Alfred F. Jones only managed to find the Christmas party because he could hear it. He'd driven past the building about four times already, and was now very unfashionably late. It wasn't until he braved the biting winter night air to roll down his window and ask a passing pedestrian for directions that he heard it. There was shouting and raucous laughter and general party racket – all coming from the sliver of a brick building on the corner of the little backstreet. As Alfred drove slowly past it one more time, he could finally make out the words "The Empress" in faded letters above the door.
Alfred sped up, tearing around the corner and swinging into an available parking space on the curb. He was sooooo late. So much for making a good first impression with his future colleagues…
He hurried towards the entrance of the bar, swinging open the heavy door and practically bursting into the room in his eagerness.
"Alfred! There you are! I was starting to get worried."
It took Alfred a moment to adjust to the golden-orange glow of the bar after the near pitch black darkness of the night outside. When he blinked everything into focus, he found his cousin, Matthew, waiting patiently for him to say something.
"Hey, Mattie. Sorry I'm so late. I left early, honest, but this place is a real hole-in-the-wall."
"I know. Sorry, I should have made sure you had a lift, but everyone's car-pooling because they're drinking and – "
"No worries, no worries, Matt."
Alfred finally let the stress from the car ride slide off his shoulders, relaxing his posture and letting an excited smile bloom over his face as he surveyed the crowded little bar.
It couldn't have been much bigger than the tiny little kitchen-slash-dining room of his new one-bedroom apartment. The fact that it was literally stuffed to the brim with people didn't help, either. But it looked fun, cosy and definitely friendly.
"So, these are the peeps?"
"Um…yes?" asked Matthew, raising an eye at Alfred's choice of words. "Sorry, I don't know how much you'll be able to get out of them now – they're already drunk."
That was pretty obvious, what with all the hugging, off-key singing, teary-eyed laughter and glasses of sloshing liquid being waved around in the air.
"No problem. I want to make a good impression on them, that's the important thing." He smiled over at the chattering crowd, excited to meet the people with whom he'd be working for what he hoped would be many satisfying years to come. "Welp, I'm off to meet everyone. Catch ya later, Matt!" With that, he slapped his cousin on the shoulder and soldiered into the fray to start shaking hands and introducing himself.
One Antonio, a Toris, a Tino, a Yekaterina, a Feliciano who was actually just there with a friend, and an Elizabeta later, Alfred found himself pushed up against the back wall, looking for an opening to head back into the crowd once more. He checked his watch, which read 11:55. Still a few hours left before closing time, but these people were getting more and more drunk by the second, and Alfred doubted if he'd be able to get their own names out of them soon enough.
Someone jostled into Alfred's side, another person stepped backwards onto his foot, and he suddenly became aware that the crowd was parting. More people backed up against the wall, their bodies crammed together as they made a little circle of space in the centre of the bar, and Alfred was shoved right back against the brickwork. The babbling conversation died down as an excited murmur swept the room.
"Ladies and gentleman, thank you for your patience!" a European-sounding voice wafted above the heads of the crowd. "If you could just step aside there, make some room. Merci. Thank you."
Alfred craned his neck above the crowd, peering round heads and the particularly tall and spiky hair of a guy in front, to see what the fuss was about. He caught sight of a man with long, wavy blonde hair, dragging a chair into the impromptu arena.
"Here we are, the moment you've all been waiting for!" the man said, placing the chair in the middle of the empty space. "Here to spread some Christmas cheer, I give you the one and only: Nurse Kirkland!"
There was such an explosion from the crowd then that Alfred couldn't see anything for all the jumping bodies and cameras being waved in the air. He hoisted himself up on his tip toes to see what all the fuss was about.
And that was when he saw it: a golden head of hair – illuminated angelically by the light hanging above – rising slowly above the crowd. For a second, Alfred thought the person must be floating, magically…Then he came to his senses and realised that the person was being helped to stand up on the empty chair.
"Nurse Kirkland" was facing away from him for now, so all Alfred could see at first was the crop of bright blonde hair – glowing even more beautifully so close to that golden light on the ceiling – and a slim looking body in a little pink dress.
He was pretty sure it was a man's body in that dress, though.
The crowd hooted and hollered, wolf-whistled and cat-called, there were even a few honest to God squeals which Alfred thought might have come from that woman Elizabeta. He was near blinded by the camera flashes. Something told him this was a real event, not just a regular colleague dressing up for a laugh at the Christmas party. Was this guy in management or something?
Slowly, the man on the chair was turning around so everyone could take their photos. At the sight of the man's profile, Alfred was pretty sure he should be preparing himself for something special.
But even when the man turned fully towards him, Alfred wasn't ready. You can't really prepare yourself to fall in love at first sight like that.
The man (yes, definitely a man) had very thick, very dark eyebrows, that flashed arrestingly through his sweeping golden fringe (well, it kind of swept in all directions, but still). His eyes were such a bright, vivid green that Alfred found himself hooked on them even through the roaring crowd trying to get in his way. There was a flush on the man's face which was very becoming, though Alfred felt bad for enjoying it when the other man looked so furious and embarrassed. And besides these particularly striking features, the man was handsome. Very, very handsome, even with that dark scowl. His face was beautiful and elegant, soft under the warm light, but firm and imposing. He looked one of a kind. He was devastating.
And Alfred wasn't just saying that because he'd fallen in love with him and was biased. It was just an objective fact.
For someone who was in love with this mysterious "Nurse Kirkland," Alfred was in for a treat as his gaze finally searched lower. Yes, that was, indeed, a little pink dress the man was wearing. Tiny, really. The guy definitely wasn't wearing boxers, that was for sure (and Alfred had to quickly snap himself out of the image of the man's tighty-whiteys). Since the costume was obviously intended for a woman smaller than him, the pink material hugged the man's figure in a way that Alfred wasn't really sure should be allowed in public.
And then there were the legs. The little pink dress ended with one last hug at the top of the man's thighs, and then those legs appeared and just kept going and going. Alfred could honestly say he had never been a "leg man" – I mean, men's hairy legs weren't exactly the sexiest things on the planet, everyone could agree. But this guy had legs that just commanded attention. It didn't help that the man was clenching them in embarrassment, muscles taut and conspicuous under the smooth, pale skin and soft lights. They looked strong. At the point where Alfred realised he was actually drooling, he forced his head back up to stop ogling the poor guy.
The man had his arms crossed firmly over his chest, legs snapped together, back stiff and straight – his body language practically screaming the obscenities and anger that must be running through his mind.
As "Nurse Kirkland" turned away slowly to face the rest of the crowd, the long-haired blonde from before cried "Oh, la la! I forgot the most important part!"
He grabbed the man's wrist and pulled him sharply down (and Alfred couldn't help either the flash of anger at such rough treatment of the poor angel, or the flash of jealousy at the lucky people behind that short skirt right now…). Alfred lost sight of what they were doing, but when "Nurse Kirkland" stood up on the chair again he had a little pink hat on his head, with a red cross front and centre.
Oh, God, Alfred groaned to himself, his giddy haze clearing just enough for everything to click into place. Please don't say this guy is really one of the nurses I'm going to be working with…
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo xo
He was.
His name was Arthur Kirkland, and he was, indeed, a nurse at Sunningdale Children's Hospital, where Alfred started work in the first week of the new year.
Alfred had made sure to catch "Nurse Kirkland" at the Christmas party, but Arthur had been getting very purposefully drunk, as if to wipe this horrid humiliation from his memory. He'd snapped at Alfred when the American said hello, then given him some wide eyes and a stammering "O-oh, sorry. H-hello. Nice to meet you," when he finally turned to look at him for the first time. They'd managed a few short sentences, and Arthur explained the outfit was just the result of losing a bet to a nurse named Francis.
But Alfred was so nervous, and trying so hard not to focus on the mini-dress (which had risen up a lot on Arthur's thighs as the Englishman sat on the high stool at the bar) that he must have looked like a complete moron. Luckily, Arthur didn't seem to notice – too busy blushing and stuttering himself, no doubt in embarrassment at meeting the new doctor under such awkward circumstances.
So they'd parted for the night, Alfred determined to get a longer conversation when Arthur was more at ease.
He was also wanted to know if he really did "love" Arthur, or if he'd just been a little swept away by the mini skirt. It wasn't that he didn't believe in love at first sight. And Alfred liked to think he was above something as superficial as being attracted to someone solely because of a kinky costume, but…it had been a really great dress on Arthur.
So he decided to get to know Arthur a little more before he let himself think the word "love" again, or even "crush". And maybe a little flirting wouldn't be too bad, just to see if he really was into Arthur, and if Arthur could ever be into him. Maybe it wasn't entirely appropriate, but Alfred swiftly realised he was unable to help himself.
"Nurse Kirkland! Wow, it's so good to see you!"
Arthur raised an eyebrow, its dark shadow disappearing higher up under his golden fringe.
"We do work in the same building," Arthur said, as Alfred closed the door to the doctors' break room and joined him at the coffee machine.
"Yeah," Alfred grinned, feeling a little embarrassed at his outburst, "but I feel like I never see you around."
"We do work in a hospital. It's rather a busy place," Arthur said, a grin of his own tweaking his lips as he looked slyly up at the paediatrician.
Alfred felt his heart jump and speed up in his chest, feeling a little as if he'd missed a step on the stairs. He beamed wider, flashing perfect white teeth, and Arthur turned to face him properly, his smile shy and sweet and so, so beautiful. They couldn't quite take their eyes off of each other.
Alfred wanted desperately to say something witty and charming. But with Arthur standing right there, it was hard enough remembering how to speak English. So he settled for a classic:
"Sooo…You come here often?"
Arthur tried to cover his smile, but failed miserably to pretened that he was unamused by the ridiculous line. "Not nearly enough," he said. "I've been rushed off my feet since we had that big snowfall last week. What about you? How are you finding it here? Settling in all right?"
"It's great!" Alfred exclaimed happily, meaning every word. "There's really only on thing bothering me, though."
Arthur's face fell. "Oh? What's that?"
"Weeeell," Alfred drawled, looking up at the ceiling and trying to will his face into mock seriousness. "There's this really cute British nurse and I never get to see enough of him."
He let himself glance at Arthur to see the nurse's reaction, and found the Englishman still pretending to look unimpressed. But his bright eyes and the tight grip on his coffee mug betrayed him.
Alfred would have loved to continue the little game, but then the door opened behind him, someone else walked in, and suddenly he lost his nerve. Arthur must have felt embarrassed, too, because he hurried away from Alfred towards the couch, leaving the doctor to make his coffee. By the time Alfred turned round to take a seat on the couch Arthur was gone.
It was a few more days before Alfred had a chance to talk to him again. He'd been a medical student for almost a decade, and a resident in another hospital for years – he knew this line of work was busy and didn't leave you much time to hang out with colleagues in the break room. But this was the first time he ever resented the work, when it kept him and Arthur constantly apart.
It made him feel guilty to feel this way, so he was delighted when he finally got an opportunity to see Arthur again – to get a fix of the sexy English nurse so that he could carry on with his work un-distracted for a while.
This time, they were seeing to the same patient – a little boy by the name of Steve who was in with a broken ankle and a few other bumps and scrapes.
They'd been focused on dealing with Steve's injuries when he first arrived, but now that he was out of X-rays and surgery and resting up in bed, Alfred was raring for a chance to show off to Arthur. He was an excellent doctor, and got along great with children. He was sure this would be nothing new to a guy like Arthur, but still, it was worth a shot if Alfred wanted to impress him.
"So, Steve, how are you feeling?" Alfred asked cheerily.
"I'm okay…" the boy replied, listlessly. "Bored."
"I know, sorry about that. Hospitals are pretty lame." He looked out of the corner of his eyes towards Arthur, hoping the nurse was listening to how well he connected with kids. "Anything we can get for you before your mom comes back with your DS? I've got some Avengers comics in my locker if you wanna borrow them? But you have to promise to take care of them, okay?"
"Sure! Thank you, Doctor Jones!"
Alfred beamed at him, bouncing in place as he caught eyes with Arthur and saw the nurse flash him a smile.
"Cool! I'll just go grab them. Stay here, I'll be right back!"
Alfred dashed off to his locker to grab the comics, skipping all the way because apparently a little smile from Arthur was enough for him to walk on air.
He was ready to burst heroically back into Steve's room when the sound of a soft, familiar voice made him slow down outside the door. He leaned against the wall just outside the room, cracked the door ajar and listened in.
" – don't have to be scared to go home, Steve. I know your mum's angry at you for fighting, but it's only because she loves you and she's sad that you got hurt. Nobody is angry that you stood up to William and protected that poor dog. That was definitely the right thing to do. I'm sure your mom's really proud of you for being so brave. All the doctors and nurses are certainly very impressed. I mean, he's older than you and you still stood up to him. That's just amazing, Steve!"
Alfred peered through the crack in the door and saw Steve sniffing back tears, but smiling. Arthur was sitting on a chair next to the bed, his back to Alfred, obviously having finished tending the wounds on the boy's arm.
"I know it's really boring in the hospital, but trust me: when you get back to school it's going to be so exciting telling everyone your story and getting them to sign your cast."
Steve beamed at him, looking happy for the first time since he had come out of surgery. There was a pause in the conversation, and Arthur's bright blonde head tilted to the side in thought.
"What is it about Williams?" he said, off-hand. "My big brother's named William and he's a dick, too."
Steve burst out laughing, thrilled to be allowed to listen to a grown up man say a swear word.
"Yeah, William at my school is a…a dick!"
Arthur laughed with him, and Alfred smiled, his heart fluttering painfully in his chest. He was pretty sure the only way to fix it would be to grab Arthur and hug him tight, right now.
But after Alfred walked in to hand over his comics and they finished seeing to Steve, Arthur was instantly called over to one end of the building and Alfred had to rush off to another.
Alfred loved being a doctor. But now he was pretty sure he also loved Arthur. And it was damned annoying having to share the man with the rest of the hospital.
Arthur and Alfred had several more brief encounters throughout January, but never anything substantial enough for Alfred to feel that it was the right time to ask for a date. Matthew told him that he was a "douche canoe" if he couldn't see that Arthur was head over heels for him, too. But Alfred was shy, and needed a push.
Luckily, he was just the kind of sap to fall for the contrived romance and allure of Valentine's Day. It was exactly what he needed to get into gear.
The holiday kind of crept up on him, being as busy as he was at work, so it was not until February 13th that he grabbed Arthur as they passed each other once more in the hallway.
"Are you free tomorrow night?" he blurted out.
Arthur blinked, furrowing his brow in thought as he obviously tried to recall what day and date it was. He must have hit upon the answer when his face turned bright red. "O-on Valentine's Day?!"
"Yeah," Alfred nodded, beyond being embarrassed and hesitant at this point, because if he didn't take this chance, who knew when he and Arthur would ever get another minute to themselves.
"Um…no, I'm working." Alfred visibly deflated, relaxing his hold on Arthur's arm. "…Aren't you working, too?"
It was Alfred's turn to do some mental calculations, and when he did, he blushed sheepishly. "Oh, yeah," he mumbled, finally releasing Arthur to scratch guiltily at the back of his neck. "I guess…never mind then."
They stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, waiting to see if the other would say something.
"Well, then," Arthur said briskly, obviously planning to forget the whole, embarrassing thing. "I'll see you la– "
"How about the break room!" Alfred shouted suddenly, quite surprising himself. As awkward as this was (did Arthur even want him pushing for a date like this, or was he harassing the poor guy?) he knew that he couldn't let the nurse walk away without saying something this time. "W-we could have a bite to eat together during our break. O-or something? Anything! I just …want to spend some time with you."
Arthur shuffled nervously on the spot, his eyes to the floor, and Alfred waited, heart doing all kind of impossible and dangerous twists and turns in his chest. He honestly felt like he'd need to get checked out later to make sure everything was still in working order.
Suddenly, Arthur looked up, his whole face red as a cherry, and eyes so green and dazzling that Alfred almost felt them strike him with a physical blow.
"I'd love to!" Arthur exclaimed fiercely, his frown determined. "T-tomorrow evening then?"
Alfred nodded, a fizzy feeling tingling away inside, like he was a soda can ready to explode.
"Great! Tomorrow!"
Arthur gave a brisk nod and scurried away, leaving Alfred to spend the rest of the day in a delighted daze, beaming so wide that his face ached when he woke up the next day.
It might not technically be a date. (Alfred wanted to do it right before he would consider it a real one.) And they might have only had, like, four full conversations in the past six weeks. But Alfred had always been a pretty smart guy, so even with this little bit of information to go on he had managed to figure out two very important things.
One: it was definitely love.
Two: he was going to marry Nurse Kirkland some day.
A/N: Written for Empress Vegah for the 2012 Secret Santa on the USxUK LJ community.
But uploaded here for Valentine's Day. (I know it's still February 13th for some of you, but in my time zone in the future, it's the 14th.)