Re: Same Job, Different Time and Place [R-18] - Part 2

[Mr. Kirkland]

Feliciano had managed to drag Arthur straight into a group of people. There were two people he seemed particularly keen for him to meet. The man, tall and thin (much like Arthur in his build) with dark hair was wearing some sort of deep purple suit and slender glasses that framed his face well. The woman was stunning, to say the least. She had long, tawny hair and dazzling green eyes. Her dress drew attention to her breasts, but Arthur painstakingly tried to ignore that.

“Arthur, these are my friends Roderich Edelstein and Elizabeta Héderváry,” the Italian introduced. “They are the lead designers at the company Héderváry.”

“It’s my wife’s father’s company,” Roderich explained, not sounding particularly interested and Arthur nodded once. Roderich had a thick German accent - predictably he was the person that Gilbert disliked so much. He had mentioned Roderich a few times in conversation before. And this meant that Elizabeta was the woman that Gilbert...

“Guys, this is Arthur Kirkland,” Feliciano grinned.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Arthur smiled politely and shook hands with Roderich and then held out his hand to Elizabeta. He forced himself to keep his gaze above the shoulder-height. “May I say Ms Héderváry, you look absolutely stunning tonight.”

Arthur’s charm began to come through (as rare as it was to see) as his gaze softened somewhat.

[Assistant Jones]

Elizabeta seemed to be rather amused as she looked over at Arthur and Feliciano, seeming like an rather elegant woman. She smiled charmingly over at Arthur, not really minding that her husband was explaining everything to the Englishman. The Hungarian woman soon reached forward and shook Arthur's hand with a small smile.

"Thank you, Mr Kirkland. I must say that you look quite handsome yourself." She said easily, pleased. "It's a pleasure to see you again." She continued, quietly observing the other man and seeming amused that he was keeping his gaze above her shoulder-height. How very polite.

Though she must say that she was rather surprised with just how polite and lovely Arthur was but she decided to just imply her appreciation through a small smile instead.

Alfred couldn't help but look over at Arthur once again, pausing a bit when he saw Elizabeta and Roderich. He recognised the woman but definitely not the man. Was he some important man or the like? They seemed like they were together in some way, shape or form. Maybe they were married and Arthur was just politely talking to them. Well, that wasn't so bad. After all, Alfred still had his drinks and he would make certain to not drink too much while Arthur would still have time to come back. Despite this, he couldn't help but have a small little pout on his lips. He wanted Arthur's attention but he knew that this ball was important and was definitely not about him but rather the business itself.

Feliks just raised an eyebrow at that and chuckled. "Turn that pout like upside-down, silly! Your date's gonna come and see just how oh-so lucky they're gonna be." He laughed, patting Alfred's shoulder who simply gave a strained and tired smile. "There we go! How 'bout I like buy you your next drink. Another one of those fruity-tooty drinks that this guy likes!"

Alfred reddened in embarrassment as the bartender gave him an amused smirk and slid over his drink.

[Mr. Kirkland]

Again? They’d met before…?

“Oh, of course,” Arthur flushed a little. They’d met at his first meeting with Chouchoute. Then why was she now… “Yes, it’s lovely to see you again.”

Feliciano seemed to sense the confusion and laughed, perhaps a little too loudly before dragging the Brit away again. Roderich didn’t look impressed.

“Gutte nacht, Feliciano.” He boredly took another sip from his glass of champagne (assuming that was what it was).

“Ciao,” the Italian didn’t stop pushing Arthur.

“Good evening!” Arthur called and squirmed until Feliciano wasn’t pushing him anymore. “For God’s sake man, I can walk on my own. I don’t need you to prevent me from falling over,” he snapped. Feliciano looked apologetic fleetingly before he spotted someone else to force Arthur upon.

“Angelique, Angelique!” Feliciano rushed over to a young woman with dark skin and dark eyes. She was rather captivating and the smile she gave Arthur made his knees feel weak. She was wearing a red, floor-length gown with her arms bare.

It was moments like this that he wondered if he really was gay.

“Feliciano,” she embraced the man, who was around the same height as her. They did the whole European kissing-on-cheek thing and Arthur just stood back. “How are you, it’s been so long?”

As they started to talk, Arthur took the chance to look back at Alfred at the bar. He seemed to be talking to that flamboyant man from a few floors below; Alfred’s drink was colourful, too making Arthur think that Feliks was the one making him drink it.

“Arthur, this is Angelique Goule. She’s the star in ‘Wanted for Diamonds’, you know?” Because of course Arthur of all people knew exactly which film that was. “Angelique, this is Arthur Kirkland. He’s head of sales at Chouchoute.”

She was still smiling at him. Those teeth were positively lickable.

“Hello,” she pulled Arthur in and kissed him quickly on the cheek. Arthur flushed.

“Hello,” he replied, trying to keep his voice even. What should he say? Shit. This is why he’d never had a girlfriend. He’d never known what to say. Bollocks. “I assumre that you must be French?”

“Ah, no actually. I’m from the Seychelles,” she chuckled and Arthur felt even more flustered.

Well, he’d fucked that up. Might as well start running away.

“Right. Sorry. Yes, of course. Do excuse me.”

“Not at all,” Angelique caught him before he could leave. “I do actually speak French, if it makes you feel any less embarrassed.”

God, she was charming. He wouldn’t have minded if she charmed the pants off of him. No, that was a lie. He did. He had Alfred. Alfred.

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred had kept an close eye on Arthur though he tried to do it in as discrete of a manner as possible. He didn't want to seem like he was keeping an eye on every one of his lover's moves but he couldn't help but be a bit hesitant when he saw the beautiful dark skinned woman. He really didn't feel like he should have to be wary but he couldn't help himself. He knew that Arthur was gay (their many sexual encounters just only helping reinforce that view) but he was a bit worried.

If anything, Arthur seemed to be definitely appreciating the woman's appearance and even flushed when she kissed his cheek! Wasn't that an European thing? Why was he flushing?

Already Alfred could feel his jealousy stir up uneasily in him and he really, really didn't want to feel like this. He didn't want to be the overprotective boyfriend and he was certain that even if he tried to whisk Arthur away, it would only give him a bad reputation. After all, he would have been stupid not to know that Angelique Goule was a star, a very good one nonetheless. He had been anticipating watching that movie though now he was certain that he wouldn't easily be able to do that.

Not when she was in it. Though maybe it was just his imagination...

Feliks seemed to notice just how discontent Alfred was and decided that it was best to cheer him up the only way he knew how.

"More drinks, cutie?" He asked and the taller man sighed and gave up.

"Lay them on me."

[Mr. Kirkland]

“Well, yes, actually. That does ease the burn a bit,” Arthur admitted, a shy smile on his face. Angelique giggled and turned to Feliciano.

“So where did you find this one? Was he still wet from the ocean?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow and Angelique just laughed more. Feliciano shook his head.

“Signore Kirkland is far too professional to be caught swimming.”

“What a shame,” she smirked at Arthur and Arthur gulped. “Did you make his suit, Feli? You’re advertising even at a time like this?”

“Ludwig taught me to seize every opportunity that I could,” Feliciano nodded, looking determined.

“Let’s have a look at it then, shall we? Come on, Arthur. Get your clothes off.”

“What?” it came out much higher than Arthur had wanted it to.

“Your jacket,” she continued, stepping a little closer to him. She pulled the clothing until she could see the lining on the inside. The way that she touched the fabric looked utterly lewd. She hummed in approval and stood back again. Her gaze settled on his legs. “Nice legs, Arthur.”

“Hah, people seem to keep telling me that,” the Brit laughed easily. There was a pause but Angelique was looking at him intently. He felt like a deer frozen in the headlights.

“I thought that I would show you so that you could request some suits for that boyfriend of yours,” Feliciano chirped, interrupting the eye-fucking that was blatantly going on (although Arthur was pretty sure that he was bottoming).

“Which one?” she sighed. “You mean Francis, right? No. He’s long gone, I’m afraid. I’m single now.”

And for a moment, Arthur had thought that he’d get away safely.

“What a shame!” Feli cried out and began to console her unnecessarily in quick Italian. She assured him that he was fine and he tried to convince her to let him design her dress for her next premiere. Arthur just watched how effortless she was. It had been a long time since any woman had made heat pool in his stomach this way.

“Anyway, I have to go talk to Lizzie but I’ll catch up with you later,” she promised Feliciano. “See you,” she winked at Arthur and walked on. Arthur’s heart was pounding in his chest.

Feliciano stared at Arthur silently for a few moments. “She’s a pretty lady, no?”

“Yeah, yeah, she is… I mean, ahem, I couldn’t possibly comment.” Arthur looked away.

“Hmm,” Feliciano frowned a little and glanced over at Alfred once. “Allora, let me introduce you to some more couples, okay? They will be interested in the suit.”

The Italian dragged Arthur over to any couple that he could find, blabbing about how fantastic Arthur was as a figure in the company and what a difference it had made to Feliciano personally as an 'artist'. Basically, a load of bullshit which Arthur didn't believe.

Soon enough (about forty minutes later), he rejoined Alfred.

“Hey,” Arthur greeted, sounding a little tired. “I had no idea that there were so many sycophants in the world.” He sat at the bar. “I’m sorry that I was gone so long, I couldn’t get away. Bloody people insisting on touching me as if I’m some sort of shop mannequin,” he grimaced.

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred knew that he shouldn't be jealous but he was. Extremely so. He didn't want to be but he couldn't help that jealousy that stirred in his stomach unpleasantly. He didn't want to see Angelique with Arthur. In fact, he wanted to keep him away from her as much as possible though he knew that he couldn't go up. Though with all the alcohol through his system (if he kept on going, he would certainly get alcohol poisoning), he was more than ready to just stand up and whisk Arthur away. Yet Feliks' presence seemed to prevent him from doing such and he knew that the other man would probably not allow him to really go anywhere when he was this drunk.

Instead he tried to take a few calming breaths though he continued on staring at Arthur and Angelique until he finally spoke up bitterly.

"I don't understand what's so great about her?"

Feliks looked rather amused with Alfred's sudden statement and he soon tried to catch the line of his gaze, seeing the star.

"Oh? Angelique Goule?" He asked. Alfred just nodded, clenching his fist a bit as he took another drink from his glass. Feliks was tempted to stop him but it was a bit amusing.

"Yeah. She seems to be flaunting her very presence. She's not even that great of an actress!" He ranted though he knew that was a lie. He was just jealous and bitter and all of his emotions over the past month or so were slowly building up in him. He wouldn't be surprised if Arthur was finding himself to be straight around her presence.

Yet it also scared him.

Feliks just smiled in amusement but decided not to comment on it, instead just patting his back reassuringly.

It was about forty minutes later that Arthur finally came back to them and Alfred had drunk a bit too much but at least he could stay sitting up. Seeing his lover, he just smiled a bit at him though he couldn't help but look at him with a bit of suspicion.

"No problem." He said easily, laughing a bit. "Is Mr Vargas done showcasing his suit off to the others?" He questioned, hoping that the answer would be yes.

[Mr. Kirkland]

“Well, obviously. I wouldn’t just let random people come up and touch me, Alfred,” Arthur rolled his eyes. He felt a little bit uncomfortable with Feliks sat near by. He couldn’t exactly act naturally with Alfred anyway but Feliks’ gaze was un-nerving. He sent a glare the Polish man’s way, hoping that he’d get the hint.

Arthur then spotted the colourful drink in front of Alfred and sneered a little. He picked it up to examine more closely.

“What’s this sugary shit that you’re drinking? It’s all spirits in there,” he laughed. “Not anything like a proper bit of alcohol. Like whiskey or something. I could do with a whiskey, actually.” He gestured the bartender and ordered the said drink, placing Alfred’s glass back in front of him.

That was when Angelique made herself present again, just as soon as Arthur had a drink put in front of him. He paid the bartender before turning to face the stunning woman. She was pursing her lips cheekily.

“Am I interrupting anything?” she asked.

“No, not at all,” Arthur replied cheerily. “What’s the matter, sweetheart?”

“Dance with me,” she wasn’t asking anymore.

“Excuse me?” Arthur’s eyes widened a little.

“Come on,” she grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him off of his seat. “I’ll give him back in a bit,” Angelique promised Alfred before bustling away, Arthur at her side.

There weren’t a lot of people dancing, it was ballroom dancing after all but Angelique didn’t seem deterred. She took Arthur’s hand and placed it on her waist, taking his other hand in hers. Arthur didn’t seem to mind at all, just smiling and going with it. It was just a bit of dancing after all, and Alfred wouldn’t mind that. He didn’t bother looking to check. He was sure that Feliks was keeping him company.

The pair were totally unaware of the photographers dotted around the room who were taking pictures of them as they waltzed.

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred smiled a bit at that and Feliks was just about to stand up to leave the two of them alone before he noticed Angelique was coming towards them. The blonde assistant just smiled and laughed a bit. "U-Uh...Feliks bought it for me." Feliks seemed to be rather offended (because of course he didn't drink things like that) but decided to let Alfred get away with it. After all, Feliks did technically buy it for him. Though it wasn't him that wanted it. Though he decided that he could at least keep a bit of Alfred's dignity for him.

Yet soon Alfred's blue eyes caught sight of Angelique as she asked Arthur for a dance and he couldn't help but furrow his eyebrows at the sight. Already he felt anger slowly bubble in him. It was no fair...he wished that she would go away but to no avail, she didn't seem to until she grabbed Arthur and whisked him away from him.

And...Arthur just willingly went. He let them dance for a bit but when he saw his lover smiling...it was painful. Absolutely painful. He felt bitter and horrible about himself and it was no wonder why Arthur was going with another woman when he had a boyfriend like himself.

Feliks seemed to be a bit concerned. "Is everything alright, cutie?" He asked and Alfred shook his head, scoffing.

"I don't understand what Arthur sees in her!" He started and Feliks' eyes widened at the sudden outburst. "He's my lover! I'm his boyfriend! Why the hell is he dancing with her? He should be dancing with me." He dragged off, looking at his drink sadly.

"I don't think he wants me anymore."

Feliks' just grinned widely and soon sat up in his chair. "That's just like so gold, cutie! I gotta tell everyone 'bout you guys though I don't know why you would hook up with prissy legs there." Yet soon he ran off, leaving Alfred alone at the bar who was still slow to realise just what he said.

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur was proving his worth at ballroom dancing. Those lessons that he’d been forced to take as a child were clearly paying off. He was able to effortlessly move across the dance floor with her (although, she wasn’t as good as he was and stumbled a few times). As the band drew to a close, the couples turned to them and applauded them as the conductor bowed.

“You’re really good,” Angelique said, out of breath and surprised.

“I used to take lessons,” he explained casually with a shrug of his shoulder.

“That explains it,” she grinned and rested her hands on his waist, which made Arthur twitch uncomfortably. “Arthur – oh, I never do this but, uh, I’d really like to see you again. Just the two of us, without all of this show business stuff.”

“Y-you do…?” The one time he’d ever pulled a fit bird and he was taken.

“Yeah. I really do. Even though you have girly legs and you don’t know what to say, I really, really, really like you. I think I’ve had a bit too much champagne but what the heck,” she giggled and reached up to kiss him.

Time seemed to slow down as Arthur contemplated what he should do. He had Alfred. He loved Alfred. Did he really want to lick a vagina? Really? Was that what he wanted now? He hadn’t even had a sodding drink yet!

But she was stunning.

Arthur lurched away and blushed, “Um… Angelique, I’m sorry but I’m… um…” he felt lost for words. She looked hurt. “I’m gay,” he murmured. She grimaced.

“Of course you are. Merde…” she looked away and sighed. “I must look like an idiot.”

“No, no. You aren’t. I… haven’t really told anyone here that I am, so…” Arthur felt incredibly guilty all of a sudden for leading her on. He swallowed thickly. “I’d like to be friends with you, though? I don’t… have many friends over here.”

She smiled, a little sadly. “Sure,” she rummaged around in her small bag and handed him a card. “Call me, okay? I’m going to go… find someone,” she gave his hand a small squeeze and left him alone. Arthur sighed.

Alfred was sat on his own and looking upset. Fucking fantastic. Feliks probably dumped him for Toris or something.

“Alfred?” he asked cautiously as he approached the bar again. “Are you alright?”

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred continued on watching them after Feliks left and he had to admit that once he saw Angelique reach up to kiss his lover, he had to look away and down the rest of his glass. He didn't want to look at them anymore, he couldn't. Not unless he wanted to make a horrible commotion and do something that he would horribly regret, which would have probably been caught by camera by the paparazzi. So he just bit his lip, trying to resist feeling sorry for himself though he felt as if he could nearly cry.

Alfred really didn't want to feel weak but...but it hurt even more when he knew that he loved Arthur. He couldn't admit it to him but he loved the man and now that he had fallen in love, now he was going to regret it. He was going to get hurt and it already hurt so much.

He shouldn't have been surprised. Angelique was a beautiful woman (not necessarily his type) but she could even make gay men go straight, he was certain. And she just seemed so interested in Arthur.

When the other finally came back, Alfred couldn't even pretend that he was happy anymore. He was sad and all the stress from the past month finally came to hit him in the face. The cold reality of their relationship.

"How is she?" He asked, huffing into his drink as he put down the glass. "She seemed interested in you. Are you going to run off with her now?" He knew he was bitter and jealous but recently everything seemed to be just going wrong for them. Arthur had been frustrated recently with their sexual activity and it had just been all a horrible mess.

"Am I not good enough for you anymore?" He continued and it was obvious he had a lot to drink. Quite a lot, especially with the way he could barely seem to keep up in his seat now. He couldn't think clearly. Feliks soon came back, grinning widely.

"So how are like the two love birds doing?"

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur frowned. This really wasn’t the place to discuss this, not in front of everyone else. The bartender was throwing tentative glances at them and making Arthur feel uncomfortable. As he got closer to Alfred, he could just smell the alcohol on him. Arthur cringed at the sharp scent stinging his nose as he stood next to Alfred.

Those last words hurt. Was Alfred good enough? Yes, oh God, yes. He wanted to tell Alfred just how good he was for him and what a difference he had made to him. When Arthur had first arrived in the US, he’d been completely cynical and unable to appreciate the wonders of the city. He had no intentions of ever having friends there, and thought that he never would until Alfred (oh Alfred) asked him to lunch. His life had been made so much more liveable and Alfred had changed him as a person; Arthur was happier than he ever had been in his life. It was a painful thought but it was true.

Not that he could tell Alfred, of course. He was much too proud to admit something like that.

“Don’t be daft,” he said instead with a roll of his eyes. He reached for the whiskey that he had left there at the bar prior to his invitation from Angelique. He was surprised that Alfred hadn’t drunk it whilst he was away. “You need something to eat, don’t you? You should have just gone to the bloody buffet table, Alfred. You can’t expect me to cater for your low blood sugar.”

Arthur scowled as Feliks approached again. Could this have been the worst timing ever? Yes, potentially. What Feliks said made Arthur tense up. He was joking, wasn’t he? He had to be. There was no way that, that Polish git knew anything about them.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Łukasiewicz,” he replied shortly, glaring at the bar as he slammed down his (now empty) glass.

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred just waited for Arthur's reply though he didn't get the reply that he wanted. He knew that he was being a bit 'daft' (in Arthur's terms) but he wanted some kind of reassurance. Some kind of comfort that he was good enough for the other. Though he felt with every passing moment that he was being less and less in Arthur's eyes. He didn't want that but he was much too drunk to really think clearly.

He soon shook his head, not necessarily wanting the food though if he was anymore sober, he would probably be scarfing down food. He would eat more later for some comfort like he had been doing recently. He hadn't even had the chance to exercise it off. He was worried that he was starting to gain weight.

No wonder why Arthur didn't want to be with him anymore and why he wanted to run off with a movie star.

Instead he just kept quiet, wanting to order another drink but not really able to think of how to phrase what he wanted. He was really, really pissed.

Feliks just grinned, reaching forward to pat him on the shoulder. "Cutie here just told me everythin'! He's rather open when he's drunk, huh?" He asked, still smiling and not sensing what was wrong. In fact, he didn't know that they were keeping the relationship secret. He just wanted people to discuss and gossip about their relationship with. Though it was a wonder why they looked so surprised.

"But like, dude, that was totally uncool leaving cutie here all drunk and stuff with me. Though sheesh, don't break the glass there." He took a seat next to Alfred again, he looked absolutely miserable.

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur slapped Feliks’ hand away as though it was a reflex. He looked furious; his face was flushing. Alfred really had told Feliks. He wanted to hit something out of frustration. Fuck. What were they going to do? What if Ludwig found out? If he knew then… they’d both lose their jobs.

Was there really even any point in denying it? It would probably just come and bite him on the arse later.

“Feliks, for once in your life, shut up and answer the questions that I am about to ask you. What did Alfred tell you exactly?” he glared at the said man, unable to feel sympathy for him when he’d done something quite so idiotic. “Who have you told and how long ago?” Perhaps he could stop the rumour before it got to Ludwig? It was futile but it was worth a shot.

[Assistant Jones]

Feliks clicked his tongue in disappointment at that and drew away from Arthur, pouting a bit. Why did he look so angry? Wow, what a let down. But he didn't want to face the other's wrath when they were at work. He soon shrugged a bit, glancing over at Alfred as he lightly stroked his hair.

"I dunno. He told me that he didn't know why you were like, dancing with Angelique there 'cause you guys are like boyfriends or somethin'. And like he didn't think you wanted him anymore." He mumbled, not happy about being forced to spill. If there was anything he hated, it was being intimidated into spilling out things. He would do that on his own accord thank you very much!

Alfred just frowned at that and he soon glanced over at Arthur, slowly starting to feel the guilt settle deep inside of him as realisation also settled in along with the guilt. Fuck...he messed up badly and despite how wasted he was, he knew that he did something bad. Really, really bad.

Feliks just huffed. "Gosh, I only told a few people. Don't get your undies in a twist there!" He grimaced. "And like a few minutes ago while you were dancing with that girl."

[Mr. Kirkland]

“You clearly do not realise the extremity of the situation!” Arthur barked and then sighed heavily. He turned his gaze to his boyfriend and muttered, “You are a total cunt, Alfred Jones.” The words were cold and cruel but he didn’t dwell on it for long. Arthur left the bar and started to search for someone who Feliks might have spoken to.

Feliciano was visibly shuffling awkwardly from foot to foot and Arthur stormed straight over to him.

“Feliciano, where is Mr Beilschmidt?” he sounded more concerned than he had wanted to.

“Uh,” Feliciano looked nervous, if not a little bit drunk. “Not here.”

“Obviously,” Arthur snorted. “Where is he?”

“Calm down, signore,” the Italian offered a small smile. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Shit, so he knew, too.

“Did Feliks…?”

“I already knew,” Feliciano said simply with a small laugh. “I will find him for you. I don’t think that any grovelling will help. Trust me, I’ve tried it before.” Arthur really didn’t want to know. “You should get back to him. He looks unhappy.”

“Feliciano,” Arthur said, exasperated, “I might lose my job and –”

“Isn’t he more important?”

“What?”

“Alfred. È dolce – you need to go to him. I shall speak to tesoro mio,” Feliciano promised with a sincerity he hadn’t seen in the man before. Arthur didn’t stay around, he went straight back over to Alfred at the bar.

“We’re going home,” he decided. “You’ve had too much to drink.”

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred completely froze up at the words and he soon bit his lip hard, not being able to look over at Arthur. He hadn't been expecting for Arthur to call him that. Normally he was fine with small insults but this was just beyond a small insult. And it made Alfred feel like absolute shit and he probably was. He just pretty much ruined everything just because of some silly jealousy.

"I'm sorry..." He murmured softly though he was certain that Arthur had run off by then. Feliks just bit his lip, feeling uncomfortable. Certainly he loved gossip but he never had the intention of making Arthur and Alfred even more miserable than they were.

The younger man soon looked over at Arthur quietly, shaking his head though despite this, he was slowly standing up to his feet though he was swaying in his very spot. "I'm sorry..." He mumbled again though it was slurred. He tried to keep hold of the desk so he could stay standing though his legs already felt so weak. "Please don't hate me. I didn' want to say it and I'm sorry...I'm a huge cunt." He continued. He didn't want to go back home with Arthur, not when he knew that the other was unhappy with him. He just wanted to stay at the bar or go somewhere far away and just hide from his mistake.

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur was irritated to see that Feliks hadn’t left yet and the look on his face said as much.

“Shut up,” Arthur snapped at Alfred. “I can’t stand it when you whine. Besides, if you didn’t want to say it, then why the hell would you even bring it up in the first place?” He merely ignored Alfred’s spew of apologies, they felt meaningless. “Can you walk? Where are your keys? I’ll drive.”

It would be the first time that Arthur had ever driven a car in the States, let alone Alfred’s car. Despite everything being on the wrong side of the road, he was still pretty bloody sure that he could do a better job than Alfred in his current state.

“Jesus, I’m not going to have to carry you, am I?” he frowned. He didn’t think that he’d be physically strong enough to do that. Incensed, Arthur placed a hand over his face. “Alfred, there are photographers everywhere. This is going to look awful for the company, for Christ’s sake.”

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred finally shut up, trying his best not to tear up though it was starting to get hard. He was better than this, he really, really was but in his state, all he wanted to do was break down. It was just hard. He knew that he potentially ruined both of their jobs, they wouldn't have any money, he would probably lose Arthur and that it didn't seem like the other loved him the way that he loved him. And it hurt.

Feliks couldn't watch it anymore. Alfred was a nice boy and he didn't mean for any of this to happen. "Like, what the hell, stingy ass?" He piped up, finally standing up as he grabbed Alfred and leant his weight against him.

"I mean I know like what he did was like completely stupid but you know, doesn't excuse you to being a complete ass." He mumbled as Alfred leant more against Feliks, slowly trying to walk to the entrance and the shorter man just patted the other's back quietly and reassuringly. "It's amazing that he even likes you since like, you seem so much more invested in the stupid company than anything else." He wasn't going to drive Alfred back home but he had the intention of at least helping Alfred to the car since Arthur wasn't going to do it.

[Mr. Kirkland]

“This doesn’t have anything to do with you,” Arthur said in a lower voice.

Although it was true. Why did Alfred like someone like him? How could someone like Alfred like him back? It was too good to be true. He should have realised before. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. Not with some irritating ponce carrying Alfred about, not with Alfred close to tears. He drew in a shaky breath and tried to recollect himself before he said something stupid.

But he’d worked so hard for his position in the world. He’d gone through years of being told that he was worthless, a small drug addiction and abuse as a child – he felt as though he deserved his title. It wasn’t much but it was enough to give Arthur satisfaction in life. Enough to want to keep going. And Alfred made him want to live more and more with every passing day but recently things had been different. And now…

Once they were at the entrance, Arthur stopped in his steps and turned sharply to face the pair beside him.

“Feliks, just leave us alone. You’ve done enough. I will carry my boyfriend back to the car from here.”

[Assistant Jones]

Feliks just raised his eyebrows at that, pausing for a moment before clicking his tongue. "Fine, fine. Whatever you want." He said before handing Alfred over and making his merry way back into the ball. Honestly, Arthur left such a bad taste in his tongue half of the time. It must have been his eyebrows. He really wanted to pluck them. Maybe he would later on.

Alfred really did want to be better for Arthur. He knew that he worked hard for this position and he had gotten in the way with his selfish wants in their relationship. He wanted to say how he felt for Arthur but it seemed so extremely inappropriate. He wondered if he could ever say it. Though maybe he probably would never get the chance, not with their relationship like this.

Instead Alfred clutched onto Arthur a bit tighter, burying his face against his shoulder and not trying to remember just how happy he looked earlier in the ball. Happy when he was away from him. It was supposed to be a wonderful night in their lives but Arthur enjoyed it more with Angelique while he spent most of his time in front of the bar.

He really had to stop feeling sorry for himself. He wanted to mumble another apology but he was afraid of Arthur's reply.

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur scowled at Feliks until he was out of sight. He slung Alfred’s arm around his shoulders and started to lead him towards the car, careful to go slowly.

This was horrible, really horrible. The mood was just so perturbing. Arthur wasn’t sure what to do. He was so angry but he didn’t want Alfred to cry and God, Alfred was heavy against him. Arthur was strong, but only to an extent. It was pretty obvious that he was staggering almost as much as Alfred as he tried to get them back to their car.

“Alfred, how much do you weigh? Good Lord, my back is killing me,” he grumbled to himself. He propped Alfred up against the side of the car and sighed, out of breath from the exertion of getting him there. “Can I have the car keys or do I need to search for them myself?”

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred tried to help Arthur to the best of his abilities though he was still a bit shaky with his steps and despite this, he still had to lean against Arthur with most of his weight. He soon allowed himself to be propped up against the side of the car and he thought about the car keys for a fleeting moment before frowning and shaking his head. "No...don't wanna give 'em." He mumbled. Of course they were only in his pocket but he kept his side pocket pressed against the car.

He was just bitter and upset about the whole situation. Not necessarily with Arthur (okay so he was actually extremely upset with him considering that he spent most of his time...not...with him and with an woman instead) but with himself. Despite this, he let his jealousy get in the way and completely ruin the night. He wished that he could have been the one dancing with Arthur.

He got the suit just for Arthur...to be there with him as his partner for the night. That was the whole reason why he wanted to go in the first place. He had been so happy when he saw Arthur in his suit and when he looked at them side by side in the mirror. They...really had looked good...but no one really saw them side by side. Instead they saw Alfred being a burden onto Arthur.

Alfred just quietly leant against the car, not wanting to move.

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur scoffed, “You’re such a fucking child. Fine, we’ll do this the hard way, shall we?”

Trying not to be too rough (mostly because he knew that one punch from Alfred and he’d be down and out – Alfred was much, much stronger than him), he pushed Alfred accordingly as he searched his pockets. He felt like such an arse for doing it, for effectively robbing Alfred of his keys but he had to do it. They had to go somewhere private so that they could talk about this and so that Alfred could eat and sober up. Eventually he found the keys and snatched them away before Alfred could stop him.

“Get in the car,” he instructed. He opened the passenger door and went straight to the other side, climbing into the driver’s seat. “You can feel sorry for yourself as much as you bloody want when we get home. You’re just drunk.”


Feliciano drove past them in his Ferrari (a car that he’d been given as a gift), throwing Alfred a sympathetic look before pulling out of the car park. He knew exactly where Ludwig was. He’d driven Gilbert home and then gone straight back to the office so that he could prepare his work for Monday. He was such a dedicated man, married to his work (and not Feli, unfortunately).

[Assistant Jones]

Alfred squirmed a bit as he tried to not let Arthur get the keys but when he was pushed around by the other, he was a bit too drunk to really do anything about it. So unfortunately (maybe fortunately) enough, Arthur finally got a hold of the keys and he just waited for the other to open the car. With that, he climbed into the passenger's seat and nodded.

His throat felt really, really dry.

He noticed Feliciano from the window and gave a small yet pained smile before leaning against the window of the car, trying to rest for the moment. He didn't want to be in private with Arthur. He didn't want to lose him just because he was stupid and did a very, very stupid thing.

Instead Alfred simply closed his eyes, trying to drift off for at least their trip to the flat. He couldn't bare looking at Arthur again and seeing just how unhappy he was.

[Mr. Kirkland]

Arthur drove out of the car park and proceeded on the journey back to the flat. It was times like this that he wished that he had his own place to go home to so that he wouldn’t have to look at Alfred’s face. Despite it being a lovely face.

He forced himself to stay focused on the road and not to think about it too much (it was strange enough being on the wrong side of the road). They would talk when they got home and once Alfred had calmed down. A part of Arthur wanted to lean over to Alfred and kiss him and tell him that he didn’t care (even though he did) but the majority of him wanted to just shout and scream about how he was going to lose his job he’d worked so hard for.


Feliciano didn’t have to drive too far. The office was relatively close to where the ball was being held. He parked and locked his car before heading into the building to find Ludwig. He would have to see if he knew about it all or not without mentioning it.


When Arthur and Alfred arrived back at the flat, Arthur was quick to get out of the car. He went to Alfred’s side and opened the door, ignoring how the dope had been leaning on the window.

“Do you think that you can walk?” he asked blandly.

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