Liar Liar
Title: Liar Liar
Genre: Drama/Romance
Pairing(s): USUK, mild Spain/Romano
Word Count: 3,764
Rating/Warnings: 12, swearing
Summary: The worst place to run into your ex is when you're robbing their house. Done for the ' Collision of Worlds' prompt.
This was a bad idea. A very bad idea. So, why would he was following Lovino, risking his neck for Lovino, when he could be at home, safe and sound where there no chance of getting stabbed or arrested or anything.
"Lovino, get back here," Arthur hissed, looking around nervously as the two of them reached the wall that surrounded the Fernandez estate. "This is a really bad idea." Lovino threw a disbelieving look at him.
"This coming from the man who boasts that he can steal one of the Crown Jewels and then return the next night after the security has been tripled?" Lovino asked sceptically. Arthur wanted to point out several facts about why that scenario was different from this. For one, that was stealing from an establishment and this was stealing personal items from people. There was a difference, as Arthur's conscience loved to point out. Second, he would have planned that out for months before actually doing it. This time, Lovino had drunk a little too much wine and decided to go and rob this man who pissed him off today. Thirdly, that was a boast and by definition, untrue.
"I haven't actually done it! And I certainly would not do it with no plan and a drunk partner," Arthur retorted. He made an unsuccessful grab for Lovino as the other man used a nearby tree to launch himself to the top of the wall. Arthur really had to admire his balance as he managed to stand somewhere there was no barbed wire, especially after the bottle of wine he had.
"Please, Arthur, I could do something like this with my eyes closed. Are you coming or what?" Arthur sighed and dropped his head down. Not going though was unthinkable so he hauled himself up the tree. Damn parents for teaching him to take care of his friends. He knew that if he left, Lovino would get himself into trouble. At least if Arthur came with him, he would be less likely to get arrested. Hopefully.
"I hate you and you owe me a huge favour for this," Arthur grumbled as he managed to avoid the barbed wire as well, even though some caught on his boot. They leapt off, Arthur hoping for a moment in mid-air that they did not have pressure alarms. Nothing rang out as they landed but there were silent alarms that alerted the police without the criminals knowing. Oh, Arthur really did not like this. "A huge, huge favour," Arthur whispered, more to himself than Lovino because there was no chance of him speaking loud enough to be heard by the man that was now sprinting towards house.
If Arthur had not already seen Lovino in action, he would not have said that Lovino was one of the best thieves of his generation. Of course, Arthur had not seen him do a job after a bottle of wine so that could be getting rid of all of Lovino's self-preservation instincts. And Arthur was going down with him.
They made inside the house with surprisingly little trouble and Lovino crept upstairs, but Arthur still had no clue what they were looking for. Lovino stopped at what seemed to be a family portrait (who even had painted portraits anymore) and stared at it. Arthur caught up with him and looked up at the portrait. He assumed that Lovino knew there was a safe or something behind it, but he just stop and sneered at the portrait for such a long time that it made Arthur nervous. More nervous than being in the house in the first place.
"What are you looking at?" Arthur finally dared to ask, moving closer to Lovino so he could be as quiet as possible. Lovino leaned towards Arthur to whisper back.
"Don't you think the bastard looks smug?" Arthur looked up at the portrait at Lovino's question. There was a man and a woman, both in their forties, with kind smiles on their faces. In between them, there was a young man who seemed to be their son. He had light brown skin, brown hair and green eyes not dissimilar to Arthur's own. There was also a happy smile on his face and, try as he might, Arthur could not see any hint of smugness.
"Not particularly. Why?" He knew he would regret it, he knew it, but he asked anyone because he was more curious than a cat that had all nine lives still intact.
"Bastard came into the shop today and spread his smugness and riches everywhere." Lovino sounded bitter, annoyed and very confused. Having known Lovino since he was small, Arthur knew exactly what those emotions together meant and he put the pieces together, before turning to Lovino in horror.
"Lovino," he said, almost forgetting to whisper, "are you telling me that you broke in someone's house, and I came with you to help you not get arrested, and it's all because you have a crush?!" Maybe his voice got slightly louder towards the end but Arthur was almost beside himself with disbelief. Lovino did all this because he wanted to piss off the man he was attracted to? Ignoring Lovino's weird way of introducing himself to people, Arthur focused on the fact that he could go to prison for a very long time all because of this. Lovino looked at him with disdain, visible even in the darkened hallway.
"Well, I don't think it will hold up in court." A voice came from behind them and both of them froze, knowing the worst had happened and there was nothing to do about it. Arthur had already given them Lovino's name (stupid, stupid idea) and neither of them had worn masks so their faces would be recognised as well, if they ran away.
Lovino squinted into the darkness. "Bastard?" He asked, as if that was the man's name, and Arthur almost had a heart attack. Why was Lovino trying to antagonise the person who could send them to jail if he pressed charges? Did he really hate Arthur that much?
"I prefer Antonio actually." The light was clicked on and the hallway was thrown into darkness. It burned Arthur's eyes but he forced himself to keep staring, to not close his eyes for a second. His eyes would adjust but he needed to see the man who were going to end his life as he knew it.
There were two men and both of them were young, which would make it harder to run away. The one nearer to Arthur and Lovino was almost a spitting image of the portrait except there was no happy smile on his face now. The other man was...
"Alfred?" Arthur asked, too shocked to keep in the name. This drew Alfred's attention and he stared at Arthur.
"Arthur?!" At least Alfred sounded as horrified as he did to find him here. Lovino looked at Arthur, one eyebrow risen.
"You know each other?" He asked, his tone heavy with implications. Arthur glared at him, hoping to remind Lovino that they were in this position because he did not know how to fancy someone in a normal way and this was not Arthur's idea.
"I don't think you can talk," Arthur hissed back and Lovino coloured. It was glorious to see and most definitely not enough punishment for this whole mess.
"So, this is what you ended up doing. Robbing people blind or were you trying to kidnap Antonio or I?" Alfred seemed to get over his shock long enough to speak, but at soon as he did, Arthur wished that he had shut up. Alfred's tone was cold and completely unsympathetic. No help from that quarter then. It should have been expected, Arthur had broken up with Alfred, unable to withstand the pressure of his family or Alfred's family anymore. They had said some ugly things in the break-up and one of the things that Arthur had attacked was Alfred's choice of career as a primary school science teacher. He had known it was Alfred's dream and he had attacked it, knowing that Alfred would definitely leave him alone after that.
Of course he had regretted the break up and the fight very soon afterwards and wished that he could take it back, but saying so to Alfred now would seem like he was just saying it to get out of trouble and Arthur still had some pride. So, he did what he did best and hid. He turned his face expressionless and stared back at Alfred with blank eyes. Alfred grimaced and looked away. He had always hated it when Arthur did that.
Turning back to Lovino and Antonio, he saw that Antonio was holding a phone, not a weapon, and seemed to be threatening to call the police. Lovino was arguing against it but his argument mainly consisted of insults. Lovino could never be a lawyer, he would probably punch someone on his first day. Not that Arthur would be much better, but at least he wasn't drunk at this moment in time.
"How about this, you don't call the police on us, now or ever, and we tell you how to improve your security?" Arthur asked, looking unconcerned, even though his heart was beating hard against his ribs. He could not look at Alfred, not now but Antonio turned to Alfred, obviously asking for his opinion. They whispered to each other and Arthur suppressed the flash of annoyance at how close Antonio and Alfred was. It was no longer his place to think such things. He decided to cheer himself up by looking at Alfred's rocket ship pyjamas, something that obviously hadn't changed since they were dating. It was reassuring and Arthur looked down, using his fringe to hide his smile.
"Hey, Arthur," Lovino said in a quiet, barely there voice and Arthur looked to the side to see Lovino's face. Lovino was staring down at the floor, looking very solemn. "I'm really sorry." He did look genuinely regretful and even though Arthur knew that he would bring this up at every opportunity, the forgiveness was already there.
"It's alright. It was bound to happen one day." It was true, their lifestyle was not exactly legal and maybe it was better than it was Antonio and Alfred, who would not enjoy putting them away but caught them fair and square.
"True. But probably not by your ex-boyfriend." Lovino smiled and Arthur couldn't help but smile back. It seemed that Lovino had connected the dots and realised that Alfred was Alfred, the man that Arthur chatted about when he was drunk or melancholy or both.
"Like I said, bound to happen one day." Alfred and Antonio had finished talking and both were staring at the two of them with hard, unforgiving eyes. It did not look good for their chances and Arthur felt Lovino shifting closer towards him ever so slightly.
"We haven't decided on whether or not to call the police," Alfred announced bluntly and Arthur did not know whether to feel relieved or annoyed. He wasn't used to the first emotion so annoyance it was. Antonio and Alfred obviously thought that it would a be fun game to leave Arthur and Lovino's fate hang in the balance, leaving them nervous all night. If that was true, then maybe Alfred had changed more than he thought.
"We will know after you have explained to us. One on one. Lovino, you shall explain to me and Arthur, you shall explain to Alfred. I think more answers shall be found that way." Antonio was cheerful now but Arthur could see what Lovino was talking about when he said the bastard was smug. But Arthur and Lovino were not in a position to argue, even though they both dearly wanted to, and so they went with their separate ways. Lovino followed Antonio down the corridor that he and Arthur had been going down while Arthur followed Alfred the opposite direction.
Arthur looked back at Lovino, who was doing the same thing. 'Back here," Arthur mouthed, pointing down, 'in one hour'. He put up one finger and Lovino nodded his understanding of the message. Arthur did not know Antonio and could not trust him, and something had obviously changed Alfred, so they would have to protect themselves.
Alfred did not lead him far, just around the corner before opening one of the many doors and going in. It was a bedroom with a large four poster bed with emerald green curtains and bedspread and Arthur caught sight of a balcony through the double doors. How the other half lives indeed, Arthur thought, only slightly bitterly as he thought about his one bedroom flat that he shared with Lovino. Lovino owned it which meant that Arthur got the sofa-bed. It was even more delightful when Lovino brought someone home for the night.
Alfred sat down on the sofa in the room and put his head in his hands. Feeling deeply uncomfortable, Arthur kept standing. His mother practically beat manners into him and Alfred probably did not want dirt on any of his stuff. And Arthur could see Alfred's stuff around the room, each familiar item causing a small pang inside him. There was no chance of returning to how they were so Arthur should just forget it. It did not stop him from wanting to go up and hug Alfred though and he clenched his fists to hold back this impulse.
"So, what did you come here to do? Did you come here to steal something of Antonio's or did you come here hoping to kidnap one of us and get the ransom?" Alfred lifted his head now and looked at Arthur with a horrible, cynical little smile. The impulse to hug Alfred was gone and now Arthur was clenching his fists to stop himself from punching Alfred.
"Neither," Arthur spat. "I came to stop Lovino from getting arrested. I didn't even know you were here." Alfred's eyes narrowed and now his smile had disappeared.
"Stop lying, Arthur, you're so good at that." Now Alfred was the angry one and he jerked himself up from the sofa and swung away from Arthur so he faced the windows instead. Arthur tried to restrain his shock and outrage. He had no problems being called a liar when he was lying but being called it when he was actually telling the truth had always really irritated him.
"I'm not lying!" Arthur said, even though that denial would not count for anything if Alfred thought he was lying in the first place. Unfortunately, he was right.
"For God's sake, do you actually know how to tell the truth at all?" Alfred turned around again, his eyes wide with disbelief. Arthur blinked, not expecting this attack at all. "I mean you lie about this, you lie about what you want to do, you lie about our relationship, is this a compulsive thing or do you just get a kick out of it?"
Arthur knew that he had gone white and he was starting to feel a bit ill. The words that Alfred used were so hateful but they weren't his words. Arthur knew exactly whose words they were. "You know, Alfred, you really should give your own opinions rather than your mother's," Arthur sneered and felt satisfied that his hit had obviously been successful. Alfred had gone milky pale and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, but nothing came out. "I mean, I heard it enough from her. 'Arthur, stop lying to Alfred', 'you're obviously lying because you, a common thug, you couldn't possibly feel love for anyone', 'if you even think about marrying Alfred, my husband and I will make your life a living hell'. And if you just think I'm lying every time I open my mouth, why did you want to talk to me anyway?" Arthur continued, not even thinking about what he had just said. It felt good to get everything out.
"What?" Alfred said, looking like something had hit him with a wet fish. Arthur's brain caught up with his words.
"What?" He repeated, looking for stalling time. He was not going to tell Alfred about what his mother said because he didn't want Alfred to have to choose between his boyfriend or his parents and then resent the one he had chosen for making him choose. That was why Arthur had not been going to tell Alfred. Now he remembered. It was good to see that his brain was obviously on the ball this evening to stop him from saying stupid things.
After this, no more drinking. It was obviously killing a lot more brain cells than he thought.
"My mother said that?" Alfred looked like his whole world had turned upside down and that someone had kicked a puppy in front of him combined and it made Arthur feel like crap. Bring back the angry expression.
"Well, you know me. Liar, thief, common criminal, heartless bastard, you can't trust a word that comes out of my mouth." Arthur was slightly disturbed at how easily it was to repeat the things that he had been called before. Maybe the insults were starting to sink in a little.
"Don't call yourself that," Alfred said angrily, but seemingly not at Arthur. And why was he being so confusing? Alfred was not meant to be confusing, he was meant to be easy to understand!
"Why not?" Arthur asked. "You called me it barely five minutes ago. I've been called it for most of my life, of course, I think that at least half of these times were undeserved. But, what do I know? I am obviously wrong about my own character or I'm lying. Either way, you can't trust my word." Arthur was babbling because he was angry and nervous and most of all, confused and it was all coming out now. He knew it, Alfred knew it, even Lovino trapped in another room probably knew it!
"Stop it, Arthur!" Alfred shouted, halting Arthur's babbling. He sounded so desperate, so upset, that Arthur's words got stuck in her throat. "My mother... why did I not know that my mother said that to you?" For once, Arthur decided to be honest. He owed Alfred that.
"I didn't want you to know," Arthur replied. It felt painful, being honest after so long, but it also felt cleansing as if a wound was finally being cleaned.
"Why not?" Alfred sounded close to tears and Arthur felt his own eyes burn in sympathy. "Why could you not tell me something that was obviously praying on your mind so much that you memorised her exact words and had such a big impact on our relationship? I should have known."
"Why?" Arthur turned Alfred's question back on him. "So, you could choose who to side with and then resent the one you chose? Being rejected or resented, either one seemed just as bad as each other." Arthur spoke his thoughts about his and Alfred's relationship for the first time. He did not know what would happen after he said this and he did not want to imagine Alfred rejecting him after he finally, finally, told the truth. "I did the next best thing. I rejected you." He looked at Alfred and decided to bear his heart just a little more, put himself out there. "I was always so scared that you would realise the distance between us, you coming from a world where you are expected to look down on people like me and my family. I rejected you, because it hurt less than you doing what I had been waiting for, and rejected me. Regretted it right afterwards, but not much I could about it then." Arthur smiled to himself, even though he did not feel very happy or humorous at the moment.
"Arthur.... I can't...." Alfred shook his head, sounding just as lost as Arthur felt.
"I know, Alfred, I know." It was too late for them now, Arthur understood that. So why did it hurt so much? "I just had to tell you the truth. Haven't been doing much of it lately." Arthur shrugged and looked at the clock. He would have to go soon, Lovino would have hopefully escaped as well and they would disappear, gone for Alfred's life forever.
"No, Arthur, you don't understand," Alfred insisted, getting up to rifle through the papers cluttered on his desk. "I want to try." Arthur stared at him in shock and Alfred held out a card. A business card, Arthur noticed, getting a closer look at it. "I will hate myself forever unless I try."
Arthur took the card, feeling stunned. How is it that his world could look radically different just a few hours later? He had just been coming to stop Lovino from getting himself arrested or murdered and buried in the cellar and instead he manages to renew part of his relationship with Alfred.
"Will you call?" Alfred sounded desperate and exhausted and Arthur realised that he had been staring at the card for a few seconds now.
"Of course." Alfred's whole body relaxed at Arthur's words and Arthur marvelled at the power and influence he still had over Alfred. He could almost understand Alfred's mother, apart from the fact that he would never do that to Alfred and Alfred would not have chosen him if he could. "I need to go and find Lovino now."
"Er.. yes. Listen, we're not going to call the police on you. Antonio's security must be crap if two men, one of them seemingly quite drunk, can get in."
"The barbed wire was the biggest obstacle," Arthur replied, smirking slightly and Alfred laughed nervously. It was obvious that he was still uncomfortable at the mention of Arthur's thieving. Either that, or Antonio relying on locks and barbed wire to keep people out.
"Yeah, he thinks that it will send a message that the alarm system on the inside is state of the art. To be fair, it's worked so far." Alfred shrugged and Arthur suddenly missed him doing that gesture fiercely.
"Sure. Anyway, Alfred, I'll call you soon." With reluctance that he tried not to show, Arthur looked back at Alfred before exiting into the hallway. He met Lovino in the place they had arranged, Antonio nowhere in sight. Both of them were silent and left through the gate that opened as soon as they arrived.
They reached the outside of the estate.
"Strange night," Arthur said.
"Yeah," Lovino agreed.
Genre: Drama/Romance
Pairing(s): USUK, mild Spain/Romano
Word Count: 3,764
Rating/Warnings: 12, swearing
Summary: The worst place to run into your ex is when you're robbing their house. Done for the ' Collision of Worlds' prompt.
This was a bad idea. A very bad idea. So, why would he was following Lovino, risking his neck for Lovino, when he could be at home, safe and sound where there no chance of getting stabbed or arrested or anything.
"Lovino, get back here," Arthur hissed, looking around nervously as the two of them reached the wall that surrounded the Fernandez estate. "This is a really bad idea." Lovino threw a disbelieving look at him.
"This coming from the man who boasts that he can steal one of the Crown Jewels and then return the next night after the security has been tripled?" Lovino asked sceptically. Arthur wanted to point out several facts about why that scenario was different from this. For one, that was stealing from an establishment and this was stealing personal items from people. There was a difference, as Arthur's conscience loved to point out. Second, he would have planned that out for months before actually doing it. This time, Lovino had drunk a little too much wine and decided to go and rob this man who pissed him off today. Thirdly, that was a boast and by definition, untrue.
"I haven't actually done it! And I certainly would not do it with no plan and a drunk partner," Arthur retorted. He made an unsuccessful grab for Lovino as the other man used a nearby tree to launch himself to the top of the wall. Arthur really had to admire his balance as he managed to stand somewhere there was no barbed wire, especially after the bottle of wine he had.
"Please, Arthur, I could do something like this with my eyes closed. Are you coming or what?" Arthur sighed and dropped his head down. Not going though was unthinkable so he hauled himself up the tree. Damn parents for teaching him to take care of his friends. He knew that if he left, Lovino would get himself into trouble. At least if Arthur came with him, he would be less likely to get arrested. Hopefully.
"I hate you and you owe me a huge favour for this," Arthur grumbled as he managed to avoid the barbed wire as well, even though some caught on his boot. They leapt off, Arthur hoping for a moment in mid-air that they did not have pressure alarms. Nothing rang out as they landed but there were silent alarms that alerted the police without the criminals knowing. Oh, Arthur really did not like this. "A huge, huge favour," Arthur whispered, more to himself than Lovino because there was no chance of him speaking loud enough to be heard by the man that was now sprinting towards house.
If Arthur had not already seen Lovino in action, he would not have said that Lovino was one of the best thieves of his generation. Of course, Arthur had not seen him do a job after a bottle of wine so that could be getting rid of all of Lovino's self-preservation instincts. And Arthur was going down with him.
They made inside the house with surprisingly little trouble and Lovino crept upstairs, but Arthur still had no clue what they were looking for. Lovino stopped at what seemed to be a family portrait (who even had painted portraits anymore) and stared at it. Arthur caught up with him and looked up at the portrait. He assumed that Lovino knew there was a safe or something behind it, but he just stop and sneered at the portrait for such a long time that it made Arthur nervous. More nervous than being in the house in the first place.
"What are you looking at?" Arthur finally dared to ask, moving closer to Lovino so he could be as quiet as possible. Lovino leaned towards Arthur to whisper back.
"Don't you think the bastard looks smug?" Arthur looked up at the portrait at Lovino's question. There was a man and a woman, both in their forties, with kind smiles on their faces. In between them, there was a young man who seemed to be their son. He had light brown skin, brown hair and green eyes not dissimilar to Arthur's own. There was also a happy smile on his face and, try as he might, Arthur could not see any hint of smugness.
"Not particularly. Why?" He knew he would regret it, he knew it, but he asked anyone because he was more curious than a cat that had all nine lives still intact.
"Bastard came into the shop today and spread his smugness and riches everywhere." Lovino sounded bitter, annoyed and very confused. Having known Lovino since he was small, Arthur knew exactly what those emotions together meant and he put the pieces together, before turning to Lovino in horror.
"Lovino," he said, almost forgetting to whisper, "are you telling me that you broke in someone's house, and I came with you to help you not get arrested, and it's all because you have a crush?!" Maybe his voice got slightly louder towards the end but Arthur was almost beside himself with disbelief. Lovino did all this because he wanted to piss off the man he was attracted to? Ignoring Lovino's weird way of introducing himself to people, Arthur focused on the fact that he could go to prison for a very long time all because of this. Lovino looked at him with disdain, visible even in the darkened hallway.
"Well, I don't think it will hold up in court." A voice came from behind them and both of them froze, knowing the worst had happened and there was nothing to do about it. Arthur had already given them Lovino's name (stupid, stupid idea) and neither of them had worn masks so their faces would be recognised as well, if they ran away.
Lovino squinted into the darkness. "Bastard?" He asked, as if that was the man's name, and Arthur almost had a heart attack. Why was Lovino trying to antagonise the person who could send them to jail if he pressed charges? Did he really hate Arthur that much?
"I prefer Antonio actually." The light was clicked on and the hallway was thrown into darkness. It burned Arthur's eyes but he forced himself to keep staring, to not close his eyes for a second. His eyes would adjust but he needed to see the man who were going to end his life as he knew it.
There were two men and both of them were young, which would make it harder to run away. The one nearer to Arthur and Lovino was almost a spitting image of the portrait except there was no happy smile on his face now. The other man was...
"Alfred?" Arthur asked, too shocked to keep in the name. This drew Alfred's attention and he stared at Arthur.
"Arthur?!" At least Alfred sounded as horrified as he did to find him here. Lovino looked at Arthur, one eyebrow risen.
"You know each other?" He asked, his tone heavy with implications. Arthur glared at him, hoping to remind Lovino that they were in this position because he did not know how to fancy someone in a normal way and this was not Arthur's idea.
"I don't think you can talk," Arthur hissed back and Lovino coloured. It was glorious to see and most definitely not enough punishment for this whole mess.
"So, this is what you ended up doing. Robbing people blind or were you trying to kidnap Antonio or I?" Alfred seemed to get over his shock long enough to speak, but at soon as he did, Arthur wished that he had shut up. Alfred's tone was cold and completely unsympathetic. No help from that quarter then. It should have been expected, Arthur had broken up with Alfred, unable to withstand the pressure of his family or Alfred's family anymore. They had said some ugly things in the break-up and one of the things that Arthur had attacked was Alfred's choice of career as a primary school science teacher. He had known it was Alfred's dream and he had attacked it, knowing that Alfred would definitely leave him alone after that.
Of course he had regretted the break up and the fight very soon afterwards and wished that he could take it back, but saying so to Alfred now would seem like he was just saying it to get out of trouble and Arthur still had some pride. So, he did what he did best and hid. He turned his face expressionless and stared back at Alfred with blank eyes. Alfred grimaced and looked away. He had always hated it when Arthur did that.
Turning back to Lovino and Antonio, he saw that Antonio was holding a phone, not a weapon, and seemed to be threatening to call the police. Lovino was arguing against it but his argument mainly consisted of insults. Lovino could never be a lawyer, he would probably punch someone on his first day. Not that Arthur would be much better, but at least he wasn't drunk at this moment in time.
"How about this, you don't call the police on us, now or ever, and we tell you how to improve your security?" Arthur asked, looking unconcerned, even though his heart was beating hard against his ribs. He could not look at Alfred, not now but Antonio turned to Alfred, obviously asking for his opinion. They whispered to each other and Arthur suppressed the flash of annoyance at how close Antonio and Alfred was. It was no longer his place to think such things. He decided to cheer himself up by looking at Alfred's rocket ship pyjamas, something that obviously hadn't changed since they were dating. It was reassuring and Arthur looked down, using his fringe to hide his smile.
"Hey, Arthur," Lovino said in a quiet, barely there voice and Arthur looked to the side to see Lovino's face. Lovino was staring down at the floor, looking very solemn. "I'm really sorry." He did look genuinely regretful and even though Arthur knew that he would bring this up at every opportunity, the forgiveness was already there.
"It's alright. It was bound to happen one day." It was true, their lifestyle was not exactly legal and maybe it was better than it was Antonio and Alfred, who would not enjoy putting them away but caught them fair and square.
"True. But probably not by your ex-boyfriend." Lovino smiled and Arthur couldn't help but smile back. It seemed that Lovino had connected the dots and realised that Alfred was Alfred, the man that Arthur chatted about when he was drunk or melancholy or both.
"Like I said, bound to happen one day." Alfred and Antonio had finished talking and both were staring at the two of them with hard, unforgiving eyes. It did not look good for their chances and Arthur felt Lovino shifting closer towards him ever so slightly.
"We haven't decided on whether or not to call the police," Alfred announced bluntly and Arthur did not know whether to feel relieved or annoyed. He wasn't used to the first emotion so annoyance it was. Antonio and Alfred obviously thought that it would a be fun game to leave Arthur and Lovino's fate hang in the balance, leaving them nervous all night. If that was true, then maybe Alfred had changed more than he thought.
"We will know after you have explained to us. One on one. Lovino, you shall explain to me and Arthur, you shall explain to Alfred. I think more answers shall be found that way." Antonio was cheerful now but Arthur could see what Lovino was talking about when he said the bastard was smug. But Arthur and Lovino were not in a position to argue, even though they both dearly wanted to, and so they went with their separate ways. Lovino followed Antonio down the corridor that he and Arthur had been going down while Arthur followed Alfred the opposite direction.
Arthur looked back at Lovino, who was doing the same thing. 'Back here," Arthur mouthed, pointing down, 'in one hour'. He put up one finger and Lovino nodded his understanding of the message. Arthur did not know Antonio and could not trust him, and something had obviously changed Alfred, so they would have to protect themselves.
Alfred did not lead him far, just around the corner before opening one of the many doors and going in. It was a bedroom with a large four poster bed with emerald green curtains and bedspread and Arthur caught sight of a balcony through the double doors. How the other half lives indeed, Arthur thought, only slightly bitterly as he thought about his one bedroom flat that he shared with Lovino. Lovino owned it which meant that Arthur got the sofa-bed. It was even more delightful when Lovino brought someone home for the night.
Alfred sat down on the sofa in the room and put his head in his hands. Feeling deeply uncomfortable, Arthur kept standing. His mother practically beat manners into him and Alfred probably did not want dirt on any of his stuff. And Arthur could see Alfred's stuff around the room, each familiar item causing a small pang inside him. There was no chance of returning to how they were so Arthur should just forget it. It did not stop him from wanting to go up and hug Alfred though and he clenched his fists to hold back this impulse.
"So, what did you come here to do? Did you come here to steal something of Antonio's or did you come here hoping to kidnap one of us and get the ransom?" Alfred lifted his head now and looked at Arthur with a horrible, cynical little smile. The impulse to hug Alfred was gone and now Arthur was clenching his fists to stop himself from punching Alfred.
"Neither," Arthur spat. "I came to stop Lovino from getting arrested. I didn't even know you were here." Alfred's eyes narrowed and now his smile had disappeared.
"Stop lying, Arthur, you're so good at that." Now Alfred was the angry one and he jerked himself up from the sofa and swung away from Arthur so he faced the windows instead. Arthur tried to restrain his shock and outrage. He had no problems being called a liar when he was lying but being called it when he was actually telling the truth had always really irritated him.
"I'm not lying!" Arthur said, even though that denial would not count for anything if Alfred thought he was lying in the first place. Unfortunately, he was right.
"For God's sake, do you actually know how to tell the truth at all?" Alfred turned around again, his eyes wide with disbelief. Arthur blinked, not expecting this attack at all. "I mean you lie about this, you lie about what you want to do, you lie about our relationship, is this a compulsive thing or do you just get a kick out of it?"
Arthur knew that he had gone white and he was starting to feel a bit ill. The words that Alfred used were so hateful but they weren't his words. Arthur knew exactly whose words they were. "You know, Alfred, you really should give your own opinions rather than your mother's," Arthur sneered and felt satisfied that his hit had obviously been successful. Alfred had gone milky pale and he opened and closed his mouth a few times, but nothing came out. "I mean, I heard it enough from her. 'Arthur, stop lying to Alfred', 'you're obviously lying because you, a common thug, you couldn't possibly feel love for anyone', 'if you even think about marrying Alfred, my husband and I will make your life a living hell'. And if you just think I'm lying every time I open my mouth, why did you want to talk to me anyway?" Arthur continued, not even thinking about what he had just said. It felt good to get everything out.
"What?" Alfred said, looking like something had hit him with a wet fish. Arthur's brain caught up with his words.
"What?" He repeated, looking for stalling time. He was not going to tell Alfred about what his mother said because he didn't want Alfred to have to choose between his boyfriend or his parents and then resent the one he had chosen for making him choose. That was why Arthur had not been going to tell Alfred. Now he remembered. It was good to see that his brain was obviously on the ball this evening to stop him from saying stupid things.
After this, no more drinking. It was obviously killing a lot more brain cells than he thought.
"My mother said that?" Alfred looked like his whole world had turned upside down and that someone had kicked a puppy in front of him combined and it made Arthur feel like crap. Bring back the angry expression.
"Well, you know me. Liar, thief, common criminal, heartless bastard, you can't trust a word that comes out of my mouth." Arthur was slightly disturbed at how easily it was to repeat the things that he had been called before. Maybe the insults were starting to sink in a little.
"Don't call yourself that," Alfred said angrily, but seemingly not at Arthur. And why was he being so confusing? Alfred was not meant to be confusing, he was meant to be easy to understand!
"Why not?" Arthur asked. "You called me it barely five minutes ago. I've been called it for most of my life, of course, I think that at least half of these times were undeserved. But, what do I know? I am obviously wrong about my own character or I'm lying. Either way, you can't trust my word." Arthur was babbling because he was angry and nervous and most of all, confused and it was all coming out now. He knew it, Alfred knew it, even Lovino trapped in another room probably knew it!
"Stop it, Arthur!" Alfred shouted, halting Arthur's babbling. He sounded so desperate, so upset, that Arthur's words got stuck in her throat. "My mother... why did I not know that my mother said that to you?" For once, Arthur decided to be honest. He owed Alfred that.
"I didn't want you to know," Arthur replied. It felt painful, being honest after so long, but it also felt cleansing as if a wound was finally being cleaned.
"Why not?" Alfred sounded close to tears and Arthur felt his own eyes burn in sympathy. "Why could you not tell me something that was obviously praying on your mind so much that you memorised her exact words and had such a big impact on our relationship? I should have known."
"Why?" Arthur turned Alfred's question back on him. "So, you could choose who to side with and then resent the one you chose? Being rejected or resented, either one seemed just as bad as each other." Arthur spoke his thoughts about his and Alfred's relationship for the first time. He did not know what would happen after he said this and he did not want to imagine Alfred rejecting him after he finally, finally, told the truth. "I did the next best thing. I rejected you." He looked at Alfred and decided to bear his heart just a little more, put himself out there. "I was always so scared that you would realise the distance between us, you coming from a world where you are expected to look down on people like me and my family. I rejected you, because it hurt less than you doing what I had been waiting for, and rejected me. Regretted it right afterwards, but not much I could about it then." Arthur smiled to himself, even though he did not feel very happy or humorous at the moment.
"Arthur.... I can't...." Alfred shook his head, sounding just as lost as Arthur felt.
"I know, Alfred, I know." It was too late for them now, Arthur understood that. So why did it hurt so much? "I just had to tell you the truth. Haven't been doing much of it lately." Arthur shrugged and looked at the clock. He would have to go soon, Lovino would have hopefully escaped as well and they would disappear, gone for Alfred's life forever.
"No, Arthur, you don't understand," Alfred insisted, getting up to rifle through the papers cluttered on his desk. "I want to try." Arthur stared at him in shock and Alfred held out a card. A business card, Arthur noticed, getting a closer look at it. "I will hate myself forever unless I try."
Arthur took the card, feeling stunned. How is it that his world could look radically different just a few hours later? He had just been coming to stop Lovino from getting himself arrested or murdered and buried in the cellar and instead he manages to renew part of his relationship with Alfred.
"Will you call?" Alfred sounded desperate and exhausted and Arthur realised that he had been staring at the card for a few seconds now.
"Of course." Alfred's whole body relaxed at Arthur's words and Arthur marvelled at the power and influence he still had over Alfred. He could almost understand Alfred's mother, apart from the fact that he would never do that to Alfred and Alfred would not have chosen him if he could. "I need to go and find Lovino now."
"Er.. yes. Listen, we're not going to call the police on you. Antonio's security must be crap if two men, one of them seemingly quite drunk, can get in."
"The barbed wire was the biggest obstacle," Arthur replied, smirking slightly and Alfred laughed nervously. It was obvious that he was still uncomfortable at the mention of Arthur's thieving. Either that, or Antonio relying on locks and barbed wire to keep people out.
"Yeah, he thinks that it will send a message that the alarm system on the inside is state of the art. To be fair, it's worked so far." Alfred shrugged and Arthur suddenly missed him doing that gesture fiercely.
"Sure. Anyway, Alfred, I'll call you soon." With reluctance that he tried not to show, Arthur looked back at Alfred before exiting into the hallway. He met Lovino in the place they had arranged, Antonio nowhere in sight. Both of them were silent and left through the gate that opened as soon as they arrived.
They reached the outside of the estate.
"Strange night," Arthur said.
"Yeah," Lovino agreed.