In The Dark Of The Night [closed]

The tapping of fingers on a touch-screen was the only sound breaking the silence of the night. It was 11 o'clock already, so it was pretty dangerous to be outside. Midnight was very close and nobody wanted to break the Laws. And if someone decided to do so...well, that was what Alfred was here for.

He resisted the urge to rub his eyes, the familiar stinging sensation of contacts annoying him to no end. He hated wearing these things, but he didn't want to risk breaking his glasses if someone decided to put up a fight. Not that Alfred was trying his best to erase anyone, but if he was to let them go, it was likely that another member of the Police would find them; and they wouldn't hesitate to erase the rule breaker's existence.

He sat up on the branch he had been lying on not a moment ago at the sound of footsteps. Someone was out this late? Maybe it was another member of the Police? But they were usually much more silent if Alfred himself and the few he had worked with were anything to go by. Was it an Elite? Would they even bother to walk through a park? He didn't think so. Maybe it was a lost person? Most probably.

He stood up and jumped off the branch, sitting down on a nearby bench innocently. He was curious as to who it could be. If it was a poor, lost soul, Alfred would just have to help them get home. He didn't want to have to erase someone for such an innocent little mistake.

Recently, Winston had taken up a habit of running away. Arthur had no idea what had gotten into his pet to make him do such a thing, but he had theories. One was that Winston was looking for a place to die in peace, though it seemed unlikely because the cat wasn't that old, and he appeared to have a large amount of spirit in him still. Two, perhaps Winston just hated living with him and was looking for a new home. Arthur was sure that he was a good owner, so he wondered why that would happen. Three, he had a lady friend somewhere in the city and was sneaking off to see her. That was the most likely of all the reasons.

Whatever it was, Arthur was unhappy about it, especially when the cat ran off in the night. Not only did he have to go out and search in the dark, but he was technically breaking the law by being out past curfew. As an Elite, he had special rights and could be out late, but there was still the chance of running into the Police. At least he had a legitimate excuse to be out. He could probably avoid revealing himself if he met anyone.

He caught a glimpse of Winston in the park, but it was fleeting and he had no idea which direction the cat headed in after that. Now Arthur was wandering the park, hoping to catch another glimpse of that fluffy white pelt. So far he had no luck. And it seemed luck would not be on his side at all tonight. Ahead of him, he could see someone sitting on a park bench. Most likely it was a member of the Police, but part of him hoped it was not. If it was just an ordinary person, he could have them removed and wouldn't have to deal with a conversation. He was in no mood to be interrogated by someone lower than him. He was tired and really just wanted to find Winston so he could go home and sleep.

As he approached the other person, the features of his face became clear. Arthur recognised his face. It was, indeed, a member of the Police. He tried his hardest not to scowl, slowing his steps ever so slightly. He was tempted to walk past the other without a word, but he knew that could make trouble. Causing trouble would mean he'd have to reveal himself. Finally coming to stand in front of this other man, Arthur looked at him and asked, "Excuse me, you wouldn't have happened to see a cat run past here, would you?"

Alfred blinked when, instead of the human the footsteps belonged to, an orange and white blur passed by him at an alarmingly high speed. When his brain finally caught up with his eyes, Alfred realized that the blur was actually a cat. The footsteps were coming closer and closer to him, which meant that whoever was out this late was probably after that cat.

He looked at the man appearing in his line of sight. He was a great deal shorter than Alfred with obviously less muscle on his frame. His hair was either blond or a very light shade of brown, he couldn't tell in the dark. However, even with the lack of light, the man's green eyes were pretty noticeable as they seemed to almost glow. And...holy mother of a sweet mottled cow, those eyebrows were huge! He quickly tore his eyes away before he could start ogling those hairy...things.

He grinned at the man and jumped up from his seat, glad to have the chance to finally use his legs. They were starting to fall asleep from sitting around for so long. "Orange and white cat? Runnin' like a dog from hell was chasing it?" He pointed at the path the cat took. "It went that way."

"That sounds like him. Was he really running like that?" Arthur sighed, unable to understand why his cat was acting like this. Part of him was tempted to just leave it, figuring Winston would find his way back home on his own. The other part worried that Winston may get hurt, or lost, or kidnapped ( catnapped? ), or something, and he knew he wouldn't be able to get any sleep at all.

He looked in the direction that the man pointed, giving a small nod. "Thank you." he was about to head off, but he thought about the description of how fast Winston was running. Arthur wasn't particularly fast, so he doubted he would be able to catch the cat. However.... Giving the other man a good look over, Arthur determined that he looked athletic, which meant it was possible that he could run fairly quickly. He was a member of the Police, too, and that only furthered the possibility.

Honestly, he would much rather not ask for any help, but he knew that with help he would be able to go home faster. It took him a moment of strong consideration before he finally said, "Could I ask you to help me? I'm afraid I won't be able to catch him on my own."

"Yupp, little fella scared me out of my wits." Well, not really, but it seemed like the appropriate thing to say. Poor guy, he seemed pretty worried for his cat. He should be worrying for himself. Alfred thought. Cats weren't erased after all, unlike humans.

He nodded back. "No prob, man." He could see that the man was about to head off. And he would follow him. He had to make sure the other would be at home by midnight. He didn't want him to get erased.

...Or the guy could ask for his help and save him the trouble of following him. He grinned at him. "Sure can! We're gonna catch him faster and then we'll get home before midnight! Sounds good?"

Arthur blinked, momentarily forgetting about the curfew. "Right.... Thank you." Actually, he had been sure it was already past midnight, but apparently not. He made a mental note to buy a watch sometime. "Er, what time is it, by the way? Just so we know how much time we have." Not that it mattered. Technically both of them were allowed the bend the rules, but then again neither of them were supposed to know that.

Now that he had someone helping him, he started to walk in the direction Winston supposedly went, not bothering to look and see if the other was following him. The man seemed nice enough, so Arthur had no doubt that he would follow. He focused his attention completely on his surroundings, looking out again for a glimpse of Winston. At the risk of looking silly, he called out, "Winston! Come here, puss!" Following that up with a few tutting noises, he looked for any signs of a reaction. He wished he had brought treats with him; if anything was going to convince Winston to come out, it would be food.

He didn't get a reaction, per se, but he did see a familiar looking tail sticking out from under a bush. Arthur chuckled softly, wondering how his cat could be silly enough to forget to hide his tail. Not that he minded. Clearly it made finding Winston easier. "I think I see him. The question is, how do we coax him out of the bush without scaring him off again?"

Okay, this man was just plain suicidal. He was out in the middle of the night without knowing what the time was? He was lucky it was Alfred's turn to take night watch. Other members wouldn't hesitate to erase him a second after the clock had struck midnight. "It's about 11, so we should hurry. Do you live far from here?" He didn't want to kill this guy, but he didn't want him to find out about the Police. Knowing about them was dangerous. It made lots of people think like Alfred, it made them question the Elite. Few of them were lucky enough to get saved by their father.

He put his hands behind his head, following the guy. He made sure to be louder than he usually was; creeping up behind him soundlessly would probably scare him. He couldn't help the quiet snicker escaping his lips at the 'puss' part. Reading and/or watching porn on the Internet wasn't exactly forbidden, but it was frowned upon, so Alfred rarely did. Still, as a healthy teenage boy, he had seen his healthy share of them. And really, when someone said 'pussy', a furry little creature wasn't the first thing on his mind.

He looked at the tail sticking out from under the bush, giving a slight laugh. Poor cat forgot to hide his tail. Really, animals were so cute and innocent. "Hmm, that depends. I'm pretty good with animals, but I don't know if your cat likes me." Most animals loved him, but there were still some who didn't. He knelt down as close to the tail as he dared, a friendly smile on his lips. "Kitty, come on out. Your owner here is kinda worried about you." he said soothingly. 'And I'm kinda worried for your owner.' was left unsaid. It would have sounded pretty creepy.

He had always thought that animals could understand both the said and unsaid things. Hopefully the kitty would realize how much danger his owner was actually in and come out.

"Not too far, no." It wasn't a lie. His apartment was only about a ten minute walk from there, he guessed. "What about you? Shouldn't you worry about getting home, yourself?" Of course, he already knew the answer to that question. Oddly, Arthur almost felt like staying out just past midnight, curious to see if this man would attempt to arrest him. He knew he shouldn't if he wanted to keep his identity hidden. Then again, he could always have the man removed.

Arthur snorted at the thought of Winston liking someone. "That cat is a demon. He doesn't even like me." It was a harsh thing to say about his only friend, but he was sure it was true. For a moment, he wondered why he was even worried about Winston, but the thought didn't last long. In the end it all went back to Winston being his only friend. That was his own choice, though. Before he could let his mind wander to thoughts of the future and Winston dying, he focused on the task at hand.

He watched Winston's tail, noting the slight lashing across the ground. Arthur could already tell that Winston was not pleased. "I don't think he's going to come out for you." he said, moving closer to squat down next to Alfred. Reaching into the bush, he placed his hands on Winston's sides, amused by the low growling the cat let out. "Oh, don't be like that, puss. You know I'm not going to hurt you." He couldn't say for sure if Winston was going to hurt him or not, however. He pulled the squirming cat out, attempting to shift Winston in his grasp in order to get a better hold on him. Wincing at the feeling of claws piercing his skin, he held the cat on his shoulder, petting him lightly to calm him down. Looking at Alfred, he said, "Well, that wasn't too hard, now was it?"

He gave a quiet sigh of relief. "That's good." He smiled at the man reassuringly. "Nah, my house is nearby too." Which was a lie; Alfred lived at least 50 kilometers away, on the other side of the populous city. He was lucky if he got home in an hour; he couldn't speed over 55 after all. But it wasn't like anyone would try to harm him in any way. If he did run into another person from the Police, he would just have to show them that he has a gun and that would be it. No ordinary person was allowed to carry a gun.

However, meeting another cop had never happened before, he doubted it would now. "Don't worry about me! I live very close, I can get there in five minutes, tops!"

He raised an eyebrow. "That's not a nice thing to say about your own pet. And come on, he must like you! You're his owner!" A sigh escaped his mouth at that. He didn't think the cat would come out for him either. He hated it when animals disliked him. It made him feel too much like the monster he was so close to becoming like. He watched the other lift the struggling cat up, hushing him in an almost gentle voice. He must have loved the feline.

He pouted at him childishly. "Hey, you had an unfair advantage! You're his owner, he gets food from you, of course he's gonna like you more!" Realizing that catching the guy's cat probably meant they had to part ways, he quickly held a hand out for cat-boy."I'm Alfred F. Jones, by the way. What's your name? Calling you 'the guy' in my head is getting kinda boring."

"If you're sure...." Not that he was at all worried, but he couldn't let this man know that. Arthur was well aware that he would be fine even if he didn't live nearby- and even if he wasn't a member of the police, he still wouldn't worry. How could he feel sorry for anyone idiotic enough to stay out past curfew? If they broke the laws, they deserved to be removed.

Arthur snorted at the man's pout, half wondering how any Police could look so childish. Just what kind of people were the Elite hiring for such a job, anyway? He would have to speak with the other Elites about this later. "I wasn't mocking you, no need to pout." he said, turning his head just a bit to press his cheek against Winston's fur. He felt clumps of dirt there, and noted that he would have to bathe the cat when he got home. "He only came out for me because I pulled him out."

"I understand completely. It isn't much better referring to you as 'the man' in my own head." Arthur said with a laugh and reached out to shake his hand. "James Smith." he said, the name sounding so familiar. Slowly, he was forgetting his real name, responding more to 'James' than he did 'Arthur'. "Thank you for helping me, Mr. Jones. I suppose we'll be parting now, hm?" Part of him was curious to know more about Alfred, simply because he was part of the Police. Arthur had met others, even 'befriended' a few, but this one seemed... different. "Perhaps we could meet up sometime? I could treat you to lunch for to make up for wasting your time like this?"

"Bah, it sure sounded like you were." And his pride was a bit hurt that the cat chose its owner over him. Oh well, stuff like that happens. Not everyone can love him. "But he didn't escape again, which means he must like you." And he was sure that the cat did like his owner very much. It was just too grumpy to admit it.

James Smith, huh? "Nice to meet'cha, James! And please, Alfred. Or Al or whatever. Mr. Jones was my father." Really, he was much too young to be called a 'Mister'. He grinned at James. "Nah, I didn't really do anything. But you're welcome, I guess." Parting? Not likely. He was going to follow James home. And no, that was totally not stalkerish! He only wanted to follow him to make sure he didn't get erased by another member of the Police who happened to pass by.

He blinked at the shorter man, a bit surprised. He wanted to meet him again? That sounded kind of nice, actually. "You really didn't waste my time, but who am I to refuse free lunch?" He said, beaming. "Kidding, meeting up later sounds awesome." He dug out his semi-expensive phone from his pocket. "Gimme your number?"

Arthur hated to be so casual with someone he hardly knew, but wouldn't it be considered even more rude to call him 'Mr. Jones' when he didn't want to be called that? It couldn't be helped. "Alright then, Alfred." That was less casual than 'Al' at least. He wondered if it would be wrong... and weird if he insisted to be called 'Mr. Smith'. Most likely.

Shaking his head at Alfred's first comment, he put on a smile. "I feel like I wasted your time." He wondered how 'awesome' the boy would think going to lunch with him would be if he knew Arthur's true intentions. Not that they were harmful to Alfred- well no, that wasn't true. It all depended on just how interesting he turned out to be. If he was boring, just like any other citizen and Police out there, Arthur would do nothing. Legally, he couldn't do anything if that was the case. Even if there was more to Alfred, would Arthur still have him removed? Observing him for a while could prover quite entertaining....

He gave Alfred the number to his personal phone, pulling said object out of his pocket as he did. "And could I have yours?" If this lunch was going to happen, he would be the one to plan the day and time. He wouldn't wait for Alfred to call him first.

He shrugged at that. "Well, if you feel like that, there's nothing I can do." And going to lunch did sound like an awesome idea. Alfred loved making friends, but he always grew bored of them quickly. They were so convinced that the world was perfect, that the Elite were Saints, that nothing should change. And he couldn't stand that. Being alone with his beliefs was lonely, but there was nothing he could do.

He looked at James contemplatively. Was there even the smallest chance that he was different? The answer was probably no. And even if he wasn't an ordinary person, he probably wouldn't share his ideals. His dream was a pretty dangerous one after all.

Alfred nodded and took James' phone, adding himself to his contact list as 'The Hero'. He liked to think of himself as the future hero of mankind, so he took up the nickname 'Hero'. There were even classmates of his who called him that, thinking it was just a cute nickname or something, not knowing the true implications of the word.

He quickly called himself from James' phone, saving his number. He gave the shorter man his phone back, grinning. "There you go. I think we should be going now though. It's getting pretty late. Mind if I walk you home?" Not that he cared if James minded or not. He would make sure he got home safe either way.

He couldn't help but think it was rude of Alfred to just take his phone like that, but he didn't comment. At least he gave it back. Not that Arthur was expecting him to run off with his phone, but still. Looking down at the phone, he could see his list of contacts, the newest being 'The Hero'. He nearly laughed when he read it, if only because it seemed so ironic. Alfred was definitely a hero of sorts, to the Elite. Personally, though, Arthur wouldn't think of killing people as being heroic.

Perhaps it was this that made Alfred even more interesting. 'He wants to walk me home, hm? Probably hoping to remove me as soon as midnight rolls around. Some hero.' Arthur thought, but his expression did not betray those thoughts. With a smile, he said, "I appreciate the offer, but you should worry about getting yourself home. I'll be fine." He wondered if Alfred would persist. He had a feeling that he would be followed home whether he wanted it or not.

Arthur failed to notice Winston climbing onto his shoulder, moving to sit on the opposite shoulder he had been placed on. He was so used to this by now, that he hardly felt it. Even if he had noticed, he wouldn't have thought anything of it. If only he had turned his head to look, perhaps he would have noticed the intense glare the cat was giving Alfred.

Somehow, he expected to be rejected. Now he had to be all sneaky and follow the guy home. How troublesome. "'Kay then." He smiled at James. "Promise me you'll get home before midnight, okay?" He wouldn't remove James, but it was always the best to play it safe. He didn't want him to be seen by an Elite or a Police. Alfred would be safe, he just had to show his gun and that was it, but James most probably wasn't.

He blinked when the cat started glaring at him viciously. What had he done to offend the feline? He couldn't be angry at Alfred just because he helped James find him, right? He had a feeling that wasn't the case. What if the cat could somehow feel that Alfred was different? He had no idea if members of the Police gave off different vibes, but it was a possibility. Maybe he thought Alfred was going to harm James? He frowned at that. He never hurt innocent, and breaking those ridiculous laws didn't count, people if he could avoid it! He shook his head at the cat, smiling soothingly, trying to convey the message 'I'm not going to hurt him'.

"So, text me when you think of a time and place for lunch, okay?" he said, giving a small wave and starting to walk in the opposite direction, planning to duck inside the forest at the first chance he got. He could hide between the trees and maybe, if needed, he could climb on roofs, and follow James without being noticed.

"I promise." The only reason he would uphold that promise is because he was really very tired, and wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed. Hopefully Winston wouldn't try to run off again. If he did, Arthur wouldn't even bother to go looking for him. ( That was a complete lie, but Arthur wanted to think it. )

He noted the nod Alfred gave, apparently to Winston, and turned his head to look at the cat. He reached up to pet the cat, smiling a bit. "Winston, don't glare at him. He's a friend." Of sorts. It didn't really matter. Winston would glare at anyone, whether they were Arthur's friend or not. He did wonder what Alfred thought of the glaring, though. He didn't appear to be bothered by it.

"Will do." Arthur said with a nodded, keeping still long enough to watch Alfred walk away. Then he turned and headed toward his apartment. He kept an ear open to listen for any signs of being followed. Even if Alfred was following him, what could he do? He had to pretend like he didn't notice. He frowned as he walked, trying to hide his discomfort. He didn't really want the other man to know where he lived.

Resisting the urge to glance behind him, Arthur entered his apartment building. He let out a sigh, heading to the stairs to walk the three floors up to his apartment. He would have taken the elevator, but they made Winston uncomfortable. By the time he made it to his apartment and in his bed, he couldn't think of much besides sleep. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table, the time reading 12:01. He grabbed his phone and sent a quick message to Alfred. 'Sleep well, Hero.'

After ducking into the the forest, Alfred turned back immediately, the smile from being called a friend by James still on his lips. For the first time in his life, he was actually glad for having to be on shift. He moved noiselessly between the trees, sometimes jumping on a branch to avoid a lump of scrunchy leaves. He didn't want the other to hear him, after all. Or his cat to smell him.

When the forest came to an end, Alfred climbed on a balcony and continued after James, jumping from balcony to fence, then balcony once again. He grinned, adrenaline rushing through his veins when he slipped or came close to falling. This was the best, if not the only good part of his job; he could run and jump around freely like this, and no one was around to call him crazy or judge him for it. He stopped on a balcony of the building next to James', watching him go inside with a satisfied smile. He was safe, that was good. He took out his phone and looked at the time 12:00. He kept his promise. He was about to put his phone back in his pocket and return to the park until hi shift ended, when he could feel it vibrate slightly. He raised an eyebrow, wondering why James texted him so soon.

He could feel his smile softening, a silent chuckle passing through his lips. For some reason it felt good that James called him a Hero. It almost felt like acknowledgment. He texted back a 'You too, cat-boy.', and went back to the park in a considerably better mood.