, could he possibly make?
One day, when having one of their daily private discussions about the subject, they heard Roderich call in his ‘this is serious’ voice from downstairs, “Arthur! Get down here!”
Arthur and Alfred went downstairs to the sitting room to find Roderich tossing blankets over an unconscious boy, face almost as pale as his hair was, with a puffin sitting on the back of the sofa he was lying on.
“Roderich,” Arthur cautiously asked, “Who’s he?”
“I was hoping you would tell me,” he huffed and turned to face him once his task was complete, “He just showed up at the door and passed out. It was very rude of him.”
Arthur raised an eyebrow, “He didn’t say anything?”
“Just your standard ‘help me.’ He’s probably looking for a free handout. Somehow found his way to the biggest house in the city hoping for some pity and free food.”
“Yes well,” Arthur placed the back of his hand on the boy’s forehead, “Feed him when he wakes up and send him on his way.”
“Yes, I’ll see if we have any leftovers anywhere,” Roderich huffed and left for the kitchen.
As soon as he was gone, the puffin on the couch started squawking, startling Alfred and Arthur and waking the boy. He seemed dazed as he looked around the room, eyes eventually setting on Arthur.
“Yes, hello,” Arthur cleared his throat and stepped forward, “Child, who are you and why are you here?”
The boy looked confused for a moment before his gaze wandered to Alfred.
“Do you even know where you are?” Arthur tried again.
He was panting now as he looked back at Arthur, “Kirkland Manor.”
“Yes, good start,” Arthur nodded, “Who are you and why are you here?”
The puffin jumped from the couch to his shoulder, “Alfred.”
Arthur furrowed his eyebrows, “You’re name is Alfred?”
“No,” the boy shook his head, “No, I’m looking for Alfred. Alfred Kirkland.”
“I’m here,” Alfred stepped forward, “That’s me.”
He absently started stroking the puffin, “Good… I found you…”
“Yeah,” Alfred pulled over an ottoman and sat down, “So, what’s your name and how can I help you?”
The boy winced and held his head in his free hand, “Tumi. My name is Tumi. I need your help. He said you could help me…”
“Okay,” Alfred gave him a reassuring smile, “Yeah, okay, I’ll help you. What do you need my help with?”
But Tumi seemed strained by the effort to stay conscious and merely clutched his head more as his breathing became labored.
Alfred jumped out of his seat, “Whoa hey, are you alright? You should have gone to a hospital if you were sick! I’m not a doctor.”
“Roderich!” Arthur, who had been silently observing their conversation, rushed over to the kitchen door, “Where is that food?”
“Right here,” Roderich reappeared with a tray containing a plate of last night’s meatloaf and a glass of water, “Always so impatient.”
“Yes, well, the boy seems to be dying,” he took the tray and nodded towards the bathroom, “Care to grab a thermometer, a washcloth, and a basin of water?”
Roderich’s eyebrow twitched, “Very well,” as he went off to do his task.
As Arthur approached the couch Alfred grabbed the water and held it out for Tumi, “Here, drink this,” he grabbed the glass from Alfred’s hand and greedily drank it all, “Now, can you tell me what’s wrong?”
Tumi stared at the food as Arthur placed it on his lap, “It’s a bit… complicated.”
“Well,” Alfred returned to his seat on the ottoman as Arthur made himself comfortable in the armchair, “if you want me to help you, you’re going to have to explain something to me.”
“Does, does he have to be here?” he stared pointedly at Arthur.
“Considering this is my house, yes, I feel I do have to be here, unless you’d rather lie on someone else’s couch and eat someone else’s food.”
“It’s okay,” Alfred smiled, “He’s not going to hurt you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Tumi shook his head as he started on the meatloaf, “It’s just, been a long day.”
Roderich returned then, shoving the thermometer in Tumi’s mouth as soon as he swallowed his food and placing the wet washcloth on his head before leaving the basin of water by Arthur and promptly leaving the room, muttering something about freeloaders as he left.
When the thermometer was done taking his temperature, Arthur leaned over and took it from his mouth. Tumi immediately started eating again as he read out, “Fever, and a high one at that.”
“That’s normal,” Tumi admitted between bites, “I’m afraid I’m a rather sickly child.”
“Then why aren’t you at home or in a hospital or something?”
“I ran away,” he pushed his empty plate aside, “I ran away from home.”
“And you want me to help you?”
“Gilbert said you could,” Alfred sat up straighter at the mention of his old friend’s name, “He said I should come here and you would help me.”
“I don’t know how-”
“I’ve heard about you. I’ve heard you help people, especially people like me.”
“Are you a Super?” Arthur asked, causing Tumi to wince.
“I, suppose,” his face went red as he turned towards the couch, “I can, talk to animals,” Tumi looked distant as he pet his puffin before he he turned back to Arthur, a pleading look on his face, “I didn’t ask for any of this! My family is already shamed by my health, and now they have to deal with my abnormalities? I just want them to stop talking to me, the animals. They always talk to me...”
“There’s nothing wrong with being Super,” Arthur scowled as he crossed his arms across his chest, “And I still don’t see what you want from Alfred. He can't make your powers go away.”
“I know, but he helps people, on the streets. You may not know this, but everyone is talking about him. Not by name, almost no one knows who he is, just what he does. He helps people, normal and Super alike,” Tumi took a few calming breaths before looking right into Alfred’s eyes, “I need to leave the city. There’s a point, not too far from here, where my brother can meet me. I just, I need him, and I need you to get him to me. Please Alfred, you’ve helped so many people and I-”
“I get it,” Alfred nodded, “I understand. I’ll help.”
Tumi relaxed for the first time since he woke up, “Thank you. Thank you so much…”
“It’s no problem really,” Alfred grinned at him, “I like helping people. Gilbert was right to send you to me, but, uh, how do you know him?”
Tumi shrugged as he closed his eyes and slid further into the couch, “Everyone knows Gilbert, and Gilbert knows everyone.”
“I see,” he would have asked more, but Tumi was already asleep, puffin keeping watch on the back of the sofa.
“You can use the helicopter,” Alfred blinked and stared at Arthur, “I know you were thinking about it, so you have my permission.”
“Thanks, but I thought you didn’t approve. I mean, he only came to me because of my reputation so-”
“Exactly,” Arthur sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, “There are hundreds of Supers in this city, some of them make a living on getting Supers out of it without the Bureau detecting them, yet he came to you. I may not like you putting yourself in danger all the time, but I can’t deny you’re doing a good thing, not just for the people you help but for the city in general.”
“Arthur,” he smiled, not quite believing what he was hearing, “Are you saying that…”
“Yes, I’m saying you can continue your vigilante activities,” Arthur frowned, “But you need to be more careful! Promise me you will.”
“Yeah, of course,” Alfred grinned in earnest, “Thank you Arthur!”
Arthur turned his face away, refusing to let him see the smile that was slowly creeping on. Yes, the city needed someone like Alfred, no matter how much Arthur tried to deny it. After all, even a little hope can go a long way.
Part 13