Chapter 4: Division Of Labour

Relaxing his head back against the plump sofa cushions, Arthur began to give way to the pull of sleep, his eyelids drooping in a heavenly manner. Yesterday's shift had been a particularly long one, his body tired and aching from the gruelling work. Being a firefighter was definitely sufficient enough of a workout, and Arthur was determined to enjoy his day off.

He was more than a little pleased when Cath joined him a few minutes later, purring like a machine gun as he nestled into his chest. The cat was warm, his fur soft and Arthur sighed contentedly as sleep began to envelop him like a comforting blanket.

"This won't do!" The harsh voice snapped him rudely out of his reverie and Arthur sighed, forcing his eyes to open.

"What won't do?" he murmured as his fingers stroked Cath's soft fur, the feline stretching out on top of him in response.

Arthur watched as Zeldris placed his hands on his hips, the dark expression on his face clearly showing his displeasure. "I am not cleaning that thing's litter tray again," Zeldris declared, his nostrils flaring slightly. "I have done it for weeks, ever since he got here, and now it is somebody else's turn."

"So what do you want me to do?" Arthur asked, mock innocence dripping from his tone as he returned Zeldris's stare. "You can see for yourself I can hardly move." At this he pointed at Cath, before gently ruffling the fur behind the feline's ears, unable to stop himself smirking as the cat nestled into him.

With a snort of derision, Zeldris stepped forwards, gently placing his hands either side of Cath's enormous body and removing the cat from Arthur's chest. He placed the animal on the floor with something approaching reverence and Arthur was reminded that his boyfriend adored their companion, however much he liked to pretend otherwise. Even Gelda loved their pet now, although it had taken her a while to forgive him for destroying her fruit bowl. The other day he had caught her sneaking Cath treats, even though he was still supposed to be on a diet.

Arthur could not contain his mirth as Cath toddled back across the room, their eyes meeting briefly before the cat climbed back up on the sofa. He wobbled slightly with the effort, then strode deliberately to retake a position on top of Arthur's chest, snuggling down and preparing for sleep.

"Sorry. I'd love to help, but it just isn't possible," Arthur said with a chuckle as he closed his eyes once more, Cath purring contentedly as he stroked his fur. "Why don't you ask Gelda? It's her turn anyway."

"Firstly, no it is not. We drew up the rota together, remember? It was your turn after mine. And you have not touched that litter tray since Cath arrived in this house." Arthur felt a twinge of guilt at this and reopened his eyes. Being totally fair, the accusation was not without merit.

"And second… well I'm not asking her. And if you can't figure out why then you are slower than I thought."

Arthur raised his head at this, feeling the muscles in his neck protesting slightly. "What do you mean?" he asked incredulously. "Is it because she's a girl? Or are you really letting her get away without doing the housework just because she's been feeling a little under the weather? It's not like she's taken any time off work." For the past several days Gelda had been battling some sort of intermittent stomach bug, but she seemed to be doing well enough most of the time.

"You really are an idiot sometimes," Zeldris muttered as he started to clean up the room, picking up a newspaper and folding it neatly before collecting the plate and coffee mug which had contained Arthur's lunch. "Well fine. You know what? If you're not going to clean up the litter tray, no one is. That cat will simply have to make do."

"You'll cave." Arthur laid his head back on the cushions, allowing his shoulders to relax. "There's absolutely no way you'll be able to live with that sort of mess, and smell. I call your bluff."

Arthur counted a full three seconds until Zeldris managed to respond to his challenge. "Do not test me," he warned and Arthur felt a smug smile spread over his lips.

"This isn't even a test really," Arthur replied, a chuckle bubbling up in his throat. "I know you. You'll last no more than a couple of hours - at most."

Arthur felt a shadow fall over his face and he looked up to see Zeldris glowering over him. "Then let's make this interesting," his boyfriend declared. "Whoever next cleans Cath's litter will do so for the rest of the year."

"Oh, you are so on," Arthur practically yelled, allowing his enthusiasm to get the better of him. This barely even counted as a proper bet. Zeldris could not let dirt remain on any surface for long, even when that surface did not belong to him. They had visited Meliodas's flat just the other day and Zeldris had made a point of cleaning the place while his brother studiously ignored him and Elizabeth stuttered an embarrassed thanks.

Given this, he was surprised to see what looked like a knowing smile cross Zeldris's face, a slight flash of worry making his own grin falter. It was rare for the other to wear that particular expression, and it usually did not bode well for the opposing party. "We'll see…" Zeldris muttered before leaving the room, allowing Arthur to resume his lack of activity.

A few hours later Arthur woke up, his body protesting from his time on the sofa. Cath was still on his chest, pressing into him uncomfortably, but with some difficulty he managed to manoeuvre himself into a sitting position. Groggily, he rubbed his eyes as he regained full consciousness, ignoring the protest of the cat, who was now looking mournfully up at him from the floor.

The house was quiet. Too quiet. Normally on a Saturday afternoon Zeldris would be hoovering while Gelda entertained friends, or put herself through what looked to be painful yoga positions in their small exercise room, some horrendous new-age nonsense her soundtrack of choice. But the only noise Arthur could hear was Cath's incessant purring and the steady tick of the clock.

With a bit of a stretch Arthur set off to explore, looking through rooms in a desultory way. He was more than a little surprised to find that the kitchen was as he had left it a few hours ago after making lunch, the detritus of food preparation spread out on the worktop and Cath's litter tray notably untouched. He had never known the place look so unkempt, and now he was faced with it he was not sure he liked it. "Zeldris?" he shouted as he continued his search, puzzled to hear no answering call.

But the house was not as empty as it had seemed. Gelda he found asleep in their bed, her face considerably paler than usual as her chest rose and fell under the covers. This was more than a little surprising; Gelda was not the sort to sleep in the day, preferring to fill every spare hour with something productive. Maybe she was seriously ill after all. Concern now squeezing his chest uncomfortably, Arthur hurried downstairs determined to find Zeldris and get his opinion. In his haste, he nearly tripped over the cat, who was following him around mewling pitifully, trying his best to weave between his ankles. Evidently the boy wanted feeding. Again. Honestly he was like an eating machine.

Arthur was on the point of snapping at the feline when the front door opened, Zeldris entering with his hands full of plastic shopping bags. After shooting Arthur a look of pure irritation, Zeldris made his way into the kitchen, pointedly ignoring the mess as he put boxes away.

"What is all this?" Arthur puzzled as he examined Zeldris's purchases. "Since when do any of us drink ginger tea? It's disgusting stuff!"

Zeldris shot him a pitying look as he continued to unpack the bags, pulling out a number of different herbal concoctions. "It's not for you," he said disdainfully before switching on the kettle, washing his hands and placing one of the offending tea bags in a mug.

"And you'd better get on with that litter tray soon," he continued with a scowl. "I'm not cleaning up in here until that revolting smell has gone. And Gelda is not eating anything that comes out of this room unless I have personally made sure it is hygienic first."

"What's wrong with her, Zel?" Arthur asked quietly, struggling not to let his anxiety show on his face. "She's asleep! I've never seen her like this…"

"It should be obvious," Zeldris admonished, but his tone was a lot softer than Arthur had expected. "She'll be feeling rough for quite a while. We're both going to need to pull our weight a bit more."

"That's nice of you." Arthur whipped round to see Gelda standing in the doorway, her face still pale and her hand clutching at the worktop to steady herself. To his amazement, Zeldris immediately moved towards her, passing her the tea in silence before leading her from the room, Gelda leaning into him gratefully as he guided her movements. In a daze, Arthur followed them towards the sitting room, Cath still pressing up against his heels.

Gelda sat carefully on the edge of the sofa, cupping her mug in both hands, breathing in the scent of the brew without tasting it. "Go on, it might help," Zeldris said quietly as he took a seat next to her and rubbed her back. "If it doesn't, I got mint as well."

"How do you know?" Gelda asked as she leaned into him and Arthur immediately felt a twinge of jealousy. Determined not to be left out he took a seat the other side of Gelda, placing an arm over her shoulder.

Zeldris chuckled slightly, his eyes meeting hers as Arthur gently stroked her hair. "It's pretty obvious if you don't mind me saying. And I know you're late. When were you going to tell us exactly?"

"Trust you to know my schedule!" Gelda's face scrunched up in disgust as she sipped her tea. "This is revolting," she muttered, before taking another sip, "but you're right it does help. I was going to get it confirmed at the doctor's first but…"

"Look, will someone please tell me what is going on?" Arthur said crossly as he pulled back to stare at the pair. "You two have been talking in code for the last fifteen minutes!"

"Arthur," Zeldris replied in exasperation, "use your brain would you? Why would a woman in her late twenties feel queasy and tired, particularly after we decided a month ago to try for a child? Which was at your suggestion if you would try to remember. You got all soppy after seeing that family at the airport."

Arthur felt his pulse thumping in his ears, his face pulling into a massive grin. He could barely stutter as he looked at Gelda, whose face had been transformed by a contented smile. "You mean, you're… you're…"

"I'm pregnant, yes. I couldn't work out why I felt so terrible so I took a test yesterday," Gelda said, her eyes shining and Arthur felt his heart pause in its beat before he pulled her into a close embrace, pressing their faces together. He couldn't remember feeling so overjoyed in his life. "I was going to wait until I'd seen the doctor on Monday before telling you," Gelda continued, "but… well I took another test this morning and I'm pretty sure."

"Yes!" Arthur yelled as he jumped up, punching the air with both hands, Cath hissing slightly in reproach as he narrowly avoided the feline's tail. "Did you hear that, Zel? I'm going to be a father!"

Arthur was delighted to see the other rise to the bait. "Who says so?" Zeldris shot to his feet, placing his hands on his hips. "There's no reason to think this baby is yours and not mine…"

"Fine, fine, whatever you say," Arthur said mischievously. "When it's born and has ginger hair we'll just know." Zeldris looked at him before breaking into a grin and wrapping his arms around him, their lips meeting in a daze of delight. Stepping back slightly, Arthur held his hand out to Gelda, who joined them as they continued to hold one another.

It was many moments before they broke apart and Arthur pulled reluctantly away, a broad smile still on his face. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" Arthur moved towards the kitchen. "You stay here and relax, Gelda, I'll be back in a bit."

"If you're thinking of preparing food in there you have another thing coming!" Zeldris called after him and Arthur turned slowly round. "I suspect that cat is clean enough he's such a lousy hunter, but we're not taking any risks. He might have eaten an infected squirrel for all we know."

Arthur smiled more broadly, shrugging his shoulders as he replied, "Nah, it's cool. You win. I'm going to clean out the litter tray." He chuckled as Zeldris stared at him in astonishment before continuing, "You'll be doing the rest of the housework, I have no doubt. I'll never do it properly right? So it seems only fair."

Laughing to himself, Arthur made his way towards the kitchen, dodging the cat still following close on his heels.