Pride goeth before destruction [23/?]
anonymous
June 5 2009, 19:06:23 UTC
Alfred ignored him and continued. “Anyway, so there was that fair on the river and I went to check it out. Ah, I was still just starting out back then so I wasn’t the rich, stunning aristo you see now.”
“...I always used to go to those fairs with my brothers. When our father was alive, he used to always bring us. It was something of a ritual,” Arthur mentioned.
“You remember the roast chestnut stalls?” Alfred asked enthusiastically.
“...I remember there were always people flipping pancakes.”
“And there were people selling bunnies carved out of ice like this!” Alfred moved his hands to form the vague shape of a bunny rabbit.
Arthur said nothing but, now that he thought about it, he did remember those fairs. He and his brothers had been able to act at least a little bit civil towards each other for once, meaning their fights simmered down to pelting each other with snow rather than other...undesirable objects.
They had stopped going after their finances began to plunge but he had always liked those fairs despite the noise and the crowds. In fact, hadn’t the winter fair six years ago been his last?
“You gave me an ice bunny.”
Arthur looked up abruptly. “What?”
Alfred smiled but did not meet his gaze. “I was going to buy one myself but like I said, I was poor back then and I had already spent all of my money on roast chestnuts.”
“You’re an idiot if you spend all your money on roasted chestnuts,” Arthur was mercilessly blunt.
“Do you mind? I’m trying to reminisce here!” Alfred pouted, but he was not as offended as he seemed. Shaking his head, he shrugged it off and returned to his story. “You gave me an ice bunny,” he said. “I was being loud and grumbling about it to myself and then you came along and gave me yours. You were so cute, saying...what was it? ‘It’s not like I wanted this girly thing anyway. You have it, you pansy!’ those were your words exactly!”
“And you remembered that?” Arthur stared at him sceptically.
“I treasured it until it melted!” Alfred insisted.
There was a distinctly pregnant pause between them as Arthur floundered to find something to say. He honestly did not know how to react in the face of such overwhelming stupidity but at last he managed to choke out; “Are you sure you weren’t dropped on your head at birth? No one in their right minds would make such a big deal about something as trivial as that!”
“Don’t make that face! I was surprised at how big of an impact it made on me too!” Alfred insisted. “Then again, you’ve never been poor so you probably wouldn’t understand what it’s like to really want something and then to be given it so suddenly and unexpectedly just when you’ve given up. It makes you really happy!”
“So...you really wanted that bunny, huh?”
“It wasn’t the bunny it was the principal of the thing!” he cried. “Besides, you were beautiful back then. The way you tried to hide your kindness by pretending that it was just a bother, but your eyes were so earnest that I could see through you right away. You were beautiful. Isn’t that what you would call love at first sight?”
Arthur felt his cheeks burning bright red. “Th - That’s...” he was not sure what to say.
Now that he thought about it, he could remember that incident. Some idiot had been giving him a headache with all his grumbling so he gave him his bunny. It was not as if he had been spending the whole day trying to get away from his brothers so he could buy the thing without being ridiculed, nothing like that!
“I know I can’t believe it either,” Alfred sighed, “of all the people who I could have fallen in love with it had to be an ungrateful, prudish, arrogant nobleman! Anyone else would have been completely flattered to have someone as awesome as me in love with them.”
Even if Arthur had been feeling just a little flattered before, the warm feeling he had indulged in completely disappeared now. “Y - You!” he hissed at the man. “The size of your ego continues to astound me you - you insufferable git!”
“See what I mean? So ungrateful. Even though I just confessed my heart to you, you go trampling over it just like that. So cruel!” Alfred cried out with mock hurt.
“...I always used to go to those fairs with my brothers. When our father was alive, he used to always bring us. It was something of a ritual,” Arthur mentioned.
“You remember the roast chestnut stalls?” Alfred asked enthusiastically.
“...I remember there were always people flipping pancakes.”
“And there were people selling bunnies carved out of ice like this!” Alfred moved his hands to form the vague shape of a bunny rabbit.
Arthur said nothing but, now that he thought about it, he did remember those fairs. He and his brothers had been able to act at least a little bit civil towards each other for once, meaning their fights simmered down to pelting each other with snow rather than other...undesirable objects.
They had stopped going after their finances began to plunge but he had always liked those fairs despite the noise and the crowds. In fact, hadn’t the winter fair six years ago been his last?
“You gave me an ice bunny.”
Arthur looked up abruptly. “What?”
Alfred smiled but did not meet his gaze. “I was going to buy one myself but like I said, I was poor back then and I had already spent all of my money on roast chestnuts.”
“You’re an idiot if you spend all your money on roasted chestnuts,” Arthur was mercilessly blunt.
“Do you mind? I’m trying to reminisce here!” Alfred pouted, but he was not as offended as he seemed. Shaking his head, he shrugged it off and returned to his story. “You gave me an ice bunny,” he said. “I was being loud and grumbling about it to myself and then you came along and gave me yours. You were so cute, saying...what was it? ‘It’s not like I wanted this girly thing anyway. You have it, you pansy!’ those were your words exactly!”
“And you remembered that?” Arthur stared at him sceptically.
“I treasured it until it melted!” Alfred insisted.
There was a distinctly pregnant pause between them as Arthur floundered to find something to say. He honestly did not know how to react in the face of such overwhelming stupidity but at last he managed to choke out; “Are you sure you weren’t dropped on your head at birth? No one in their right minds would make such a big deal about something as trivial as that!”
“Don’t make that face! I was surprised at how big of an impact it made on me too!” Alfred insisted. “Then again, you’ve never been poor so you probably wouldn’t understand what it’s like to really want something and then to be given it so suddenly and unexpectedly just when you’ve given up. It makes you really happy!”
“So...you really wanted that bunny, huh?”
“It wasn’t the bunny it was the principal of the thing!” he cried. “Besides, you were beautiful back then. The way you tried to hide your kindness by pretending that it was just a bother, but your eyes were so earnest that I could see through you right away. You were beautiful. Isn’t that what you would call love at first sight?”
Arthur felt his cheeks burning bright red. “Th - That’s...” he was not sure what to say.
Now that he thought about it, he could remember that incident. Some idiot had been giving him a headache with all his grumbling so he gave him his bunny. It was not as if he had been spending the whole day trying to get away from his brothers so he could buy the thing without being ridiculed, nothing like that!
“I know I can’t believe it either,” Alfred sighed, “of all the people who I could have fallen in love with it had to be an ungrateful, prudish, arrogant nobleman! Anyone else would have been completely flattered to have someone as awesome as me in love with them.”
Even if Arthur had been feeling just a little flattered before, the warm feeling he had indulged in completely disappeared now. “Y - You!” he hissed at the man. “The size of your ego continues to astound me you - you insufferable git!”
“See what I mean? So ungrateful. Even though I just confessed my heart to you, you go trampling over it just like that. So cruel!” Alfred cried out with mock hurt.
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