CAN'T BUY ME LOVE...

[longlivesealand]

Who: The English Gentlemen
When: Friday Evening~
Where: That place Arthur calls 'home'.
What: Peter gets an unpleasant parcel in the post and now he wants some answers.

Comments

[godsavemy]

It was with a keen sense of annoyance that Arthur visited the Liberty Postal Office once a week to check if there was anything there for him to pick up. Most of the time the postman on duty would actually do their job and dutifully deliver everything meant for 666 Gravling Circle. Meaning, they actually placed it in the ruddy post box. But there were still those select cowardly few that simply didn’t even try. There was even this one with glasses and long hair that simply ran when Arthur came out to pick up the post one time.

Granted, that whole affair was a strange business - especially since he thought he recognised that particular postman… But he supposed picking the post up was perhaps better than letting them leave important letters and parcels in front of the gate where anyone might filch them. And they might have continued to do that had not Arthur called in to complain about the shoddy conduct

[longlivesealand]

Peter couldn't remember the last time he saw Arthur or heard his snotty voice. Not that he cared to recall such a trivial detail as he turned on his heels and galloped down the stone steps. No matter what age he was, being in the proximity and being forced to interact with his elder brother always rendered him back to an immature and pestering little brother. Suppose it was that regardless of how old he was, he was always going to be Arthur's little brother; always subjugate to the elder's whimsy.

He hurled the stack of papers at Arthur. The May breeze swept up the pages and scattered them about the path. Rarely would he invade personal bubbles of someone he despised, but boundaries were going to take a backseat. Peter's fist gripped Arthur's haughty sweater vest, his free hand short of saying hello to Arthur's jaw.

Forgo the familial greetings. Let's move forward to the matter at hand.

"What's the meaning of this?" Peter said louder than needed. "What trust fund? What does it all mean?

[godsavemy]

Though the possibility of his shirt being wrinkled was irksome, Arthur didn’t move to extract himself from Peter’s grip. Whether he wasn’t grasping enough to hurt or simply didn’t have that kind of strength, Arthur didn’t know. But he also didn’t care to find out. Though at the moment, Arthur was less concerned about assessing Peter’s ability to take him on and more about the strewn papers that were sure to fly away if the wind picked up. Honestly, was throwing them really necessary…?

“It would be in your best interests to pick those up,” Arthur remarked evenly. “And if you read through them properly, then you should know exactly what it all means.” It was actually a wonder that Peter wasn't actively rubbing it in his face; cheering at the top of his lungs that he had achieved complete and utter independence and he never needed to deal with Jerk Arthur ever again.

[longlivesealand]

"I've read the bloody pages," Peter shouted, surprised even himself that his fist had not rammed up Arthur's cocky throat. The papers had detailed his complete liberation from one Mister Arthur Kirkland. Italics announced that he was no longer his brother's responsibility and Arthur was no longer liable for anything that would happen to him. To wrap it all up in a nice red bow was a large sum of money that was now transferred under his control.

Peter should be happy. He should be bouncing up and down as if the ground was a trampoline. Complete emancipation from Jerk Arthur was what he had wanted since he last donned the funeral suit. He should be happy. All his body currently desired was his knuckles breaking Arthur's jaw. He was not a violent person by nature; but bloodlust beckoned his name

[godsavemy]

It was...puzzling, this reaction of Peter’s. Almost borderline incomprehensible. And if Arthur didn’t know better - though he really couldn’t say he ever did concerning his younger brother - he might have said that Peter was genuinely furious at receiving the papers and the news that he was no longer legally or financially bound to Arthur in any form or fashion. But that didn’t make sense - no matter what angle Arthur looked at it. Though some of those angles were too preposterous to consider seriously

[longlivesealand]

After a collection of jerkjerkjerkjerkjerk under his breath, Peter settled on screaming "SHUT UP!" at Arthur's snotty comment. And the distance between them was shortened again when both of Peter's hands clutched on Arthur's sweater. Only this time, the Sealander gave his brother a hearty shove; not enough to cause Arthur to fall, but enough to at least knock him back.

"You are a terrible brother," Peter said. There was much more to say but he decided against spelling it out; Arthur knew what he had and hadn't done for Peter. After all this time, Peter laughed at himself for believing that somewhere in Arthur's heart, he cared for him.

Peter stepped back and picked up the scattered papers from the ground. He studied the pages for a few seconds before he ripped the legal papers in half.

"I don't want your money."

[godsavemy]

Arthur knew Peter’s behaviour was dodgy when deigned himself to collect the papers he had so purposely tossed about. He learned from much experience that it was pure hell to even get Peter to pick up anything from the ground he accidentally or unmindfully dropped. A utensil, a piece of dirty laundry - all were a battle to make Peter even consider picking up. Though If Arthur ever asked (even when using what he thought to be his most unassuming tone) it almost always would devolve into a shouting match that quickly spiraled out of control

[longlivesealand]

"I don't care whose money it is," Peter shouted, unable to control the volume of his voice. Like the child that he so desperately tried not to be, Peter picked up the scattered pieces, crunched them into small balls, and hurled them at Arthur's direction to illustrate his anger. "I don't want it! I don't want anything!"

When the makeshift balls were out and did nothing to affect his elder brother, Peter huffed and wondered why he still lingered. He wished he could punch some sense into Arthur but their past history reminded him that he had never won against Arthur once. Ever. And there was no chance of him winning the round here.

"How could you do this to me?" he muttered under his breath, not exactly sure if his words were heard. "How could you give me away...?"

[godsavemy]

Arthur doubted that even one with an inhuman amount of arm strength could make a crumpled up piece of paper do any substantial damage upon impact. Perhaps, at the very least, they could make it sting, but even that would be difficult to believe. As such, Peter’s arm strength was average to middling, making the paper balls simply a trifling annoyance that could be easily batted away

[longlivesealand]

Peter didn't remember much about their mother. Though he did remember that she always said that everyone existed and everything happened for a reason. And because Peter had so very little memory of his dear mother that he took every of her word to heart. It was then that he came to the conviction that Arthur's (sole) purpose in life was to be his nemesis. There simply did not exist, in Peter's mind, any other reason for the elder's behavior and attitude

[godsavemy]

Arthur could feel the tangible impasse between them. No immature name-calling, no lofty chastising

It's late in the morning. I can barely see the screen. Let's pretend this post make some sense.

[longlivesealand]

"No," Peter said, "thank you

[godsavemy]

“Right then. Of course,” Arthur muttered to himself, a healthy dollop of resignation and a smidgen of bitterness in his tone. It was more bitterness than he cared to admit to feeling - something after all this time really ought to be gone. After all this wasn’t a play he had never seen before - the actors and the scene was all too familiar. The lines spoken even more so. Yet...Arthur thought if he just did a little improvisation they could break out of these characters that had become more them than not them for just a moment