Uncommon (BWWM)

Chapter 24

"You look like someone shat in your cornflakes and made you eat it." Will comments, strutting into Arthur's flat.

Arthur and Richard are stood in the empty living room, boxes in hand, in the midst of loading a moving truck with their stuff.

"Well things haven't been all sunshine and rainbows lately, have they?" Arthur murmurs, watching as Will bends down to pick up one of the other boxes.

"I don't know man, life's pretty good from my perspective." Rich quips, sounding distracted.

Arthur looks at him confused, before following the shorter man's gaze to their curly haired friend. More specifically, his bottom. They've obviously made up.

He kicks a leg out and taps Richard's, snapping his cousin out of his ogling. Arthur gives him a flat look.

"What's up, Artie?" Will says, finally turning around, causing Richard to snap his vision upwards.

"His mum wants him to marry Bex." Rich answers for Arthur.

With an incredulous look, Will exclaims, "Bex?! But she's..."

"A big fat lesbian?" Rich supplies, not an ounce of tact in his words.

Arthur looks at him, eyes wide and disbelieving, but Will just rolls his pretty blue eyes.

"Not exactly how I would put it. Especially considering she's sort of still in the closet." Will scolds.

"Mate, she's so far in the closet, that Narnia feels like a walk to the corner shop." Richard scoffs, heading out of the door to the moving truck.

"Takes one to know one." Arthur mutters, earning a delighted snort from Will and a shove in the shoulder.

"So... how's Grace taking it? I assume you've said no to your mum?"

"Of course I have." Arthur replies, following Will out the door too, "I haven't told Grace yet, I've asked her to come round before I leave tomorrow night."

"Right... well, how d'you think she'll take it?"

"Poorly." Arthur sighs, "Mum's already told her that she basically doesn't want me to be with her. And now she wants me to marry her friend."

"A blonde, white girl at that." Will notes solemnly, "It's gonna kill her self-esteem."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she wants nothing to do with me," With a heavy exhale, Arthur loads his box onto the truck and turns to his friend, "All of her worst fears are being confirmed. The insecurities haunting this relationship are all getting validated within a week."

"I'm sorry, lad." Will tells him, placing a comforting hand onto the brunet's shoulder, "I just hope she knows you love her."

"Same here." Arthur agrees, "Oh, by the way, how's Sam? I heard he's been looking into our uni?"

"Yeah!" Will grins proudly, "He's fantastic!"

Sam, Will's seventeen year old brother, is an absolute genius. His biological parents, who died on a trip to their home country, Sri Lanka, when he was just 10 months old, were accomplished doctors, surgeons in fact. Will's parents knew them well, so were always sure to remind him of how great a family he came from. Despite this, they were always supportive of him following his own path, it just so happened that he wanted to be a doctor too.

He and Will were inseparable growing up, and it's always easy to forget that they aren't blood brothers. The only reminder of this is the contrast between Sam's deep brown skin and the pale colour of Will's. Otherwise, they're virtually twins.