Re: To Serve And Protect. [R18]

[Detective Jones]

"I..I don't know." Alfred replies as he tries to remember which pocket he tucked his keys into when they had left. When Arthur put his hand into his pocket at first Alfred just chuckled to himself. It was rather funny, he thought. Anyone looking probably would have laughed too. Arthur seemed to be taking his sweet time though and the lighter the touches got the less Alfred was grinning.

By the time Arthur had moved onto the other pocket Alfred was gulping to keep his throat from closing up. He closed his eyes and that proved to be exactly the wrong choice to do. Hands on his thighs, fingers touching him and. "S-stop!" Alfred cried all at once, shaking with the effort to not drop the packages in his hands.

He pulls away from Arthur and immediately leans down to put the bags on the ground before sitting down on the mat outside his doorstep, head in his hands and breathing hard.

[Officer Kirkland]

Arthur snatched back his hand as soon as he heard Alfred cry out and could only watch, horrified, as Alfred crumpled to the ground, shaking and panting. He quickly dropped to his knees in front of his boyfriend, hovering uselessly. "I'm sorry," he said in a rush, voice tight with worry. "I'm sorry, Alfred, I'm sorry--" He wasn't trained to deal extensively with trauma victims. He didn't know what to do. He kept his shaking hands far away from Alfred and apologised over and over, frustrated and upset at the knowledge that he couldn't do anything to help the man he loved. He was useless. And Alfred was this way because of him. 

Arthur fidgeted and then began repacking any of the plastic bags that had spilled out onto the ground. It gave him something to do and he ignored the way his entire body shook at the lost, scared look on Alfred's face. This was his fault. This was all his fault. 

He finally dared to peek up when Alfred's breathing seemed to have calmed down a little bit. Arthur chewed on his lower lip. "Do you want me to go?" he whispered miserably. "I mean, you can come over another time and I won't, I won't touch you again and honestly, I didn't mean to and God, Alfred, I really am sorry, you have no idea how sorry I am, I'll do anything to even begin to make it up to you even though I know that I can't do much at all--" he bit into his lip and tasted blood, but he deserved the slight sting. He deserved much worse than that. He had to stop making things about him. Alfred was more important. "I-- Do you want to go inside? If you find your keys then I can open the door and take the groceries in and I promise I won't touch you--"

[Detective Jones]

Alfred didn't respond for a long time. He just say there with his head down catching his breath and telling himself that this was not the dorms, but the apartments and it was his boyfriend looking for his keys not trying to feel him up. God, how stupid did he have to be.

He runs his hands up through his hair and let's his eyes find Arthur again. "Go? No,no I'm fine." He says sounding only half convinced of it himself. He stands up and dusts the dirt off of his pants rather awkwardly before reaching over and pulling Arthur into a very tight hug. "I'm fine really just..kinda touchy. So don't go anywhere we're still gonna have this movie night alright."

He releases Arthur after a moment and picks up some of the bags off the ground before digging into his own pockets and finding his keys quickly. His still shake lightly as he turns the lock and lets the door swing open. He immediately takes the bags to the kitchen counter and drops them there before returning to the door way to help with any other bags still left behind.

[Officer Kirkland]

Arthur hugged back for a moment before pulling back. “I won’t touch you, then,” he promised quietly. “We’ll just have our movie and maybe dinner later, and I won’t touch you like that. A-and it’s okay, it’s normal to feel like this after what happened… so don’t think that you have to let me touch you because you don’t. I won’t touch you. Unless you want me to. And you can always tell me to stop, and I will.”

He kept his eyes locked on Alfred’s shaking figure as he gathered the rest of the bags into his arms, almost toppling over from the sheer weight of everything that they had bought today. Arthur staggered into the flat and wrinkled his nose at the slight burnt smell that still permeated the air. After placing the bags on the counter, he began sorting through them methodically and stocking things away in what he thought was a very reasonable and logical order.

After a while he turned to glance at Alfred, biting his lip and causing it to start bleeding again. “Are you all right, Alfred? …D-do you want to, um, talk? I mean, you don’t have to, but it might help, so I thought I should offer, because I… l-love you, and I’ll do anything I can for you, so…” he trailed off awkwardly. Should he have not brought it up? Was this going to be their first fight? Arthur leaned against the pantry door and looked across at Alfred helplessly.

[Detective Jones]

Alfred goes to start putting away things as well. Such a normal task calms him down much more. He glances over at Arthur who seems to have taken up babbling to himself. He puts down the can in his hands and walks back over to Arthur giving him a serious but confused look. "Arthur I think..your over thinking just a little bit." He puts a hand on Arthur's shoulder and gives him a wide smile now that he's feeling better. "It's ok, I'm not giving you a restraining order or anything jeez." He chuckles but it is barely there.

Alfred leans down a bit and catches sight of something that disturbs him though. "Arthur..is your mouth bleeding? Are you okay?" He leans in to take a closer look taking Arthur's chin in his hand. He sighs just a bit as if exhausted suddenly. "We can talk..but let's go back to your place first alright?"

[Officer Kirkland]

Arthur couldn’t help but feel a bit irritated at Alfred’s concern. Why should Alfred be troubled about such a tiny, self-inflicted wound? It wasn’t like Arthur didn’t deserve it, anyway. Alfred should be more worried about himself and the after-effects of the other night. “I’m fine,” he sighed, turning away slightly. “Let’s get all this put away, and then we can go get a movie, and your car. You’ll have to follow me from the station.”

They finished putting everything away and Arthur washed the blackened pan while he waited for Alfred to finish locking all the windows. Finally they were ready to leave and Arthur couldn’t help but flinch away whenever it seemed like he was about to touch Alfred. The last thing he wanted was for Alfred to be afraid of his touch.

They drove to a movie rental store first. Arthur parked in front of the store and they made their way inside. Arthur was about to make his way over to the dramas before a display caught his eye. “The scariest movie in decades?” he read out loud, somewhat interested. It wasn’t often that a good horror film was produced. “Alfred, why don’t you go choose a film?” he said absently as he skimmed the back of the cover. It looked… somewhat promising. But it couldn’t possibly be as scary as people claimed it was. They could rent two films and decide later which one they wanted to watch. Or they could watch both. Arthur kept a hold of the case as he wandered down the aisles, looking for Alfred.

[Detective Jones]

Alfred still looks concerned but let's go of Arthur and nods. 'Alright then." He says, his smile almost back to normal once again. He goes around the house closing the windows and picking up little things that the breeze has knocked out of place and when he comes back Arthur is ready to go. He locks up his place once again after grabbing the candy bar he bought at the store and shoving it into his pocket just in case.

Alfred thought maybe Arthur would hold his hand again but it never came much to his disappointment.

At the rental store Alfred excitedly looks around at all the movies lining the walls. At Arthur's permission he goes to look through the newest releases as well as some of his old favorites. He finds one that he likes and goes looking for Arthur again to show him. As he see's Arthur approaching it looks like he had one picked out as well. "Oh! What do you got?" He asks eagerly, sounding like a child but still behaving himself by containing his excitement.

[Officer Kirkland]

Arthur held up the cover, giving Alfred a clear glimpse of the shadowy figure on the front cover. "It's not like that B-grade film we watched the other night. This one actually looks scary," he explained quietly. He took a glance at the film that Alfred had chosen but figured that Alfred could choose whatever he liked. He could watch anything as long as he was watching it with Alfred. 

They made their way to the front desk and Arthur quickly filled in his details and paid for the movies. He cast slightly awkward glances at Alfred every now and then, but... He found himself slightly afraid to touch his boyfriend. Realistically, he knew that they'd been touching and holding hands all morning but after that incident earlier... Arthur didn't want to risk anything. 

Their next stop was the station. Arthur parked out the front and leaned his forehead against the steering wheel for a moment. "The Chief should have your keys," he said simply as he slipped out of the car. His fingers twitched towards Alfred's but he pulled them back stubbornly. "I can go see him, if you want."

[Detective Jones]

Alfred toke a glance at the movie in Arthur's hands and tries to hide his paling face. "A-are ya sure, ya know after um, what happened last time?" He asks referring to his scared clinging. He weakly held up his pick, a movie about dinosaurs.

As they left Alfred silently made a grab for Arthur's hand but it fell short as they moved to get into the car.

"I can go with you." Alfred quickly said when they were at the station. He slide out of the car and made another grab for Arthur's hand but wait, weren't they keeping their relationship a secret at work for now? He pulled back again, just walking along side Arthur. "Are we just getting my keys? Don't we have to give report eventually on everything?" Alfred asks quietly before they enter the station.

He felt like people might stare. How many people knew what really happened that night? What had their witness told the chief? There were so many if's that suddenly Alfred felt as if he barely knew the case at all even though he had spent a week on it. Not to mention his orders from the chief to keep Arthur safe. He just hoped this visit would be quick.

[Officer Kirkland]

Arthur knew now that there'd be no physical contact of any kind during the movie now. Alfred was paling at the thought of it, and his words made it perfectly clear that he didn't want it happening again. Arthur couldn't say that he wasn't a little disappointed, but he knew that it was for the best. 

"Don't worry about it. We're just getting your keys," Arthur said firmly as they strode into the station. Arthur rapped smartly on the Chief's door and opened it as soon as he heard the man's voice. 

"Ah. Kirkland, Jones," he greeted, a huge frown on his face. He opened his mouth to continue but Arthur stepped in front of Alfred protectively and gave a tiny shake of his head.  

"Where are Alfred's keys?" he asked quietly. The Chief rummaged in his desk for a moment before tossing the keys to Alfred. 

"Go get your car, Jones," the Chief ordered, waiting pointedly for Alfred to leave. When the door finally swung shut he rounded on Arthur, fury in his eyes. "What the hell happened the other night, Kirkland?! You said it was just a drug ring, not the fucking sex trade. Do you know what our witnesses have told us? I can't believe you'd be so irresponsible! Going in like that without proper backup,  how stupid can you get? You were both drugged, for fuck's sake! Who knows what could have happened!"

Normally Arthur would have shouted right back but he found himself flinching from the Chief's words instead. he was right, Arthur had been stupid and irresponsible and look at what had happened to Alfred. He bit the inside of his cheek and blinked rapidly, willing the stinging in his eyes to just go away. "I'm sorry," he whispered in a choked voice, crossing his arms across in stomach loosely. He felt as if he was going to be sick from the misery that was welling up inside him. 

The Chief seemed taken aback at the apology and just frowned at Arthur for a long while. "How is Jones? How are you?"

"I don't know," he confessed in a tiny voice. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to make things better. I just... Don't know." Arthur's nails dug into the skin near his elbows as his voice grew slightly more panicked. 

"You're both very young," the Chief said, voice strangely soft and reassuring. "And time will help to heal a lot of things. But healing can't take place until you forgive first. Do you understand what I'm saying, Kirkland? You made an incredibly imbecilic decision the other night, but if you and Jones want to move past it, you have to forgive yourself first."

Arthur nodded miserably. "I understand..." he said, "but I don't think I can do that."

"Even to be in the right state of mind to help Jones? That's very selfish of you. If you can't even do that much for your partner, perhaps you should think about switching to someone else."

Arthur had no answer to that. After promising to hand in a report some time in the next few days, he was dismissed and stumbled out of the Chief's office. A few other officers eyed him curiously at the lack of shouting from him but Arthur ignored them and slowly made his way outside to where Alfred was waiting with his vehicle. 

[Detective Jones]

Inside the station Alfred catches his keys. He gives a concerned glance Arthur way and nods to the chief muttering a thanks before he turns to go get his truck. He tries to stop outside the door to the chief's office and lean against it to listen to what's going on inside though after a moments thought. He doesn't catch much, the lack of shouting is rather surprising, but he does hear enough. Enough to know that Arthur, blamed himself.

He quickly jogs out to his truck and starts it up. The hum of the engine is't as nice as it usual is to him. He switches on the radio, playing with the dial until he finds a country station playing something about heartache and a pet dog. He pretends like he's been out there the whole time waiting, tapping his foot to the music.

He looks up when he spots Arthur in his rear view mirror. "Hey? How'd it go?" He asks turning fully in his seat so that he is half hanging out of the side of the truck and turned to face Arthur. "You don't look as angry as you usually do after talking to the chief." He notes, maybe hoping to get Arthur to tell him himself how he feels.

[Officer Kirkland]

Arthur shrugged. He couldn't speak past the huge lump of misery and guilt lodged in his throat. Alfred... Arthur didn't want to switch partners but he also couldn't just forgive himself. Just before, Alfred had completely fallen apart from what Arthur thought had been non-threatening touches. Alfred was strong and bright and happy. He wasn't supposed to break down like that. And he wouldn't have... Had Arthur made different decisions.

Arthur sucked in a shuddering breath and, after glancing around briefly to make sure that no other officers were nearby, leaned in and pressed his forehead gently against Alfred's. He wanted this, he wanted Alfred, but did he deserve to get what he wanted? Or was he just being selfish and bratty as usual, hogging Alfred to himself and not allowing the American to meet anyone better?  

Finally he drew back and summoned a half-hearted smile. "I-if you still want to come over," he said, voice hoarse from suppressed emotions, "you'll have to just follow along behind me. It's not too far."

[Detective Jones]

When Arthur leaned in Alfred was hopeful, that he might tell him someone for once. He already knew that man had communication problems but this was worse. He leans his forehead back on Arthur's and grasps his shoulder's gently. Damned it be in front of the station or not he could lean down and kiss him if he wanted. They were close enough. He didn't though instead just searching Arthur's eyes.

"Alright." Alfred says when Arthur pulls back from him. He is disappointed but it's alright. They have plenty of time to talk later. "I'll be right behind you the whole way." He says with a grin. Alfred is smarter then he looks, he may act like a dimwit at times but he hopes that Arthur recognizes the double meaning behind his words. 'I'm here for you.'

He reluctantly let's go of Arthur and slides back into his truck seat properly. "Lead the way, Officer." He says with a laugh, revving the engine with a push of the gas peddle in enthusiasm.

[Officer Kirkland]

Arthur pulled out of the car park and set off towards his flat, glancing in the rear-view mirror every now and then to make sure that Alfred hadn't fallen behind. Alfred's words resonated comfortingly in his mind and for a moment Arthur felt as if he was adrift at sea, with Alfred as the only thing keeping him afloat. But those feelings were selfish and childish and far too clingy -- and they weren't fair to Alfred. 

Even though he was terribly distracted they made it to his flat without much incident. Arthur opened his boot and grabbed Alfred's bag before circling to the front passenger side and collecting the films. As he sorted through the keys to find the one that opened his flat, he suddenly paused.

The inside of the flat... Was boring. He didn't have any pictures or posters hung up, and his bedcovers were dark and plain. The only things breaking the monotony of the bare rooms were the few bookshelves crammed full of all kinds of books and papers. Almost everything inside was varying shades of white-to-black and the entire flat gave off an aura of boring nothingness. 

He slid the key into the lock and twisted it before allowing Alfred to enter in front of him. "I'm afraid it's nothing much," he said, trying to keep the insecurity out of his voice. He could only hope that Alfred didn't suddenly decide that he was too boring and stuffy and not worth knowing anymore. 

[Detective Jones]

Alfred drove along behind Arthur as best he could. Occasionally a car would merge and get between them but Alfred made a point to fix that as soon as possible. When they arrive Alfred parks his truck beside Arthur's care and slides out clearly overly excited to be seeing his boyfriends place for the first time.

He protests to Arthur carrying his bag but doesn't get much of a fight out of it because before he knows it they are at the door. The look on Alfred's face tells exactly that is going through his mind as he waits for the door to be opened before going inside.

When he steps in it is..even cleaned then he imagined. organized and bare and squeaky clean and yet still homey. He gives another eyeful sweep of the place before nodding. "Yup, it's very.. you." He declares as if approving. He has no problem in walking right over to the bookcase and glancing through what is there. Just as he imagined, Arthur liked to read. Although there is quiet the lack of stacks of paperwork from his imagination he thinks the officer probably keeps them neatly folded up somewhere. Alfred makes himself at home quite quickly, toeing off his shoes near the door and grinning at Arthur.

[Officer Kirkland]

It was very... Him? What was that supposed to mean? Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Did Alfred regret starting this relationship? Arthur hovered anxiously for a moment before gesturing to the couch. "Please... Just make yourself at home." He hurried into the bedroom and placed Alfred's bag against the wardrobe before steeling himself and walking back out to the living room. 

"Do you want something to drink?" he asked awkwardly, making his way over to the kitchenette. "I'm afraid I can only offer you juice, water, milk or tea. A-and I have some biscuits too..." 

He hadn't been back here for almost an entire week and now Arthur realised that it was lonely here. He'd gotten used to constantly having Alfred nearby, but now he'd have to go back to this dull residence, with only occasional visits to Alfred's warm flat to brighten his days. 

[Detective Jones]

Alfred is actually already headed to the couch as Arthur gestures for him to do so. He makes as though he is going to prop his feet up on the coffee table but stops himself with a shake of his head. He wasn't at home, not quite. He should at least keep a little respect for his boyfriends furniture.

Alfred looks up from his spot on the couch at the question. He has one arm draped over the back of the couch, presumably on the side that Arthur will be sitting on soon. "Can I have some milk?" He asks, feeling just a tad bit thirsty. He licks his lips at the thought. He gives the flat another look around while he's waiting and notes something. "Hey Arthur, you..don't have very many pictures around." He comments thinking that maybe Arthur had been the kind to keep a scrapbook or something.

[Officer Kirkland]

Arthur made himself a cup of tea and poured some milk for Alfred before artfully arranging some biscuits on a plate and bringing all three items over to the coffee table. Alfred still seemed a bit… stiff. Maybe he really didn’t like Arthur’s flat. Maybe he was really uncomfortable, and just wanted to go home. Arthur struggled to control his distressed expression and set the plate and Alfred’s cup down before settling on the couch with his cup of tea, making sure to leave a bit of space between them. He didn’t want Alfred to have another flashback to the other night.

“P-pictures?” he repeated, staring at his blank walls. No, he didn’t have many pictures. There was an old family photo album on one of the shelves somewhere, but Arthur hardly ever thought about it. He hated looking at it, because in all the family photos his brothers were bullying him in some form, even if it was just exiling him to the other side of their parents while they huddled together gleefully.

“Who would I have hung pictures of?” he asked quietly, staring into his teacup. “Certainly not of me.” For a long time he absolutely hated seeing photos himself, so he stopped taking them all together. It wasn’t as if he ever did anything that warranted taking photos anyway. He didn’t go on trips to other places. He didn’t even go out all that often. His life was dull and boring. The undercover operations helped a bit, but in the end this was all that he’d had to return to. But… “M-maybe… I could hang one of us, though?” he suggested in a tiny voice, staring anywhere but at Alfred.

[Detective Jones]

Alfred leans down to take one of the biscuits from the plate and nibbles on it for a moment before taking a big bite. He tries not to be as messy, and as usual fails just a bit at that, because it is Arthur's house and he doesn't want messes in it Alfred is sure. He shoves the rest of the treat into his mouth and moves his hand down onto Arthur's shoulders without looking.

"Your family?" Alfred replies to what it probably a rhetorical question. He didn't have tons of family photos either but he still had some back at his place. "And why not of yourself? Don't you have..I don't know. A picture from police academy graduation or something?" Although it is becoming clear to Alfred that no, Arthur doesn't have those sorts of pictures.

Alfred gives a heavy sigh at what he fears is a losing battle although when it became a battle Alfred doesn't know. He focus's again when he hear's Arthur tiny question and turns to stare at the other man. "Us?" At first Alfred seems confused but then what could only be a huge joyful smile crosses his face. "Y-yeah! I mean, we'd have to take one first but that sounds great." Alfred felt a bit like a highschooler again, having a picture taken with his dance date or something. He fought down the color rising in his cheeks, nodding still. "I'd like that." he adds in an attempt to sound more mature about the whole thing.

[Officer Kirkland]

“T-that’s good,” Arthur commented quietly, “I’d really like to do that, too.” He felt strangely excited that Alfred had agreed to take a picture with him and hang it on the wall. But Arthur still didn’t like pictures… maybe he could just hang one of Alfred? That worked too, right? But he’d ask another time. There was no point in trying to push his luck. Who knew when their first argument would erupt, and for what reason.

“What should we do now?” he asked, fidgeting slightly in the silence of the room. Alfred’s arm was warm and comforting where it draped across his shoulders but Arthur didn’t dare to move closer or touch Alfred anywhere else. “We rented two movies… so we could watch one now, have dinner and then watch the other one?”

But was that… too boring? Alfred was an active kind of person. Would he want to just sit there and watch two different movies? “O-or we can save one for another day,” he amended. “Anything is fine… I don’t mind, Alfred. As long as…” he hesitated, a blush settling across his face. “As long as I’m with you,” he finished in a whisper.

[Detective Jones]

"That sounds fine." Alfred says at the suggestion, movies and dinner with Arthur at his flat. It just sounded comfy and nice. Despite his active lifestyle Alfred could be quite lazy when he wanted to be. He also loved movies so this would be prime time to have some cozy time with Arthur to him. He also sort of wanted to make up for freaking out on him earlier. He hadn't meant to it had just, happened. Now was the time to forget that though.

Alfred looks a little startled as Arthur keeps talking and quickly shakes his head. "No way, it's fine. We can marathon them or something. Watch a whole bunch!" He says encouragingly. He nearly misses that whisper with his own talking but he catches most of it and his smile turns sweet. He turns around to wrap both arms around Arthur then, tugging at him to bring him closer and touching noses with him. "I'll be here all night." He confirms before halting his own words and looking a little embarrassed. "Well, if you let me stay that is." Before his courage abandons him completely he quickly takes a kiss from Arthur. They hadn't done much since they had left his apartment and Alfred just wanted that one small thing. He slouches back afterwards. "Now, let's get the movie started then, hmm?"

[Officer Kirkland]

"O-of course you can stay," Arthur agreed quickly, flushing at the thought. Would Alfred want to... Share a bed again? Share Arthur's bed? But... Were they moving far too quickly? His flush grew as Alfred pulled him closer and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. It was okay. Even if they were moving too fast, it all felt right. Arthur would willingly give this man all of himself. 

He was disappointed when Alfred pulled back and slightly away, but obediently got up and slid the film that Alfred had chosen into the player. The menu came up and Arthur pressed play without paying too much attention to the title of the movie. He was too busy trying to keep from fidgeting too much. Alfred was so close... And yet so far away. 

Tentatively, Arthur's hand quested across the gap between them but his courage failed him at the last moment and he retracted it, trying to hide the jerky motion by taking a sip of tea. But the man was sitting right there and Arthur just wanted some form of physical contact from him. He hesitated, cradling his teacup in his hands. "Alfred," he asked softly, unsure if he could be heard over the noise from the movie, "do you think I could... Er, that is ... M-may I hold your hand?"

Selfish, he told himself, you're being selfish. But he wanted... He just wanted to have something to hold onto, to know that this wasn't just some bittersweet dream after which he'd wake up to find himself alone again. 

[Detective Jones]

Alfred beamed at the screen as the title 'Jurassic Park' flared across the screen and he drew his legs up onto the couch. Alfred looked over as the opening music was playing and stares curiously at Arthur. Since when did he have to ask permission? Alfred reaches over without an answer and takes Arthur's hand in his squeezing it tightly between them. Besides, Alfred really hoped that could do more then hand holding while watching the movies. He wanted to cuddle, as horribly unmanly as that sounded.

Alfred hesitantly scoots closer to where his leg is brushing Arthur's and he smiles to himself as he keeps his eyes on the screen. He wiggles his toes happily. Thinking this could be the start to a great evening.

[Officer Kirkland]

Arthur relaxed as Alfred's hand closed around his own. He let out the breath that he hadn't known he'd been holding and gave Alfred a small, grateful smile as he squeezed back. Even if this was all that they'd do for the rest of the evening, simply holding Alfred's hand was enough. Arthur glanced at the screen, feigning interest as he tried to forget the gap between them. 

But then Alfred was scooting closer to him and Arthur was tensing up, afraid that he'd accidentally touch Alfred the wrong way and set him off again. His free hand remained in his lap and he didn't allow himself to lean against Alfred, no matter how much he wanted to. He'd been wrong to be physically affectionate with Alfred this morning. Was he taking advantage of Alfred?

But... Would Alfred press against him like this if he didn't want it? Arthur fidgeted, trying to control himself. But he couldn't. Not when it came to Alfred. "Alfred," he whispered seriously, "I... I know that I said I wouldn't touch you, but I... May I..." he gently, tentatively leaned his head against Alfred's shoulder. "Is this all right?" he asked softly. "I can move if you want... Just tell me to, and I will, honestly."

[Detective Jones]

Alfred can feel Arthur tense up next to him and he turns his attention away from the movie for a moment to see if anything is wrong. He didn't understand why Arthur was being so positively stand off-ish. Alfred gives one last glance at the movie going on before he turns his full attention to Arthur as he's talking.

"Arthur, you don't need to ask." Alfred says just as seriously. He brings his free hand up to cup Arthur's face and keep him looking at him. "You can touch.." Alfred glances to the side as his face turns a bright red. "As much as you like. I'll tell you if you need to stop."

He leans his head on top of Arthur's then turning back to the screen and hoping that this is solved now.

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