Re: Same Job, Different Time and Place [R-18]

by Mr. Kirkland Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:37 am

Arthur felt as if he had truly settled into his job now. He still hadn’t seen much of New York but at least he knew which pubs and bars were safe and what weren’t. Clearly, it mattered a lot to the Englishman to know where he could and couldn’t drink.

He’d been getting along fine with Alfred, too. The boy had turned out to not just be good looks; he was nice to just listen to, able to babble. That was what Arthur needed sometimes, to be quiet and forget about his own concerns. Alfred had a very intoxicating air about him – but of course, Arthur still thought the boy as somewhat of a child. He was not particularly mature to him.

When his office door opened, Arthur found himself smiling slightly at the sight of Alfred. The instruction for the day had been to dress casually because everyone would be moving about. It had been quite a challenge for Arthur to find something he thought was suitable. In the end, he’d settled for jeans and a loose-fitting shirt. He didn’t have a lot of ‘casual clothes he could move in’. He didn’t really exercise so he didn’t even have any sports gear he could have worn.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” he said tentatively, not particularly looking forward to the activities. But Alfred was going to be there, he wouldn’t end up on his own in the corner. He thanked Alfred and drunk his coffee relatively quickly. He still hadn’t had the heart to tell the boy to not make it quite so strong.

He just hoped that they wouldn’t have to do any of that bullshit ‘trust’ workshops or childish games. Who was he kidding, that was what team-building was.

Arthur left his office and joined the others. He could see the instructor at the front of the room. She was wearing clothes Arthur considered to be far too tight to be decent, or even to have the title of ‘fashionable’. He hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail.

“Hey guys! My name is Lizzy and today I’m going to be your instructor for this team building workshop. Now, what I would like you to do is to form two lines on either side of the room. This side,” she pointed at the side of the room both Arthur and Alfred were stood on, “form a team and everyone else is the other. Okay? Get into your lines!”

Arthur made sure to line up behind Alfred.

by **Assistant Jones** Sat Aug 20, 2011 9:12 am

Alfred was actually rather glad that Arthur seemed to be more settled into his job. He really wanted the man to feel more comfortable here though he still had no idea just how well the other knew about the city.

Still being such a youthful age, the American was not always renown for his maturity though he still knew how to have a good time and at times be more serious. He knew that he should act serious when the time calls for it but fortunately enough, those kinds of moments haven't popped up yet. Alfred couldn't help but notice the smile on Arthur's lips when he came in, no matter how small it was. That alone was enough to please him for the meanwhile.

Alfred had definitely managed to fit into some casual clothes which included a loose white t-shirt with the Chouchoute brand name on it as well as a light brown hooded jacket made partly of cotton, white fur adorning the edge of the hood. He wore nothing more than just simple converses and a red scarf that was wrapped around his neck. It was still rather chilly during this time of the year in New York!

"Great!" He laughed a bit as he headed to meet up with the instructor for the day. When Alfred saw Arthur come out, he soon sidled right next to him and listened intently, more than willing to hear what she had to say. Alfred soon joined in the line, looking back at Arthur to make certain he was right behind him. The assistant simply gave him a thumbs up and nodded before looking back at the instructor.

by Mr. Kirkland Sat Aug 20, 2011 9:28 am

Arthur laughed internally at the thumbs up. Oh Alfred…

“Okay, so this first game is a race. The aim is to pass the balloon,” she holds up two balloons, one in either hand. Arthur can’t help but wonder where the hell she suddenly produced them from. “You pass the balloon back over your head – but if you pass it to someone and they drop it, you both have to pick it up, go back to back and roll the balloon up off of the ground until it reaches their hands. Try to get the balloon to the other end before the other team! Everyone understand?” She held out the balloons to the people at the front of both lines.

Arthur had a bad feeling about this. He wasn’t very good under pressure and had the horrible feeling that he was going to drop it. He wasn’t so sure if he’d be able to stop himself from blushing it he was pressed against Alfred’s back.

“This is just meant for fun, so don’t get too competitive,” Lizzy winked. “Ready? On your marks, get set, go!”

And the balloon began its journey towards them.

by **Assistant Jones** Sun Aug 21, 2011 3:28 am

Alfred just grinned over at the man, adjusting the scarf around his neck just a bit more before listening to Lizzy once more. He actually was pretty intrigued with the whole activity and he was more than willing to have their line win this! Of course they would!

Though in all reality, the American was quite the competitive spirit though he would try his best not to get angry or impatient if someone dropped the balloon. Either way, not everyone could be as athletic as him (even though this activity didn't even really require any sort of athleticism). That was besides the point though!

Being in front of Arthur, the balloon was soon passed towards him and Alfred grinned as he easily managed to grab it. Lifting it over his head, he soon tried to pass it back to Arthur.

"Your turn Mr. Kirkland!" He chirped, turning his head just a bit so he could glance over at his boss slightly. His heart was pounding from anticipation and excitement. They were already a good ways ahead of the other line considering that they had dropped it earlier on in the line.

by Mr. Kirkland Sun Aug 21, 2011 10:49 pm

Arthur felt a terrible sense of dread as the balloon advanced towards him. He’d never been good at sports (not that this was particularly strenuous) but he had been good at running. There was nothing else he wanted to do now other than run. He grimaced as Alfred smiled at him and he felt his knees go weak.

He dropped the balloon.

“Bollocks!” he near-enough shouted, receiving some exasperated (and some amused) looks from the rest of the team. Blinking, he wasted no more time staring at the balloon and placed it between both himself and Alfred. He threw the American a quick, apologetic glance before turning his back and beginning to try to get the bloody balloon off of the floor.

Of course, being pressed against Alfred’s back should have been enjoyable, but there was one of the other officials, older and sterner than he, that was glaring at him. Arthur gulped, smiling fakely before focusing more on the task at hand. Wiggling didn’t seem to be working. Different tactics might have to be applied, he decided.

by **Assistant Jones** Sun Aug 21, 2011 11:51 pm

Alfred blinked a bit in surprised when he turned around and saw that the balloon was on the ground. The ground. Not in Arthur's hand but the ground. His breath caught a bit though as his boss soon quickly got into action and placed the balloon between themselves. He soon gave an encouraging grin, turning his back to his boss.

He would normally have been rather impatient with the events but this was his boss and there was no need to be impatient with him. He was probably nervous since this was his first time doing a team building activity with this office. It was completely understandable.

"It's alright, Mr. Kirkland!" He tried to encourage before thinking about it and shifting his body to try helping bring the balloon up. "Shift your body a bit to the right, sir!" He murmured as he struggled to get that damn balloon up, finding his lower half of his body pressing back against Arthur's own.

They could get this!

by Mr. Kirkland Mon Aug 22, 2011 12:09 am

Arthur knew he was blushing and the scrutinizing gaze of the man facing him wasn’t helping. He tried to ignore that it was in fact Alfred’s backside pressing against him and on the bloody balloon that was now at their knees.

“It’s alright my arse,” Arthur scoffed, muttering to himself as he did what Alfred instructed him to. Lifting a foot, he managed to get the balloon past their knees. Now it was stuck at their thighs; this was where it was going to awkward.

Red in the face, he moved his body to be slightly lower, using the curve of his lower back to roll the balloon up further, over Alfred’s (delightfully firm) buttocks and to hand-height. Arthur grabbed the balloon, relieved, flustered and turned on at the same time. He turned so that he was facing Alfred’s back and quickly passed the balloon back over his head to the man behind him. The other team were already in the lead now.

Well, that had been embarrassing and not something he’d soon forget about. He would just have to try to not remember the feel of Alfred’s muscles through his clothes, and how warm he was. It was probably the scarf that made him so warm in comparison to himself, the Brit mused.

by **Assistant Jones** Mon Aug 22, 2011 12:19 am

In all reality, Alfred didn't pay too much mind to Arthur's inner woes of bodily contact at the moment, much too excited to actually get the balloon up into their hands. The bodily contact in fact didn't bother him in the slightest bit, instead laughing in excitement as the balloon finally made its way to Arthur's hands.

"Awesome!" He cheered as he started to cheer on his other teammates to pass the balloon. While he would be disappointed if they lost, that definitely would not get him down. He was much too cheerful to actually let something as silly as this bring him down. Though he wouldn't be surprised if Gilbert, his German co-worker/friend, would rub it in his face afterwards.

...They better win!

by Mr. Kirkland Mon Aug 22, 2011 12:54 am

Arthur watched as the balloon was off again. He almost felt as if there should be some sort of metaphor for the way it seemed to glide, passing from hand to hand. Of course, there wasn’t enough blood going to his head to think about that. He could only pray that it wasn’t obvious that he was slightly out of it.

He found himself looking at Alfred again, marvelling at how smooth his skin was and the straightness of his teeth. Looks were clearly important here. Arthur knew that he wasn’t unattractive, but he was no Adonis like Alfred. His features were too narrow and sharp; the only thing Arthur considered decent about himself were his eyes (and possibly his slender physique) but even they were a little too feminine for his liking. Not like Alfred, who had that all-American look about him. For lack of a better word to describe him, Arthur found Alfred beautiful.

He was interrupted from his thought by a triumphant cheer from the person at the end of their line. Vash, Arthur thought he was called. He looked uncharacteristically happy. They must have won.

“Well done, guys!” Lizzy grinned from the front of the room.

by **Assistant Jones** Mon Aug 22, 2011 2:00 am

Alfred never truly paid much attention to appearances (considering that he looked like a complete slob) though he had probably been over this multiple amounts of times with himself. He found himself to be much too large for his own good, a bit too clumsy and big. It was embarrassing when he had to shop for trousers since they were always a size too big for his liking and just bringing it to the cashier was embarrassing enough!

His azure eyes soon glanced back at Vash, normally one of the least happiest people he knew ever, to see that he was rather happy. So they definitely did win!

The American couldn't help but grin just a bit too widely as he scooped Arthur up into a brief hug. "Awesome! We did it, sir!" He cheered before pausing and soon letting go of him. "O-Oh! Sorry about that." He laughed nervously. "I didn't mean to pop your personal bubble or anything like that."

by Mr. Kirkland Mon Aug 22, 2011 2:45 am

At first, Arthur joined in the cheering when he was picked up in the abrasive hug but then he realised what was happening and began to splutter unintelligibly. He couldn’t find it in himself to mind too much, though. When he was back on the ground again, he could feel his face burning a brilliant red. He re-established the space between them and brushed himself down.

“I-it’s okay, Jones,” he cleared his throat as he looked away somewhat awkwardly. He almost wished that Alfred hadn’t let go. “Just, uh, keep your hands where I can see them, alright?” he teased, although it was somewhat strained.

“If the people that have hold of the balloon could put them at the side; that would be great.” Lizzy waited for them to do so and then perked up again, smiling irritatingly. “Now after that warm up, I would like everyone to sit in a circle.” She plopped herself down and made gestures for everyone else to do the same. “What we’re going to do is introduce ourselves by our first names, say something that people would not have guessed about you and one of your favourite memories of your life so far. We want to be friends here, so don’t be shy, be honest! Today is all about getting to know everyone better.”

Arthur made a face but nonetheless, he joined the circle.

by **Assistant Jones** Mon Aug 22, 2011 3:33 am

Alfred bursted out laughing when he saw Arthur splutter unintelligibly. He looked so silly when he was doing that! "Aw, don't look like that! Though it's kinda cute." He couldn't help himself from admitting that. Honestly, he did look rather cute when he was all flustered as such. Was he really not that used to physical contact?

He soon held his hands out in front of himself, that loving grin still always on his face. "My hands are right here, officer." He joked. "So don't worry about me doing anything else with them! I'm all clean!"

Soon enough, Lizzy started to speak again before sitting down in the circle as he sat right next to Arthur. His eyebrows rose up at the mention of this activity now and his mind started to bustle with different ideas of what he could say. There was just so much to say! So many good memories though he couldn't help but wonder what he could say about what people would never have guessed about him. Either ways...

The assistant intently listened to each person as they shared information about themselves though Alfred was mainly curious about Arthur. He was the new man, he was the one he barely knew anything about him. Yet soon his turn was to come and he simply grinned.

"Hey you guys! You guys already know me but my name is Alfred. I have to say that something you guys might not have guessed about me is that I have a Master's degree in aerospace engineering and I'm from MIT but I suppose I'm stuck here for the moment." He laughed, not seeming to be regretful of his decision. "It's been fun with you guys though and I feel fortunate enough to be with all of ya'!" He soon licked his lips in thought. While he may have never been the greatest in history nor English or anything like that, he certainly excelled in the maths and sciences.

"As for my favourite memory, I would say watching the stars with my brother. There was this really cool time where we saw a meteor shower and we went out to a hill away from the city to look out through the telescope and we just watched the meteor shower together! We were still pretty young but yeah." He shrugged, soon looking over at Arthur curiously.

by Mr. Kirkland Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:10 am

“Good,” Arthur tried not to chuckle. Such an honest boy.

He wasn’t sure what to say out loud to everyone. He’d done a lot of things in his lifetime that he would consider to be a good memory but what others might not. Whilst at university, he’d done some pretty reckless (and stupid) things and loved every second of it. Before then and ever since then, he’d been a boring, studious man. And he hated being like that – but it was good money and it kept him from reverting back to old habits (such as smoking).

The Englishman couldn’t help but smile at what Alfred says, gazing near-enough fondly at him. They were nice-sounding, peaceful, everything he’d expect of Alfred apart from his university degree. He felt his eyes widen. By studying that, it would mean that Alfred, naïve and enthusiastic Alfred, was in fact more intelligent than himself. That was un-nerving, to say the least.

Finally, it was his turn.

“Uh, hello… I’m Arthur,” he cringed as his accent stood out like a primate in a lion enclosure. “I’m from England and I’ve only been here for a few weeks.” He scratches the back of his neck, fidgeting anxiously.

“I was a smoker for a long time, amongst other things. I haven’t had a cigarette for four months now,” he gave a small, timid nod and looked down at the ground. “And my good memory would have to be my time at university. They were the best years of my life.” Satisfied that he’d said enough, he became quiet.

“Anything specific in your time there?” Lizzy prompted. Arthur tensed.

“Uh,” what could he say that was suitable for a work environment? “I had a partner that I was with for most of my time there. I’d say that they were my best memory.”

“Aw, how sweet,” she grinned.

After they had gone in a full circle, Lizzy suddenly leapt to her feet.

“Now it’s time for a trust exercise. Up on your feet!” she instructed, people grudgingly beginning to move. “I need you to get into pairs.”

Arthur looked at Alfred hopefully.

by **Assistant Jones** Mon Aug 22, 2011 4:22 am

Alfred couldn't help but grin at that. He didn't particularly see himself as extremely smart in general but rather very specialised in one or two fields. He loved inventing, the sciences, the maths but whenever it came to anything like social studies, the languages or anything else, he preferred to stay as far away from that as possible. It wasn't a side that he showed a lot though especially since his job didn't necessarily require him to be good at maths. All it required was some proficiency with computers (which he definitely had) as well as being good at following orders.

Alright, so truthfully he wasn't the greatest at following orders but he was good enough especially when it was money on the line. He needed that to live and all!

He wouldn't say that he was more intelligent than Arthur because the man seemed rather intelligent in a different way. He definitely weaved words in a way that he could only ever imagine. He wished he had that art but his interests were definitely not in English.

When Arthur finally started to talk, Alfred's eyes widened a bit at the mention of him being a smoker. Did he really smoke? He didn't seem like the man to even get close to any kind of alcohol or cigarette nonetheless! He decided not to question it though. At least it seemed as if Arthur was on his way in stopping his addiction. Personally Alfred had never smoked and he truly didn't have the intentions to do so.

Alfred found himself frown slightly though at the mention of a partner back then. Where was that partner now? Why did his boss seem so lonely now? Was he still with that partner and they were just in a long distance relationship kind of thing? He decided not to question it though he didn't even know why he was actually asking himself these kinds of questions... This was his boss!

He was simply concerned for his boss at all.

Once the circle had shared their experiences and small facts about themselves, Alfred sat up and stretched out, grinning before he glanced around to see Arthur looking up at him hopefully. He also saw Kiku glancing over at him, hoping but he simply gave an apologetic smile to the Japanese. "Sorry man. Maybe later." He murmured before turning around to face Mr. Kirkland.

"Wanna be my partner?" He asked, stepping closer to his boss.

by Mr. Kirkland Mon Aug 22, 2011 5:00 am

Arthur tried not to think about the said partner too much; he’d run off with some girl and left him via text message after being together for two years. He was a twat, really but Arthur had loved him at the time, he probably still did to be honest. He had been heart-broken; that’s when his erratic eating had become much more of a problem. He had gotten so used to being consistently cooked for that he forgot to eat for about a week until he almost fainted one day in class. That hadn’t been fun.

Relief spread across Arthur’s face as Alfred turned down Kiku’s offer and instead chose him. Alfred had chosen him over (what Arthur assumed) his best friend. He felt his heart swell at the mere prospect of it. He was so kind; kinder than Arthur had seen anyone be for a long time. He nodded at the question.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, deliberately at a volume that Alfred would most likely not hear.

“Okay, so the person who is on the right is going to be labelled as number one – and on the left, number two.”

Arthur looked to his right, giving Alfred a small smile.

“Number one’s, I want you to get behind your partner and stand a short distance away from them. When I say, I want you to be ready to catch them. Number two’s, I would like you to fall back on the count of three. Trust your partner.

by **Assistant Jones** Mon Aug 22, 2011 5:20 am

Alfred decided that it was for the best if he didn't ponder too much on the thought of his boss's partner. It was probably some beautiful English girl that he had left behind when he had taken the job but he wasn't going to think about it! So what if most of the girls he dated ended up not being for him? He was way past that stage though he couldn't help but admit that he hadn't dated for a while.

He knew that he had plenty of time to accept Kiku's other offers and he had other people to pair up with. Arthur didn't really have that advantage so he wanted to show others that Arthur (their boss) was not as scary as they might have thought of him to be. Alfred and Kiku were the best of friends but he knew that he didn't always have to be with him. This was about trust, right? He could definitely trust Kiku.

In fact, he was rather glad he didn't choose Kiku when he heard the activity. The man would have certainly dropped him. Alfred was definitely on the stronger side so he hoped that Arthur could trust him.

Moving around, he soon stood behind Arthur, standing a short distance away and he smiled at the man. "Don't worry, sir. You can trust me to catch you."

by Mr. Kirkland Mon Aug 22, 2011 7:07 am

Arthur grimaced at the instructions. He wasn’t all that keen on putting all of his trust in someone he barely knew, even if it was just Alfred. He drew in a deep breath, preparing himself.

“You better,” he said shortly to Alfred. Falling on his arse was not on his list of things to do. He gritted his teeth, awaiting the inevitable count down.

“Three, two, one and fall!”

Arthur tried not to let his body tense up; he knew that he’d probably hurt more if he hit the ground. He could see other people dropping backwards and hesitantly allowed himself to fall backwards, squeezing his eyes shut.

by **Assistant Jones** Mon Aug 22, 2011 11:01 am

Alfred took in a breath as he waited for Arthur to drop and he was actually rather glad that the man could trust him. Fortunately enough for the Englishman, his assistant had always been on the rather strong side and so he was easily able to support most weight that was thrown on him.

It would have been hilarious if his partner was someone like Gilbert who he could easily drop but this was his boss. A boss that could very well fire him! So he waited patiently for Arthur to drop backwards, soon stepping forward just a bit so he easily catch the Englishman in his arms.

His arms wrapped around the smaller body protectively as he smiled down at the man, blue eyes gleaming. "I told you! That wasn't so bad now, was it?" He murmured, lifting Arthur up though he kept his arms wrapped around the older man for just a bit longer before finally letting go.

by Mr. Kirkland Mon Aug 22, 2011 7:51 pm

One moment, he felt grossly sick because he was falling and the next, he felt Alfred’s chest and arms thud against him, catching him. Arthur opened his eyes, looking straight up into those blue eyes. He couldn’t bring himself to think of anything lewd when he was somewhat surprised he’d been caught, and captivated by those beautiful azure eyes.

However, he was extremely aware of Alfred’s arms which lingered around him, in what felt like an embrace. He was so warm, so solid. He let out a small sigh (one which could be mistaken for a sigh of relief) and re-adjusted himself, pull his shirt down where it had ridden up. He could see various people lying on the floor, having been dropped and couldn’t help but feel smug.

“Hmm,” he hummed passively in response to Alfred.

“Great job – now, if you were dropped, don’t be discouraged. Just shake it off and we’ll move on. I would now like you all to switch. Number one’s are going to get caught by number two’s, okay?”

Arthur almost expected himself to make a face or grumble, but he didn’t. Alfred didn’t look like he was going to be too heavy, and he wasn’t a complete weakling either (despite appearances). He gave Alfred a reassuring pat on his upper arm before moving behind him. He was pretty sure he could catch Alfred – unless he was surprisingly heavy in which case he’d probably drop him.

“You ready? Awesome. Three, two, one and fall!”

by **Assistant Jones** Tue Aug 23, 2011 5:30 am

Alfred felt extremely proud when he managed to easily catch Arthur and it truly wasn't that big of a surprise that he was able to catch him. Especially considering that he was bigger than his boss and not only that, but he was also rather strong for his age. In fact, some would say a bit scarily strong though they would never say that in his face. Alfred just looked down at Arthur, a grin on his lips as his bright blue eyes flickered in a pleasant lightly.

He knew that he could trust Arthur! He had been doing a good job as an assistant and even though he was bigger than the man (not that much bigger admittedly), he was certain that Arthur would be able to catch him and impress everyone around them. Honestly!

"Awesome! Make sure you catch me or else you'll have an assistant with a horrid backache working for you!" He joked as he stood in front of his boss, back facing him.

He soon waited for the countdown and soon enough, he heard the word fall. He barely even hesitated before he let himself fall back into Arthur's arms.

Or at least he hoped that he was going to fall back in his arms.

by Mr. Kirkland Tue Aug 23, 2011 11:41 pm

Arthur was admittedly surprised that Alfred could trust him so much to barely even think before following Lizzy's instruction. It either showed how loyal or how dim he was. Clever degree be damned, he wasn't that observant.

"Quite," he agreed, smiling politely in response. The more he thought about it, the less sure that he was that he would be able to catch him. And then Alfred was falling backwards towards him.

At first, it was fine. Arthur managed to catch him and support his weight but then, awfully, dreadfully, painfully, his footing slipped and it left them both tumbling to the ground, Arthur landing on his back beneath Alfred who landed on him much too heavily.

He let out a grunt, trying not to cry out. It had hurt, a lot but he knew that they were being stared at and so tried to contain himself.

by **Assistant Jones** Wed Aug 24, 2011 12:15 am

When Alfred fell, he couldn't help but smile in satisfaction as he was caught. Arthur actually caught him even though he was bigger! He knew he could trust the man! Though what truly took him by surprise was when they both came tumbling down to the ground and the American's weight was heavy on the Englishman's. Dammit! That hurt!

Though it seemed as if his boss broke his fall. Wait. His boss! Shit!

The assistant, eyes wide, glanced down at the man below him and saw that he was indeed on Arthur. "Oh God! S-Sorry Mr. Kirkland!" He exclaimed in surprise as he soon tried to scramble off of the man, frowning a bit as he held his hand out for Arthur. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" There was quite a bit of concern in his voice though he completely ignored his other co-workers.

by Mr. Kirkland Fri Aug 26, 2011 10:14 pm

Arthur remained limp on the floor as Alfred clambered off of him. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on anything other than the throbbing in the back of his head and his back. He eventually re-opened his eyes, looking up at Alfred who had his hand out-stretched by this point.

Slowly, he sat up and raised a hand to rub the back of his head, seething at the stinging the action produced. He could see various people either trying not to look or even giggling to themselves. Arthur flushed and then, grudgingly, took Alfred’s hand to help him to his feet. He could almost hear his bones creaking.

“Stop your fussing, Jones. I’m fine.”

Clearly he wasn’t but he could deal with it. Stiff upper lip and all that. But then Lizzy decided that she would swan over.

“Are you alright there, sir?”
“Yes,” he snapped whilst adjusting his shirt.
“Will you be participating in anymore activities or would you like to sit at the side for a while?” it was obvious that she was just trying to be polite and not lose her temper by that point.
“Are you saying that I don’t have to be here?”
“Well, technically this is an optional –”
“Fantastic. I’m leaving. I refuse to be forced into derogatory situations and ridiculed.”

And with that, Arthur turned on his heel and began to leave the room. He glanced quickly at Alfred, almost apologetically and then closed the door behind him, going to fetch his coat and such.

by **Assistant Jones** Sat Aug 27, 2011 2:57 am

Alfred couldn't help but frown slightly as he saw Arthur finally take his leave. He could tell that the other co-workers wouldn't really want to talk to Arthur now though he soon looked around him to look at the other people staring at where Arthur used to stand. He didn't want his boss to be humiliated! Though wanting to continue on with the activities, he felt that it wouldn't be in his best interest to do so.

What true teamwork was when one actually went over to his partner and helped him out rather than leave him behind in his own kind of gloom. He wasn't there to make fun of his boss or anything. He did catch him! He just slipped and fell, which Alfred came down with him but he knew that this was no reason to distrust Arthur. Definitely not! He may not be the most physically able between the two of them but that didn't mean that he wasn't reliable mentally wise. The point was that Arthur tried to catch him while other people allowed their partners to drop.

That was all that mattered in the end! Alfred soon bowed his head towards Lizzy before following Arthur, soon frowning slightly. "I'm sorry, Miss. I'm going to follow him." He wasn't going to be left alone though he didn't necessarily want to force Arthur into these kinds of activities again!

"Arthu--Mr. Kirkland! Please wait!" He called out as he trailed after him and managed to finally catch up to him, lightly grabbing his shoulder before hesitantly pulling his hand away.

"I'm sorry about what happened but I just wanted to say...thank you for trying to catch me." He smiled slightly, hoping that he would be able to ease Arthur's mood just a bit. "And well, can I join you wherever you're going?" He questioned before quickly adding. "I don't want to go back without my trusted partner."

by Mr. Kirkland Sun Aug 28, 2011 3:26 am

Arthur stormed down the corridor, cursing under his breath. He needed a drink.

When he heard the door behind him, he thought that it was going to be that stupid woman again so to say that he was surprised when he heard Alfred’s voice was an understatement. He also hadn’t expected to have a hand on his shoulder. He whipped round to face Alfred, trying to keep his expression neutral, indifferent.

He stayed quiet, his gaze flickering down to the floor as he avoided eye-contact. Stupid boy being so bloody sincere all the time. He turned on his heel and carried on the rest of the way to his office.

“I’m going to the pub,” he said with finality. “You can come if you’d like but I don’t think you’ll be able to keep up with me – drinking-wise, I mean.” Of course, that was an utter load of bollocks because Arthur was actually a terrible drinker and it only took him a couple of pints to be drunk enough to start pole-dancing on a lamppost but he didn’t care. He needed to relax, this was his way of doing it.

“Just let me grab my coat, Jones.” And he disappeared into his office.

by Sponsored content