Sun Beats - part 7 of 15
anonymous
October 10 2010, 05:54:43 UTC
Alfred bit his lip, before deciding that was too vulnerable a gesture, and instead grinned widely. “Ha ha, yeah. I guess you’re right.”
“Hm, of course I am.”
“Are you wearing my sunglasses?” Alfred asked abruptly.
Sure enough, Arthur had Alfred’s sunglasses on top of his head. Arthur lifted a hand and felt them, reassuring himself they were still there. “Hm. It was bright.”
“I guess you shouldn’t squint too much. If you got wrinkles, you really would be a lost cause.”
“That was so funny I’d forgotten to laugh. Fuck you.”
Alfred, once again, swam over to the pool’s edge. “Are you going to go in the water with me?” he asked, but expected that Arthur would decline, as always. “It’ll be a nice way to cool off.”
Arthur looked at him for a long moment, his expression strangely blank. And then, shockingly, he stood up, his fingers going to the buttons of his button-down. Alfred’s mouth went dry. He watched the way Arthur’s arms moved, slightly hairy, poking out of rolled-up sleeves, and thumbing at the buttons. Three were already undone because of the heat, and the vee of Arthur’s chest was intoxicating. Alfred clung to the pool’s side, completely forgetting to kick his legs. He bobbed uselessly in the water, watching Arthur strip down and god it seemed as if he was going so slowly.
“It is rather warm,” Arthur said as way of explanation, as he shrugged out of his shirt, and draped it over the chair’s back. His skin was rather pale, but not ghostly so.
“Ha ha,” Alfred said, because he couldn’t think of anything else to say. He rested his chin on the pool’s edge as he stared up at Arthur, watching Arthur toe off his sandals and stand there just a bit awkwardly, under the shade. “And here I thought you were morally against swimming and sunshine.”
“I was a pirate,” Arthur said simply and somehow that single phrase was so stupidly hot that Alfred felt warm all over despite the pleasant chill of his pool. He swallowed thickly, still staring up at Arthur.
“I remember,” Alfred said. “You came home wearing the outfit sometimes-the one that wasn’t the naval uniform.”
There was a long, uncomfortable silence, as the memories from a past they both tended to ignored settled around them. The air suddenly felt too thick, and if they’d been anywhere else in the states, Alfred would have blamed it on the humidity. There was just too much shared history between them, and it settled in the pit of Alfred’s gut and squeezed, painfully.
Arthur scooped up the sunscreen, still under the umbrella, not looking at Alfred still. Alfred swallowed again, and climbed out of the water, dripping from head to toe and feeling like a stark contrast with Arthur-Arthur, who was absorbing the sun and seeming to smolder.
“You’ll have to get my back too, I suspect,” Arthur said, dryly, and Alfred was glad for the change in subject.
“Yeah,” Alfred said and god his voice almost cracked that time, too. Arthur hadn’t seemed to notice, though.
They stood in an uncomfortable silence. Then Arthur turned slightly away, ducking his head and concentrating on rubbing sunscreen into his arms.
“Sit down, I’ll get your back,” Alfred said, picking up his towel and drying his hands, and looking at Arthur’s back.
Arthur stiffened up, just slightly-he saw the tilt of his shoulders-before he slowly sat down, keeping his back to Alfred. Alfred swallowed, and then reached for his beer. He cracked it open and took a long chug before he walked the short distance to Arthur. He sat in the sun now, and the way the sun reflected off his hair was actually really pretty and Alfred silently wondered if maybe the ‘golden sunshine boy’ would be better suited for Arthur, once he actually got some sun to him. He remembered centuries ago when Arthur would come home, and his skin would be darker than Alfred’s own, a warm golden color that seemed to absorb all the light in the world and settle warmly against Alfred’s cheek as he fell asleep against his caretaker.
“Hm, of course I am.”
“Are you wearing my sunglasses?” Alfred asked abruptly.
Sure enough, Arthur had Alfred’s sunglasses on top of his head. Arthur lifted a hand and felt them, reassuring himself they were still there. “Hm. It was bright.”
“I guess you shouldn’t squint too much. If you got wrinkles, you really would be a lost cause.”
“That was so funny I’d forgotten to laugh. Fuck you.”
Alfred, once again, swam over to the pool’s edge. “Are you going to go in the water with me?” he asked, but expected that Arthur would decline, as always. “It’ll be a nice way to cool off.”
Arthur looked at him for a long moment, his expression strangely blank. And then, shockingly, he stood up, his fingers going to the buttons of his button-down. Alfred’s mouth went dry. He watched the way Arthur’s arms moved, slightly hairy, poking out of rolled-up sleeves, and thumbing at the buttons. Three were already undone because of the heat, and the vee of Arthur’s chest was intoxicating. Alfred clung to the pool’s side, completely forgetting to kick his legs. He bobbed uselessly in the water, watching Arthur strip down and god it seemed as if he was going so slowly.
“It is rather warm,” Arthur said as way of explanation, as he shrugged out of his shirt, and draped it over the chair’s back. His skin was rather pale, but not ghostly so.
“Ha ha,” Alfred said, because he couldn’t think of anything else to say. He rested his chin on the pool’s edge as he stared up at Arthur, watching Arthur toe off his sandals and stand there just a bit awkwardly, under the shade. “And here I thought you were morally against swimming and sunshine.”
“I was a pirate,” Arthur said simply and somehow that single phrase was so stupidly hot that Alfred felt warm all over despite the pleasant chill of his pool. He swallowed thickly, still staring up at Arthur.
“I remember,” Alfred said. “You came home wearing the outfit sometimes-the one that wasn’t the naval uniform.”
There was a long, uncomfortable silence, as the memories from a past they both tended to ignored settled around them. The air suddenly felt too thick, and if they’d been anywhere else in the states, Alfred would have blamed it on the humidity. There was just too much shared history between them, and it settled in the pit of Alfred’s gut and squeezed, painfully.
Arthur scooped up the sunscreen, still under the umbrella, not looking at Alfred still. Alfred swallowed again, and climbed out of the water, dripping from head to toe and feeling like a stark contrast with Arthur-Arthur, who was absorbing the sun and seeming to smolder.
“You’ll have to get my back too, I suspect,” Arthur said, dryly, and Alfred was glad for the change in subject.
“Yeah,” Alfred said and god his voice almost cracked that time, too. Arthur hadn’t seemed to notice, though.
They stood in an uncomfortable silence. Then Arthur turned slightly away, ducking his head and concentrating on rubbing sunscreen into his arms.
“Sit down, I’ll get your back,” Alfred said, picking up his towel and drying his hands, and looking at Arthur’s back.
Arthur stiffened up, just slightly-he saw the tilt of his shoulders-before he slowly sat down, keeping his back to Alfred. Alfred swallowed, and then reached for his beer. He cracked it open and took a long chug before he walked the short distance to Arthur. He sat in the sun now, and the way the sun reflected off his hair was actually really pretty and Alfred silently wondered if maybe the ‘golden sunshine boy’ would be better suited for Arthur, once he actually got some sun to him. He remembered centuries ago when Arthur would come home, and his skin would be darker than Alfred’s own, a warm golden color that seemed to absorb all the light in the world and settle warmly against Alfred’s cheek as he fell asleep against his caretaker.
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