Arthur had stood at the back of the funeral home, paying his last respects to an old man he had known for a while.
He had met Harry when he had helped the old man with a big bag of shopping that had threatened to tumble all over the inside of the old, dirty elevator, and from that moment the two men had strangely become friends. It was obvious that Harry was as lonely as he was, so the two had seemed to connect easily, and Arthur had spent many a night listening to the elder man tell him war story after war story, the old paratrooper reliving his greatest and worst memories.
Arthur never minded when Harry would tell him the same story more than once, he showed such enthusiasm that Arthur could never bring himself to interrupt him, choosing instead to listen as if it was the first time he had heard it, enjoying the company of someone that didn't see him as some kind of freak.
Arthur had once had an episode in front of the old man, but as he had attempted to escape Harry's apartment, trying to avoid the fear filled stares and embarrassment, he instead had found himself pulled him into Harry's arms, the man patting him reassuringly on the back until a pained Arthur could breath again.
Harry had explained that he had seen men react to trauma in many different ways, some would become violent, some would burst into uncontrollable tears, and yet others would laugh, so Arthur's sudden outburst was nothing he hadn't seen before.
But of all the times that Arthur had spent in Harry's company, there was one thing that he would never tire of, happy to listen to it over and over again, and that was the stories of Harry's granddaughter (Y/n).
Harry would regale the younger man with tales of his beloved grandchild's exploits as she served her country across the globe, proudly telling Arthur that of all the things that he had achieved in life, of all the medals and honours he had received during his service, the greatest thing that he had ever received was (Y/n).
Arthur could remember vividly the day that he had knocked on the door of his friends apartment, only to enter to find the old man in tears; he had told him that he had received a call to say that (Y/n) had been involved in an accident, an accident that had nearly cost her life, but had resulted in her losing a limb instead.
Arthur recalled feeling sick to his stomach at the idea of such a thing happening to someone like Harry's granddaughter, and even though he didn't know her personally, he felt that through her grandfathers stories he knew her intimately, and the news had devastated him.
"Promise me something." Harry had said, suddenly gripping Arthur's hand.
"If anything happens to me, promise me that you will look after my (Y/n). She's lost everything she's ever known, so she'll need a friend when she loses me too. She's a strong girl, but even the strongest can fall to their knees." Harry had ask, desperation in his eyes as he stared up at Arthur; but it wasn't until Arthur had reassured him that he would do all he could if (Y/n) needed him, that Harry relaxed, slumping back in his chair as he sighed heavily.
Arthur didn't know what to expect when he had made his way to Harry's funeral, but there were butterflies in his stomach at the thought of finally meeting the woman that he had only seen in pictures, and heard about in Harry's gushing praises.
There was a part of Arthur that had to admit that he had already fallen head over heels for (Y/n), he knew it was crazy, but how could he not be; she was brave and beautiful, and despite the accident she had gone on to try and make a new life for herself; but when he had seen her stood next to her grandfather's coffin, soft tears gently rolling down her cheeks, Arthur knew that it was not the time for him to meet her, to tell her that Harry had asked him to look after her, so he had stood in the shadows watching from a far, as the woman he wanted to know in person, wept for the grandfather she had lost.
As he dropped down onto his old sofa, he pulled off the black tie that felt like an ever tightening noose around his neck; had he missed his chance to meet (Y/n)? Had he missed his chance to tell her how important Harry had been to him? Had he missed the chance to get to know the woman he already cared for? Sighing, Arthur dropped his head in his hands, and prayed that Harry was looking down on him and would give him an opportunity to do as he had promised.
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(Y/n) stood outside the bleak building that her grandfather had insisted on living in no matter how many times she had tried to persuade him to move somewhere better and safer.
(Y/n) knew that the area had been his old neighbourhood, he would play cowboys and Indians on these very street with his friends, he would buy soda pop from the store on the corner, and share it with his best friends, Jock and Mac; he had had his first kiss under a street light just around the corner from this very building, and he had said a tearful goodbye to her grandmother on these steps before he was send off to Europe, and now here she was preparing to try and place all those memories, all that life into some removal boxes so that she could have it taken to her home, an unfitting end to a great man.
With a heavy sigh she walked up the stairs and pushed her way into the old building, it wasn't the first time that she had been here, she had tried to visit her grandfather as often as she could, but now that the old man wasn't here anymore it was the last place she wanted to be.
The ride in the elevator had been just as she remembered, and as she stood in front of the apartment door, the key resting in the lock, she couldn't help but wish that when she opened the door, her grandfather would still be there, smiling up at her as he sat in his favourite chair.
Pushing open the door, (Y/n) flicked on the light, her eyes darting around the apartment looking for some kind of animal.
"Arthur. Arthur. Where are you? Come to (Y/n)!" (Y/n) called out softly, anticipating some hungry cat or dog would come shooting out expecting affection and food; but as she moved further into the apartment, no small furry thing was in sight.
"Well Gramps, if Arthur eventually shows himself, I promise that I will do my best to learn to love the little fluff ball." (Y/n) sighed, as she sat down in her grandfather's chair, and looked at all the photos that he had placed meticulously on the walls, the one of him looking handsome in his uniform as a 20 something, catching her eye in particular.
"Arthur." (Y/n) called out again softly, as she sat up noticing that there didn't seem to be any water or food bowl in the kitchen or living room.
"Ok Harry, what kind of animal have you left me? I swear to god, if it's a tarantula the only thing its getting is a can of bug spray." (Y/n) chuckled, shaking her head, sure that the old man had one last trick up his sleeve.
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Arthur had sneaked a look out of his door as he heard someone rattling keys in the hallway, his eyes widening as he saw a young woman enter Harry's apartment. Closing his door, he rushed around, trying to find his cleanest clothes as he brushed his hair back over his head; he had to make a good impression, he had to fulfill Harry's request and be there for (Y/n) if she needed him.
"Hi, my names.....no, that's terrible."
"Hello, I'm Arthur, how are you? Oh god, that's even worse, of course she's not ok, she just lost her grandfather."
"Hi, my name is Arthur, I was a friend of your grandfather; I've come to see if you are ok." Arthur practiced, as he looked in the mirror, each attempt sounding worse than the last.
"Ok Arthur, what would Harry do if he were in this situation?" Arthur mussed out loud, as he pushed his shirt tails into the back of his pants, doing his best to look as un-creased as possible.
"Harry would parachute into France, take out Hitler single handed, rescue the damsel in distress, then go on to beat the entire Imperial army, and all that before lunch." Arthur chuckled to himself, knowing that there was no way he could compete with the formidable old man.
"Just be you....... No, scratch that, don't be you." He said to himself in the mirror, shaking his head as he thought about the possible disastrous consequences if he was himself.
Taking one final deep breath and hoping that he would think of something between his apartment and Harrys, he opened the door and headed out.
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"Olly, Olly, Oxen Free! Come on Arthur, I give up, you win." (Y/n) called out as she looked under the furniture in the apartment, desperate to find whatever it was that her grandfather had wanted her to care for.
"That's it Arthur, when I find you, I'm making you into a pair of slippers." (Y/n) groaned, as she sat on the floor next to Harry's old bed, jumping up as she heard a knock on the front door.
"Hi, can I help you?" (Y/n) asked, as she opened the door, the man in front of her looking at her wide eyed, as he began to blush.
"Hi, er hello, I'm...... I'm, well I'm Arthur, and I was a friend of your grandfather."