Heart Themed Canvas [UsUk]

Heartless [Ch.4]

Arthur Kirkland wasn't much. The second he could, he moved away from home and his terrible brothers. Since then, he never had a permanent residence. He said he never settled because he never liked a place much; but what he was hiding was that...he was scared. He had always had some deep rooted fear of settling.

He did have one friend, however, that didn't mind following him everywhere. For some reason, neither Arthur nor Francis Bonnefroy did anything to try to keep themselves rooted. They had been friends for a while, since Arthur tried and failed to see what was so great about France. That was when Arthur was 16, Francis was 18. At first, Arthur had his worries about travelling with a French adult, but he did make getting across borders on your own easier.

They tried all throughout Europe to find some place they could bother calling home, but it never came. By the time Arthur was 18, they had decided to try Asia. That, however, was very short-lived as they quickly decided that was not a smart idea. And so, on Arthur's 19th birthday, they decided to try America.

That was where they were now. Sitting at an outdoor café in some small city somewhere along the west coast.

"Do you know what you want?" Francis asked. "I will pay."

"I'm fine," Arthur slouched in his seat. He was beginning to wonder about the point in trying to find somewhere to stay...

"I have heard about this place," Francis stretched, thoroughly enjoying the sun for the day. "It is famous for its apples."

"Wonderful," Arthur stated.

"Why are you so sour?" Francis leaned forward, over the small metal table between the two.

"Haven't I always been like this?" Arthur sighed, staring at him.

"Hello!" a cheerful voice chimed next to them and Arthur assumed that was the waitress. "Welcome to our café. What can I do for you?"

"I would like your crêpe," Francis replied happily.

"Yes, sir," the girl stated. "And you, sir?"

"I am fine, thank you," Arthur stated.

"Are you sure?" the girl asked. "We can get you a slice of apple pie or an apple fritter."

"No, thank you," Arthur sighed. The girl nodded and went off. "Apples, right."

"You could give it a try," Francis offered.

"I don't like relying on you for everything," Arthur rolled his eyes. Most of the money he came across was from doing random odd jobs or from jobs he's worked for a couple weeks at a certain place they stayed at for long. Francis, however, had been left with a rather large trust fund, and so he was the one paying for about 90% of everything.

"You can just give me an IOU," Francis laughed.

"I would rather not," Arthur rolled his eyes. "Last time I owed you, I deeply regretted it."

"It was just that one time," Francis said with a wave of his hand.

"One time too many," Arthur sighed and looked across the street. Someone was standing over there that he could have sworn he had met somewhere before. He was rather tall, with slightly dull wheat colored hair and dull eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. Immediately, their eyes locked and Arthur couldn't bring himself to look away. The man staring at him had a harsh stare, but it was familiar. Did he know him from somewhere before?

After a while, someone pushed the other man away, making him walk down the street. Arthur shook his head and turned his attention back to the table, where Francis raised an eyebrow at him.