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Arthur walking the streets of london with a scowl on his face and with a negative aura overall because it is irritably loud and lively around him.
Everywhere he looked it reminded him of the past Christmas that brought him nothing but bad memories and for this he despises the Christmas holidays and everything it stood for.
Christmas lights twinkling, children caroling, lovers roaming the streets hand-in-hand. He has had enough of it all. To think he had been sent home because of this. What a waste of time all of it was when he could have been spending his time wasting his life away buried under stacks of paperwork.
So, he picked up his pace and tried his hardest to consciously drown out the noise of his surroundings.
Grinning ear to ear, Alfred greets each of his customers with utter glee. He honestly loved the Christmas holidays. All around him, everything and everyone was radiating with the jolly Christmas spirit.
And to think he was adding to that joy by playing as Santa Claus at his aunt's bake stall. Each time Santa greets children with a Merry Christmas or hands out the boxes of pastries to their itty bitty little hands, they never fail to jump up and down with joy or for the shy ones, muttering a quiet “thank you” with barely contained excitement. In turn, the parents become influenced by their children's childlike excitement that they become like children themselves, grinning ear to ear in the face of Father Christmas.
A big speaker plays a familiar Christmas song. Alfred smiles to himself as people's faces shift into a look of familiarity and carries on their way as they hum the familiar tune.
“ Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
Next year all our troubles, will be out of sight ”
Looks like everyone is having their own Merry little Christmas, he thought to himself before he resumes his work.
But before he could, he spots the anomaly.
He sees a man hastily trudging down the streets with an aura completely the opposite of the spirit of Christmas. He further examines the grump, he had an unkempt mop of blonde hair, ridiculously large brows above his furious yet mesmerisng emerald eyes and his pretty face was twisted into an ugly scowl.
Now, as a hero, Alfred could not let this
slide, his attitude was very unsuitable for the Christmas spirit after all. And as a hero, it was his duty to save Christmas from Scrooges– even one as pretty as the man.
So, he glided his way across the street and ended up face to face with the grumpy man.
It seemed that the man was not paying attention to his surroundings as he walked because he carried on walking until he face-planted himself on Alfred's chest.
The man tossed his head up to glare at Alfred.
“GIT! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE–”
He was cut off as Alfed threw on his Santa act and let out a boisterous laugh “HO HO HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!” then a pause, “but what do we have here? a frown oh your face? Now, that ruins the spirit of Christmas! Smile! Smile! Be Merry!”, Alfred sing-songs in his deep Santa voice while he gestures wildly as if to urge the man to do just that.
But, instead the man gives him an even deeper scowl, the tip of his bushy brows almost kissing.
“Out of my way, wanker!”, the man roared in reply before forcibly pushing his way past Alfred.
Arthur was just going on his merry way before this fat personification of Christmas intentionally blocked his way. Way to ruin his already soiled mood even more on this god-awful evening.
So, he did what any sensible person would do walk past the arsehole and continue his walk.
But, unfortunately the crazy American Santa was not like the sensible gentleman that he was as he soon heard animated footsteps following his own.
He turned to shout, but it came out as a shriek instead, “LEAVE ME ALONE, CREEP!” then Arthur picked up more pace in preparation to make a run for it, but alas, the man followed suit.
“No can do, boy!” He heard the man say in his Santa impression. “I’m afraid, I can't have a Scrooge running around while I worry he might ruin the Merry Christmas with the obvious scowl on his face!”
“Well as you can see on my face, Father Christmas. This Christmas isn't doing me any merry! Now would you please just bloody leave me alone!”
“Now, why is Christmas not merry for you, my boy?”
Arthur threw his head back and sent a glare in the man’s way, if looks could kill he would be a rotting corpse right now Alfred thought.
“That is none of your concern! And pray tell why I'd tell you, a predator dressed up as Santa– let alone one with an awful voice impression like yours!
Alfred—ahem—Santa was about to confront those false accusations thrown at him until he heard the next sentence. That seemed to stop him dead in his tracks.
Curious as to why the man abruptly stopped, Arthur slowed down a bit.
A cough resounded in the air, followed by a stutter in an American accented voice.
“erm, uh, what's bothering you?”
Arthur would have swooned right there and then if he were not already fuming at the moment.
My God, did the American have a silky smooth deep voice. It was just a shame that he was not in the mood right now and that certain American was not helping him either.
He turned to get a proper look of the man, and was quite disappointed that most of his body was buried under layers of the Santa Claus costume, so there is not much to see. Except, there were some that caught Arthur's eye; the man’s blue eyes under his spectacles for example, they had a sparkle to them that stood out. They did not seem to be overshadowed by all the flashy fairy lights and the dim light of the winter night. Or the weird strand of hair that seems to be stubbornly popping out of his Christmas hat. Though, unfortunately for Arthur he could not see the man’s full face because of that stinky fake beard.
Arthur snapped out of his thoughts before he could ogle at the man any further.
He gathered himself and thought of an attack.
It seemed that changing back to his normal voice surprised the man as Alfred saw how he too stopped dead on his tracks and threw his head back to face him. To get a better look at him, probably.
In fact, it even seemed that the man was checking him out if Alfred did not think any better. In fact, if he was, Alfred could not blame him either, he wasn't exactly innocent because the moment the man turned to face him– boy did he bite his tongue hard enough so that he doesn't let out a whistle or a phrase that could be deemed as verbal sexual harassment.
Goddamn was he hot as fuck up this close.
Then, the man blinked as if he just lost himself and then tilted his head to stare Alfred dead in the eye with one bushy brow raised.
“And you'd think I would tell a yank what's bothering me?” The man snarled as he folded his arms.
Wow, rude.
Alfred gathered himself to think of a retort that was proper for a hero like him because obviously they would not get anywhere if he ended up just snapping back.
“Well, what is it? You can tell me! I am a hero after all! Plus, as you can see I'm Santa right now too! If I can't make everyone merry on Christmas, what's the point of me being Santa?”
Arthur realised he was just wasting his time so he turned his back to the man to carry on walking and mumbled under his breath.
“What utter nonsense. Goodbye Santa.”
Alfred saw how the man was up and pacing again so followed too.
“Hey, at least tell me your name!”
“Why the hell would I? and to a stranger too?”
“C’mon it's not that deep! just tell me!”
“Oh for God's sake! Fine! It's Arthur.”
Huh, a pretty name fit for a pretty boy like you, Alfred did not dare say that aloud.
“Now will you please just leave me alone already!”
“I'm Alfred. Alfred F. Jones.”
That caught Arthur's attention. Alfred huh that's a nice name. He thought and mentally slapped himself for thinking that.
“Didn't ask, don't care.” he muttered before hastening his pace again.
“Oh c’mon now. Is there anything I can do to cheer you up”
“There is nothing you could to cheer me up, Mr. Jones. Now if you would please just go away.” He seethed.
Then, Alfred suddenly pushed past him to stand in front, face to face with Arthur. Which meant Arthur was forced to an abrupt stop.
“Ahah! How about I sing you a song?”
“No, thanks. I have had enough of the carolers shouting in my ear!”
“Well, I promise this will be worth your time!”
It probably would not be worth his time, Arthur thought. He might even have a bad singing voice and many such cases, he added.
And boy, oh boy was he wrong when Alfred closed his eyes and started humming the familiar tune.
“Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
Next year all our troubles, will be out of sight”
Oh, how fast did his jaw drop to the ground before he was even aware of it. Though, it was not as fast as the thundering of his heart against his chest. The way Alfred carried his tune gave him a fleeting feeling.
He was so awe-struck by this gorgeous man's beautiful singing voice who went out of his way just to make his grumpy self feel a little bit happier for Christmas.
All that built up anger earlier just for it all to be thrown out of the window once this man started singing him a Christmas carol. All of it forgotten as he found himself swooning.
But that wasn't until the man began the second stanza where he found himself absolutely gobsmacked.
As Alfred sung the second stanza he slowly took off his fake beard from its clip and gazed his azure orbs into Arthur’s emerald ones.
When Arthur thought he could not swoon any more he was slapped with Alfred revealing his face.
Arthur was caught in a daze, mesmerised as he could not dare to take his eyes off the man and his handsome features.
He felt his body sway along to the tune of the song.
This went on for a couple more minutes until the song ended.
Emeralds fixed on Sapphires. Sapphires fixed on emeralds.
If his Christmases were spent with Alfred’s eyes gazed upon his own like it was now.
Perhaps, Christmas might become merry, after all.