[Secret Santa Fanfic: Can We Keep Him? (2/4)]
TITLE: Can We Keep Him? (2/4)
AUTHOR: katokatsu
RECIPIENT: sanna_lan
GENRE: Romance/Humor, AU
PAIRING(S): USxUK-centric with vague suggestions of GerIta (and SuFin in later chapters)
WORD COUNT: 2,420
RATINGS/WARNINGS: PG-13 for Arthur's mouth and mentions of sex; FLUFF, so much fluff; Human names with the occasional nation-nickname (Iggy, etc.); Alfred being uncharacteristically responsible?
SUMMARY: AU; Alfred and Arthur are in an established relationship, and have been living together for a long time now. One day, Alfred brings home an abandoned puppy he rescued from an alley. Now, Alfred and (mostly) Arthur must learn how to live with the newest member of their family while maintaining their sanity.
NOTES: Written for the usxuk Secret Santa Fic/Art Exchange! Thank you so much to my beta, Arie, who doesn't have a livejournal, but helped me so much with Alfred's characterization!! ♥
Chapter One
Here goes chapter two~!
-------------------
It certainly had taken a very long time for Arthur to open up again, to smile for somebody other than his mythical friends.
For the hundreds of years following Alfred's revolution, Arthur prided himself on maintaining a relatively stiff and stoic persona in front of the other nations. Soon enough, though, Arthur found himself irrevocably drawn to Alfred’s cheerful magnetism.
And however much he openly loved Alfred now, the Revolution always weighed heavily on Arthur’s mind. For him, it was still a sensitive topic, yet, somehow…in an ironic sort of way, he found himself finding comfort and ease in the very person who had been the root of his melancholy in the first place. And while Arthur honestly regarded Alfred as irreplaceable, extraordinary, and even precious…sometimes, he honestly had no idea why he willingly hung around the overgrown teenager.
Particularly when it came to a certain facet of his personality.
“No, you may not feed the dog hamburgers, Alfred.” Arthur objected indignantly, boiling a pot of hot water, Alfred happily snacking on a mountain of McDonald’s takeout.
“Aww, but come on, Arthur! I’m sure he’d love it, you can’t be awesome if you don’t love McDonald’s!” Alfred spoke around a mouthful of burger. Arthur rolled his eyes adding various ingredients to the pot. Honestly, Alfred is absolutely insufferable when it comes to food.
Sure, Arthur enjoyed McDonald’s enough (much to the American’s glee) but eating it every single day for every meal, if he didn’t have Arthur concerned about his lifespan? Arthur felt he would never be able to understand that particular aspect of Alfred’s personality.
“Ludwig was generous enough to give us a recipe for homemade dog food, and I’d really like to give it a try.” Arthur spoke easily.
“Anything’s better than those biohazardous sco-”
Arthur hurled a well-aimed leftover scone at Alfred’s head. “Alfred, get Hero off the table!” he frowned. “It’s bad enough that I let you drip grease all over it.” He added, crossing his arms over his apron.
“He just wants to get closer to the awesome.” Alfred spoke mischievously, teasing Hero with a French fry.
“And would you be referring to the ‘awesome’ that is you, or the McDonald’s?” Arthur replied sarcastically, turning his attention back to his cooking.
“Umm…a combination of both, I guess!” Alfred laughed. “Seriously, though, you should lighten up, Arthur, you’re like a bossy housewife.” Alfred teased.
Arthur stiffened, turning from whatever monstrosity he was preparing on the stove to shoot an angry glare at Alfred. “Excuse me? Did you just call me a housewife?”
Alfred snickered, gently removing Hero from the table and unwrapping another burger. “I’m sorry, Iggy. I can’t help it, you look so cute in your apron.” Alfred replied easily, pretending not to notice the bright blush that appeared on Arthur’s face.
Arthur turned around promptly, returning his attention to his cooking. “A-and that’s adequate justification for insulting me?” Arthur cursed himself for stuttering. He tensed when he heard Alfred scoot his chair back and approach him.
“I’m sorry, Iggy. Please don’t be mad…” Alfred wrapped his arms around Arthur’s waist from behind, resting his chin on Arthur’s shoulder. Arthur weakened as Alfred began to kiss his neck softly.
“Annh…a-all right, you’re forgiven.” I suppose I’ve called you much worse. He added silently. “But to compromise, you’ve got to eat a bit of what I’ve prepared for Hero.”
Alfred grimaced, staring down at the indiscernible creation on the stove. “…d-do I really have to?” Alfred asked innocently as Arthur turned to face him, looping his arms around his neck. He smirked at Alfred, green eyes glinting slyly.
“Well, you see…if you do, I’ll-Alfred! Hero’s got one of your sodding hamburgers in his mouth, go after him!!” Arthur cried, pushing past Alfred to run after the excited puppy.
Hero crouched in the middle of the living room, his tail wagging madly in the air as Arthur and Alfred approached him cautiously. He stared up at the two nations with his big brown eyes challengingly, giving the burger an experimental shake before scampering away as Alfred leapt at him.
They chased him all over the house, Arthur finding it nearly impossible to keep up with the agile puppy, knocking things over and occasionally colliding with Alfred. The pair shoved through any obstacle, unmindful of what they were pushing over, their only priority being to retrieve the burger from Hero. The puppy wagged his tail excitedly as he ran, apparently finding no interest in eating the burger, but rather, extremely amused by the two blondes tearing after him.
By the time Alfred and Arthur had managed to corner Hero between the sofa and the wall, the living room was an absolute mess.
It would have been bad enough that Hero had managed to drip a trail of grease, condiments, and bits of lettuce all over the floor and walls, Arthur thought as he cringed at the chaos that was the living room. The furniture had been turned over, a broken lamp lay shattered on the floor, the curtains had been torn from their hooks, and the Venetian blinds were bent across the window. Alfred’s Playstation 3 lay broken where Alfred had tripped on the cables and smashed his foot through the console. Arthur groaned as he turned towards the wall, which had a considerably large dent in it, a result of Arthur colliding with a nearby wooden chair after slipping on a tomato slice. He rubbed the spot on his head where he had hit it on the corner of a coffee table as Alfred successfully retrieved the burger, holding an excited Hero in the other hand.
To top it all off, the fire alarm began to blare and shriek just as Arthur opened his mouth.
He ran to the kitchen, horrified to find that the food had burnt, sending plumes of black smoke from the stove.
“…it would’ve burned anyway.” Alfred offered quietly, honestly trying to help.
Arthur seethed. He turned around slowly. “Put. Hero. In. His. Kennel.” He spoke through gritted teeth, flashing a glare, causing Alfred to gulp nervously. “He is never to set foot in the kitchen again, and you are going to help me clean this mess. One more smart-arse crack about housewives, and I will force-feed you the remains of that pot.”
Alfred bit back a reply that was something along the lines of ‘like it would be any different from the stuff you usually make’, obediently carrying the whimpering puppy to his kennel.
Arthur sighed once Alfred was out of sight, closing his eyes and willing himself to calm down. It’s one small mistake, there’s no reason to be upset… he repeated quietly in his mind, wincing as the fire alarm started up again. “And shut off that blasted fire alarm!” he shouted in Alfred’s general direction, rubbing his temples with one hand.
-------------------
Arthur wished he could’ve said it had gotten better. He honestly wished he could have.
There was a brief moment, one night, when they were all huddled together under a comforter on the couch, attempting to escape the autumn chill, when Arthur thought things were going to be just fine. He rested against Alfred’s chest, curled up comfortably on top of him, Hero nestled in the curve of his arm. He sighed peacefully, smiling as Hero nuzzled his hand affectionately, Alfred’s fingers gently stroking along his spine, and really believed that things were okay, that he might have even overreacted by banishing Hero from the kitchen and throwing the remainder of Alfred’s burgers in the garbage. “But they were still good!! They were so young…” Alfred had whined, the beginnings of tears in his eyes faced with wasted McDonald’s.
He really wished he could have said it had gotten better.
But then, Hero started teething.
It was a few weeks later, when Arthur and Alfred were preparing to set off for yet another unproductive headache of a world meeting. As Alfred cheered excitedly at finally succeeding in teaching Hero how to “sit” and “shake”, Arthur made his way to the study to retrieve the documents he needed for the meeting. Alfred nearly jumped several feet in the air as a very loud, very exasperated wail echoed throughout the house. He stood up, approaching the shorter nation immediately as he stormed into the room, a handful of shredded papers in one hand.
“Woah, woah, settle down, Iggy. What’s the matter?” Alfred held Arthur by the shoulders, concern in his blue eyes.
“Oh, I’ll tell you what’s the bloody matter!” Arthur seethed, bringing the papers to Alfred’s face angrily. “That…that mutt decided to destroy every single document I needed for today’s meeting!” Arthur shot an accusatory glare at Hero, who whimpered as Alfred stood in front of him protectively.
“Hey, Arthur! I know you’re really upset, but there’s no need for name-calling!” Alfred spoke, his voice uneasy. He had every right to be-an angry Arthur was a force to be reckoned with, after all. “Do you really think you’ll even get to present anything today? It’s impossible for us all to stay quiet and pay attention the way you and Ludwig want us to, I mean, we really can’t help it.” Alfred shrugged, completely aware of the fact that he himself was a huge part of the problem. “Besides, these meetings last for a few days, so you can always just print off new copies and bring them with you tomorrow, right?”
While Arthur really was touched by the way Alfred had tried to reason with him, it was too late-he had nearly reached his limit. “That isn’t the point, Alfred! What if they had been important documents? Census information or hospital records or something?” he waved the shreds frantically, “Are you telling me that you honestly don’t realize what could have happened if he had managed to get to something of significant value? Drafts of important reports or even old photographs?”
“But couldn’t we just put stuff like that on a high shelf or in a cabinet or something? That way there’s no way that-”
“The only reasonable solution is to forbid Hero from entering the study! He has no business being in there, anyway, as it’s the only place I can have a moment of bloody peace and quiet to myself!”
“Arthur, you’re upset, so I understand why you’re being unreasonable, but…please try to calm down…” Alfred carefully wrapped his arms around Arthur’s slim shoulders. “Please, Arthur? Try to understand that he’s still a puppy. Don’t be mad…” Alfred entreated, his voice calm and honest.
It took Arthur a moment to control his temper, Alfred’s warmth having a calming effect on him. Arthur began to feel foolish for his behavior, slowly returning Alfred’s embrace. “…I’m sorry, Alfred. I didn’t mean to worry you…” he gently pushed himself from Alfred, briefly meeting his confused expression before kneeling down to pet Hero, who had poked his head around his Alfred-barrier cautiously. “And I’m sorry for what I said about you, Hero.” Arthur spoke apologetically. “But you’re not to enter my study from now on, understood?” he ordered, though his voice was still contrite.
He scooped Hero up, standing to interrupt Alfred as he started. “I’m sorry, Alfred, but I can’t risk losing anything valuable while Hero is teething, please understand.”
Alfred sighed, resigned. “All right, Iggy. I know how serious you are when it comes to work and stuff.” He smiled weakly, placing his hands on Arthur’s waist and kissing his forehead.
“Thank you, Alfred.” He hummed contentedly. “Oh, bloody hell, the meeting! We’re going to be late!” Arthur gasped, shoving Hero into Alfred’s arms as he ran off to grab his suit jacket.
Alfred smiled amusedly, carrying Hero to place him safely in his kennel. “Now, you behave yourself while we’re gone, okay? Arthur gets mad really easily, so you have to be super careful around him. You’ll get the hang of it eventually, though.” Alfred winked, laughing as Hero barked playfully.
-------------------
One night, Arthur waited patiently in his and Alfred’s bedroom, snuggled under the sheets, holding Alfred’s pillow as he listened to the wind howl outside. Alfred had been called to an emergency meeting by his boss, so he wouldn’t be home for several hours. Arthur waited nonetheless, knowing very well that Alfred would have done the same. He listened as the tempest raged outside, absently hoping that the elves had built adequate shelters to protect them from possible landslides.
As the thunder began cracking, the wind sending a torrent of rain against windows, Arthur thought he heard a small whimpering noise from outside the bedroom. He dismissed it as the wind, sighing into Alfred’s pillow. As the thunder continued to clap violently, the whimpering had become a great deal more discernible, causing Arthur to frown curiously at the door. When he began to hear small scratching noises against the wood of the door, he reluctantly lifted off the covers to investigate.
As soon as he opened the door, expecting to find a lonely spirit or a confused dwarf, he was surprised to find a frightened puppy, trembling as he sat in front of Arthur’s doorstep.
“Hero? What’s wrong, boy?” he knelt down to pick Hero up, holding him gently in his arms. “How on Earth did you get out of your kennel? I thought you were asleep…” he spoke, puzzled. “Ah, the fairies must have let you out. They can be quite mischievous when they want to be.”
Suddenly, another streak of lightning lit up the dark house, followed by a particularly loud crack of thunder. Arthur felt Hero jolt in his arms, feeling his little heart hammer against his chest. Hero whimpered loudly, burying his face in Arthur’s sweater. Arthur smiled weakly at the small puppy, stroking him comfortingly. “Are you afraid of thunder, Hero?” he carried the puppy to his bed, settling under the sheets and allowing Hero to snuggle against him. Arthur hummed softly to console the shaking puppy, feeling his pulse slowly return to normal.
“You are very much like Alfred, you know that?” Arthur spoke quietly, petting Hero’s soft golden fur. “He used to come to me whenever he would frighten himself out of his wits reading those scary stories.” He brought the covers around himself, covering part of Hero with the comforter. “Shh…there, there, love…” He consoled, closing his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m here. Don’t be frightened…”
When Alfred returned home several hours later, he found Arthur and Hero snuggled together, asleep under the covers. He smiled softly before turning out the lights, carefully easing himself onto the bed and wrapping his arms around Arthur before drifting off to sleep.
-------------------
A/N
Thank you so much to everybody who commented on the first chapter!! Really, every comment, no matter how short, means so much to me. ♥ I hope this chapter was okay!
AUTHOR: katokatsu
RECIPIENT: sanna_lan
GENRE: Romance/Humor, AU
PAIRING(S): USxUK-centric with vague suggestions of GerIta (and SuFin in later chapters)
WORD COUNT: 2,420
RATINGS/WARNINGS: PG-13 for Arthur's mouth and mentions of sex; FLUFF, so much fluff; Human names with the occasional nation-nickname (Iggy, etc.); Alfred being uncharacteristically responsible?
SUMMARY: AU; Alfred and Arthur are in an established relationship, and have been living together for a long time now. One day, Alfred brings home an abandoned puppy he rescued from an alley. Now, Alfred and (mostly) Arthur must learn how to live with the newest member of their family while maintaining their sanity.
NOTES: Written for the usxuk Secret Santa Fic/Art Exchange! Thank you so much to my beta, Arie, who doesn't have a livejournal, but helped me so much with Alfred's characterization!! ♥
Chapter One
Here goes chapter two~!
-------------------
It certainly had taken a very long time for Arthur to open up again, to smile for somebody other than his mythical friends.
For the hundreds of years following Alfred's revolution, Arthur prided himself on maintaining a relatively stiff and stoic persona in front of the other nations. Soon enough, though, Arthur found himself irrevocably drawn to Alfred’s cheerful magnetism.
And however much he openly loved Alfred now, the Revolution always weighed heavily on Arthur’s mind. For him, it was still a sensitive topic, yet, somehow…in an ironic sort of way, he found himself finding comfort and ease in the very person who had been the root of his melancholy in the first place. And while Arthur honestly regarded Alfred as irreplaceable, extraordinary, and even precious…sometimes, he honestly had no idea why he willingly hung around the overgrown teenager.
Particularly when it came to a certain facet of his personality.
“No, you may not feed the dog hamburgers, Alfred.” Arthur objected indignantly, boiling a pot of hot water, Alfred happily snacking on a mountain of McDonald’s takeout.
“Aww, but come on, Arthur! I’m sure he’d love it, you can’t be awesome if you don’t love McDonald’s!” Alfred spoke around a mouthful of burger. Arthur rolled his eyes adding various ingredients to the pot. Honestly, Alfred is absolutely insufferable when it comes to food.
Sure, Arthur enjoyed McDonald’s enough (much to the American’s glee) but eating it every single day for every meal, if he didn’t have Arthur concerned about his lifespan? Arthur felt he would never be able to understand that particular aspect of Alfred’s personality.
“Ludwig was generous enough to give us a recipe for homemade dog food, and I’d really like to give it a try.” Arthur spoke easily.
“Anything’s better than those biohazardous sco-”
Arthur hurled a well-aimed leftover scone at Alfred’s head. “Alfred, get Hero off the table!” he frowned. “It’s bad enough that I let you drip grease all over it.” He added, crossing his arms over his apron.
“He just wants to get closer to the awesome.” Alfred spoke mischievously, teasing Hero with a French fry.
“And would you be referring to the ‘awesome’ that is you, or the McDonald’s?” Arthur replied sarcastically, turning his attention back to his cooking.
“Umm…a combination of both, I guess!” Alfred laughed. “Seriously, though, you should lighten up, Arthur, you’re like a bossy housewife.” Alfred teased.
Arthur stiffened, turning from whatever monstrosity he was preparing on the stove to shoot an angry glare at Alfred. “Excuse me? Did you just call me a housewife?”
Alfred snickered, gently removing Hero from the table and unwrapping another burger. “I’m sorry, Iggy. I can’t help it, you look so cute in your apron.” Alfred replied easily, pretending not to notice the bright blush that appeared on Arthur’s face.
Arthur turned around promptly, returning his attention to his cooking. “A-and that’s adequate justification for insulting me?” Arthur cursed himself for stuttering. He tensed when he heard Alfred scoot his chair back and approach him.
“I’m sorry, Iggy. Please don’t be mad…” Alfred wrapped his arms around Arthur’s waist from behind, resting his chin on Arthur’s shoulder. Arthur weakened as Alfred began to kiss his neck softly.
“Annh…a-all right, you’re forgiven.” I suppose I’ve called you much worse. He added silently. “But to compromise, you’ve got to eat a bit of what I’ve prepared for Hero.”
Alfred grimaced, staring down at the indiscernible creation on the stove. “…d-do I really have to?” Alfred asked innocently as Arthur turned to face him, looping his arms around his neck. He smirked at Alfred, green eyes glinting slyly.
“Well, you see…if you do, I’ll-Alfred! Hero’s got one of your sodding hamburgers in his mouth, go after him!!” Arthur cried, pushing past Alfred to run after the excited puppy.
Hero crouched in the middle of the living room, his tail wagging madly in the air as Arthur and Alfred approached him cautiously. He stared up at the two nations with his big brown eyes challengingly, giving the burger an experimental shake before scampering away as Alfred leapt at him.
They chased him all over the house, Arthur finding it nearly impossible to keep up with the agile puppy, knocking things over and occasionally colliding with Alfred. The pair shoved through any obstacle, unmindful of what they were pushing over, their only priority being to retrieve the burger from Hero. The puppy wagged his tail excitedly as he ran, apparently finding no interest in eating the burger, but rather, extremely amused by the two blondes tearing after him.
By the time Alfred and Arthur had managed to corner Hero between the sofa and the wall, the living room was an absolute mess.
It would have been bad enough that Hero had managed to drip a trail of grease, condiments, and bits of lettuce all over the floor and walls, Arthur thought as he cringed at the chaos that was the living room. The furniture had been turned over, a broken lamp lay shattered on the floor, the curtains had been torn from their hooks, and the Venetian blinds were bent across the window. Alfred’s Playstation 3 lay broken where Alfred had tripped on the cables and smashed his foot through the console. Arthur groaned as he turned towards the wall, which had a considerably large dent in it, a result of Arthur colliding with a nearby wooden chair after slipping on a tomato slice. He rubbed the spot on his head where he had hit it on the corner of a coffee table as Alfred successfully retrieved the burger, holding an excited Hero in the other hand.
To top it all off, the fire alarm began to blare and shriek just as Arthur opened his mouth.
He ran to the kitchen, horrified to find that the food had burnt, sending plumes of black smoke from the stove.
“…it would’ve burned anyway.” Alfred offered quietly, honestly trying to help.
Arthur seethed. He turned around slowly. “Put. Hero. In. His. Kennel.” He spoke through gritted teeth, flashing a glare, causing Alfred to gulp nervously. “He is never to set foot in the kitchen again, and you are going to help me clean this mess. One more smart-arse crack about housewives, and I will force-feed you the remains of that pot.”
Alfred bit back a reply that was something along the lines of ‘like it would be any different from the stuff you usually make’, obediently carrying the whimpering puppy to his kennel.
Arthur sighed once Alfred was out of sight, closing his eyes and willing himself to calm down. It’s one small mistake, there’s no reason to be upset… he repeated quietly in his mind, wincing as the fire alarm started up again. “And shut off that blasted fire alarm!” he shouted in Alfred’s general direction, rubbing his temples with one hand.
-------------------
Arthur wished he could’ve said it had gotten better. He honestly wished he could have.
There was a brief moment, one night, when they were all huddled together under a comforter on the couch, attempting to escape the autumn chill, when Arthur thought things were going to be just fine. He rested against Alfred’s chest, curled up comfortably on top of him, Hero nestled in the curve of his arm. He sighed peacefully, smiling as Hero nuzzled his hand affectionately, Alfred’s fingers gently stroking along his spine, and really believed that things were okay, that he might have even overreacted by banishing Hero from the kitchen and throwing the remainder of Alfred’s burgers in the garbage. “But they were still good!! They were so young…” Alfred had whined, the beginnings of tears in his eyes faced with wasted McDonald’s.
He really wished he could have said it had gotten better.
But then, Hero started teething.
It was a few weeks later, when Arthur and Alfred were preparing to set off for yet another unproductive headache of a world meeting. As Alfred cheered excitedly at finally succeeding in teaching Hero how to “sit” and “shake”, Arthur made his way to the study to retrieve the documents he needed for the meeting. Alfred nearly jumped several feet in the air as a very loud, very exasperated wail echoed throughout the house. He stood up, approaching the shorter nation immediately as he stormed into the room, a handful of shredded papers in one hand.
“Woah, woah, settle down, Iggy. What’s the matter?” Alfred held Arthur by the shoulders, concern in his blue eyes.
“Oh, I’ll tell you what’s the bloody matter!” Arthur seethed, bringing the papers to Alfred’s face angrily. “That…that mutt decided to destroy every single document I needed for today’s meeting!” Arthur shot an accusatory glare at Hero, who whimpered as Alfred stood in front of him protectively.
“Hey, Arthur! I know you’re really upset, but there’s no need for name-calling!” Alfred spoke, his voice uneasy. He had every right to be-an angry Arthur was a force to be reckoned with, after all. “Do you really think you’ll even get to present anything today? It’s impossible for us all to stay quiet and pay attention the way you and Ludwig want us to, I mean, we really can’t help it.” Alfred shrugged, completely aware of the fact that he himself was a huge part of the problem. “Besides, these meetings last for a few days, so you can always just print off new copies and bring them with you tomorrow, right?”
While Arthur really was touched by the way Alfred had tried to reason with him, it was too late-he had nearly reached his limit. “That isn’t the point, Alfred! What if they had been important documents? Census information or hospital records or something?” he waved the shreds frantically, “Are you telling me that you honestly don’t realize what could have happened if he had managed to get to something of significant value? Drafts of important reports or even old photographs?”
“But couldn’t we just put stuff like that on a high shelf or in a cabinet or something? That way there’s no way that-”
“The only reasonable solution is to forbid Hero from entering the study! He has no business being in there, anyway, as it’s the only place I can have a moment of bloody peace and quiet to myself!”
“Arthur, you’re upset, so I understand why you’re being unreasonable, but…please try to calm down…” Alfred carefully wrapped his arms around Arthur’s slim shoulders. “Please, Arthur? Try to understand that he’s still a puppy. Don’t be mad…” Alfred entreated, his voice calm and honest.
It took Arthur a moment to control his temper, Alfred’s warmth having a calming effect on him. Arthur began to feel foolish for his behavior, slowly returning Alfred’s embrace. “…I’m sorry, Alfred. I didn’t mean to worry you…” he gently pushed himself from Alfred, briefly meeting his confused expression before kneeling down to pet Hero, who had poked his head around his Alfred-barrier cautiously. “And I’m sorry for what I said about you, Hero.” Arthur spoke apologetically. “But you’re not to enter my study from now on, understood?” he ordered, though his voice was still contrite.
He scooped Hero up, standing to interrupt Alfred as he started. “I’m sorry, Alfred, but I can’t risk losing anything valuable while Hero is teething, please understand.”
Alfred sighed, resigned. “All right, Iggy. I know how serious you are when it comes to work and stuff.” He smiled weakly, placing his hands on Arthur’s waist and kissing his forehead.
“Thank you, Alfred.” He hummed contentedly. “Oh, bloody hell, the meeting! We’re going to be late!” Arthur gasped, shoving Hero into Alfred’s arms as he ran off to grab his suit jacket.
Alfred smiled amusedly, carrying Hero to place him safely in his kennel. “Now, you behave yourself while we’re gone, okay? Arthur gets mad really easily, so you have to be super careful around him. You’ll get the hang of it eventually, though.” Alfred winked, laughing as Hero barked playfully.
-------------------
One night, Arthur waited patiently in his and Alfred’s bedroom, snuggled under the sheets, holding Alfred’s pillow as he listened to the wind howl outside. Alfred had been called to an emergency meeting by his boss, so he wouldn’t be home for several hours. Arthur waited nonetheless, knowing very well that Alfred would have done the same. He listened as the tempest raged outside, absently hoping that the elves had built adequate shelters to protect them from possible landslides.
As the thunder began cracking, the wind sending a torrent of rain against windows, Arthur thought he heard a small whimpering noise from outside the bedroom. He dismissed it as the wind, sighing into Alfred’s pillow. As the thunder continued to clap violently, the whimpering had become a great deal more discernible, causing Arthur to frown curiously at the door. When he began to hear small scratching noises against the wood of the door, he reluctantly lifted off the covers to investigate.
As soon as he opened the door, expecting to find a lonely spirit or a confused dwarf, he was surprised to find a frightened puppy, trembling as he sat in front of Arthur’s doorstep.
“Hero? What’s wrong, boy?” he knelt down to pick Hero up, holding him gently in his arms. “How on Earth did you get out of your kennel? I thought you were asleep…” he spoke, puzzled. “Ah, the fairies must have let you out. They can be quite mischievous when they want to be.”
Suddenly, another streak of lightning lit up the dark house, followed by a particularly loud crack of thunder. Arthur felt Hero jolt in his arms, feeling his little heart hammer against his chest. Hero whimpered loudly, burying his face in Arthur’s sweater. Arthur smiled weakly at the small puppy, stroking him comfortingly. “Are you afraid of thunder, Hero?” he carried the puppy to his bed, settling under the sheets and allowing Hero to snuggle against him. Arthur hummed softly to console the shaking puppy, feeling his pulse slowly return to normal.
“You are very much like Alfred, you know that?” Arthur spoke quietly, petting Hero’s soft golden fur. “He used to come to me whenever he would frighten himself out of his wits reading those scary stories.” He brought the covers around himself, covering part of Hero with the comforter. “Shh…there, there, love…” He consoled, closing his eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m here. Don’t be frightened…”
When Alfred returned home several hours later, he found Arthur and Hero snuggled together, asleep under the covers. He smiled softly before turning out the lights, carefully easing himself onto the bed and wrapping his arms around Arthur before drifting off to sleep.
-------------------
A/N
Thank you so much to everybody who commented on the first chapter!! Really, every comment, no matter how short, means so much to me. ♥ I hope this chapter was okay!