UsUk So Much I Want To FrUk You

~ Chapter One ~

Now he's done it. Arthur frantically raced around the kitchen opening all the windows, black smoke billowing out onto the streets. Arthur's throat burned as he coughed his way to close the kitchen door. Arthur slammed the door shut, causing more smoke to breathe into Arthur's face. Arthur held his breath and stumbled over to the open window. Gripping the window frame tightly, he awkwardly tumbled out, gaining a few funny looks from people passing by. There he lay, a heap of fine British gentleman foiled by his own burnt cooking. He sighed unhappily as he watched more smoke pour out of the window. How was that even possible? How could so much smoke come from something so small. All he did was burn some bacon in the pan... and the hash browns in the oven... he even managed to burn his toast. He even made the mistake of putting the burning pan under cold water, which had erupted into a billowing cloud of steam and smoke. Arthur lay there for a moment wondering what on Earth Francis would think of him now. Sure it would be the usual lecture of "leave the cooking to moi... I am after all... French." And then he would wink and whip up a bloody great dish without ruining so much as a pan. He hated to admit it but cooking was just not his forte. Slowly getting up to his feet, he noticed the smoke had stopped flowing out the window. "Looks like he almost burnt his kitchen down... again." He heard the neighbour whisper to her friend as they walked past. Yes, sadly even though Arthur knew he should just give up trying to cook a decent meal for Francis, this was almost a daily occurrence. Francis always cooked nice things for him, why couldn't he try and return the favour. Arthur slumped back into the house and walked right into Francis. "Oh! Sorry Francis, I did not see you there..." Arthur felt himself being tugged forward as the Frenchman pulled him in for a hug. "You tried to cook for me again didn't you..." He whispered softly into Arthur's ear. Arthur shivered a bit then relaxed hopelessly into his arms. "No..." Francis laughed and kissed Arthur's forehead softly. "Come back to bed...?" Arthur shook his head lightly. "No, I'm sorry. I have to clean up the mess in the kitchen now. I can make you a coffee though." Francis shook his head as he loosened his embrace to guide Arthur back to the kitchen. "I'll make us both a coffee or tea while you clean up how does that sound?" France smiled warmly, making Arthur's heart flutter. This man was so very attractive. The way he smiled was enough to make anyone forget about any burnt breakfast. Arthur smiled back weakly as he turned to the stove corner which was now a black corner of lingering smoke. "I do have to ask though. What on Earth did you create to make this room so smoky?" Arthur grumbled at the remark "A typical English breakfast." Francis seized the opportunity to make a joke "Didn't realise English breakfast was so keen on smoky flavour." Arthur shook his head as he grabbed some paper towels and the cleaner bottle "You're hopeless... Now hop off and go make us some tea, frog." Francis laughed, and with that a pleasant silence filled the room, with the only exception of the sound of Arthur cleaning and the sound of Francis making tea. You could say this was a relatively normal start to the day.

Arthur carefully sipped his tea as he watched Francis leave for work. He worked at a nice little bakery that had some beautiful baked goods. It was a wonder Arthur wasn't fat yet, as he would find himself there most days conversing with Francis while happily munching away on his newest creation. He should leave the house soon too. He shouldn't stay cooped up at home reading more books. The weather was beautiful outside so a good stroll outside would do him good. Especially after this morning's "suffocating" incident.

Ah yes, this was definitely what Arthur needed. The small streets were buzzing with activity. Mothers taking their children "back to school" shopping. Couples out for a casual stroll. Business men and women alike also bustled about. Some maybe fashionably late or some just out for lunch. Speaking of lunch, there was a cafe Arthur always enjoyed visiting. They truly made the best scones in town so Arthur turned swiftly on his heel to walk in the direction of "Cafe De Amerique".

The cafe stood at the corner of the street in all its glory. The dark wood formed a structure for the glass to span over most of the building. Golden lettering decorated one particularly large window and Arthur smiled as a scent of freshly ground coffee and baked goods greeted him. Arthur walked in, his shoes clattered against the shiny newly polished wooden floor. It always amazed Arthur how cool this place was in summer and then how warm and toasty it was during winter. Arthur walked over to the counter and noticed a man he didn't recognise. He was hunched over a piece of paper at the counter, scribbling something down but Arthur couldn't see a thing past his golden hair. The man seemed rather engrossed in what he was doing he didn't hear Arthur approach. Must be new here. Arthur gave a polite cough and immediately the man looked up, a bit bewildered. Arthur's heart jumped a little. Wow. This man was drop dead handsome. He had blue eyes that sparkled at him underneath some basic glasses he wore. His shoulders were broad and sturdy and he was a bit taller than Arthur. His hair was a peculiar thing though. It was a nice golden colour but one strand seemed to stand up from all the rest, just standing straight as if defying the laws of gravity. Maybe he had slept on it awkwardly. Arthur smiled a bit at the thought. "Oh man! I am so sorry haha! I'm new here you see so yea. Okay how can I help you." The man had a heavy American accent and was rather loud but Arthur ignored that fact and just nodded in acknowledgement. "That is quite alright. I would like one of those mini scones please." Arthur gestured to the scones in the glass cabinet separating them. "Sure thing mister!" Arthur cringed a bit. He really was loud. "Would like to eat that here or take it with you?" Ah, so he can talk at a reasonable volume. "Take with me thank you." Arthur watched as the man grabbed a small paper bag, then reached for the tongs. The tongs hit the floor with a loud clatter as the man misjudged his movement. "Oh geez..." the man sighed and retrieved the tongs. "Sorry haha, new job and all so I guess I'm a bit nervous you know." Arthur simply nodded and waited patiently. In the meantime, he could get out his cash. Arthur flicked out his wallet and took out a few coins. Returning the wallet he took the paper bag off the man once he was done. The man looked briefly at the price sticker on the cabinet before stretching out his hand. "That will be $4" Once the exchange was made the man gave him a funny look. "I feel like I have seen you somewhere before... Yea I have, you're that guy who crashed into a fence with a motorbike." The man looked down for a moment, thinking. "Wait, that was like 6 months ago! Hahahaha I though you looked familiar" Arthur stared at the man quizzically, lost for words.