Chapter Text
It was a silent night aboard the GSA base, nothing particularly abnormal. The gentle hum of the engines and the very few nocturnal lurking soldiers going about the lower levels. A few floors higher up, where the high-ranking soldiers roamed, such as the leading five, Arthur, Falspar, Dragatto, Nonsurat, and Meta Knight (although he was still their subordinate, an apprentice, and thus shadowed them to sharpen his craft). Aside from their quarters, there were several accommodations such as office spaces, an armory, communal spaces, and other luxuries. It wasn’t unexpected to find one of the knights enjoying their privileges or burning the midnight candle at both ends, depending on who you were asking for. Tonight though had been everything but routine. It wasn’t unheard of for soldiers to build close bonds with one another in and out of combat, platonic and romantic, long-term and short. These kinds of things added relief, but equally as many complications, such as when romantic feelings aren’t reciprocated and you’d have to be around your love interest constantly, making a very awkward and tense atmosphere. That is what led to tonight’s event. In his office, utterly blasted and emotional, Sir Arthur clutched a bottle of liquor and choked out sobs and hiccups, Falspar and Nonsurat at his side. He takes another swing of the drink while Falspar fumbles trying to dissuade him meanwhile Nonsurat watched and waited until he could snatch the bottle away and replace it with water.
Earlier that evening after a particularly slow day, Arthur had invited Meta Knight back to the common room to finally crack open a particularly well-aged bottle of wine he got as a thank-you gift from a settlement when he was just a corporal. He agreed and met as they planned. The two meeting like this was as regular as eating and drinking. Although Meta Knight felt nothing short of respect or admiration for all his commanding officers, it didn’t take a genius to see he idolized Arthur above all else. Arthur is the face of the GSA, a model for everyone to follow about upholding justice and integrity, motivating others to do their part and fight against Nightmare and his monsters, and overall an extraordinary leader and battle brother. If it wasn’t combat-related then the two were typically holding casual conversations about life and their dreams, what they were fighting for, “I’d want the whole old-timers’ dream”, Arthur once said. “Maybe without the kids and a white fence, at my age, but a quiet night by the fire with a glass of scotch. What could be better?”. Meta Knight thought for a moment, his eyes burning green, “I’m not sure”, he admitted, “When can we truly say we’ve done enough to allow ourselves such reprieve?”. Though he could understand the reluctance to fantasize about a world without NME, without war and danger, Arthur wished Meta Knight would indulge himself and loosen up. He laid back with a sigh, then came a tender smile, and set the drink down on the table before resting a hand on Meta Knight’s back. He had a million things he could say at this moment to his fellow soldier. Choosing his words carefully, “The day will come, and we will know”. That seemed to partially satisfy the question before Meta Knight took another sip from his glass, neither paying much mind to the pressure still on his back. Arthur watched him for a moment, an intense stare as he brought the cup to his lips. “Hey”, Meta Knight looked at him puzzled, his beautiful ivory eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.
“Hey...”
And that’s what brought them to now. He had been rejected. Meta Knight fed Arthur all the lines, that he just wanted to stay friends, that Arthur was a great guy and all, but he just wasn't ready for a relationship, especially not during a war in which their army loses so many warriors each battle, it was an unnecessary stress on both of them. He swore he would never see him any differently but at that moment, Arthur’s world felt like it had shattered into a million pieces. Meta Knight quickly finished his drink before excusing himself, leaving Arthur with his thoughts. So that very night, he locked himself in his office and tried drowning his misery with alcohol, switching between misery and anger, at who? Most likely himself, maybe he doesn’t find me attractive, is he in love with someone and I never knew, was it just too soon? That’s when the screaming started, “Screw this shit! We could have been happy and you missed out!" and continued for hours. Meta Knight had walked by Arthur's office to speak to Nonsurat about the new starship models when he couldn't help but listen to the golden armored man rant on about how miserable he was. Meta Knight thought it would only make things worse if he stepped in and tried to speak with Arthur, which is how Nonsurat got involved. He agreed to help, and at first, he tried talking to Arthur but it didn't work. Then he tried to take away the alcohol in hopes to get his peer sober. but that only pissed Arthur off more.
In conclusion, Nonsurat got a face full of a glass bottle. Enter, Falspar. If anyone knew about dancing around heartbreak it was that playboy, what he didn’t account for was Falspar’s lack of empathy towards being the one brokenhearted, hence, Dragatto came in. With three against one highly inebriated man, they were able to still him and take the bottle away." Arthur! Dude, chill out!" Dragatto said, stepping back as his friend reached to grab the drink back, " What the hell is wrong with you?". Dragatto stared at Nonsurat, who only shook his head in defeat. Falspar looked at the two, "Go get some bread and water, we need to sober him up".
Forty minutes later Arthur was, in a way, behaving normally. He wasn't spewing nonsense or rambling about his misfortune anymore, but he was still deflated. He obviously knew that no amount of alcohol, or any type of drink could make him feel better, but he could hope, couldn’t he? Nobody in the room could possibly understand the hurt, humiliation, or regret that settled in the pit of his gut. But how were his instincts so off the mark? As old as he was, he had his fair share of flings and courtsmenship, but none had compared to the love he felt for his fellow soldier. Between the determination he held in the darkest times of the GSA to the few moments in between where his vulnerability was laid bare upon his fellow warriors, he had so much to give and asked so little from others, with such a kind heart blocked behind a mask of stone. Little by little he warmed up to those around him and revealed something so beautiful, his true self.
Despite the several romantic episodes under Arther’s belt, Meta Knight was his true first love, he loved everything about him. He was brave, tactful, smart, attractive, strong, and a greatly talented swordsman. In Arthur's opinion, it was almost mythical for somebody to be so well-rounded as Meta was.
Arthur sighed. He could never face Meta Knight the same again. Would his genuine acts of kindness be seen as romantic advances? Would his concern for his battle brother be seen to have ulterior motives? He wouldn’t have to think about all that at the bottom of a bottle. But even then, a man in his position could only drink in solitude for so long - and yet he couldn’t think of how to move forward from it all.
Falspar seated himself on a sofa, letting out an exhausted sigh, "You ready to tell us what made you go so crazy? I ain’t never seen you drink more than a glass or two, even on a bad day".
What a damn fool he must look like, having to make his comrades come to his drunken aid because his crush turned him down. This is not what a leader does. So many are losing their lives to Nightmare and his creations every second but they aren’t shriveled up drinking away their sorrow. Arthur stared at the three momentarily, trying to gather the right words. " I uh... I confessed my feelings to someone-" he started.
Falspar sprung up with a wide smirk across his face " oh la la! Didn't think you had it in ya man!" he beamed, “I can tell you’re the type to light the little candles, put rose petals on the floor, buy those mood-setting lights, and-” he droned on.
Arthur glared up at him, uninterested in entertaining Falspar’s jesting. " I didn't. I got turned down, actually".
The room went silent. Falspar immediately goes tight-lipped and sinks back into the sofa.
"I see, it didn’t work between you and Meta huh?" Nonsurat asked. " How did you know it was Meta Knight?" Arthur quickly said.
" It was so obvious" Dragatto replied, “To be honest we all thought you two were just poorly attempting to hide an already developed relationship”.
“But-” Nonsurat interjected, “Don't let that bring you down, Arthur. In a few years from now, once Nightmare is nothing but a memory, you'll be that rich stud he wished he had dated when he had the chance!".
Arthur was great full that he had such amazing friends. He truly was, but even so, no amount of encouraging words could fill the hole left in his heart. " Thanks, guys. But would it really have been that bad to at least go out once? I know our options are pretty limited…" he asked looking down at the floor.
" It's just bad timing, Arthur. He’s a warrior before anything else so relationships wouldn’t be in his orbit of interest" Nonsurat said " Just bad timing ".
After over an hour of friendly banter, the others had retired for the night, confident Arthur was back to his normal self. Or at least, that's what it seemed like. He plastered a false smile while bidding his friends goodnight. Although he took his friends advice to heart about just moving on and finding other fish in the sea, it didn’t feel like a sufficient resolution. No, he was going to go directly to the source.
That is what a leader does.