What a sight-FrUk

Chapter One

      Arthur Ignatius Kirkland wasn't born blind, no, instead he was born with Cataracts in both eyes. As he grew up it got progressively worse up until he turned thirteen, when it rendered him completely blind. He would have had surgery to remove the Cataracts but it would have been useless, seeing as he had developed permanent damage to both of his eyes. The 23 year old Briton now worked as an author, he had already published three novels, his most famous being 'In a Millisecond' a book about a young couple who try to cope in a world that's constantly changing. That was the book that struck it big, the book that made Arthur .I. Kirkland a household name. He sighed, hunched over the oak wood desk that held his laptop. His finger's brushed over the keys, the keys that had been customised to use braille instead of printed lettering. His train of thought had stalled and he sat, his head in his hands as his elbows rested on the desk. He closed his eyes and leant back in his chair. The Briton growled, growing frustrated with himself. He opened his eyes again, but only saw blackness. He remembered back to when he could see, granted, his vision was still shit, but at least he was able to describe the room he was in back then. He remembered the multiple times he had hid on the stairwell, listening to his parents argue, listening to his father say that people with disabilities were weak and pathetic, unable to be independent, he remembered the day his father left, saying that Arthur was no longer his son. He remembered the way kids at his primary school used to trip him and take his things, moving them just out of reach when he went to grab for them. He remembered getting so frustrated with himself that he took his medically issued cane and snapped it over his knee like a fallen tree branch. He remembered his mum scolding him, telling him how they couldn't afford to replace the cane, how he had told her that he didn't need the bloody cane before storming out of the house. He remembered getting hopelessly lost in a neighbourhood he used to know like the back of his hand. He remembered everything, and all he wanted was to forget. He wanted to forget about how his father was a bigoted arse, how his brothers casted him aside as the 'handicapped' brother. That's why he wrote, it distracted him from his family problems, from his depression, from his life overall. He groaned and hit the heel of his palm against his forehead, his frustration only growing. 

Francis Bonnefoy was a charismatic young Frenchman with the ability to charm anyone. His golden blonde, wavy, shoulder length hair was tied back by a single blue ribbon as he walked the streets. The book tucked under his arm read 'In a Millisecond' by Arthur. I. Kirkland, he revered the author only three years his junior. He had picked up the book merely by chance, a title that caught his eye while browsing his local book store. As soon as the Frenchman read it he was hooked, the character development, the incredible detail, the vivid imagery, he loved it. The Frenchman had read the book three times now and was on his way to a book signing. 

Arthur sighed, he had a book signing. Dylan, his second oldest brother was driving him to the local bookstore. Dylan the only one of his brothers who actually gave a shit about him. He cared for Arthur, helping him when he needed it, much to Arthur's chagrin. Dylan insisted upon living with the Briton and Arthur couldn't do anything to get him to leave. Arthur had practiced his signature so many times he could practically do it with his eyes closed, which was great, because he basically had to. When the Welshman showed up he carefully made his way toward the car. 

"You excited little brother?" Dylan smiled softly

"About as excited as I was for the last book signing." 

"Oh stop bein' such a spoilsport Artie!" 

"My name's Arthur, not Artie."

Dylan frowned, "understood." 

~timeskip to the bookstore~ 

Dylan led him in, he made sure to arrive early so Arthur could get comfortable without people being there. He sat him in the chair and handed him his felt-tipped pen. 

"I'll be sittin' right next to you okay Arthur?"

Arthur grimaced, "yes, yes whatever."

Dylan frowned deeply, he knew Arthur didn't mean anything by that but still, he wished Arthur would be more cheerful. "Uh, Allie and Pattie are comin' later on, said it's been too long since they've seen you and you ain't answerin' their calls."

"I'm not."

"Why?"

Arthur shrugged, he knew why, but didn't want to answer. Allistair and Patrick always treated him like a burden, and all the sudden they wanted to be cordial with him, fuck that. Dylan fell silent and Arthur allowed the conversation to drop. Soon after that the people started to file in. Arthur put on his biggest smile and signed everyone's books, he asked for their names and had them spell it so he didn't get it wrong. He knew how to write, he just had an easier time using his laptop. 

Francis grinned as he neared the line, his breath caught in his throats as he saw Arthur, sure he had seen pictures but seeing the man in person, it was nothing short of magical. 

He finally got to the front of the line and a sense of euphoria filled him. "Bonjour mon amour~" he purred out. 

Dylan furrowed his brow but kept his mouth shut. Arthur smiled and tilted his head in the direction of the voice. "Well hello....." he paused, grabbing Dylan's hand under the table and finger-spelling 'sir?' into his palm, Dylan chuckled at the fact that Arthur couldn't tell, he responded by finger-spelling 'yes.' back into Arthur's palm.

Arthur gave a nod. "Hello sir." 

"Bonjour Monsieur Kirkland." 

Arthur blushed slightly and Dylan coughed. Francis blushed in embarrassment and held out his book, "Here you are Monsieur." Arthur sat still for a full minute before Dylan grabbed his hand and finger-spelled 'Book Arthur, get the book'. Arthur got the message and reached out for Francis' copy. "My apologies, I spaced out."

"Non, do not worry about it monsieur." Francis gave him a charming smile.

Arthur nodded and flipped open the front cover of the book. "Who do I have the pleasure of making this out to good sir?" 

Francis chuckled, "Francis."

"Spell it please?"

The Frenchman nodded and began to spell his name. Arthur wrote his signature before pausing, thinking of what else to write. Dylan grinned before finger-spelling 'give your number, he totally your type.' into Arthur's palm. Arthur scoffed and spelled back, 'and what is my  type?' 

Dylan chuckled, 'male' 

'He might not every be single'

'It's worth a shot Artie, even if you just end up as friends'

'Fine' Arthur quickly finished writing his message and handed Francis the book back with a smile. 

Francis looked over the message, his heart skipping a beat when he did. Dearest Francis, thank you for reading my books, I appreciate your support. 1-605-475-6961 Call me. He grinned, giggling happily, he would most definitely be calling Arthur. 

A/N: hey guys gals and nonbinary pals! Hope you like the first chapter! The views of Arthur's father are not mine whatsoever, I just needed someone to be a bigoted arse P.s please call that number! Got it off humour hotline.com! ~Emma-Louise