Affirmation

Somebody to Die For

AN: Wow, this chapter ruined me. Inspired by Hurts' song, "Somebody to Die For".
————

Arthur zipped up his jacket as soon as the two of you stepped out of the library. He stepped to the side, pulling out a cigarette and offering you one.

"Oh, no thank you." You smiled

"Here, let me take that for you." he grabbed your tote with books and slung it over his shoulder.

You smiled and watched him as the two of you began walking. He was a character alright, but there was something you admired about him. Maybe it was the way how he was so amiable to you, despite not knowing you. Or maybe it was just his gentle yet sad eyes. All you knew was that he was genuine, and that was something besides his physical form that you were attracted to.

"You know," you said, squatting one eye to try to block out the bright afternoon sun as you faced him, "I've never smoked before. Not that I can't, I've just never tried it."

"Oh really?" He said, smiling with the cigarette hanging from his mouth "Did you want to try?" He watched your expression.

The sun shone on your face, illuminating your eyes, giving you a soft glow. God, you were something else. Almost an oxymoron walking in the streets of Gotham.

"Sure." You huff out confidently, taking a step back to not block the sidewalk.

As Arthur is looking down to take out his box, you feel your heart racing. Almost swiftly, you take the cigarette out of his mouth. He chuckles at you as you put it between your fingers.

"What are you doing?" He says enthusiastically, showing a genuine smile.

You fix your hair out of your face, putting the cigarette up to your lips. You take a deep breath, not breaking eye-contact with him. He stares in curiosity, slightly turned on. Your naiveté shines through quickly however, as you burst out in a fit of cough. Arthur lets out a loud laugh as you hand him back the cigarette.

"I don't know how you can do that." You hand it back, admitting defeat.

"Cmon," he pats your back "lets go get you some coffee."

———-

After what seems like hours of talking, you and Arthur are standing outside of the diner, the neon lights illuminating both of your faces in the cold night. Arthur is just watching you as you speak. He's had a small smile on his face the whole time. Your laughter and voice engulf him; he is attracted to you in every way imaginable.

Almost suddenly, he realizes he hasn't had an outburst of laughter. That makes him even more nervous. He runs his hands through his hair.

"You have never read that book before, have you?"

"What?"

"I mean, you said you read it a while ago. It came out just a few months ago." You smiled a coy smile.

"Oh- I mean, I-"

He felt the laughter begin to bubble in his chest. He clenched his teeth hard in a way to stifle it.

"I'm just messing with you. It's a fairly old book. If you did read it though, I would like to see what you have to say about it."

"Yeah," he offered you a toothy smile as he shuffled where he was standing. "Do you want to go back to my apartment? It's freezing out here."

He legitimately had no ill-intentions; it was freezing and he was regretting being dressed so lightly. Plus, it would be nice to have someone in the apartment. His mother would be asleep anyhow.

"Sure, it's getting too late to be outside in Gotham."

You weren't sure what was going on in your head. You barely knew him, yet you felt safe with him. You trusted him even. There was something about him that you couldn't get out of your head. You were beginning to get as equally obsessed with him as he was with you. Be it a mixture of curiosity and admiration.

————
As you entered his apartment, you looked around. It didn't look too different than yours.

"Here," he took your jacket off of your shoulders "I'll take that."

He hung it up next to his. You could smell the soft remnants of his cologne as he passed in front of you. He opened the bedroom door, checked inside it quickly, and closed it silently.

"You can sit anywhere you'd like. Do you want some water or something?"

"I'm good, thank you."

He brushes his hands through his hair as you sit on his couch. He takes his place next to you after turning on the television. He looks at you, smiling. You're easily distracted by the Murray Franklin show playing on the old TV set.

He lets his head bob on the backside of the couch, trying to relax. Arthur closes his eyes in bliss, hearing you laugh at Murray's corny jokes. For a second, he's calm. Then in a flash, he remembers all the bad. The three men. His job. The beating he took the other day in the alley. The bruises on his back. All at once, his mind reminds him of everything. He begins laughing, his body thrashing with every hiccup. He shakes his head, trying to stop it. He covers his mouth with his hand, and bites down, hard. He can't stop it. His eyes begin to water.

"Arthur? Arthur, are you okay?"

His loud laughing makes you jump from your distraction. You put an arm on his shoulder - only then can you feel how much he's shaking. You stare at him with wide eyes.

"Y-eah" he coughs violently in between the laughs.

The fit goes on for a few more seconds, and then it's reduced to coughing. He's able to calm down when he sees your concerned expression. Your hand doesn't leave his shoulder.

"I-I have this condition" he looks up at you disappointed "I don't want it to happen. I don't want to laugh. But it takes over me. I don't mean it-"

"Hey, it's okay." You cross your legs to sit sideways. You rest your elbow on the pillows of the couch. You still see the pain in his eyes.

"It's a neurological condition. Out of all the things I can possibly have, I have this stupid laugh. I hate it." He watches you as your expression grows with sorrow.

Unexpectedly, you reach out and give him a hug. You realize just how thin he is. It takes him a second to realize you're hugging him. He hadn't been hugged, well, since forever. Only his mother would hug him, but she was too fragile now. He wrapped his arms around you, tightly. His eyes begin to water as his head rests on the crook of your neck. He hugs you even tighter as you rest your hand on his head.

"It's okay, Arthur. I'm here. I'll help you anyway I can."

He begins laughing gently again, this time accompanied by some sniffles. The laughing isn't out of pain or sadness, but out of gratitude and the overwhelming emotion you caused.

He pulls away from you, but you two are still close enough that he could see the furrow in your brow. He cups your face, rubbing his thumb on your cheekbone. You lean into his touch.

Almost instantly, you see the sorrow in his eyes change to a glimmer of hope. His expression returns back into a childlike innocence. You see his eyes wander around your face. Your eyes, your cheeks, your entire manifestation.

He forgets all that is wrong with the world. For a second, he feels his being be rid of all morbidity that Gotham had tainted him with. He puts his other hand on the opposite side of your face, cupping your face. He leans in, but looks at you through hooded eyes before continuing, looking for approval.

You shut your eyes, and your lips meet his.

He tastes like coffee and cigarettes.

To him, you taste like sweetness.

He deepens the kiss, but keeps the gentleness as both mouths dance, melting into each other.

Outside the apartment, sirens are blaring. Gotham's monster is waking, but all the two of you could think about is each other, and the lust behind the kisses. One the two of you hadn't felt in a while.

For the first time in perhaps ever, Arthur feels invincible, and happy.