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5024 V.S 1673 Ch. 14

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Chapter 14: Keep Ticking



Arthur never did get his coat back but he suspected Elizabeta had it in her room. Whether she was mending it or holding it captive, he wasn’t sure and, in all honesty, didn’t care at the moment. Everyone was asleep but Arthur lay awake in the room Elizabeta had given him for the night, which was the same one he had woken up in. He couldn’t stop thinking about what the Ice Troll had said to him before the Kraken had taken over his body.

You, Host, are my number one target.

Arthur had said he was flattered then but now he was terrified. If the Ice Troll was coming after him specifically now, then the crew wasn’t safe from it either. By simply standing at his side, Arthur was putting them in more danger than they knew.

You’re such a pain in the tentacles. ‘Oh woe is me, I, Arthur, the trampled flower. Sit back and watch me pretend to not be afraid.’

Oh, how true those words rang. Arthur closed his eye and sighed deeply, letting himself sink further into the mattress. He didn’t know what to do anymore. No, that wasn’t true, he knew what would be the best thing to do but he didn’t want to do it. It would be best, for everyone, if Arthur left, right now, simply stood up and walked out Elizabeta’s front door. No ‘good-byes’, only a sudden empty space. The Ice Troll would chase after him, he knew, and the crew would be left alone. Arthur could take Leo from the ship and use the portals to jump from place to place. They could keep his coat; he wasn’t going to be flying anymore anyway.

It was all laid out before him but he couldn’t bring himself to get up and move. Arthur clenched his hands into fists atop the sheets he rested on. Why did the Kraken have to be right most of the time? It was bloody disheartening! Yes, Arthur was afraid! Are you happy now, Kraken? He wasn’t afraid of dying and he wasn’t afraid of fighting alone but he was afraid of being alone. If he left then he’d have no one at his back, no one to talk to, no one to share the quiet moments with, he’d have no one to lean on when he needed them, not that he did that anyway but that wasn’t the point.

Arthur would be completely alone in all things.

“Blast it all.” Arthur whispered to himself. Arthur had never leaned on anyone before and now that he had too he didn’t know how. He wanted to though, he wanted to lean on Alfred and Francis and Ivan and Yao. He wanted to be able to believe that they would all make it out of this okay but he just simply didn’t know how. Instead of looking at a dire situation and saying ‘We’ve got this!’ he looked at it and thought ‘It’s a good day to die.’

With a low growl, Arthur’s eye snapped open as he violently tossed the quilt off and launched himself to his feet. There was a certain irony to be observed here. Just when Arthur had started to think of himself as part of a group again, it was like the universe suddenly decided to smack him in the face and say ‘Nope, time to wake up from your fantasy.’ Without giving himself time to think about what he was doing, Arthur yanked his boots and belt on and was out the bedroom door as soon at the belt buckle had clicked into place.

Arthur stayed by the door and listened carefully for any sound that may indicate that he had woken either Elizabeta, whose room was on his right, or Ludwig and Gilbert, who were in the room on his left. When no such sound reached his ears, Arthur moved down the hallway as silent as a shadow.

For whatever reason, Elizabeta liked to keep the blinds up on every window so that the moonlight was allowed entrance into the house and bathed everything in a soft, pale glow. Of course, the effect was only made stronger as the moon was full and eyelevel with the island. Arthur’s shadow was the only thing that walked with him as he moved through the strange floor plan of his friend’s house. Down the hallway, through the living room and kitchen area and down another hall that had more rooms in it on one side and windows directly across from each door on the other. Arthur passed Ivan’s room, then Yao’s, then Francis’ without so much as glancing at the closed doors but he couldn’t stop himself from pausing in front of Alfred’s.

When he looked towards the door Arthur was only vaguely surprised to find that it was wide open. Alfred had his back to Arthur but by the way he was balled up on himself it was obvious that he had Matthew in his arms. Arthur’s shadow fell on the wall the Merican was facing and that’s where it stayed as he watched Alfred’s shoulders rise and fall minutely with his slow breathing. A small smile curved Arthur’s lips up but it quickly fell and he continued walking towards the front door. Without a second glance back, Arthur slipped out the door and into the night as if he had never truly existed in the first place.

It still surprised Arthur how cold it was this high up in the sky, his breath fogged in his face with every exhale and when he breathed in too deeply the air froze his lungs and made him cough. It was alright now but in a few minutes, he was sure that his nose and ears would be red and fingers would be freezing and hard to move. Arthur clenched his hands into fists, blunt nails digging into his palms, as he started to walk with measured steps. Walking away from that house hurt, Arthur dug his nails in deeper and tried to concentrate on the pain but it didn’t help.

As Arthur walked along the cobblestone roads, he kept telling himself that this was okay, that this was the right thing to do, even if the crew missed him this was what had to be done to save them. He would go to the ship, grab Leo, use a portal to jump someplace far away and then, hopefully, bring the fight to the Ice Troll. Arthur knew that he was walking the Dead Man’s March and he told himself that that was okay too. He was brave enough to die and, in the back of his mind, he was ready for it. If this fight ended up killing him, then so be it.

He would die somewhere in the sky, maybe on the Steel Sky herself and no one would know anything, there would be no SOS signal, no cry for help, and Arthur would die a humble death. There would be no tears shed, no fanfare and no coffin. It wasn’t how he had imagined going to meet Death but the sky was just as blue as the ocean so there was that at least.

The greatest lies are always the ones you tell yourself.

Arthur shook his head at the thought and walked a little bit faster, the light stomping of his feet connecting with the ground was the only sound that disturbed the silence as he moved. Arthur was a specter, nothing more than a half-there thought, as he passed through multiple cross roads and down countless streets. The moon, the stars, his shadow, and the cold were the only company he had now. He didn’t know why, but Arthur suddenly found himself skidding to a halt on his heel and pivoting on his toe in one smooth motion as he took a very sharp, very immediate, right and started making his way to the edge of the floating island.

Arthur wasn’t stalling, he told himself, nor was he giving someone the chance to wake up, find out he was gone and come looking for him. No way in bleeding fucking Hell! Arthur had done his damnedest to get out of that house quickly and quietly, he wasn’t about to ruin it now. So then why wasn’t he already sprinting to the Icarus? Why wasn’t he trying harder to get away from everyone?

Arthur decided that he was going to the edge of the island to see the stars from a different perspective. It wouldn’t be like it was on the ocean, where their reflection in the water made it seem like he was sailing through them but maybe it would be more like he was standing among them. Arthur could be cold, though not necessarily in demeanor, distant, though not in attitude, untouchable by both physical hands and the phantom hands of all his problems if he were up there.

When Arthur got to the edge, he didn’t stop walking until his toes hung over and into open space. The nearest house was several yards behind him to help prevent whoever lived there from falling. However, since there was nothing solid against his back, Arthur felt—not free but also not alone, with the Kraken inside of him he had never truly been alone for a long time—but something close to peaceful insignificance. The thick clouds far below him glowed beautifully and almost looked like snow but not quite.

“I hope you’re not planning on jumping.” A voice said from behind him.

Arthur stiffened but otherwise didn’t show how surprised he was to hear that voice. The pirate turned so that he was standing sideways, the body language screaming ‘You’re only worth half of my attention, whelp.’ But of course, Alfred never seemed to pick up on subtle things like that. Alfred looked like he had just rolled out of bed and sprinted to get here. He was panting and had a light sheen of sweat that stuck his bangs to his forehead, his clothes where rumbled and his hair was a glorious mess.

“If I was going to jump, trust me, I would not do it here.” Arthur said.

They held each other’s gaze in the tense silence, neither man blinking or looking away; too afraid of setting off that spark that led to an explosion. Alfred, blue eyes almost angry but more hurt and confused than anything, was the predator. Arthur, face carefully blank and fists clenched to stop them from shaking inside his pockets, was the prey. A standoff between two animals where both of them knew this moment was the last chance the hunted had to get away. And the hunter always gave as good as what was given.

Alfred opened and closed his mouth several times and Arthur waited for him to say what he wanted too.

“How did you even get your eye stolen by a sea monster in the first place?” Alfred finally asked in a whisper.

“Who said anything about it being a sea monster?”

“Liz did. She told me that you’re fighting back as hard as you can but sometimes it still manages to possess your body like it did with Lukas. She also said that there are two major physical signs of when you’re fighting back. One is that you touch your eye patch and the other is when your shoulders jerk, just once.” Alfred bit his lip and trailed off, his eyes glazing over as he relived some memory. “You’ve done both of them so many times already and none of us even questioned it.” Alfred’s eyes snapped back to reality and pinned Arthur in place with an accusing glare. “Why didn’t you say anything? Arthur, we could have helped you if you had just said something!”

“How is anything ever stolen?” Arthur hissed under his breath. Alfred blinked once, twice, in confusion at the sudden change in topic, but Arthur didn’t give him a chance to reply.  “It just gets taken no matter how hard you fight back.” Yes, Arthur had fought back, or at least tried, but the human body can only take so much before you can’t even put up a decent struggle. This, at least, Alfred seemed to understand.

“It didn’t work?” Alfred’s voice held such sympathy that Arthur would have preferred it had been said mockingly.

“No,” he muttered to himself as much as to Alfred. “It didn’t.”

“What are you doing out here, Artie?” Alfred asked after a long pause.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m leaving.”

“Wha—Why?!”

“How’d you know I was out here?”

“Y-your shadow was on my wall, you prick, and what do you mean you’re leaving?” So he had been awake for that, blast it all.

“Whatever this fight is, it’s not between the navy and pirates anymore, it’s not even between the Icarus and Steel Sky nor is it between Lukas and I. I don’t know the details but this is between the Kraken and the Ice Troll, the rest of us are simply standing in the line of fire.” Arthur said.

“Kraken?” Alfred asked. Arthur reached up and tapped his cheek, right below his eye patch. Alfred’s fists clenched. “Is that the real reason you’re leaving, because the Kraken told you too?”

“I’m leaving because the Ice Troll has no interest in you; therefore there is no reason to drag you into this any further.” Silently, Arthur pleaded for Alfred to get it and walk away. This was already hard enough; he didn’t want to end things on a bad term, not with Alfred.

Arthur reasoning didn’t seem to work; instead it only seemed to piss off Alfred even more. Even in the dark, Arthur could see his knuckles turn white as he clenched his fists even tighter, his shoulders tensed and his glare was more intense than Arthur had ever seen it.

“Drag me into this any further? Any further?! Arthur, they tried to kill my crew and my brother! Lukas, the fucking Ice Troll, I don’t care who it is, they are not going to take you away from me!” Alfred’s voice was firm, hard, leaving no room for argument.

“P-pardon?” Arthur stuttered and turned the rest of the way so that he was fully facing Alfred. His heels now hung over the edge instead of his toes and Arthur had to lean forward slightly. The movement caught Alfred’s attention and his gaze flicked down briefly, his eyes widened before they flicked back to Arthur’s face.

“Forget I said that for a moment and just—Artie, please get away from the edge.” Alfred pleaded, his hands coming up and hesitantly reaching out for Arthur.

“No, what did you say?” Arthur could feel his heart start to race and his face felt warm for some reason. He knew where this was going and part of him hated Alfred for it, hated him because whatever confession was about to spring from his mouth Arthur didn’t have enough time to properly think it over. However another part of him, a larger part, was hopeful. Arthur cared for him, he really truly did, but he never thought Alfred would return the sentiment. He was a possessed pirate, a man who didn’t have control over his own body sometimes.

Arthur didn’t think he was worth the effort but Alfred clearly thought otherwise. But just because he could see it didn’t mean that Arthur believed it. Not yet anyway, he needed to touch it first. It was a little manipulative, sure, but Arthur didn’t care. He just needed to hear Alfred say it one more time and so he slid his foot backwards slightly.

Alfred tensed further and his eyes grew impossibly wider.

“Arthur, please get away from the edge. You’re seriously freaking me out,” Alfred started taking slow, measured steps towards Arthur.

“I’ll step forward if you repeat what you said.” Arthur promised.

“I’ll repeat it if you step forward now.”

Arthur let the silence stretch for a moment. “…Are you afraid?” he asked softly.

“Yes,” Alfred’s answer was immediate.

“Why?” Alfred paused and looked at Arthur like he had gone mad. “What’s there to be afraid of? I have my magic and you have that sand dollar wrapped around your neck. Even if I do fall, are you truly afraid that you can’t catch me before I hit the ground?”

“What?”

Arthur slid his foot back further, watching Alfred panic just that much more. “I trust you. Do you trust me?” Alfred looked like he almost understood what Arthur was doing but he hadn’t gotten there just yet.  Arthur wasn’t testing him, he wasn’t trying to scare him to death; though it looked like that was what he was accomplishing anyway, he was simply proving to Alfred how much he trusted him. If he fell, Arthur knew Alfred would jump off after him. But did Alfred trust him enough to not fall in the first place? Did he trust that he could take care of himself?

Arthur could see the exact moment when it clicked in Alfred’s head. He let his arms finally fall to his sides and he let his shoulders relax.

“I trust you,” Alfred said, his eyes never leaving Arthur’s. “But I’m not going to let you run off and get yourself killed. Do you even realize how hard it was to see you ripped to shreds like that?” Alfred blinked several times to keep his eyes from watering. “Now, would you please get away from the edge so I can say what I tried to say before?” Arthur took a long step forward, Alfred sighed in relief, and continued to walk forward until he was standing directly in front of him.

“Happy?” Arthur asked softly, almost a whisper. Alfred’s arms tentatively came up and wrapped around Arthur’s body, one hand was placed on the small of his back while the other gently curled into the hair on the back of his head.

“Yeah,” Alfred’s voice was just as softly spoken as Arthur’s was. The hand on the back of his head pulled Arthur forward while Alfred lowered his own. “And by the way, I was trying to say that I love you, Arthur Kirkland.” Arthur sucked in a surprised gasp through his nose.

There it was, out in the open, Alfred’s dreaded confession. It was exactly what Arthur wanted to hear and yet it was so unbelievably wonderful that he couldn’t find the strength to move. His heart hammered in his chest and his breath came out a little uneven and they were so close that he could feel Alfred’s breath on his face.

“Are you afraid?” Alfred suddenly asked, turning Arthur’s own words against him. Arthur swallowed hard and, with shaky hands, reached up and cupped Alfred’s face.

“I’m terrified,” Arthur’s voice shook as uncontrollably as his hands.

“Why?” Alfred’s nose bumped into Arthur’s but neither paid it any attention. Arthur’s breathing became heavier and faster, he was almost panting.

“Because everyone I have ever cared for has died and it’s entirely my fault,” Arthur admitted, voice cracking on the last word. “I can’t take it anymore, I just can’t.”

It had taken him a long time but Alfred finally got it, with that one sentence it finally pieced itself together. Arthur was afraid to feel. He was afraid to let someone in again, he couldn’t bear to have another ‘Kiku’ come into his life and destroy him. He just couldn’t do it. But Alfred wasn’t going to be another ‘Kiku’, even if it killed him, and as backwards as that logic was, Alfred meant it.

“Arthur, it’s okay,” Alfred braced himself for the dick move he was about to pull but Arthur needed to hear it, needed his own words turned against him one more time. “Kiku may have stopped but I won’t.” Arthur froze and his eye grew wide. His shaking didn’t stop but his breathing did and after a long tense moment he exhaled heavily, leaning his forehead against Alfred’s. Slowly Arthur’s shaking stopped and he was leaning completely against Alfred, letting him hold him up.

Arthur’s hands slid along Alfred’s face until his fingers where curled into his hair and then he tugged him down until their lips touched. Warmth exploded inside Arthur’s chest and spread down his spine, causing him to shiver. Alfred’s lips were softer then what he had been expecting yet they were still pleasantly rough. Arthur pressed against them harder, the fingers curled into his hair tightened in responds as Alfred pulled him impossibly closer. They were pressed against each other tightly, chest to chest and hip against hip until Alfred had to reposition his foot and wedged it between Arthur’s.

Arthur let his hands drop from Alfred’s hair to wrap his arms around his neck. Alfred, however, did not give Arthur his head back; instead he gripped a little tighter and tilted Arthur’s head to the side just a bit more. Arthur’s nails dug into Alfred’s shoulders as he felt the Merican’s tongue flick his bottom lip. When he did it again, Arthur quickly opened his mouth and sucked the slick muscle in and trapped it against the roof with his own tongue and sucked harder. Arthur felt more than he heard Alfred groan, the vibrations sending a shock into his system and further warmed his body.

Alfred’s tongue wiggled out of Arthur’s hold and rubbed against the pirate’s tongue once before exploring Arthur’s mouth. However, the exploring soon turned into a wrestling match between them and although Arthur was able to hold his breath for five minutes, Alfred was not and when they pulled away the poor man was panted heavily, his face flushed and eyes heavily lidded.

“Let’s go back, okay?” Alfred whispered and pressed a quick, hard, almost pleading, kiss to Arthur’s lips.

“Alfred?”

“Yeah?”

“You have to let go of my hair first.”

"...Right."
You guys have no idea how tempting it was to make something explode after Arthur kisses Alfred and have a comment about "Arthur had heard of the phenomena where one saw fireworks after kissing the person they love but this was just ridiculous." Maybe I should start writing bloopers...just so you know the weird shit that goes through my head.

Well anyway, Happy New Years!

OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT!

Ch. 1: We're Not That Friendly → Here
Ch. 2: Just Found The Rum → Here
Ch. 3: What's Up With Ivan? → Here
Ch. 4: Look At His Face → Here
Ch. 5: He Stopped → Here
Ch. 6: Letter Opener → Here
Ch. 7: Break the Clouds → Here
Ch. 8: Solid Ground →  Here
Ch. 9: Where the Whales Sing → Here
Ch. 10: Wings → Here
Ch. 11: Satan Walks Into A Bar → Here
Ch. 12: Eye of a Sea Monster → Here
Ch. 13: Small Understandings → Here
Ch. 14: Keep Ticking → :star:
Next Chapter → Here
Ch. 16: Freedom Found → Here
© 2015 - 2024 DredPirateBones
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etfreeze's avatar
THEY KISSED!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!! The fireworks thing would have been hilarious, but what you did was SUPER sweet. Yeah, ma boyz are together!!!!! Now y'all are gonna go kick some troll ass and save everyone, cause ya know Alfie is the hero. LOL. Couldn't resist.

Love it as always, Dred. Hope you had a good holiday and New Year!