Human Experiences
Here is my drabble contribution to the fandom! Not sure if I am keeping this as a one shot or not tbh, but I had fun putting this together. Hope whoever reads enjoys!
Summary: Arthur is having a hard time, but John may have learned just the trick to make his friend feel better. Or, John learns what tickling is
The streets of New York buzzed with the normal air of business and urgency as the chilled late autumn wind pushed through the crowds of people on their way to their offices, the subways or other pressing matters. All in dramatic contrast to the blind man calmly traversing the chaotic flow of bodies making their way through the sidewalk. With Hattie finally home and the dark shadow vanished from their temporary abode, the street seemed to hold a brighter energy all around.
Even the grocer seemed livelier. Moreso, Marie walked with an enthusiasm that had been unseen in years. The house filled with the teasing banter of two sisters playing chess and the comfortable conspiracy of a lifetime of shared stories being not so expertly whispered over tea in the living room. Hominess has warmed its way through the thaw that had befallen Marie’s home for so many years as the pair stove to make up for years of separation and heartache.
Marie, in her own way, softened with each interaction she had with her sister. Her warmth spoken of a family finally reunited after years of heartbreak.
Scratch and his influence were gone. Whatever that meant in the future, his absence left the odd company with the ability to breathe.
Arthur had been preparing to push on, afraid he would intrude on a very fragile time in their recovery, but Marie would hear nothing of it. The pair of sisters insisted he join their afternoon tea and games of dominoes, which often lead to the good natured regalings of the good old days, always at of the two sisters’ expense. John describing the subtle knowing expressions they gave to each other through their conversations and making his own remarks on the unexpected turn of events that left Arthur chuckling even after they learned quite a few examples of how Marie had once been quite the rebel in her day. The early evening went on in this way until the tea had gone well cold and forgotten in the tears of mirth and amused chatter. Marie, for all her ridged exterior, seems to be a much softer person now. A part of her that was lost and filled with grief was returned to her and allowed love to finally flow freely once more. Arthur was told in no uncertain terms that he would stay until he had found his next case. Out of politeness’ sake, Arthur insisted that he would be able to find other accommodation just fine but felt warmth bloom in his heart at being wanted… at being cared about. Marie would not take no for an answer and Arthur easily relented.
The pair reasoned they had enough funds to take a light break and enjoy the city before they began cracking down on The Order once more. Who knew when they would find time to simply exist in this space again.
Thus, the bound souls made their daily schedule. After breakfast with the sisters, the pair made their way down the city block to enjoy the sights and sounds like the tourists they were. Eventually, the pair made their way to Central Park and basked in the glory of the calm haven in a city of endless noise. The rustling of the dry leaves in the wind made for a perfect backdrop to the sounds of bird singing in the distance.
Aside from the general guidance John gave to prevent Arthur from tripping over or stumbling into obstacles and people alike, the pair enjoyed the sounds of nature as it played its sweet and subtle melodies. The walk, as splendid as it felt, was beginning to wear on Arthur’s leg and soon John navigated them to sit on a park bench. John described the scene in awe.
“We are sitting facing the grassy tree line at the edge of the walking path. The trees tower above us on both sides of the path. The path seems to stretch and wind forever. The colours are breathe-taking Arthur. What I imagine would normally be green foliage is a burst of orange, red and ambers as they float lazily from their place in the branches above; raining the path and grass alike with fiery-bright leaves. The wind picks them up with each wave and swirls them in pleasant looking spirals. Those not caught in the wind-funnels skitter across the path with the wind and away. A ways away, children play in the leaves, gathering them in large piles and tossing them in the air. Several are diving in even larger piles, and landing with a soft explosion of leaves.”
Arthur chuckles as he begins to hear the tinkling laughter on the air. He closed his eyes and simply allowed the sounds to wash over him.
“Arthur, can you open your eyes?”
“Hm? Oh right, of course.”
“Thank you. The scene is so beautiful, I just want to take in as much of it as I can while we are here.”
“I can understand why. The weather feels lovely, I would be content sitting here for the rest of my life. Just like this.” Arthur remarked as he stretched himself on the bench and arched his head to stare skywards.
Just then, an uptick in laughter could be heard and Arthur had to chuckle at that. Such simple joys were to be treasured in this world, and he would try and cherish each moment as much as he was allowed.
Arthur eventually brought his head back up and rested it on his own hand when John spoke up again.
“A couple are passing us by, and they have several small dogs on leashes. The dogs seem to be leading them more than they are leading the dogs.”
“Well, this does seem to be the perfect park to walk a dog. Or several. Plenty of space, winding paths, lovely scenery… or so I’ve been told.” Arthur teased not unkindly.
A sharp shriek, followed by an uproar of laughter could be heard ahead of them.
“The children are chasing after one another, playing a game of sorts and…. Poking each other…….. they are shrieking with laughter each time….” John sounded confused and, for the life of him, Arthur could not fathom what for.
“John, what are you confused about?”
John seemed to think for a moment. “Why are they shrieking? They jolt and run away, but they are still laughing, so it can’t hurt. If anything, they seem to be having fun?”
Arthur was left speechless for a moment. There was no way. “John? Are you confused as to why they are tickling each other?”
John remained silent for a moment, long enough for Arthur to assume he would not receive an answer. Just when Arthur opened his mouth to speak, John had finally decided on his response.
“I don’t know. What does ‘tickling’ mean?”
“Wait, you don’t know? You have been on earth for Months now, John!” Arthur was honestly quite shocked this hadn’t come up before. “So you have never… I mean, I get while you have been in my body but at some point, in the eons you have existed… you’d have to come across the idea it at least?”
“Never mind, forget I asked.” Came the sulky reply.
Defensive as ever, Arthur mused. But Arthur knew he shouldn’t tease the god too much. John was sensitive about these things. There were many things he was still learning about the human experience.
“No no no, I am sorry, John. I don’t mean to tease. I was just… a bit taken aback.” Arthur explained with another chuckle while John gave an impatient huff in response.
How does he explain this to an entity that has never had a full-fledged body? Or, at least a human-adjacent one.
“Well, it is a very juvenile experience really. More of a reflex than anything. Ummm…”
He wasn’t explaining this very well, was he?
Apparently tired of Arthur’s stalling, John broke the silence. “So, you poke someone… and they laugh?” he ventured.
“Yes! Basically, yes.” Why was this so bloody hard to describe?
“But, I have poked you many times and you have never laughed…” John countered.
Shit.. that’s true. “Well, I suppose you’re right. Hmm. I guess you would have to prod in the right areas for starters.”
“Oh?” John probed inquisitively. His interest was piqued.
“Yes well, any weak points in the body would do really. The stomach, ribs, feet. When you poke those areas, it can elicit laughter. I don’t really know why, but you are just compelled to. It honestly makes no sense, but I suppose that is just one of the quirks that come with having a human body!”
“Why would you ‘tickle’ someone? What purpose does it serve?”
That would be the million-dollar question, now, wouldn’t it? “Well, it doesn’t really… Serve a purpose, I mean. Children do it to each other because it is... fun? Like any other game and form of bonding. And people like seeing other people laughing from time to time. It can sometimes be used to cheer someone up, actually.”
Unbidden, Arthur recalled a long-buried memory in which he used that very tactic to pull a very special person out of a crying spell. It unfurled in his heart and laid bitter-sweet and heavy in his soul. The innocent giggling in the park filled his ears and was now too much to bear. Arthur sniffed and rubbed his eyes before they had the chance to get properly misty.
“Arthur?”
“Anyway, that about covers it! Let’s get to Noel’s, I am sure he could use the company.”
John let out a sigh, but conceded as Arthur was already grunting with the exertion of standing from the bench.
Beginning the long trek to where Noel was surely enjoying his Friday afternoon either at his apartment or at his favorite coffee shop, Arthur grew quiet. Thoughts of the past, grief and guilt once again bubbling up at the back of his throat and in his pocket where the photograph sat heavy and accusing. So lost in the tidal wave of emotion, he almost didn’t hear John tentatively say his name.
“…Arthur?”
Swiping at his eyes again, Arthur cleared his throat and replied with a hum of acknowledgement.
“We’ve made it to Noel’s.”
“Grand, let’s head up then.”
Aside from John’s guidance, heading inside and up the steps to Noel’s door was also a quiet affair. However, the comfort that usually came with their silence was left behind at the park bench.
“Arthur, are you ok?”
“I am just fine, John. Just a bit worked up, right now.”
“Is it something that I said?” As they walked up flight after flight, John worried his hand into fabric Arthur’s jacket pocket. He had been so careful, what had he done? It seemed like he always found a way to hurt him, even without meaning to. Had he really come that far from his time as The King?
Arthur’s hurried reply thankfully halted these thoughts before they could grow in weight.
“No, no. Just, it’s hard. Remembering things about Faroe. I cherish every memory I have of her, but it hurts… knowing that…”
Arthur couldn’t bring himself to finish his line of thought; not in the middle of a well-used stairwell and on their way to see Noel. A complete emotional breakdown would be a bit inconvenient if he were to pass anyone by, and he desperately did not want to make his tears Noel’s problem to handle. He was a grown man, after all. He should be able to deal with his own emotions by now.
He sniffled and grunted as he made it to the top step of the top floor. Get it together, Lester…
Just as Arthur was preparing to knock on Noel’s door, John seemed to have one more pressing matter to bring up.
“Arthur?”
Sighing, he brushed back his hair and replied with a drawling “Yes, John?”
“Does this ‘tickling’ work on all humans?”
Tilting his head at the odd direction this conversation was going, he quirked an eyebrow and answered. “Mm, not exactly. The person must be at least a little ticklish for it to work on them.”
The silence was long as John digested this new information.
“Are you ticklish?”
Arthur already didn’t like where this was headed. “No” came his all too quick reply. The guilt and melancholy were quickly overshadowed by a primal dread arising from his gut as he felt his left arm slowly start to move. “John? John! Don’t you da-uAH” and before he knew it, Arthur was being assaulted by 5 fingers spidering their way around his ribs.
Loud cackling erupted from the man before he could even think to try and muffle it, reverberating in the empty stairway.
“Liar!” John yelled triumphantly as Arthur repeatedly tried to grab his own offending hand and failed.
Distracted beyond measure, Arthur nearly fell over before he found the wall. “W-WaIT! NOOHOHOHO! JOHN!”
Trying again to grab at John as he mercilessly attacked his midsection, Arthur’s protests were overpowered by his laughter as he slid down in a puddle of flailing limbs and giggles.
“I do not think I will wait, actually. Besides, you are still laughing so I see no issue here, Arthur.”
Arthur could not think straight, but he did have a few choice words to share. “YoouhuH BastaAHrd!” Perhaps not the most original, but there was no way Arthur was going down without at least somewhat of a fight. Alas, each attempt to pin John’s hand was thwarted as it never remained in one area for too long, and Arthur’s ability to concentrate waned significantly in the short amount of time. It was all Arthur could do as he mentally cursed himself for unwittingly giving John all the tools he needed to be proficient in this torture. Skillfully avoiding any of Arthur’s old wounds, John continued his seemingly random but productive prodding while calmly conversing over Arthur’s increasingly high-pitched laughter. “Name-calling is wholly unnecessary, Arthur. Although, I guess that might mean that you are feeling better! After-all, you were rather quiet the whole walk here.”
And that was the sight that greeted Noel right outside his door when he came to investigate what he thought were the cackles of a raving lunatic. Noel’s expression flashed from suspicion, to concern, pure confusion and finally a bit of amusement before he decided to squat down and step in.
“Alright you two, break it up! I think Arthur’s at the end of his rope here John. Let him breathe, people need air. Remember?”
“Oh, right. Sorry.” John replied sheepishly as his hand stilled.
Arthur slumped, breathing heavy and groaning with residual giggles.
“Sooo…. either of ya’ wanna fill me in on what is going on?” Noel inquired as he pulled Arthur to a sitting position against the wall.
Still in the process of catching his breath, Arthur attempted a reply. “This Wack job thought tickling the daylights *gasp* out of me was the best way to-”
“Arthur needed cheering up. I found a way to help.”
Arthur grumbled as he tried to take a deeper breath.
“John said ‘Arthur needed cheering up, and I found a way to help’…”
Arthur sat with that knowledge for a moment and contemplated it. That was actually really considerate, all things considered. A very childish way to act on such things, but thoughtful nonetheless.
Noel chuckled before nudging Arthur constitutionally with his elbow. “Huh… remind me to never let this guy catch me in a bad mood, huh? Well doll, that’s not too bad. Just don’t overdo it, ok? It’s nice that you were trying to help Arthur here, and God knows he needs to smile more. But… I would say you wore him out a bit.”
John gave a pause and took stock of their shared body. He heard the ragged breathes as much as felt them where his hand lay on Arthur’s diaphragm. Carefully, he pulled his hand up to Arthur’s chest, feeling the racing heartbeat as it fought to slow into something resembling a normal rhythm.
This, is not what he thought would happen, not at all. He had taken it too far, he had messed up, again. That seemed to be all he was good for, these days. The Undefeated, huh?
“I am sorry, Arthur. I am rarely good at being, comforting… and I wanted to make you feel better. I just thought I finally had an easy way to do that without risking making it worse.” Pressing his hand to Arthur’s chest, he hoped he felt the sincerity of his words.
Sighing, he continued. “I promise, I won’t do that again…” This was stupid of him, what made him think he could just-
“Wait” came an unexpected interruption.
Sliding his hand over John’s, Arthur took a full breath at long last before continuing.
“No, actually. Thank you, John. You helped me out of my internal spiraling and, well. While that may have been…unorthodox... I actually am feeling a bit better.”
“Arthur?”
“And, it means a lot, that you care about my happiness. It feels nice that you care about me enough to take a stab in the dark and try something just to make me feel better… so, thank you.”
John hummed in response, apparently stunned for a moment before deciding on his reply. “I am glad I could help, my friend.”
Arthur chuckled but realized he should think better of leaving that door open and quickly added to his statement. “But, not like this. Not in public. Ever. Again!”
However, the damage was done. Pleased with himself, it showed deeply in John’s tone. “Noted, now let’s get off the floor. It’s dirty down here and our coat is getting covered in dust.”
Arthur bristled with amused annoyance. “And Who’s Fault Is That!?!”
Noel The Great Detective, seeing the partners’ quarrel was settled, gave a huff of laughter before lending the still shaky Arthur a hand as he obviously struggled to get his feet beneath him. “Lemme help ya up, kid.” The two men and entity pushed Arthur off the floor and made their way into the apartment for some terrible coffee.