A/N: Guest all I will tell you is, if you don't like it, don't read the fic. It's as simple as that.

And for the rest of you, enjoy the next chapter! Things will start moving along more quickly soon, I promise!

It didn't take long for Arthur to finish, and this time he kept focused enough to remember to eat lunch and finish early, and before the end of the afternoon he was back in the pool room.

The merman was napping in a patch of sunlight by the window, but he woke and looked up when Arthur entered. "Artie!" Rolling into the water, he swam over and popped up on the side near Arthur. "How was work?"

"Hello," Arthur replied, smiling gently. "Oh, it was the same as usual. Not too bad."

"That's good, Artie! Let's watch a movie before we sleep!"

"Oh? All right, is there any type of film you want to watch?"

"There was one that was advertised- the Return of the King? But I missed it so can we watch it now?"

"Ah, of course," Arthur replied with a smile. "Although- that's actually the third of a series. Do you want to watch the other ones first?"

"Oh, really? Yeah! We can watch them all!"

Arthur chuckled. "They're over ten hours long overall."

"Oh- That's a long time..." Alfred whispered reverently.

"Can we watch the first one today then?"

"Of course. I should have the DVD somewhere, let me go look for it..."

"Okay, see you in a moment!"

Arthur left, quickly searching for the film and coming back with the DVD and some food.

"Foooooood!" Alfred's eyes zeroed in on the stuff in Arthur's arms.

Arthur raised a brow and shook his head, chuckling. "Of course that's what you notice first. Shall we eat with the film, then?"

"Hell yes!" Heaving himself out onto the edge, Alfred patted the spot next to him.

"All right." Slotting the disk into the player, Arthur took his seat next to Alfred and pulled the plate of food towards them.

"What is it?" Alfred asked, pointing to the food.

"Well..." Arthur shifted, slightly flustered. "You haven't really had a proper hot meal. So, uh, I had the leftovers of a Sunday dinner and I thought you would enjoy it..."

"Sunday dinner?" Alfred tilted his head to the side.

Arthur nodded. "There's chicken and some vegetables and gravy and... Uh. If you don't like it, I can get you some fish, but I thought you might like to try. I brought some snacks for the film too..."

Alfred licked his lips and scooted closer to the food. "That sounds so good..."

Arthur smiled slightly, sliding a knife and fork over to the other. "Go ahead, then. Oh- do you need help with the cutlery? You don't usually use it..."

"Yeah, could you show me?" Alfred gave him puppy eyes.

"Of course," Arthur replied with a chuckle, moving over and placing each item of cutlery in the other's hands. He then placed his own hands over that, curling their hands shut. "It's quite simple, really."

"Ah..." Alfred found it hard to concentrate on what Arthur was showing him, what with the warmth of his hands on Alfred's. "Okay..."

"Yes. So you use this to hold down and pick up the food," he said, demonstrating by maneuvering Alfred's hands into the right position. "And then this to cut up the bits that are too big."

Upon further examination of the knife, Alfred tightened his grip on it. "...You could use it to cut other things too, right?"

Arthur blinked and glanced up at Alfred. "Well- y-yes, why?"

"I just saw humans coming and killing fish with them..." Alfred mumbled.

"Oh..." Arthur frowned slightly, then nodded thoughtfully. "Yes."

Glancing at him, Alfred saw the frown and quickly shook his head. "I don't mean anything by it! Sorry for commenting. Show me how to use them more?" He didn't want the Brit's hands to lift away quite yet.

"Ah- yes, sorry, um, where were we... You cut with this one. Ah - and be careful of bones in the chicken," Arthur said quietly.

"...Arthur?" Alfred glanced at him at the tone. "I'm sorry if I scared you or something... I promise I won't hurt anyone!"

"Hm?" Arthur blinked. "No- no, I know you won't- I'm not scared."

"Then why are you so quiet?"

"I-I am...? I'm sorry..."

"Oh. Well okay then!" Alfred brightened and flipped his hands around to grip Arthur's.

"Ah-" Eyes widening slightly, Arthur smiled a little. "What about the food...?"

"The food can wait," Alfred said with a smile.

"...All right," Arthur murmured, blinking.

"Yeah! Tell me, did anything cool happen at work? And when exactly are you leaving?"

"Mm, no, just the usual stuff. And in a couple of days now- the day after tomorrow."

"I hope you get it sorted out quickly!" Alfred chirped sweetly.

"Yes, me too," Arthur said with a small smile.

"So. Food. Give me some?"

Arthur chuckled slightly at this. "Yes, yes. It's right here," he said, pulling the other's plate closer.

"Awesome!" Slouching so he would have better precision, Alfred slowly started cutting up his meat. "Like this?"

"Heh, yes, that's fine." Arthur smiled and started on his own plate, setting up the DVD while he did.

"Okay." After a moment it was all done, and Alfred took a bite. His eyes widened- it was so good! He wanted to just tip the entire contents of the plate into his mouth, but that wouldn't be polite. So, slight pout on his face, he ate slowly.

"So- how is it?" Arthur asked quietly.

"Delicious! A symphony of flavours!" Alfred had heard a chef proclaim that on a cooking show once so he thought it must have been pretty damn good food.

"What?" Arthur chuckled slightly, then smiled shyly. "Well I'm glad you like it."

"I do like it! You always cook so well!"

Arthur flushed slightly at this, his smile growing sheepishly. "Y-You think so? Thank you."

Humming with contentment at making Arthur happy, Alfred turned his attention to the screen and the drama unfolding there. He soon lost himself in the action, though his hand did go around Arthur's during the scarier parts.

Arthur chuckled slightly each time this happened, squeezing Alfred's hand comfortingly.

And Alfred would glance at him, shuffling closer until thigh was pressed against tail. After that, whenever something bad would happen, Alfred would throw his arms around Arthur's shoulders and hold him close.

Grinning softly and shaking his head, Arthur patted the merman's blond locks gently. "There, there. It's okay."

"I know it is!" Alfred wailed. "But stiiiill!"

"Hey, hey..." Arthur gave a small, amused laugh at the other's rather adorable reaction- wait, adorable? "Come now, it's just a film."

"But the emotions and stuff are real!" the merman whimpered, clutching onto Arthur's shirt.

Arthur just chuckled more and stroked the other's hair. "Yes, yes. It's all right, Alfred, they're just acting."

"But my emotions are real!"

"Yes, yes. It's okay," Arthur replied, resuming his patting of the other's head.

"Okay..." Closing his eyes, Alfred focused on the patting for a moment. Then, when there was a particularly loud noise, he turned his attention back to the screen, but he did so in a way that wouldn't mean he had to leave the sanctuary of Arthur's arms.

Arthur's eyes turned back to the screen as well, though his hand never stopped the gentle soothing of Alfred's hair.

An hour later, when the movie was finished, Alfred was tired from all the emotion he had felt, but satisfied at the movie and eager for more. "We'll watch the next one tomorrow?" he asked, stifling a yawn as he straightened out.

"Sure." Arthur replied with a small smile. "Are you tired?"

"A lil bit..." Alfred sprawled against him. "Can we go sleep?"

"Of course." Arthur smiled gently. "Let's go."

Pushing away and flopping into the water, Alfred quickly retrieved the mattress and guided it back to the edge. "If you don't wanna get your clothes wet then you can take them off!"

"Ah, right." Arthur nodded and turned away to change. "There should be something on the side to fix it to the edge of the pool," he said as he shrugged his shirt off, then his pants.

"Ah, there is!"Alfred exclaimed, but he was watching Arthur. Only when the human was down to his underwear did he look away and focus on actually finding the thing on the mattress.

Arthur looked over his shoulder a moment to check if Alfred was looking his way before, satisfied he wasn't, turning back to the merman and kicking his clothes out of the way. "I left the blankets by the door for now, so I'll bring them when you're done."

"Blankets?" Alfred tilted his head. "Won't they get wet?"

"Well- Maybe... But I'd be cold otherwise..."

"Couldn't you turn on the heating in this room? Plus I'll keep ya warm!"

"I-I suppose that's reasonable."

"Yeah! Don't worry, Artie, I'll be sure to keep you really warm!" Alfred told him eagerly, smiling and gesturing for him to get onto the mattress.

Arthur couldn't help but smile gently back as he made his way over and carefully climbed onto the bed.

Once Arthur was settled Alfred clambered on next to him. "Is this okay?" the merman asked after he had gotten into place. He was curled around Arthur in an attempt to make him warm, and the Brit was partially underneath him.

"Ah-" Arthur blinked in surprise, but then shuffled a little closer. "Yes, this is fine," he mumbled.

"Okay." Yawning, Alfred shoved his nose against Arthur's neck. "Night then, Artie..." Then he was asleep, snoring softly.

After a moment, Arthur lifted his arms until they were gently resting around the merman. "Good night, Alfred," he murmured, before slowly falling asleep himself.

And the next morning when Alfred woke, Arthur's arms were still around him. Gazing over at the human, he smiled. This was really nice and comforting, and he felt he could stay in that position forever. "Artie..." he mumbled under his breath, unable to resist leaning forward and giving Arthur a tiny kiss on the neck. It was barely a brush of his lips against Arthur's skin, but it still made Alfred feel better. He'd kissed Arthur!

Arthur hummed softly and shifted in his sleep, his body comfortable in the warmth.

"You like that?" Alfred asked him, his voice barely a murmur. He leaned forward and pressed another soft kiss there.

Stirring more and sighing softly, Arthur unconsciously leant into the touch.

"Yeah, you do..." Alfred smiled, slightly sadly, and burrowed into him.

Moments later, Arthur's eyes gently fluttered open. "Mm?"

"Morning, Arthur!" Alfred told him, giving him a little squeeze.

Arthur blinked, and a moment later flipped the two of them onto their sides, pressing his face into Alfred's chest and wrapping his legs around his tail.

"A-Arthur?" Alfred's eyes went wide at the sudden motion and he stiffened as the mattress wobbled dangerously, but eventually he wrapped his arms around Arthur's torso and held him close. "Wh- What's this for?"

"Hm?" Arthur murmured quietly, already half-asleep again. He smiled softly as he snuggled closer to Alfred.

"What are you doing?" Alfred asked in a soft tone, gently running his hand across Arthur's back.

"Mm... Warm," Arthur breathed, sighing softly at the feeling, before he blinked. What was he doing?! Just because he was tired, it didn't give him an excuse to cuddle up, even if it did feel great. Face reddening, the Brit shifted back a little, somewhat reluctantly peeling his face from Alfred's skin and looking down at the mattress instead. "S-Sorry, I just..."

"H-Hey... It's okay, Artie!" Alfred said quickly, tightening his grip in an attempt to keep Arthur there. "I don't mind, I was just surprised at first. Don't apologize!"

"Ah... All- All right," Arthur murmured, pausing and leaning into the merman.

"Yeah." Alfred looked at him hesitantly. "Do you wanna sleep some more?"

"I don't mind," Arthur replied, glancing up at Alfred for a moment. "This... This is nice."

"It is..." Alfred replied, just as quiet.

After a moment, Arthur's face was back against the other's skin, hiding its slight redness. "We can go back to sleep if you want," he murmured.

"Yeah, let's do that..." Alfred mumbled, humming happily at the feelings. He snuggled more to the Brit.

"Mm, all right." Arthur closed his eyes, snuggling back softly. He soon fell asleep in his thoughts, and his grip around Alfred tightened slightly.

Alfred stayed awake though, and simply watched Arthur sleep. Why was he feeling so warm all over? And why did that warmth increase as Arthur's grip did? Shrugging the feelings away, he closed his eyes and waited for Arthur to wake again.

It wasn't long before Arthur began to stir again, and he sighed softly as he awoke, though his eyes stayed closed and he moved closer to Alfred. The merman pretended to be asleep, curious to see what Arthur would do if he thought Alfred wasn't awake. He let out a soft snore. Arthur blinked. Ah, so Alfred was still sleeping. Drawing back a little and looking up at Alfred, the Brit brought his fingers to the other's cheek, stroking it softly.

Alfred's stomach twisted, though he tried not to show his reaction. He couldn't help snuffling ever so softly and leaning into the hand.

Smiling at this, Arthur then seemed to realize what he was doing and abruptly pulled his hand away. But then he looked up at Alfred and thought carefully, coming to some sort of realization. He wanted to touch Alfred. He couldn't help that. His eyes widened slightly as he took this in, then after a few moments, he'd made peace with the simple fact. And then there was another realization- Alfred was asleep now, so there was no harm in humoring himself a little, right? So, ever so gently, and with a furtive look at Alfred's soft face, he reached out, his fingers brushing at the top of Alfred's chest.

"Mmh..." Another soft snort and snore, and Alfred turned his head to the side. Internally he felt like he was melting, and he never wanted Arthur to stop the little touches.

Arthur started at the noise, pausing as he glanced up at Alfred nervously, but then he deemed it safe and let his hand slowly travel down Alfred's chest, stopping halfway down his stomach and stroking there softly.

"Mmhmmhmmhmm-" The merman snickered softly at the ticklish feeling but still didn't open his eyes.

Eyes widening slightly, Arthur's hand pulled back. Shit- he wasn't awake, was he?! "A-Alfred...?" he asked quietly.

Okay, maybe that was too much. Alfred snorted again and stayed still.

After about a minute, it looked like Alfred wasn't waking up, and Arthur sighed softly, face softening as he tentatively rested his hand on the other's chest again.

The merman didn't react that time, and was careful not to show any movement.

A moment later, Arthur snuggled up to the other, nuzzling to Alfred's chest as he stroked the skin there with a thumb.

It was then that Alfred couldn't resist anymore and, as naturally as possible, snuggled back into Arthur. He was surprised that the Brit couldn't hear the rapid thumping of his heart.

"Mm..." Arthur hummed softly, closing his eyes at the feeling and holding Alfred tighter.

"Mmmh..." Alfred decided it was time to 'wake'. "Arrrtie?" he asked sleepily.

"Ah-" Arthur froze at the sudden noise. "Good morning, Alfred..."

"Morning, Artie..." Alfred smiled and squeezed him a bit.

"Mm... So, uh, did you sleep all right?" Arthur asked quietly, giving the other a small squeeze in return.

"Y-Yeah, it was nice. What about you?"

Arthur smiled softly at that. "That's good. I slept okay... Haven't been awake for long."

"Oh, what were you doing? You should have woken me."

"Wh-" Arthur flushed softly. "N-No, it's fine, I was only awake about a minute before you."

"Oh. Okay, then." Alfred gave him a warm smile.

Arthur couldn't help but smile back at that. "Yes."

"Did I keep you warm enough in the night?"

"Y-Yes, it was fine. Thank you."

"Really? I'm glad, Artie!" Alfred gave him an extra hard squeeze.

"A-Ah-" Eyes widening slightly, Arthur chuckled. "Yes. Turns out you make rather a good blanket."

"I do! Can we sleep like this more? I want to be your blanket more!"

Arthur blinked, his brows rising. "Well- All right..."

"Thanks, Artie!" Alfred wriggled softly, then stopped as he remembered they were on a very mobile mattress- one that could potentially tip over. He settled down and cuddled up to Arthur. "Can you go get food? I'm starting to get hungry..."

"Oh... Yes, of course. Is there anything you want?"

"Umm..." Alfred thought for a moment. "Surprise me!" he declared after a moment.

"Hm, all right..." Arthur replied, thinking. He disentangled himself from the merman and climbed out onto the floor of the pool room. "I'll be back in a few minutes, then."

"But no fish!" Alfred quickly added on before the Brit left. His tail splashed softly in the water in anticipation while he waited.

True to his word, Arthur was soon back with a steaming plate of breakfast- sausages, bacon, eggs, beans, and fried bread all on the plate that he set in front of Alfred.

Sniffing at the air, Alfred nodded in approval. "It smells so good! Do you have some for yourself?"

"Of course." Arthur replied with a smile, picking up his own plate and sitting by the side of the pool.

Alfred attacked the food, disregarding the knife and fork for most of it. When he reached the eggs and beans however - what an odd combination - he had to and picked them up with a huff. "What is this all?" he asked between swallows.

"Ah, it's a Full English Breakfast. That bit's egg, and those are baked beans."

"Full English...? As in from England?"

Arthur nodded in reply.

"...English people have weird taste."

Arthur blinked. "Wh- How?!"

"Because sausage and eggs and beans and bread? That's like three breakfasts in one."

"How would you know that?" Arthur said huffily. "And besides, breakfast is an important meal. It sets you up for the rest of the day, so it's sometimes good to have a full breakfast."

"The cooking programs never had it!" Alfred declared. "But I guess that makes sense, but it's still weird!"

Arthur crossed his arms. "It isn't that weird..."

"It is! It's different in America!"

"Fine, fine. If you really don't like it, I'll make something else tomorrow."

"No, no! I do like it! I just thought it was kinda weird!"

"Hmm, all right."

"I do like it!"

Arthur looked at him, and then a small smile came across his face. "...Well finish it up, then," he said.

Nodding enthusiastically, Alfred tipped the plate back and swallowed the rest of the beans whole. "There!"

Arthur chuckled and took the dirty plate. "So what do you want to do today?"

"Umm... Well you're leaving tomorrow, right?"

"Yes," Arthur replied with a nod.

"I wanna spend the day with you..."

The Brit smiled wider at this, chuckling softly. "Of course, I'm staying right here with you."

"Promise? You won't leave at all?"

"I promise."

"Okay." Alfred heaved himself out of the water and dumped his upper body on Arthur's lap. "I need you..." he whispered.

"Need me?" Arthur blinked, eyes widening slightly. "Don't be ridiculous..."

"I do." Alfred snuggled into him. "You're so nice to me, plus you treat me good."

"Treat you well... Ah, th-that doesn't mean you need me though," Arthur said, flushing slightly.

"I do need you! And plus, I want you! No other human for me, no sir!" Alfred told him, grinning and nuzzling to his stomach.

Arthur turned redder and smiled gently, bringing a hand up to stroke Alfred's hair. "Well, if you insist..."

"Yeah, I do insist!"

"All right then. Well I'm glad."

"Artie..." Alfred held him more tightly. "Can we watch the other two movies? We have time, right?" He looked up at Arthur and shifted so he was sitting next to him and leaned against the Brit's shoulder.

"Hm?" Watching the other Arthur raised his brows. "Yes, of course."

"Okay." The merman straightened. "Put them on?"

Once Arthur had put the movie on the two of them got settled down on the side of the pool. Alfred was once again clinging to Arthur throughout any parts he deemed necessary- and some other ones simply because it felt good to be holding Arthur- until that movie was over and he had Arthur order them some pizza. He'd seen a commercial and had yet to try it.

After his life-changing discovery (pizza was really good), Alfred insisted they order more for later and started on the second movie. And by then, Alfred had come to the conclusion that Arthur would make a very nice human teddy bear indeed and pulled the Brit onto his lap.

Surprised at the action, Arthur blinked and turned his head to look at the merman. "A-Alfred?"

"What?" Alfred looked back at him calmly.

"What's with this...?" Arthur murmured, a shy flush on his cheeks.

"Well." Alfred quickly racked his brain to come up with a good enough explanation. "You'll be warmer this way. And I'll be warmer this way. And I won't have to go at an awkward angle when the scary bits come on and I gotta hide."

Arthur laughed at this, smiling warmly at the other. "All right, fair enough," he said, leaning back into Alfred just a tiny bit.

"Exactly!" Happy that Arthur had accepted his reasoning, Alfred wrapped his arms more snugly around Arthur's body and rested his chin on the human's shoulder. He sighed contently and dragged his eyes back to the screen.

Arthur almost closed his eyes, he was so relaxed, before remembering he was watching a film and looking back at the TV. That didn't stop him leaning into the other happily, though.

Alfred didn't let go of him until the movie was over, and once the ending credits were rolling he still clung to the man, sobbing quietly into his shoulder. "He- He didn't have to leeeaaaaave!"

Sighing softly in his amusement, Arthur lifted a hand to the merman's head and patted it. "Now, now, it's all right."

"It's noooooooot! He ju-just left them!" Alfred wailed into his skin.

"It was his time to, Alfred. And they were happy in the end."

The merman's sobs dissolved into sniffles and he nodded. "H-His time, right..."

"It's okay, Alfred," Arthur murmured, his fingers running through the other's hair.

"Okay... If- If you say so, Artie..." Slowly Alfred raised his head, leaning into the hand and holding Arthur even closer. It was six, and he was scared that Arthur was going to have to leave soon.

Nodding, Arthur tilted his head to look at Alfred and smiled. "I do. Now, you probably want some food, right...?"

"No! I mean we still have the pizza! Don't go yet!"

Arthur blinked, his eyebrows rising, but then brought a hand up to Alfred's cheek. "Hey... It's all right, I'm here. I'm not going."

"Please don't go," Alfred whispered, looking at him with wide blue eyes. His own hand rose to cover Arthur's, and he gave a gentle squeeze.

"I'm right here..." Arthur murmured back, stroking the other's cheek with a thumb.

Letting out a soft mewl without fully realizing it, Alfred relaxed and leaned into him. "Okay, Artie... Okay, you're here." He gave Arthur's hand another squeeze and closed his eyes.

Arthur smiled softly, stroking his cheek a little more. "Yes."

They spent the rest of the evening cuddling, and then Arthur had to head off for bed- he was leaving early the next morning.

"W-Wait, what?" Alfred froze once Arthur told him he was off. "I thought we were gonna sleep together!"

"I-" Arthur bit his lip, giving Alfred an apologetic look. "Alfred, I have to leave early tomorrow morning. As much as I would love to stay, I can't..."

Alfred instantly deflated, his shoulders slumping and his head lowering. "O-Okay then... Leave me..."

"I-I'm sorry! I really am," Arthur said quietly.

"Yeah, sure!" Alfred sniffled and clung to him.

"A-Alfred..." Arthur stroked the other's hair gently, then sighed softly. "Hey, I have something for you. May I go and get it?"

"H-Have somethin'?" Alfred's eyes went wide. "Okay..."

Arthur smiled gently, then dashed off to get it. He was back quickly, and handed the merman a small object. "It's a phone," he explained. "It's waterproof, and you can use it to talk to me when you're not here, if you want. It's got my number here- and see, you can text here."

"Ooh..." Alfred took it reverently. He unlocked it and typed out a hello message to Arthur. "I saw these on TV! I can use one no problem!"

"Ah- All right," Arthur replied, then nodded a little. Of course, Alfred would have other sources of learning. "Well, this way you can talk to me when I'm not around."

"I will!" Alfred chirped, much happier with this new development. "Night, then!"

Arthur smiled gladly at this and chuckled. "All right. Sleep well- and I'll see you in a few days, hm? Behave yourself."

"I will! I promise! C'mere though!"

"Hm?" Arthur moved closer, tilting his head a little.

Alfred forced him down farther and pressed their foreheads together. "Sleep well, okay Arthur? And have a safe trip..."

"Ah..." Smiling more, Arthur leaned into it. "Thank you, I will. You have a good time too, yes?"

"I will!" Alfred smiled warmly back and quickly leaned up to give Arthur a kiss on the forehead before slipping underwater.

Arthur didn't come to see him the next morning, and though Alfred was saddened a bit by that fact at first, but he realized that the Brit was probably on a tight schedule so he understood it. So instead, from the moment he woke up, he was texting Arthur. Asking him how the journey was, how he was, stuff like that. Arthur was slower to reply, and later he ceased fully since he was meeting with the woman. Alfred had just started to get bored when the door flew open.

Gilbert stood on the threshold, a smirk on his face and Fritz by his side. "Hey Alfred, ready to have some fun?"

"Ooh, yes!" Alfred replied, happy for the distraction. "Hey guys!"

After some cheerful reunions and playtime, Gilbert revealed the true intentions of his visit once he'd sent Fritz back down to Matthew. "Alfred and I have some grown-up business to talk about," he'd explained.

"Grown-up business?" Alfred asked once they were alone.

"Yes." Gilbert settled down on the edge of the pool. "Now then, my dear, naïve young merman. Tell me about your feelings for Arthur."

"Wh- What?" Alfred's eyes went wide.

"Oh come on, you're totally gay for him."

"I... I am?" Alfred looked confused. "I'm gay?"

"Well, maybe not officially, you could be bi or pan or something but that's a conversation for another day. Tell me, do you feel happy when he's with you?"

"...Yes?"

"And do you really want to touch him and hug him and kiss him and does your stomach feel all fluttery and shit?"

"Shit?"

Gilbert stared. "Arthur hasn't introduced you to curse words?" He'd have to remedy that.

"No... But my stomach does feel like that! I want to be with him all the time!" Was he really gay for Arthur? Could mermaids be gay? He supposed they could...

"Awesome." Gilbert rubbed his hands together and quickly confiscated Alfred's phone. He saw a few messages from Arthur on there but ignored them. "Come now, Alfred," he said grandly. "Let's start your real education, hmm?"

Arthur, back in England, frowned down at his unusually dead phone, but his client soon started speaking to him and he quickly uncreased his brow. He had work to do.

And so Alfred's sex education began, with a quick first lesson in cursing. That evening Gilbert went over theory- some different stuff that could be done between two guys, the different toys, and he even came up with some ideas for Arthur and Alfred's special case. Neither of them were sure whether Alfred could bottom, but they supposed that Alfred could find out on his own.

By the time Gilbert left, Alfred was sure of his feelings. He liked Arthur. Maybe he even loved Arthur. He certainly adored the man. But he definitely couldn't wait for the Brit to come home so he could test that revelation. He sent off a quick good night message and drifted off.

The next morning, he was woken early when Fritz jumped into the water. Startling awake, Alfred spotted Gilbert leaning against the door. He shared his joyful news with Fritz, who was oddly unsurprised.

The young boy stayed until about four, when he was sent off again. Only when he was gone did Alfred realize that he hadn't spoken to Arthur at all.

'Sorry. Gilbert's over.' he texted quickly, then handed his phone over to the Prussian again.

Gilbert put a DVD on and the pornfest began. Alfred watched it with wide eyes, highly interested. Gilbert would occasionally glance at him, pleased that the merman was watching with rapt attention. He settled back and enjoyed the show.

It wasn't much later that Arthur stepped in, sighing softly as he let his suitcase drop to the floor. "I'm home-" He was cut off mid sentence as he looked up, the smile slipping off his face as he saw what was on the screen. Then his eyes found Gilbert. "Wh- What...? What the hell is going on here?!"

A/N: And Arthur once again comes in to see very strange happenings.