Work Text
Charles had been avoiding John all day. He worked non-stop to remove rocks and boulders from the ground and to build the fence around the property. What could he even say about what happened the previous night? How could he even begin to address it? It wasn't like they were being secretive about the awkwardness either as Uncle caught it immediately and wasn't helping to ease the tension. Of course, he didn't know the intricacies of their relationship which should have made it a little better, but listening to Uncle lecture him about things he didn't fully understand only frustrated Charles more.Of course, they couldn't busy themselves with manual labor forever. The setting of the sun eliminated the one excuse they had to avoid each other. Uncle had retired early and while the silence was nice, it only seemed to force Charles and John to talk even more. They both sat out on the porch of the farmhouse, beers in hand. Charles didn't really like the taste, but it was the only alcohol they had, and he fell into the habit of drinking between leaving the gang and being found by John."Good work today, Charles.""Thanks.""You don't have to do everything yourself though. As much as I appreciate the help, I would still like something to do around here," John chuckled.
"Sorry, I'll try to keep that in mind."
John's smile fell as he took another sip of his drink. "You're still thinking about last night, aren't you?"
"What gave you that impression?"
"Because so am I."
Charles pursed his lips and let his gaze fall to his lap. "I called you Arthur."
"Yeah."
"I didn't mean to."
"I figured that." Despite John's tacked on laughter, the awkward tension still loomed over the pair.
Charles shifted his position sitting on the steps, still sore on his backside from last night's activity. "I thought I had moved on by now. Guess not."
John rubbed his scraggly beard and took off his flat cap. "Y'know I always figured you two had something going on."
Charles thumbed over the hem of his vest. "You could say that." He let out a heavy sigh and looked up at the stars. "We tried to keep it secret, but now I wonder if we did a good enough job."
"Not really, but I don't think anyone had anything to say about it. If they did, they kept it to themselves."
Charles hummed and took another sip.
"I guess I should take it as a compliment if I reminded you of him."
"I wasn't thinking clearly. I was too caught up in my feelings. Arthur was the only man I ever... did that with. I guess it just felt all too familiar."
John nodded and tried to make eye contact with Charles. "I know exactly what you mean," he said, his voice low and melancholy. "Javier and I had a few situations too. Made Bill real jealous for some reason."
"That doesn't surprise me." He straightened his back and looked at John with wide eyes. "I mean about Bill, I wasn't trying to imply-"
John doubled over with a hearty laugh. "No, it's alright, Charles. It shouldn't surprise you really. We were always close like you and Arthur."
Hearing John laugh again after all these years made a smile return to Charles' face for the first time in a long time. He knew this arrangement was fragile enough as it was, but with the inevitable return of Abigail and Jack combined with the revelation that both men were always thinking of someone else left their relationship on an unstable foundation. It would only be a matter of time before it eroded completely.