Amour Améthyste: Amethyst Love.

"Are you going to go inside?" Kiku asked Alfred who had been staring at a sign that read Amour Améthyste: Tea and More. It looked boring and cheap. Even the French name gave away that it was family owned and probably extremely tacky. Probably a let down.

"I dunno. Their coffee probably sucks. And I don't drink tea," he shrugged as he turned away from the store. The Japanese man stared as he walked away and rolled his eyes.

"I'm going in for tea. I'll pay if you come with," he said in a slightly raised voice so the American would hear. The made Alfred stop, turn around, and head back.

"I'm going to order a bunch of sweets."

"That's fine."

"I will make that bill outrageously expensive," he said in a stone-serious voice. Kiku didn't back down though.

"I did say I'm paying." With that, Alfred nodded and was the first one to walk into the shop. Immediately the two were swept in by the aroma of tea and coffee, with the faint scent of baked goods. While a little overpowering, it was sort of comforting. It was dimly lit, but with the sunlight streaming in there was enough to see everything.

"Hello there! Welcome to Amour Améthyste, please take a seat anywhere," he heard a voice say from somewhere, but since his eyes were still adjusting he didn't pay too much attention.

"Yeah, cool."

"Thank you," Kiku said to make up for Alfred's lack of manners. Not really thinking about where to sit, Alfred turned and took the nearest window seat. "Could you please not act like you're bored out of your skull?" Kiku said rather calmly.

"But I am bored. I'm always bored. There isn't anything fun left to do in this town. Thinkin' bout leavin' soon," he said as he rested his elbow on the table, hand pressed against his cheek as he stared out at the one main street in his small town.

"Why don't you enroll into the college?" Kiku said.

"Nah. College ain't my thing. You know this. We went to high school together."

"Yes, I do know. But it doesn't mean that college would be the same as high school. I enjoy it," he said as his eyes wandered around the store.

"Yeah well you actually liked school. It wasn't hard for you," Alfred said.

"I studied like crazy, that's all," Kiku said and immediately dropped the conversation when a form appeared next to them.

"Sorry to interrupt you gentlemen. My name is Matthew and I'll be your server today," the cheerful voice that Alfred heard before said. Now that he could hear it clearly, it was very soft. Shy. Definitely a nerd. Probably wears glasses, he thought. "Would you like a menu or do you know what you'd like today?"

"Black coffee," Alfred muttered, not bothering to look at the man.

"Please excuse him, he lacks all manners. I will have just plain green tea, if that's okay," Kiku said with a smile on his lips. Kiss-ass, Alfred thought.

"Of course. I will get you those in just a second. Thank you for waiting," he said before retreating.

"Did your father raise you to have no manners?" Kiku asked, though he didn't expect for the question to be answered.

"You know Arthur. That's enough of an answer for you," he sighed absently. From that point on, Kiku didn't bother to try and hold a conversation with his easily bored American friend and opted to play on his phone. The two remained quiet until the waiter boy return, setting the cup of black coffee gently down in front of Alfred. Out of habit, he pulled himself away from his window to raise his eyes to his server to thank him. But the moment his eyes met the other man's, he felt his mouth drop open.

"Holy shit, your eyes...," he said rather unintelligibly.

"Alfred!" Kiku yelled in shock.

"I mean... Wow, sorry," he said, still holding his mouth open and staring rather rudely.

"Ahaha... It's okay, I've gotten a lot worse. Yes, this is their natural color," Matthew said softly as he gave one of his kindest smiles. Most of his body was shaded from how the sun was on the horizon, but his face was illuminated and his eyes sparkled in the fading sunlight. He's kind of handsome, Alfred thought as he took in all the man's features for the first time. He had a soft face, but it was kind and he didn't look any younger than eighteen. His hair was a warm golden color and it was wavy, almost like a halo around his head. As Alfred had guessed he did indeed wear glasses, but the thing that had surprised Alfred the most was the pair of violet eyes behind the spectacles. He had never seen such a color and he had no idea such a color could exist in humans. Completely lost in their color, Alfred absently stuck out his hand to the man.

"Alfred. You can call me Al," he said.

"Matthew. I just go by Matthew," Matthew said as he gently took the man's hand and surprisingly gave him a firm shake.

"Ah, I'm Kiku. Honda Kiku," Kiku said rather third-wheel like. "Honda is my last name, but you Americans go by first names instead of surnames."

"Oh, I'm not American," the quiet man laughed. It was a warm laugh. "Canadian. French-Canadian. French is actually my first language," Matthew said. "Ah, I'm so sorry, is there any thing you need? I should let you two enjoy your drinks."

"No, I think we're fine Matthew, thank you," Kiku said before Alfred could respond. With that the young man gave a bow before quickly turning and heading back to his counter. Alfred watched as he walked away. He watched as the man walked behind the counter to greet a older man with blonde shoulder length and a beard. "I didn't think you could say anything more rash than that, Al," Kiku said, drawing the other out of his thoughts.

"Well his eyes are beautiful," he said as he aimlessly lifted up his cup and took a sip of it's contents.

"I didn't think you knew what the word 'beautiful' was," Kiku said with a slight laugh. Alfred quickly glared at him but then gave up as he went back to his coffee.

Despite all his talk about being bored and wanting to get away, after visiting the small shop, Alfred found himself stopping by more and more. Most times he ordered coffee, straight black, but sometimes he ordered cakes. Each visit he learned something new about Matthew he hadn't known before. Like how life in Canada was. What it was like to have a father who was French. He even learned that Matthew had a strong attachment to maple syrup.

"Alfred, when do you plan to find a job?" Arthur had said one morning as his son walked passed his office to head out the door.

"Uhh, soon," Al had said as he grabbed his shoes and started to pull them on.

"Really? Hmm. Can I ask where you spend my money, then?" Arthur asked in a rather calm voice as he focused on his work in front of him. No matter how it seemed, Arthur was rather good at working and listening.

"Tea shop, pops. Want something?" Alfred said as he fixed the heel of his shoe to slide over his own. "I can buy you some, if you'd like."

"Ah, yes please. When you decide to come back, we'll talk about this girl, okay?" Arthur said.

"Kay!" What would he say if I told him it wasn't a girl I go to see other every day? Alfred thought as he opened and closed his front door and almost jogged to Amour Améthyste. Why did he even visit so often? He wasn't such a huge fan of tea or coffee to visit as often as he did. But Matthew was his friend, and since his father owned the shop, he wanted to see the Canadian as often as he could.

"Alfred, what's so interesting about him?" Kiku had asked curiously one day when Alfred had excused himself.

"Honestly? No idea. I just want to know everything about him," he responded back truthfully.

"You don't think that's odd, at all?"

"Nope. Should it?" Alfred said, suddenly wondering if it was odd.

"As your best friend, no. But others might think so. You're nineteen. Average nineteen year old boys don't get excited to see other nineteen year old boys. If your gay then I ac-."

"Dude, I don't like guys. Swear. Matthew is just pretty cool," Alfred had said defensively before leaving his friend behind at the library.

"Hello! Welcome Amour Améth- Al! Hey, what's up?" the Canadian said with his same cheerful smile. He had definitely become more open in the time that him and Alfred spent together, but he was nowhere near as loud as the four-eyed American.

"Same old, same old," Alfred said, an instant smile spreading across his face. All his previous worries and troubles seemed to disappear the moment he hear Matthew's voice.

"Oh, good good," Matthew said, his smile slowly disappeared as he lowered his head. Immediately, Alfred noticed. Leaning on the counter, he looked up and tilted his head until he was staring at Matthew's violet eyes.

"What's up? Somethin' on your mind?" he said.

"Ahh, yeah... Papa thinks I should invite you and your dad over for dinner. I told him he was English though, so I didn't think it would be a good idea. But he insisted. I just... It's odd, right? We're grown men, and yet my dad wants to invite you guys to dinner, like we're kids or something," he said, starting to get himself flustered. Noticing that it bothered him, Alfred stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry.

"Hey, we're friends. We can have dinner together. It's cool. And my dad will behave, I'll make sure of it. He can be an ass, but if I tell him I won't forgive him if he messes this up he'll watch himself," Al said. "Your dad is pretty cool, I don't think there should be issues. When did you guys want us over?"

"Wait, you're... You're okay with this? I mean, it's pretty weird to ask you this. We haven't known each other for long. So, I don't want you to get the wrong idea! Oh, please don't get the wrong idea. Papa just really likes you and... ohhh," Matthew started getting flustered again and slunk down behind the corner until his head was resting on the surface. Rolling his eyes, Alfred laughed and ruffled his hair as he stood up straight.

"Oh dude, just shut up. Tell your dad we're up for it. Oh, and can I get half a pound of the Earl Grey?" he said, making a smooth transition.

"Will that be all?" Matthew muttered from his position. "Papa said seven tonight, if that's okay," he mumbled. Then, out of habit, he pulled himself up from his position and turned to get the tea ready.

"Sounds like a plan," Alfred said with a smile as he pulled out his wallet.

Normally, Alfred would spend a few hours at the shop, but since he had news to tell his father (and tea) he returned back rather quickly.

"Hey, pops. I got you tea," he called out.

"In here," Arthur said from the same place Alfred had left him.

"Jeez, done yet?"

"Hmm, almost. Now, about that girl," Arthur said as he turned off his computer monitor and turned his attention to Alfred. "What's her name?"

"Matthew."

"Well, that isn't your standard female name," Arthur said rather smoothly.

"Nah Dad, Matt is my friend. He's this cool Canadian dude. Anyway, uh, his dad invited us to dinner," Al continued before Arthur could interject. "At seven. He seems pretty adamant about us coming so I said yeah. And that I'd threaten you with pouting if you acted like an ass."

"Why in the world would I be an ass in a guests house?"

"Cause his dad is kinda French."

"Absolutely not. Not in bloody hell, forget it," Arthur immediately shot down the invitation.

"Oh come on! What do you even have against the French? What did they do to you?" Alfred asked, becoming rather irritated.

"Simple - history. The English and the French have disagreed for years. As an Englishman I will not eat a Frenchman's cooking," he said as he stood up and started putting away the array of papers on his desk.

"Dad, Francis is a nice guy! Come on! Free food. And your food sucks," he said, making a jab that would hit home. Flinching, Arthur clenched his jaw.

"You can't cook any better," he responded and then went quickly back to his work. "I am not going."

"Then I'll leave home. I'll go to Mom's," Alfred said in a dead serious voice. That stopped Arthur. The room was dead silent for what seemed like forever before the Englishman grumbled in defeat. "Go get our finest wine. And never, ever, threaten me with that woman again."

Before they knew it, seven o'clock was suddenly upon them. Being as punctual as he was, Arthur had gotten his lazy son moving at six and out the door by six forty-five. The two had dressed in collared shirts and casual jeans and were in Amour Améthyste by seven exactly.

"This place isn't bad," Arthur whispered. "Should have invited me along."

"And have you fight with his dad? No thanks," Alfred snorted. Within seconds of the door bell ringing, Matthew had emerged from the back. "Hey, this is my dad."

"Arthur Kirkland," Arthur said as he held out his hand to the younger man.

"Ah, hello, sir," he said as he gave a firm handshake in greeting. "I'm Matthew Williams. And this is my dad," he paused as he waited for his father to emerge.

"Oh, bonjour mon ami. Francis Bonnefoy," Francis said as he stepped towards the Englishman and grasped his hand firmly. "Arthur, was it?" Nodding, Arthur gave a small smile, but didn't dare say anymore. You're really a damn child, Alfred thought as he watched his father.

"Ah, here. We brought you guys this. Dad's had it for a while, so he thought it would be a nice gesture," he said as he held out the bottle of wine to Francis.

"Honestly, it was just something we had laying around. I don't normally drink. Thought maybe a Frenchman would enjoy it," he said in an snarky tone. Oh, keep it up, dude. I won't come home for a week, Alfred thought with gritted teeth.

"Oh, thank you," Francis said as he took the wine and gave Arthur the same smile Matthew gave Al. It was kind, charming, and overall it was overpowering. Like it could kill. "Ah, shall we head in for dinner? I just made something simple. I wasn't sure what you'd eat so is salad with lasagna good? I assumed everyone enjoyed Italian," Francis said in his French way. He spoke perfect English, yet he had a very strong French accent.

"Yes, that's fine. I prefer that over escargot," Arthur said.

"Dad!"

"Sorry," he said stubbornly. "Habit. I do apologize." You don't sound very apologetic.

"Well, let's go. Before my father decides to say something else that might erupt into a fight," Al laughed nervously and started to make his way towards the back of the store. This is going to be a long evening.

Surprisingly, the entire time the four of them ate, things went rather smoothly. Arthur refrained from talking with Francis as much as possible, but that didn't stop Francis from continuously trying to holding a conversation with his so-called birth rival. At times, Matthew and himself had gotten distracted talking about some of their hobbies.

"Wait, so you play hockey?" Alfred asked, suddenly very surprised. He didn't think that Matthew could handle any contact sport, especially hockey.

"Oh yeah. Been playing since I was old enough to put on skates. I've played every position. Was captain on my team four years running," he said, wearing an excited grin.

"Well shit. Ever played baseball or football?"

"No, at least not on a team. Hockey was my thing. Anything with the ice, really. I even figure skated for a bit," he said as he put a fork full of food into his mouth. Alfred had been impressed. Kiku wasn't into hockey; hell none of his friends were. Now he had someone who shared a similar interest in it.

"Well, how about video games? Scary movies?" Alfred asked, becoming interestingly excited.

"I play a few games, nothing special. And I'm not a fan of scary movies." Even though Matthew didn't share those interests with Al, he wasn't wavered at all. He was actually even more interested. "Why don't we have some dessert?" he asked before standing up from the table to go to the kitchen for the pastries.

The rest of the evening had gone by swimmingly. Dinner had been amazing and Arthur had even felt kind enough to allow Al to have a glass of wine. Not that he hadn't drank before, but that was besides the point. After a glass of wine though, Al could see that his father was going to get incredibly drunk in a short amount of time. After thanking the hosts over and over, he managed to convince his dad to stand up, that they had to get on home.

"Seriously guys, that was great. Francis, you've got the best cooking ever. I don't understand how Matthew keeps such a slim form," he laughed one of his obnoxiously loud laughs.

"Ah, why thank you Al. Thank you both for joining us, maybe we can do this again," Francis said before moving forward to hug the young man. Smiling, he returned the gesture.

"See ya, Mattie," Al said as he turned his father around and they headed out the door.

"He gave me his number," Arthur muttered after hiccuping.

"Huh? Who? Francis?" Al said, caught off guard.

"Yeah... Said that we should do dinner again. Found me a pleasure to talk with," he snorted, trying to pretend he didn't care. "Damn Frenchman was hitting on me! Can you believe him! Hic! I gave every single sign to show I wasn't interested and he kept at it," he muttered irritably. "I'm not a damn homo."

"Whoa, wait, his dad is gay?" Al said, quite surprised.

"Didn't you hear me?! Yes! Either that or he swings both ways, but... Hic! He wouldn't stop. Didn't touch me or anything, just kept hitting on me."

"Awww, that's cute," Alfred said with a snicker.

"Not funny."

"Why not give it a try? I mean, just a date. You don't have to sleep with him. Unless suddenly you hate men now," Alfred inquired. His father had been openly bisexual for years, hell all his life really, but he had only gone on dates with women. He thought that at some point his dad had just stopped finding men sexually appealing. Shaking his head, Arthur hiccuped again.

"I don't date the French, no matter... No matter how attractive they might be," he said the last part softly. Shaking his head, Alfred decided to just give up on trying to talk to his father about it. "But what about you, eh?! Since when have you liked men?" Blinking, Alfred glared at him.

"I'm not. I'm straight."

"Oh, riiiight. And I'm Russian. I saw the way you talked to that handsome young son of his. You were like a bloody light bulb, growing brighter as if he was your electricity," Arthur said as he covered his mouth as a burp emerged from his mouth. "Fess up, you have the hots for Matthew. That's why you visit that shop. You're not interested in the coffee or tea, just those amethyst eyes of his."

"Whatever," Al said coldly as he took out his key and unlocked the door. "Gonna spend a week with Kiku, don't burn the house down," he said as he opened the door and slammed it behind him.

Days had gone by without Al even caring. He was pissed at his dad for even saying such shit. He didn't want to see him, talk to him, have anything to do with him. Hell, he hadn't even bothered to call. While Kiku had came in and out of his apartment with his busy life, Al simply read his comics or played his video games.

"You know, I don't hate you staying here, but why don't you try and make up with him?" Kiku suggested as he watched Al sitting on the floor trying to beat a mission on Call of Duty 2.

"Cause, he accused me of being a fag like him," he said as he kept full focus on his game. "I don't like men, he knows this. Yet he dared to say that to me."

"So, now your dad is a fag?"

"Yup."

"Kind of harsh, don't you think? You've always been accepting of gay individuals and you've always been open. So why such a cruel slur?" Kiku asked. Sighing, Alfred paused the game and turned around to look at the man sitting on the couch.

"Okay, so 'fag' was probably not the smartest thing to say."

"Ya think?"

"Shut up. Anyway, I'm just pissed off. I don't like Matthew. I don't want to jump his bones. I just want to hang out with him, do things with him that you and I do. Go to the movies, play some hockey, have food fights. Laugh, shit like that," Alfred said.

"We don't do any of that, you do know?" Kiku pointed out.

"Course we do," Alfred said, scrunching his brows together.

"No, Al. We have never gone to the movies, never thrown food at each other, and we have most definitely not played hockey. All those things, those are things you do on a date. Take your date to the movies, bake together, ice skate together," Kiku said. But Alfred didn't want to believe it.

"I don't like him," he said as he turned back to his game without another word.

"If you didn't, why are you here, hiding from your father when you would just shrug it off any other time, maybe laugh about it with him?" It was true though, he wouldn't have run off to Kiku's. But the stubborn part of the American's brain didn't want to give in that easily, even though his chest was aching from not seeing Matthew.

The rest of the day had gone by slowly and when night had started to approach, Alfred turned off the game and headed to his bag. He pulled out a clean shirt and jeans and started changing into them. His mind didn't process what he was doing, but some part of him knew exactly what he was doing. He grabbed his jacket, slipped his wallet and phone into it, then grabbed Kiku's spare keys from the side table and left without another word.

At first he started off at a leisure walk, not really caring. But as the sun sank more and more he sped up his pace. Eventually he had broken out into a jog, then a sprint. Gotta make it, he thought as he frequently checked the time on his phone. 7:57. He had three minutes. Suddenly he was at the door of Amour Améthyste, and without much thought he pushed hard on the door. What the hell am I doing? he thought as he heard Matthew call out his in his usual greeting.

"Al...? What's up? What's the matter? It's been a while, you okay?" the other man asked, sounding rather concerned.

"Amethyst... That's what they are... Amethyst," he said as he tried to catch his breath.

"What is? The store? That's just the name of it, there aren't any real amethyst," he said confused.

"No. Not the store... These," he said as he pointed to Matthew's eyes. "They're amethysts. Precious gems... Beautifully violet... He was right," he said as he gulped in large breaths of air.

"Who? Al, what are you talking about? My eyes are just violet, they aren't gems."

"To me they are. To me they are gems. And... I love them, a lot," Alfred said as he raised heartbroken blue eyes to Matthew's amethyst ones. "You... You probably hate me for saying this but, man, I have this huge fucking crush on you and your eyes. Since I first saw them I just wanted to see them more and more. And that stupid smile of yours. I mean, you kinda look girlish, but I don't see a girl when I look at you. I see... I see this really tough dude that I can check against the glass and kiss the bruises away later," he said, going off on a tangent. "And I want to go on a date with you. Just once, I mean nothing romantic or anything, just a date. And maybe another after that. And another. And maybe you'd like to be my boyfriend."

"And I understand if you aren't gay, dude I understand. I'm not either, but it's just you that makes me feel so damn stupid. I mean, I'm not the smartest kid in town but still. I just... I'm sorry," he finished sadly knowing that he had already been rejected. The silence continued for a bit, what seemed like forever was really just a minute, and finally Alfred stood up straight. "Better go, you guys are closed now," he said pretending nothing had happened at all. Feeling depressed, he turned around and headed for the door. "See ya later."

"Al, I didn't say no," Matthew said, stopping him in his tracks. "You're right, I'm not gay. But I'm not straight. I'll go on a date with you. And another after that. And after that. And maybe I will just become your boyfriend and let you check me into the glass and kiss the bruises later," Matthew repeated the same stupid line that Alfred had said back to him. "So, come over here, you dense idiot. So I can introduce my father to my boyfriend." With that, Alfred turned around and saw Matthew's handsome smile. Stupid amethysts.

- Author's Note -

Hello! Thanks for reading Amour Améthyste, or known to English readers as Amethyst Love. I created the title thinking up fancy words in French to use as the shop's title. Somehow I saw the word amethyst and found it very fitting since Mattie's eyes are a shade of violet. The title plays not only on Matthew's eyes, but on the gem itself. Francis loved his son and therefore named his store in a manner befitting of him. Plus, amethyst is one of the most precious gemstones in the quartz family, playing on Alfred's unknowing feelings. Later on he realizes just how precious Matthew is, so Mattie natural becomes something like a gem to Al. But enough about the dumb title, I do hope you enjoyed this one-shot. I wanted something cute, smooth, and somewhat realistic (as in, it just might be possible in a real life scenario) and I hoped you enjoyed it too. If you feel there is something I can fix, leave a review or message and I will fix it. Check out my other works! Thanks again, guys.

Marshall.

p.s. I might just do a one-shot on Francis and Arthur's developing relationship.