[Fic] Job Hunting

[fivedayslater]

Title: Job Hunting
Pairings/Characters: USUK, mentions of others.
Rating/Warning: PG, kissing and fires.
Summary: Four drabbles, four AUs, four different jobs. Four different lives of Alfred and Arthur.

Librarian

“Do you have any overdue books?”

Arthur looked up from the book he was reading behind the desk to see that Alfred Jones, senior star quarterback and one of the most well like guys on campus, was there, smiling that gorgeous, perfect smile at him and placing a stack of books on the counter. He placed the bookmark in his book, shut it, and put it off to the side, giving Alfred the most seductive smile he could muster, “Why would you say that?”

Alfred smirked as he pulled out his library card and handed it over, “Because you’ve got fine written all over you.”

Arthur chuckled as he scanned the card and started checking out the books, “That’s got to be your worst one yet.”

It was a game they’d been playing for a few months now. Whenever Alfred would check out books, he would feed Arthur a cheesy pick up line, followed by some harmless flirting, and maybe pepper their exchange with actual conversation. It was nice, because at this point Arthur had to admit he was quite lonely, and it was safe, because it was all for fun.

Even if he may possibly have been developing feelings for Alfred, which he wasn’t, it was all for fun, which was good, because Alfred was still a student and, technically, Arthur was employed by the university. Even if he wanted it to work, which he didn’t, it wouldn’t.

“So,” Alfred drummed his fingers on the counter as Arthur scanned another book, “What are you doing Friday?”

“Work,” Arthur pulled the receipt from the machine and placed it in the book.

“When do you get off?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow and scanned the next book, “Late.”

“Oh well,” Alfred cleared his throat, “What about Saturday? Are you busy then?”

“I have Saturday off so-”

“Great! Do you want to get lunch or something then?”

Arthur stared at him, book frozen in his hand, “Alfred, I don’t think we should…you’re a student here and-”

“I don’t really care about that,” he scratched the back of his neck, “I just really like you and want to spend time with you outside the library. Besides, I’m graduating in May anyway, so it’s really none of their business.”

“Then wait until May to ask me out,” he scanned the book in his hand and ripped out the receipt with a little too much force, “If you’re still harboring this ridiculous crush that is.”

“I’ll still like you,” Arthur froze. A blush spread across Alfred’s cheeks, “I mean, I’ve liked you for a while now anyway, so I’m pretty certain that I’ll still like you come May.”

Arthur sighed and finished checking out Alfred’s books, “Then you shouldn’t mind waiting until then.”

“Fine,” Alfred grabbed the pile of books, fingers brushing Arthur’s, “So do you want to hang out Saturday?”

“Alfred I thought I just told you-”

“Not a date, just as friends,” he shrugged and put the books in his bag, “You can still have friends right?”

Arthur smiled and shook his head. There’s was no winning against Alfred, “Very well. We can get lunch as friends if that is what you want.”

“Yeah,” he said, smile growing more mischievous, “Besides, there will be plenty of time for other stuff after I graduate.”

Arthur blushed and looked away, trying not to imagine Alfred in provocative positions as he exited the library.

Suddenly May seemed so far away.

+

Firefighter

Arthur coughed as the smoke filtered into the room. A brief touch to the door confirmed that the fire was that way, indicating he should go another way. The problem there was that door was the only legitimate exit from the office that he was stuck in. His only other option would be to jump out the window, but he was twenty stories up.

He sat down by the open window and hugged his knees to his chest. Arthur worked on the third floor, a survivable jump, normally never having to go higher than the fifth, which would have been more painful but as long as he didn’t land on his head, he was confident he could have survived that too. He was only on the twentieth floor because Bonnefoy called him up. Bonnefoy probably started the fire that was currently eating its way through their office building and slowly choking Arthur with its smoke just so he wouldn’t have to give him that raise he deserved. Clever bastard.

As Arthur resigned himself to a slow death by suffocation and considered jumping out the window anyway – at least the impact would be quick and the death relatively painless if he landed right – a loud thud sounded against the door. Everyone else had already evacuated; he was sure he was the last one on this floor before he stupidly got himself stuck here, so who was knocking on the door?

Several more thuds and the door burst open, revealing a fireman decked out in all his gear and the flames slowly spreading into the now open room. Arthur coughed and stood up, leaning heavily against the wall to do so, and the fireman wasted no time in grabbing him, tossing him over his shoulders, and exiting the room.

Arthur clearly remembered them running down the stairs, how many floors exactly he couldn’t be sure, but they must have almost been at the bottom because when the stairs collapsed the fireman landed on his back with only a slight noise of discomfort, Arthur safely in his arms on top of him. Arthur tried to get up, but the smoke was too much for him and he found himself collapsing into the fireman’s arms again.

That seemed to alert the fireman to their current situation, as he carefully stood up, put Arthur back over his shoulders and exited the burning building.

The fireman got Arthur into the hands of a medic and removed his helmet, and Arthur was delighted to find his savior was quite handsome, sun kissed blonde hair, bright blue eyes, gorgeous Hollywood smile. He winced as he stretched out his back.

“Damn, I think I might have bruised it on that fall,” he said, scrunching his face to try and hide the pain as the medic looked him over as she handed Arthur an oxygen mask, “It’s not that bad though.”

“Alfred if you bruised your back you’re not going to be allowed in there,” she sighed as she grabbed his shoulders and forced him to sit down, “Let me look you over.”

It turned out Alfred had bruised his back, badly, and cracked a few ribs, not as badly, so the medic made him stay by the ambulance as the rest of the firefighters finished putting out the fire.

“So,” Alfred said after a while of watching the others work, “Can I at least get a name?”

“Hm?” Arthur looked around and noticed that his eyes were focused on him, “Oh, Arthur. Arthur Kirkland.”

“Alfred Jones,” Alfred held out his hand, “Nice to meet you.”

Arthur took his hand and couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his lips, “Trust me Mr. Jones, the pleasure is all mine.”

+

Archeologist

“Arthur, come look at this.”

Arthur was on the other side of the dig site, talking to one of the locals, when Alfred came barreling towards him and tugged on his arm. He had time to briefly excuse himself as his husband dragged him back down the hill towards the site where the team had been digging all morning. They stopped just before the hole, Alfred wasting no time sitting on the edge and lowering himself down.

“C’mon Arthur, you really need to see this.”

Arthur rolled his eyes and followed him. As soon as he hit solid ground, Alfred grabbed his hand and started dragging him through the site, waving at their fellow archeologists as they passed but not stopping for small talk.

“Alfred, where are you taking me?” Arthur asked after several minutes of this.

“It’s up ahead, you’ll see.”

There was no arguing with Alfred when he got into this kind of mood, so Arthur sighed and just went along for the ride, reveling in the heat of Alfred’s hand the excited aura he gave off.

“There,” Alfred stopped suddenly in front of a corner of the site that Arthur hadn’t had a chance to personally excavate yet, “I thought you’d want to see this.”

Two skeletons were lying in the ground surrounded by pot shards and even a few whole pots that had made it through the ages, arranged around the bodies as if they were an offering. A gravesite then, which was brilliant on its own, Arthur did love dissecting gravesites, but what really caught his attention was the position of the two skeletons. They were lying on their sides in each other’s arms, locked in an embrace even in death.

“Can’t tell for certain until I do forensics, but from here I’d say they’re both female,” Alfred said as he thread their fingers together and started swinging their hands back and forth, “So what do you think? Nice surprise right?”

“Yes,” Arthur leaned his head on his husband’s shoulder as they stared at the long dead lovers, their story waiting to be discovered, “One of your best yet.”

+

Author

Arthur stared at blank screen on his computer, cursor blinking at him mockingly. He was tired of this writing block, tired of staring at that screen day in and day out and producing nothing.

“Alfred!” he called for his assistant, “Alfred where are you?”

“Yes boss?” he appeared around the corner and walked over to where Arthur was sitting at his desk, “What do you need?”

Arthur pulled on his tie until their lips crashed together. Alfred quickly steadied himself on the arms of the chair as Arthur deepened the kiss. He thrust his tongue inside Alfred’s mouth and ran it over everything he could reach.

They parted at the same time, gasping for breath. Arthur pulled him down again and began kissing along his jaw line until he reached his ear and whispered, “I need a good shag.”

“Yeah okay,” he pulled away and grabbed Arthur’s wrists, “Why don’t you try writing something first so your publisher can stop with the angry calls alright? That’s what we agreed on.”

Arthur most certainly did not pout as he crossed his arms and stared up at his assistant, “I will write better once I’ve had a good shag.”

“That’s what you’ve been saying everyday this week and you still haven’t written anything,” Alfred sighed.

“You’re supposed to be making it easier for me to write,” he leaned back and crossed his legs, “That’s why my publisher hired you and why I let you into my home, so you could create the environment I need to write.”

“And I’m trying to. And you know I would normally jump at the chance to sleep with you, but you really do need to write something today.”

Arthur spun his chair away from Alfred and stared at the blank wall, “If you’re going to be like that then fine.”

“Arthur,” he heard him sigh before he chair was forcefully turned the other way and stopped so he was staring right into Alfred’s eyes, “You know I love you right? And I just want you to do write your best?” Arthur nodded, “Trust me, if have sex on the coffee table would help you in anyway, my pants would be off by now, but I really think you should just focus on writing today. We can do that when you’ve finished the first chapter okay?”

Arthur saw the logic in his argument. That’s why he was here, to keep Arthur on track when his wandering mind wandered too far away, and that was one of the many reasons why he loved him so. Arthur nodded and uncrossed his legs, turning his head away so he didn’t have to look at him.

Alfred leaned in and kissed his cheek, “There you go. Why don’t I make you some coffee to help you work?”

“Tea,” Arthur corrected as he turned back and completely faced his computer, staring at the still empty screen, “you know how I like it.”

“Two sugars, a dash of milk, and a sprinkle of love,” Alfred giggled at his blush as he kissed the top of his head this time, “I know.”

As Alfred went off to the kitchen to make his tea, Arthur cracked his knuckles and inhaled deeply.

He had a story to write.