2Alfred was going on with his normal life when it happened. There was just something different about this person. He knew it was something, but what?
He was waiting for the bus to come around. Ever since he moved from New York, it had been weird for him. He couldn't drive right, so public transport was the only option.
The bus came right as he was starting to grow impatient. "Perfect timing," he mumbled. He gave the driver a bus token and got on. He started his way to the top. After all, it was his favourite place to ride.
He bumped into someone's knee. Looking down to apologise, he noticed something strange. The man had stunning green eyes.
This may seem normal to you. Why would he be surprised? There are plenty of green-eyed men out there. The thing is, this story does not take place in normal society. This story takes place in a world of black and white.
"I-I'm sorry, dude," he stuttered out. Why the heck did he stutter?
The man, Arthur, frowned at him. Blue eyes? What the bloody?! Why did he have BLUE eyes? Everyone else had different shades of the same dull gray colour. "It's quite alright. My leg was in the way. Um, do you need a seat?"
Alfred nodded. 'Wow, that accent. He has an amazing English accent. I really shouldn't be surprised. I am in England after all...'
"Well," he cleared his throat, "there's another seat here if you would like it."
Alfred smiles at the man. "Yes please!"
Well he was quite chipper... God, that smile is pearly white. His voice. Why hadn't he noticed it before? The strange blue eyed man was American, there was no doubt about it.
"I'm Alfred F. Jones," the man said, extending a hand as the bus started to move.
"Arthur Kirkland," he replied, taking Alfred's extended hand. There was something... Comforting about the firm grip of Alfred's hand. It made him feel... Tingly.
Oh! I forgot to mention that in this world, they also do not have taste, sensation of touch, or scent. Everything is dull.
Alfred blinked, he had also noticed the warm feeling, but now there was something else. Arthur's hair had suddenly turned a different colour. It was now a golden blond.
Arthur noticed soon that Alfred's hair was a honey blond.
"How long have you been living here in England?" Asked Arthur, trying to start a conversation.
Alfred blinked, "Oh! Um, about a month. I'm here for college."
"What university would you be going to?"
"University of London."
"Really? I'm starting my freshman year next year. Judging by your height, I'd say you were a junior."
"Dude, I'm a freshman too! This is totally awesome!"
"Yes, I agree. It is quite coincidental. What would you be majoring in?"
"I'm going into the ROTC program," he said, giving a small salute. "I've always dreamed of being a hero, so what better way?"
"Wow. I could never dream of going into the military. I am majoring in law. I have always thought I would fancy being a lawyer."
"That's one thing I could NEVER be! It's WAY to much work! I don't want to do anything hard!"
Arthur frowned. This man was annoying yet endearing. Wait! Where the bloody did endearing come from?!
"Well I hope you realise that ROTC takes a lot of work," he said with a slight irritation.
"I know! It can't be that hard, right?"
Arthur was growing extremely agitated when Alfred made the biggest possible mistake.
"Wow! I didn't notice THAT before! You have some freaking huge eyebrows, dude! Geez! It looks like you have five on each side of your face!"
Arthur glared at him with venom. Why was it always the eyebrow card? His abusive father used it, his brothers used it, and every single school bully used it. Arthur had always been complete and utterly alone from the moment he could walk and talk because of his eyebrows. Oh god, here comes the flashback...
Arthur was a happy and bubbly baby. He didn't understand what it meant when he was given dirty looks and sneers. He just knew he was getting attention. That was good, right?
He had three brothers. Their names were Allistair, Dylan, and Colin in that order. They hated him, to say the least. For the majority of the time, they just flat out pretended he wasn't there. When they did notice him, Dylan and Colin would hold him while Allistair threw a mixture of punches and insults.
You may be surprised that nobody stopped them. The thing is, neither of his parents did. His father would cheer them on and slash at Arthur on his own accord. His mother, well, he didn't know. She had died in childbirth. That's why they hated him the most. She had died to bring an utterly useless and ugly child into the world.
Arthur had no friends. The only reason he went to school was that it was illegal not to. Everyone there bullied him because of his eyebrows. The teachers could care less. They weren't there to deal with 'small' matters, they were there for their pay-checks. Arthur's only friends were imaginary, so it added to the bullying.
The day he ran away was both the best and worst day of his life. He was only ten when it had happened. He remembered like it was just yesterday.
His father had called for him. As always, Arthur was terrified. What would he do to him this time? What had he done wrong? Was he being bad again? He shakily walked to his father's study and hesitantly knocked.
"Come in you useless, ungrateful pig."
Arthur cowered as he entered. His father had five empty bottles around him and one half empty one in his right hand. What was in his left hand was what scared Arthur the most. He had a fully loaded gun.
"Y-you called?" He asked, trying to mask his fear.
"Go stand over where you always do. Strap yourself up."
His father had a target on one side of the room. He liked to throw darts at Arthur and whip him there. Sometimes, he would punch him and slash at his stomach.
Arthur stripped off his shirt, as was customary. It made it easier to see where it would hurt most.
Once Arthur had strapped himself in, he watched his father.
"We're going to play a new game today. I will shoot at you."
Arthur knew at that moment that he was going to die. He didn't protest, he never did. He shut his eyes tightly as his father began.
He heard a bang and something whiz past his ear. It started to sting. Another bang. This time, a sharp pain surged through his right leg. He heard the gun cock, but his father was out of bullets.
He opened his eyes to see his dad yanking off the straps and pulling Arthur down to him. "I'm going to lock you up! You refuse to die! Why? What else does your selfish little butt want?!"
Arthur pushed his father out of the way in pure fear. He was knocked off balance as he was drunk. His head hit the corner of his desk and started bleeding. Arthur watched as he bled to death in front of him.
He knew he shouldn't have felt it. He had, after all, just murdered his father, but he felt a surge of undeniable joy. He was free from one of his many tormentors.
Suddenly, Arthur got an idea. The cops would take him away if they found him like this. Plus, he got away from one, why not three more? He ran back up to his room and packed away his few possessions. That night, he was partially freed.
Arthur lived on the streets from that point on. He generally only had one meal a week. He saved up for college by dealing drugs. It wasn't how he would have chosen to lead his life, but it was that or death. He didn't very much like the second option.
Arthur glared at Alfred. "There is nothing wrong with my eyebrows!"
"Wow! Easy there, dude. I was just pointing out how freaking huge they were!"
Arthur just grumbled.
"Dude, are you alright? You look like you're crying."
"I'm fine you bloody idiot, now leave me alone."
Alfred frowned, but shrugged. He pulled a hamburger out of nowhere. Arthur's stomach responded by growling.
"Oh! Do you want one?"
"R-really?"
"Yeah! I have a ton!"
"Th-thank you."
It had been two weeks since his last meal because of a lack of clients in his trade. He watched as the man pulled a hamburger out of his pocket and handed it to him. He timidly took a bite to make sure he wasn't joking. Alfred gave him a smile. He really hated the taste, but paid no mind to that. Food was food. He almost vomited at how quickly it filled him up. He only got halfway through before he had to stop. He couldn't finish it.
"You look sick, dude," Alfred said with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes."
"Aren't you going to finish?"
"Not right now. I can finish it later."
"Dude, are you sure your okay? Everyone can finish just one hamburger!"
"Well apparently not," he said agitatedly.
Alfred held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry!"
Arthur rolled his eyes and turned back to the window. Soon, it came to Alfred's stop. "See you at school!"
Arthur just rolled his eyes as he chuckled. "Maybe..."
That is how our two favourite characters' journey started. This is a tale of love and tragedy beyond compare. This is "Love is All but Black and White."