"Ah, Alfie!" Feliciano called cheerfully to him, Ludwig perched on his arm. "We were just watching Lovino get along with the new Ace!"

"Awesome! What about Gilbutter?" One of the best inside jokes he had with the Joker was to give each other ridiculous nicknames to mess with Ludwig.

"Alfred, please-"

"I think he was talking to your brother last time we checked in," Feliciano said, humouring him and ignoring his husband's exasperated look. "Anyway! How was your dance with your Chosen? Did you have fun? Did all the pointers I talked about help you, hm?"

"Uh, a little," he admitted, blushing a little at the bold tips the Jack had shared, not to mention his waggling eyebrows. He knew that Feliciano had been a bit of a casanova before he married his best friend, but...

"Awesome!" he chirped. "Are you do – oh, you look tired, poor thing, come sit with Ludwig and me! Come on Ludwig! You don't have to put down your food, just come here!"

Valiantly letting himself be dragged, the three of them found a bench at the corner of the room and sat down, Alfred sandwiched in the middle. Almost instantly Feliciano reached out for Ludwig's hand across his lap, giving it a squeeze. Fighting back a grin, Alfred watched his best friend's stoic demeanour crumble in the face of his husband's affection.

"Hey, I can just give you two some privacy, y'know," Alfred smirked, placing his hands over his head. Ludwig opened his mouth to protest, but like always, Feliciano got there first.

"Of course not, Alfred! You being the man of the hour – no, of all the hours-"

"...Feli, that's not a phrase-"

"Shh! Means that everyone's going to want to talk to you! Including us!" Feliciano exclaimed, the red feather in his cap bouncing as he spoke animatedly, waving his hands around. "Not to mention you look super tired, have you been dancing all night?"

"Kinda," Alfred admitted, rubbing at the small of his back. "I mean, didn't Lud do that too? During his Deciding? You talked to me about it the day after."

Ludwig looked even more embarrassed. "Y-Yes, but that was with eight people, not...twenty," he said. "Even someone with as much energy as you would be tired, Alfred."

"Are you planning to cut any of them after this?" Taking a bite of the biscuit he'd just plucked out of a passing waiter's hand, his brown eyes sparkled. "Twenty's a lot, you know! Even though there's a lot of people, you have someone, right?"

Alfred blinked at him. "Someone?"

"Yeah!" he gestured enthusiastically. "Someone's gotta have caught your eye, right?"

"R-Right." From the look on Ludwig's face, he didn't know where this was going either. Not sure what to do, he assumed that Feliciano was berating him for keeping so many people around like the advisors had only a few days ago, but then he'd only told his best friend.

Not everyone could understand how relying on others might be a weakness, except him. Then again, there was little he didn't trust Ludwig with.

"I get that, but it's only been like two and a half months, so I was kinda worried that it might be moving too fast, so I didn't want to eliminate everyone so soon, but then again-"

Gently, Feliciano shook away the din of the packed ballroom and leaned forward, patting Alfred's tasselled shoulder with a fond expression. "Alfie, that's not what I meant!" He was about to launch into a even more flustered apology until the Jack continued. "Don't worry about it, it's your Deciding, you can keep it as long as you like with as many people."

"Then, uh..." Alfred flushed, "Sorry, Feli, what did you mean?"

Ludwig and Feliciano exchanged a look, sharing an understanding that only ran between a married couple. "Er. What he means, Alfred, is whether you've found someone you like so far. Was there anyone you danced with today, that is-"

"Yes, yes!" Feliciano cried, causing both of them to wince at its suddenness, obviously causing all the multitudes of people that were swilling around their bench to stare. Alfred couldn't help but fight off a grin at how easily he was able to ignore the atmosphere to keep the conversation going.

"Feli, please..."

"Sorry! Anyway, is there someone in particular you have your eye on? I mean! Have you found someone you like?" Realising he was probably thinking of his homemade list of the people he was pulling for, Alfred exhaled. He didn't like second guessing people, especially not Feli; he'd been nothing but kind to him and had made his friend stupid happy. He kinda envied the guy for being so in love.

"Well, there is someone," he said, and in that moment Feliciano and Ludwig would have given anything to peek at the name that clearly popped up in his mind. "H-Huh? Lud, Feli, what's with the-"

"It's nothing," Feliciano exclaimed, choosing to wrap his junior in a tight hug. Against the crook of his neck, he looked up, exchanging a glance with Ludwig, who made a tiny shake of his head. Don't tell him you know about the incident with his advisors. He'd sworn his husband to great secrecy and knew that he'd never talk about the tumultuous situation, but it was best to remind him.

Pulling away, he gave him a reassuring beam. "We're just so happy to see that you'll get a happy ending! Like us! I'm sure you'll definitely get the happiest ending ever, with the happiest person ever, making you the," he paused to gesture with his left hand, "happiest king ever! Like Ludi! Isn't that right, Ludi?"

"Not just because of marriage, since we managed to have a full Primary Suit until Gilbert became Joker, and Cards has been prospering enough for us to enjoy our time together like this – ah, Feli, don't look so upset, of course because of you as well." Ludwig mumbled, awkwardly squeezing his dismayed husband's hand. "A-Anyway, Alfred. We're really happy for you. Everyone is, that you've finally gotten your own Deciding."

That's not the whole picture, not quite.

It was around three in the morning before Alfred decided to take a break. He'd just finished spending a dance with Elizabeta, having finished dancing with all twenty of the Chosen, before the Clubs queen noticed he looked exhausted.

"Alfie, let's sit down, shall we?" she smiled, escorting him gently to a seat in the corner. Calling for two drinks before he could do so, she handed him some water and adjusted a pin in his jacket, every action warm. "You've been working very hard tonight, and everyone else has been taking note."

"I hope so. Dancing with twenty people is a lot! Then again, hasn't everyone been doing their own share of it?"

"Not really, with how Roderich has been sitting around almost the entire evening." Adjusting her skirts, she took the first cup of water and gave it to him. "I've had to dance several times with Lili, and as much as her dancing skills are improving, well, she's growing older."

Alfred gratefully took a long gulp of the water. "Maybe by the summer solstice, she'll not need to step on anyone else's toes?"

"Hm? Are you planning to host another during the summer? With you being busy and all..." she tried to make her tone sound neutral, but a hint of her excitement bubbled underneath.

"It's great for the Deciding coverage, I think. With all the cameras and stuff here, we're hoping this one'll work too."

Whilst lifting her cup, her long brown hair tumbled past her arm. "That would be lovely, yes. Though you mustn't overdo it either. What are we going to do with you, Matthew and Yao? Chronic overworkers, the three of you."

"It'll get better after the Deciding ends, I promise," Alfred smiled. In response, Elizabeta raised her emerald gloved pinkie and reached out, hooking their fingers together. "Promise."

"You better, or I'll personally take a ship from Clubs and come nag you and Yao for not taking better care of you boys! Anyway. Any exclusive Deciding gossip?" Oh, so that's what she's trying to get at...Smiling at himself despite his nerves, he nodded. "Ooh, go on. No need to worry, my lips are sealed. Have you found someone yet? Feli said you had."

"Ah, yeah, I do," Alfred was about to share a little more until he saw Elizabeta tense. Gathering her expensive skirts, she stood up abruptly, causing Alfred to stand shoulder to shoulder together with her, wearing a slightly confused expression. "Eliza...?"

"Your Highness," Aileen – of course it was her – stepped forward, her purple badge glinting in the light of the room. "It is a pleasure. I hope I haven't interrupted your conversation."

"Is there anything you need of him?" Elizabeta demanded, eyes narrowing. One of her arms reached out to place Alfred behind her, as if she could protect him from the wrath of his advisors.

"I would merely like to ask for a dance." His advisor's voice voice shook a little, which surprised him. "N-Not, naturally, to mention to discuss the Deciding with him, I was concerned that he was about to make a rather rash decision. You know how teenagers are these days, Queen Elizabeta? Correct?"

By the Fates, why did he talk to them all those days ago? Thoughts of when and who to eliminate should have been shared with people he trusted, and that was certainly not them. Wincing, he tried to fend off the memory of them screaming at him that he shouldn't eliminate this person, he shouldn't eliminate that person, he should keep them but throw out all those people. He wouldn't admit to the crying in the bathroom right afterwards, though Matthew probably knew.

Alfred didn't know how, but it seemed like Elizabeta felt his fear as she moved closer to him. "Excuse me, Miss...I don't think we've met before," she paused deliberately, and by the Fates it took every bone in Alfred's body to not smile at Aileen's frustrated expression that she had no idea who she was.

"I'm the head of the Spadian advisorship. Your Highness." she added hastily, though it wasn't hard to catch the simmering resentment behind it.

Elizabeta didn't miss a moment to be dismissive. "Yes, that," she said. "I've been raising two teenage daughters, myself. Regardless, you'll have to excuse the prince and I; it's been far too long since we've been able to speak in person. I'm too eager to discuss his extraordinary growth," Pausing to pat his shoulder, she gave Alfred a quick reassuring glance before facing her again. "And of course, his Deciding, which he has handled extremely well. If you'll excuse us."

Before Alfred could catch his advisor's face, Elizabeta turned on her heel and led him to where Yao and – ugh, Ivan – were standing, chatting quietly. They seemed startled at their appearance which was fair enough seeing how she'd swept them quickly across the room.

"Yao, dear, is it all right if Alfred takes a few moments to himself? He looks exhausted, poor thing, and he's far too polite to refuse a dance from all the people who've been asking," Elizabeta said, dipping into a slight curtsy. "Just for him to clear his head."

"Uh, Eliza-"

"Party's in full swing now," she continued brightly, nudging him with the sole of her heel. Right, she was trying to get him out of trouble with the advisors for a bit. "If there's any opportunity to give him a breather, might as well be now, right? He deserves a rest more than any of us tonight."

Alfred resisted the urge to cling onto her like he had always done with his mother. There wasn't any way he could thank her for intervening on his behalf.

"Oh, Alfred, you should have told me," Yao nagged, but there wasn't any annoyance in his expression as he met his gaze. To his pleasant surprise, he looked happy. Relaxed, even. His mentor really needed to enjoy himself after the stress of the past months. "Yes, of course. Actually, do you want to go to bed altogether? It's all right if you don't think you've fulfilled your duties, you've been working very hard tonight, and your wellbeing comes first-"

"Ahah, haha, Yao, you don't need to say that kinda stuff, it might get to my head," Alfred babbled. Maybe it was a little embarrassing with – ugh, Ivan – standing there, but it felt something else to accept praise from the people he cared for. "But yeah, if that's okay with you, I'd like to step out for a bit. I'll come back as soon as I feel good enough, yeah?"

"Of course."

"Have fun, Alfie," Ivan – ugh, Ivan – said lightly, waving once. He looked happy, but he'd learned to not trust guys like him from his military service. But fair was fair, and it didn't feel right to not grip his hand as tightly as he could and shake it back.

"Don't call me Alfie, but I'll do my best!" he tried his best to smile through gritted teeth, relaxing so quickly it was stupid when he turned around to give Elizabeta a hug. "Eliza...thank you."

"No need, little one," she said affectionately, patting his head, watching his cowlick bob with amusement. "You'll be more than welcome to tell me all about the Deciding later. Lili and I are counting on it, alright?"

Alfred grinned. "You can count on me."

Arthur was starting to feel drowsy. With this, he knew parties in the Inner Circle were as extravagant and excessive as Kiku had described them to be. How long were the revellers going to revel for? It was almost three thirty in the morning, and all of his friends still looked like they could go on for another day.

Interestingly though, some people were peeling off for the night, just not enough that it seemed like the party was over. At least, none of the royals seemed to be absent. He tried to not look nervous when he saw Matthew dancing with Gilbert, and it took him another long minute to realise that he was indeed subconsciously searching for him.

He'd managed to stay low profile after that dance to his great relief, but if he wasn't smart about looking for Alfred it might change. Without the people he could trust, being in such a lavish ballroom made him feel as if he were a fish in an aquarium, somewhere he'd only visited once during a field trip. The numerous pairs of eyes that had rested on him and Alfred had felt the same as the way he had bunched up against the glass with the rest of his classmates.

Another minute passed. Arthur stopped shaking his leg. Another minute. No bobbing cowlick to be found. He took another sip of champagne, and no sight of Alfred, but he hadn't had the chance to ask his friends. Was he even still in the ballroom?

There, just in the corner to the left of the pillar, was Alfred, manifesting almost like magic. Getting up from his bench, he took two steps forward before he realised what he was doing and quickly restrained himself, standing dumbly in front of the bench as he watched him speak with his fellow royals. The ease with which he conducted himself with the people he obviously trusted sent a pang through Arthur's heart. Why couldn't he make him feel as secure as that?

Another minute passed, and he was still talking with them. It was three thirty in the morning now. Arthur realised he was probably in the way of a packed ballroom, and moved a little closer to the entrance, still occasionally sneaking tiny glances in his direction. Alfred was speaking with the King of Clubs now, and looked much more stressed than he had with the Queen of Clubs. Another minute.

Arthur tilted his head slightly, taking in the sensation of watching Alfred grin widely, his pearly whites displayed prominently as he spoke to Jack Yao. Sharply turning away, he cursed him for being too bloody perfect, unconsciously running his tongue over his own uneven row of teeth. Why did crown princes get to have a free set of wonderful teeth?

All of a sudden, he turned away from his companions, sharing another few words with Queen Elizabeta before breaking away and heading straight for the side exit. Between the bustling noise of the room and the rapid movements, if Arthur hadn't been looking at him he would have missed his departure through the side door, much smaller than the grand entrance.

Where are you going? He had been having a great time, especially since he'd stopped dancing. With how Alfred had recklessly written his name so many times, he daren't show his dance card to another soul.

There wasn't any real reason he'd want to leave so early, right? Unless he had a serious disagreement with the King of Clubs – everyone knew they did not get along for unclear reasons, but he had been cheerful when talking to Jack Yao and Queen Elizabeta...

Out of concern, or some other foolish emotion that made his heart throb with worry, Arthur located the nearest door and pushed his way through it, which didn't garner much glances from what he saw. Though he was a Chosen, there were twenty of them, and being from a holding facility in a crowd of the social upper crust meant he could disappear without much fanfare.

Alfred was moving fast, much faster than Arthur thought an exhausted person who'd be dancing all night would be, so with a hint of irritation he gave up his idea to catch up to him, settling for simply following him at a distance. He stopped at the first floor, placing his hand on the door that led to the royals' bedrooms before turning on his heel and continuing down the stairs, meaning that Arthur had to duck behind a banister to avoid being noticed. Great, alongside the sweat beading on his back and his forehead, his rapid panting and sore feet, Alfred was now giving him whiplash. Where in the name of the Fates was he going to go?

...Surely, he wasn't so upset that he'd want to leave the palace entirely? There wasn't much else to do on the ground floor. Perhaps, the stables, for his horse, Butterscotch? Arthur had no idea where it was, but he'd hazard a guess that it was easier to keep the horses outdoors than on the third floor. Distracted temporarily by the sight of him pulling off both his gloves in rapid succession, he continued to walk.

Ambling down the staircase, he paused until Alfred opened the two side doors in front of the columned walkway that led to the gardens. Was he going there to just let off steam? Knowing he wanted to go there was enough cause for Arthur to pick up the pace, almost tripping in his haste as he barely managed to catch the closing doors and slip through.

He was hit with the cool spring air immediately; a pleasant sensation against his heated cheeks and smelling of the dried flowers he and Anna had chatted about whilst getting ready for the party. Alfred's back was still turned away from him, and a sense of urgency dulled Arthur's worry about them being caught as he jogged across the walkway, the columns flying past as he did so. "Alfred?"

Like he'd been struck by lightning, Alfred whipped around and stopped, but his broad shoulders relaxed when he saw him. "A-Artie? What'cha doing here?"

"Could ask you the same thing," Arthur panted as he approached. "And it's Arthur, not Artie."

"Sure thing, Artie," he fired back, walking forward until they met in the middle, a pillar obscuring their faces.

"Arthur," But the protest was feeble at best.

"Uh huh. But I, uh, just had to get clear of the party for a bit. Just for a bit of fresh air."

Something was off about that statement, and the way he was smiling too widely again. "That's odd, I thought if you had to get air at a party you'd just step outside, not go to a completely different location," he said. "Alfred...is something wrong?"

He swallowed audibly. "Nah. Nope, no."

"Alfred," Arthur said, inadvertedly quieting his tone as he did so. "It's all right if you don't want to share what it is exactly. Was it the King of Clubs? I'm aware that you don't have the best of relationships with him-" That was as far as he got before he quickly cupped his mouth with his hand. It must be the air, coupled with Alfred's presence, that had removed the careful filter between his head and his mouth. "I'm...do excuse me, that was improper. I'll excuse myself."

The frustration was palpable on his face, confirming his suspicions, but what came out of his mouth next was even worse. "I, uh...I can't really lie to you, can I, Artie?"

"Pardon?" What does that mean? Who was that frustration directed towards?

"You totally were looking out for me on purpose, right?"

Yes. "N-No, I have no idea what you mean," Arthur bluffed, the heat in his cheeks returning from being swept away by the breeze. "It – it was an absolute coincidence. It's not like I came outside to see if you were all right or anything, t-that would be overly reckless of me, I wasn't...wasn't worried at all about you, I-"

In his rushed mumbling, he didn't notice Alfred's expression softening. "Hey, Artie, since you're en route, let's walk together for a bit, yeah?"

"Walk? Where to-"

"The gardens, right? I know you really like it there," he said. "C'mon, let's walk for a bit."

Arthur hesitated. They'd already evaded media attention for most of the night, so perhaps tempting the Fates too much would be excessive.

"No need to worry, everyone's at the party, yeah? If anything happens, the hero'll protect you!" Extending out his hand, he gave Arthur a wink. Something about the columns and the moonlight extending their shadows over his hand pushed him the closest to taking it than he'd ever had.

"I still won't take your hand, Your Highness," Arthur couldn't help but snicker, continuing to move across the walkway, Alfred matching every step with his. "Tch, there's no need to pout. So, hero, what's the matter?"

"Nothing much that I'm not used to, that's all," Alfred said, scrunching his hands in his uniform pockets. "With all the royals visiting, there's a lot of pressure."

Arthur's head moved a little to observe his face. "I was under the impression that you all got together well? At least, my teachers used to harp on about how it was rare in modern times that everyone from the Four Kingdoms got along so well."

"Yeah, your teachers aren't wrong, we do, we do." Save from one glaring exception, Arthur thought as he watched Alfred's face twist fleetingly. "Then again, it means that the media wants to see us interact more, and I've gotta catch up with a dozen people at once. It gets overwhelming at times. Y'know?"

"Alfred, for most of my life I've had my best friend and little else in terms of friends," Arthur replied. "Unfortunately, I have no idea what it must feel to be wanted by everyone in the room."

He got a shrug in response. "Sometimes that's a good thing."

"Really?"

"Even a guy like me has limits."

Arthur was about to shoot back a scathing remark about his ego, but he noticed how Alfred's expression didn't lighten as it usually did when he tried to make a joke about something. The columns they walked past were more than eager to reach over and obscure his face, cloaking it with darkness that matched his turbulent expression.

For a moment, he forgot about his own troubles with the cameras and the lack of privacy. He'd studied about the Spadian royal family, and there were thousands of records about Alfred all throughout his life, the photos and the incessant press interviews only stopped by his military deployment.

Though he shines so brightly in the spotlight, it doesn't necessarily mean he enjoys it all of the time. Arthur gave himself a little shake, starting to understand him a tiny bit better.

Stopping abruptly, Alfred turned to look at him. "Artie? Are you cold? Here, take my ja-wait, never mind, it's kinda too heavy, heh."

"It's a military uniform, that would be incredibly disrespectful."

"Won't!" Alfred blushed. In that moment, they had stopped between two columns, leaving an empty space for the moonlight to enhance the pink on his cheeks. "I-If, y'know, it means you won't be cold-"

"I'm all right, idiot," he said, though his barb was tinted with less thorns than usual. "I just...I was just processing what you said. That's all. With everyone wanting to see you everywhere, including me, then not being able to take care of your needs, it must be exhausting. Not to mention all those people criticizing you."

His blue eyes widened slightly. "People criticizing me? Uh...uh, who did you hear that from? Who were they?"

"I suppose," Arthur said. "When you were engrossed in conversation with the King and Queen of Clubs and Jack Yao, and it's not a secret that you and King Ivan don't have the best of relationships."

"Oh...heh, yeah, just a little. So that's who you think was criticizing me?"

They started to walk again. "So I concluded."

"Oh, okay. Okay." He released a long sigh before he continued to speak. "Don't worry about it, okay, Artie? I can handle myself, and, y'know. It's a bit of a rivalry, kinda. Nothing worth going to war over. It's no big deal, promise. Don't worry about who's criticizing me!"

If Arthur had not gotten to know him quite well over these past few months, he wouldn't be able to detect the wobble in his voice, or how he'd suddenly sounded incredibly relieved. That alone told him there was something he was missing. Then again, if Alfred didn't want to share, it was probably for a very good reason.

So he let it go. "Very well, Alfred. Er, wait, I thought the entrance was a little further down the walkway?"

Lowering his chin to look straight into Arthur's eyes, which made his heart traitorously skip a beat, Alfred winked again. "True, but that's to another part of the gardens, yeah? I know you know how large it is, so I wanted to, uh, show you another part tonight! If that's okay. If you haven't, uh, visited it already."

"Well, I'm wearing a suit jacket, so I won't have to worry about being cold, git," Arthur gave a noncommittal jerk of his shoulders, attempting to play off his excitement by looking away, fending off the anticipation simmering underneath his skin. "No need to worry, there hasn't been much time between my reading to visit the gardens again. Is it particularly secret?"

"I'll show ya! Come on!" Alfred exclaimed, and before Arthur could protest at his loudness he'd bolted off.

It was, to Arthur's astonishment, a hedge maze. A creation of such scale and beauty was something that he'd only read about in books and pictures. The memory of reading about it must have existed at the back of his mind, but in the heat of the moment, he was too taken with it to remember.

"Whaddya think? Pretty cool, right? Matt and I used to come here with Lud and Gilber – uh, I mean, King Ludwig and Joker Gilbert – when we were kids, and we'd play hide and seek all the time." Alfred clearly was reliving a lot of happy memories as they approached the grand structure, faintly lit by lamps around and within its perimeter. "So, if something happens and you get lost, as a hero I'll come to grab you!"

"I can figure out my own way, thanks," Arthur huffed. Walking further towards it, he could barely make out hedges adorned with blue and red roses, topiaries that seemed to barely skim the tops of the maze, and a white structure at what looked to be the middle. "Is that where we're supposed to," he gestured at it – "Aim for? Or does the maze have an exit point?"

"Nah, the entrance and exit are the same. People who come here usually either play hide and seek or wanna come see the gazebo. Gazee-bo? Gah-zey-bo? I dunno."

Peering closer at the structure, he could see the trademark cupola perched on top of the beautifully curved roof, supported by lean white pillars and crisscrossed beams. If he had Kiku's skill with the camera, he'd be tempted to take a photo and send it to him in a letter. "It's pronounced gazebo," he answered, not looking back at him. "Honestly, you said correctly the first time. Don't fuss over it too much."

"Are ya complimenting me for once?! What's this magic about?"

Ignoring that jab, Arthur stepped ahead of him, wanting to explore in spite of the evening and the crickets chirping merrily, punctuating the sound of the early morning. Though the visibility was greatly reduced than compared to daytime, he'd never been afraid of the dark, and how different the maze looked intrigued him. "Can we go in?"

"Yeah, but let's make it more fun! Race ya," Alfred teased him with a touch on his shoulder that lingered a second too long, before darting inside. "First one to get inside the gazee-bo – uh, I mean, the gazebo, wins!"

"It's gazebo – and wins what?" Arthur shouted, barely having time to process Alfred's bare hand on his shoulder, whipping around. "Alfred, you git, what – that's bloody unfair! You've been running through this maze since you were a child, I'll barely indulge that ridiculous request!"

A hoot came from within the maze. "Less talking, more running! I won't go easy on you, even though I like you a lot. The prize is gonna be super awesome, I promise!"

Fates knew how much Arthur hated the shiver of lovesickness that ran its course through his system when he heard what Alfred had said. Though he knew that there was something Alfred was troubled by, if Arthur himself could take his mind off of it, it was a reward in itself.

Not...not like he'd ever confess to that preposterous thinking, of course. Instead of speaking the truth, he strode defiantly into the maze, determined to beat him at his own game.

Almost immediately, he was dwarfed by the hedges that seemed far more menacing at night, but that alone wouldn't deter him. Taking a few bold steps, letting his hands linger on the cold, harsh leaves of the neatly trimmed topiary, he moved forward, senses alert for any sort of noise. Nothing. Had he disappeared into thin air? Or had he already arrived?

Arthur took a left turn, a right, then another left before he heard a holler. "Artie! Ya still there?"

He had half a mind to keep his mouth quiet just to mess with him, but thought back to the distressed face Alfred had made when he'd turned away to leave him last time. "Still here," he called. Hm. He didn't sound close, meaning that he was probably going the wrong way. "Where are you, exactly?"

"Not telling you!" Back to his normal self again, he could hear his laugh echo. "C'mon, you kept up with me tonight, so you can keep on doing it again, I'm sure! Your old bones aren't that achy, right?"

Kept up with you? Barely, Arthur grumbled, fighting back an insult at Alfred's brash piloting during their dance, which had the unfortunate side effect of making him remember how badly he wanted to lie his head against the crook of his warm neck. Would he smell the strongest there? What would it feel like? What would his scent smell like? There were so many questions left, though many had been answered tonight, enough so that he'd want to allow himself to savour that memory of running his fingers against his collarbone.

"No, Arthur, what are you thinking, you fool?" he muttered to himself, clearing his throat and trying to resume his path through the maze. Wandering for a few more minutes, he started to think that perhaps Alfred had a bit more of a mean streak than he'd taken him for before until he noticed a tiny string of blue lights, resembling fireflies, floating past a junction.

Arthur couldn't help but gravitate towards it. Had there been such excellent fixtures in the maze, and why hadn't they appeared up to this point? Stepping forward so that the blue lights shone in his eyes, with a slightly gaping mouth, he followed the path they set out, each light being swallowed by the darkness once he got too close. Perhaps this was some sort of magic? Alfred wasn't particularly noted for his magical prowess; Arthur knew that from his lessons in the holding facility about the Spadian royals, but a guiding spell like this wasn't advanced magic in any sense of the word. Was he taking pity on him...?

"Alfred?" he called out into the night, half expecting the idiot to pop out from a bush and tackle him into the floor. After no horrifying hunk of muscle appeared, he relaxed his shoulders and raised his voice. "Alfred, are you still here?"

"I'm almost there!" He sounded far away, which confused him. A guiding spell, done from a distance, was harder to perform, making him doubt for a moment that it was him that had cast the magic. Were they alone? Arthur paused, waiting for some camera crew or mage to appear from behind a bush. When nothing materialised, to his massive relief, he decided to continue following it anyway. Perhaps it was just fancy lighting after all.

"Er, Alfred," he asked all the same, "Is there such a thing as blue fireflies? I believe I've seen a few of them here."

"Heh, Artie, you can just ask for me to come get you instead of making up a buncha stories. You okay?"

"What, that's – that's not what I'm saying at all, idiot! There's blue glowing lights around here!"

"Oh, I see," the voice sounded closer now, "Maybe there was some work done to the maze? With all the Deciding preparations, there's gotta be some aspect of it that I missed out. Is it bothering you?"

If it's just that, then... "No, not at all. In fact," Arthur replied, moving faster. Now he'd heard Alfred's voice closer to his, it meant that he was getting closer to the end point. "I believe it's given me an advantage. You better pick up your pace!"

"Uh huh, uh huh." Damn that idiot, sounding so smug and dismissive at the same time! "Where are ya, actually? Do you have any idea?"

"No, but..." Trailing off, he paused to examine his surroundings for another moment before advancing. "You're close by, so I suppose I'm doing the right thing."

"Huh?" There, closer again. Arthur let his fingers scrape against the bushes once more, hoping that somehow it would let him track his movements. "Whaddya mean by that?"

"See, not only are you the prince of Spades, and therefore know the maze very well, but-" Slapping a hand over his mouth, he barely stopped himself from blurting out that he'd wanted to see Alfred. "E-Er, knowing that, it would be most prudent to follow you."

Wait. Seeing a flash of blue markedly different from the strange lights could only mean one thing. Was there truly only a single bush separating them?

Alfred's voice, along with the bouncing golden tassel, confirmed his suspicions. "I mean, you don't have to pay attention to me just 'cause because I'm the prince, heh-"

He could see the moonlight in Arthur's hair instantly disappear, and the sound of his footsteps digging in the dirt started to fade away again.

At the back of his head, he could hear Alfred scrambling through brambles and coarse leaves, tugging away bush after bush until there was an opening where their faces were visible to each other once more. "Hey, hey, wait up, c'mon!"

Arthur's head turned slightly, his lips parted in a small o of shock. Those green eyes stood out in the dark, even amongst all the plants. He was so close; the two of them were so close, to the point where Alfred could see his flustered reflection in Arthur's eyes.

"There you are," Arthur panted, his thick eyebrows knotting together in triumph. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, if I could find you right before you went into the gazebo-"

Even if Arthur had blessedly never met the other boy, it would be impossible to recognise the smugness radiating from him. "That's how you say it, huh! Ga-zee-bo, no wait, gazebo-"

Taking a quick glance to their right, which indicated a clear path to the building, Arthur took advantage of his distraction and made a mad dash for it, probably kicking up dirt as he did so. This time, he wasn't able to hide his snicker as he heard him yelp, following hastily in his own footsteps. He knew, for all accounts that Alfred was faster than him, but hopefully with the minuscule advantage he'd wrenched out of his hands, he'd reach it faster.

Within a few seconds he was already scrabbling for breath, his lungs heaving with every constrained movement in his stupid slacks, nothing but a slightly unhealthy desire to best Alfred at his own game that forced him onto the pavilion ahead of him. Dragging himself up three small steps that were almost buried underneath the rose bushes, he spun around on his heel and pointed triumphantly at him. "Perhaps that'll teach you to skip your language lessons next time!"

He wasn't a little more than a step behind him, though. "I got it, hah, geez!" Despite his annoyed tone, he was smiling through his glasses. Wait, he wasn't...surely he hadn't...

"You weren't...going easy on me, right?" Arthur queried, folding his arms. The thick air between them was filled with the sounds of their heavy breathing mingling.

Alfred looked him straight in the eyes; that surely meant he wasn't inclined to lie. "Nope, I wasn't. You were smarter than me! That's all it took."

"..." The all too familiar sting of self doubt crept into his throat, but he pushed it down. "Anyway, er..." Taking a quick seat on the wooden bench at the very back, he paused for a moment to take in the greenery around them. Bushes dotted with vibrant red and blue roses curled themselves around the railings, hanging playfully around the corners of the roof. Turning around, they let themselves slow down and enjoy the scenery. In particular, Arthur's eyes were caught by how the moonlight reflected off the blue roses, giving them an ethereal glow.

"Like it?" Alfred was careful to come up slowly behind him, more than happy to just watch him admire the garden. Deliberately turning his body away from the bright lights of the palace, he leaned on one of the railings. "I hoped you would."

"Is that my reward, hm?"

"Pshh, no! There's something else you might also like," Arthur turned around and saw both his hands stuffed inside his pockets, betraying a bashfulness that he wasn't sure he still possessed after the events of tonight. "Y'know."

"Another dance?"

"Maybe, when we get back! But I...uh..." Unconsciously, he pressed his thumb to his lips, telling Arthur what he needed to know. Since he was facing outwards, meaning that the large blue rose bush was obscuring most of the light, it was hard to see him clearly, but it wasn't enough for him to pretend like he hadn't noticed the plea for another kiss. "Y'know."

"...Alfred," he got up from his bench, starting to approach him.

"Hey, it's okay if you don't want to! I-I mean, we've already done stuff like that tonight, and-"

"You shouldn't put it like that," Arthur chided gently, but he touched Alfred's arm with his hand. "There's no need to hide under a bush, idiot. I don't think anyone's here."

"Really?"

"Honestly, with all the childish fuss and noise you made," he said, garnering a "Hey!" from him, "We would have been caught by now. So it would be nice to...at least see the person I'm spending time with."

Latching immediately onto the remark, Alfred moved to his right, pulling him forward so they were both lit by the light flooding into the gazebo. "You mean...you wanted to see my handsome face, huh? It's okay to admit it."

He received a jab to the side in return. "Can it, idiot. Though, if...I-I suppose if you were to give me my reward now, I..." he looked away, blushing heavily, "I wouldn't hate it. I suppose."

Taking a step forward, Alfred let the base of his palm press over Arthur's lips, causing him to close the right of his eye instinctively. Caressing his cheek with his thumb, he let it join the rest of his fingers as he moved inwards, stopping just short of Arthur's nose.

"Are you okay with this?" he murmured shyly, bumping noses with him.

We were so caught up with the illicitness of the actions in the ballroom that we didn't have time to realise how vulnerable the two of us were with each other, Arthur thought as both of Alfred's hands rested just above his hips, tugging him close. Now we're alone, I can't help but feel like a foolish lovesick schoolgirl, because there's nowhere else to hide my – our – feelings.

Taking his silence for disapproval, Alfred blundered. "I mean...what I meant to say is that, uh...!"

His blue eyes watched in surprise when Arthur's hands went to his wrists, pulling him closer, saying what he wasn't brave enough to speak out loud. Their eyes met; similarly to when they'd caught a glance of each other amongst the hedges, yet coupled with their skin to skin contact, it felt more heightened, more sensitive.

Placing his hands over his shoulders, Arthur gingerly rose up on his heels and stepped forward into the kiss.

Alfred's mouth was warm and wet, soothing his slightly cold lips, causing him to lose control and let slip a soft gasp of satisfaction. For a moment, the heavy jackets and constricting suit pants seemed to slip away, propriety and decorum loosening their grip, allowing them to indulge in each other's company in a fashion resembling that of sweethearts.

It was chaste, but definitely better than the sloppy, messy one they'd shared hours ago in the ballroom. He wasn't confident in many things, that was for sure, but at least he felt his skill was improving gradually. The same went for Alfred, yet the thought of kissing him enough times to be able to gauge how much he'd improved was an incredibly treacherous thought.

I'd like to do it again. No, absolutely not. Stop thinking of something as wanton as that. It's only because the two of you are alone, it's only because of... Arthur scolded himself fiercely as they parted for air, only to look away because of how intently Alfred was watching his expression.

"Did you...did you like it?" he said, sounding slightly out of breath. "Your reward, I mean. Was it – was it nice? Did you want more?"

"You must be aware that I didn't need one, spending time with you was enough," Arthur admitted, not daring to look back at him now he was being honest for a change. "There's no need to stack it up like an item."

"Like in a game? Or a comic book? Ooh, even a movie!"

"No, you idiot," he laughed. Missing how Alfred grinned along with him, he continued on. "As much as I'm fond of er, movies, I won't say so. I'm just saying that there's no need to force these things, I suppose they come naturally. What? There's no need to sound so smug, I'm certain I don't know more than you do."

"But that was good advice! Seriously. Have some more confidence in yourself, 'k?" Pulling back his sleeve, he checked his watch. "Should we get going back?"

Nodding, Arthur followed him back into the maze, and that was the end of the conversation, until he felt Arthur's fingers grip his shoulders again. "Artie...?"

Here goes nothing. "T-Thank you," he stammered, folding his arms defensively as he made himself maintain eye contact with him. "You should have just sent me back into the ballroom, but instead you went out of your way to accommodate me. Not to mention this place," he gestured at the arching roof sheltering them from the eyes of the world. "I never thought I'd be able to see it in real life, and, well, the..."

"Yeah?" Alfred said, leaning in and pressing their foreheads together, so that he couldn't miss the happiness in his eyes. The sky was lightening behind them, causing the blue to stand out even more.

"You're too close!" Arthur exclaimed, nudging him with his forehead that was only softened by his fringe, continuing to walk. "A-Anyway, idiot, as I was saying, the, er, thing we just did was, well...oi, stop looking so smug!"

"The way you're wording it is, y'know, really cute, so you can't expect me not to! I'm the only one who's seen something as wonderful as this, yeah? You liked it, right?" He never got a direct answer, but from the way the other boy looked away, the tips of his pink ears visible in the light of the early hours of the morning, he got an answer.

"What I'm trying to say is that...very...very well, I did," Arthur huffed, directing his gaze to the most eye catching thing he could find, it being Alfred's watch. It had been forty five minutes, almost an hour, and they really should be going back, but he knew that if he turned heel and strode away, he'd never garner the courage that Alfred had given him tonight for a very long time. "I enjoy my time spent with you, all right? Is that so wrong?"

"Then...why do you want to hide it so much? Is it because of how the others treat you?"

"Partly, yes," he admitted, "From my previous studies, I was aware that things like these were going to happen in every Deciding, but I'd prefer to avoid them. Not to mention, I'm frankly awful at this romantic stuff."

Alfred made a shrugging motion with his shoulders, as if it didn't matter too much, which was preposterous. Why have him, the prickly, hard to understand Arthur Kirkland, the person who wouldn't stop putting up walls where he could and only having his education in terms of connections, when someone like Alfred could have anyone at all?

"Hey, Artie, you keep on saying that, but what I said the other night still hasn't changed. No one's forcing me to do anything, and heck even if someone tried,"

"Good luck with that," he couldn't resist a snort.

"Yeah, exactly! As a hero's, that's one of my strong traits!"

Before he could stop himself, Arthur blurted out what he was thinking, "You seem to have an awful lot of those," he muttered under his breath, freezing when he realised what he'd just confessed to. "Er, I mean..."

"H-Heh, I guess," Alfred replied quickly, too quickly, though by the slight tremor that ran through his body he'd noticed. "Uh, uh, anyway! You're really not, okay? I enjoy spending time with you lots, and there's always something to do together. And, y'know...it would be nice if we could hang out more," Hang out? You're making it sound as if this competition doesn't determine the fate of Spades, Your Highness. "But with the Deciding and everything, I get that it's complicated, with so many people."

Then again, he's just too kind to request I put in some more effort for his sake. The darkness of the early morning really gave him no space to hide his own thoughts, either. So he can read the atmosphere after all...

"I'm gonna be...considering an elimination. After the Meeting ends, formally," Alfred said, something that made Arthur's green eyes dart from the exquisite blue roses to his face. "Goes kinda without saying that you won't tell anyone."

"Y-Yes." Detesting the worry clenching his heart, Arthur made himself take another breath, watching it billow out in the cold morning as they came to stop underneath the arch that led to the entrance of the maze. "Of course."

"I just wanted to reassure you that I didn't, not even for a second, think about putting you on that list of names," he said, as if he'd noticed his panic. "Though I'm not a poet or super good with words like you are for sure, I hope to at least make it easier for you to get what I'm feeling more of the time. Does, uh, that, uh, make sense? In – in private, of course. I completely get if you wanna keep on keeping it on the down low."

It clearly was a lot of effort for the prince to admit his flaws out loud, that little Arthur understood. He would had loved nothing more but to sit behind his walls and not have to worry about sacrificing his heart, but everything Alfred did, piece by piece, made him want to slowly lower his guard and meet him in the middle.

"I hope to give you more clarity about myself in the future," Arthur whispered, allowing himself to press into Alfred's body, allowing the magic of the dawn to wash over them. "Your Highness."

"Go back to the party soon, you'll be missed." They'd just returned to Arthur's room; once they'd noticed the coast was clear he quickly let Alfred into the hallway as a last minute goodbye. "Promise me you won't dillydally."

"Hero's honour! Though, what's a dillydally?" Even when asking such silly questions, Alfred was cute with his vacant expression. It was bitterly unfair.

"...Never mind. Goodnight, Your High-" It took every ounce of self control to not pinch the pout off of his face. "-Ergh, fine. Alfred."

"Goodnight, Arthur! Sweet dreams," he sang, reaching out for his left hand and giving it a quick peck, frowning at how cold it was despite him wearing his gloves. "Get nice and cosy, okay?"

Before he could respond, the prince had shot off into the corridor and back out towards the main party. Thankfully, that meant that he couldn't see Arthur watch pathetically from the crack in his door, watching as his blue and gold finery disappeared down the hallway before closing the door.

Pressing himself against the back of his door, he attempted to process his thoughts once again. The walkway, strung with marble pillars. The maze, and Alfred's laughter within it. The gazebo, the blue and red roses, and Alfred's warmth against his.

"Arthur, you idiot, what are you doing?" he lamented, knocking his fist against his forehead. He couldn't be softened by one person so much. It simply didn't happen to him.

Hurriedly opening his desk and retrieving a pen, he started writing what was a long overdue letter on a fresh sheet of parchment.

"Dear Kiku,

How do you know whether you're falling in love with someone?"