Fates, they really did do a number on us, was the first thought that came across Arthur's mind once the remaining dozen Chosen filed into the dining hall for the first time since Meeting preparation started.

For starters, everyone had been shuffled up to be closer to the royals' position at the head of the table, which naturally heightened the excitement of the room. Luckily, Arthur could still sit with Leon and Sakura, whilst Emma was rerouted to the other end. Another pleasant surprise was that he didn't have to greet Alfonso from the other side of the table, but best of all was to not be subjected to snickers whenever he said anything.

"Good morning, Chosen," the Jack sounded bleary, probably because of having to say goodbye to all the other royals the day before. "I hope you are all well, and settling back into the dining hall for breakfast. I requested the change in schedule starting next Monday, however your maids will remind you that breakfast is to be held here starting today again."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Once that was over, Jack Yao took his seat and looked at the boys. "Excellent. Prince Alfred, Ace Matthew? Anything to add?"

"Nothing else to add from me."

"Enjoy your breakfasts, everyone!" Alfred exclaimed, to smiles from the Chosen. "Today's going to be a bit of a slow day, since we wanna allow time for the palace workers to clean up after the Meeting, but we'll be kinda getting back into the swing of things soon starting next week."

"Oh yes," the Jack patted him on the shoulder, "Since now the Deciding has been pared down to twelve, we'll be beginning formal training and lessons soon as well, hopefully again starting next week. Starting with-"

Arthur perked up. Exactly what he and Kiku had talked about! There had been so many things in the palace that had highlighted all his weaknesses, now this was something he could be proud of. It wasn't the freshly picked fruit or the wonderfully cold milk that made him drool, no, it was the treasure trove of magical knowledge that the Jack of Spades could teach him about. What better tutelage to boast about after he'd joined the mage association than Jack Yao's?

He looked to the right of the Jack, and then all his thoughts about the mage association went flying away. Alfred was looking at him, since Fates knows when, but he quickly looked away once Arthur caught his gaze. Had his tie always been that loose, hanging two centimetres from his collar? It definitely had been tied correctly on the night of the ball.

Oh Fates, the ball. The memories threatened to invade his mind, the same ones that had kept him staring in the dark of his room for days, and actively thanking the Fates for ensuring Alfred was so busy lately. Even looking at him now, days after it had happened, brought back the gazebo into the forefront of his mind.

A massive wrench had been thrown into his future plans outside the palace. It seemed as if with every passing day, they were closer to being tossed out onto the sidewalk entirely. He hadn't meant to feel such...affection for someone who he'd only saw on a pedestal his entire life. It was frightening, terrifying and a little bit dangerous.

Then again, who didn't love a bit of danger? Especially when it came to Alfred...

Blushing furiously at his thoughts, he tried to orient his face into a scowl. Drat, he'd completely missed whatever the Jack was saying.

He was so preoccupied with trying to focus on both his breakfast and his not so eventual demise that he didn't notice Alfred glancing at his conflicted expression, then looking down to the table once more.

At least Arthur was good at keeping secrets. He'd not even let a single hint slip to anyone, except Leon, that Alfred had kissed him. Multiple times. Or taken him out during the huge Meeting, even when he'd been so stressed, and they'd shared so much time together that night. It was probably due to the stress put on the sole kingdom from the others. He'd been reluctant to let Kiku know about the extent, with the knowledge of his looming grief, but was all right at hints for the time being.

Not to mention the fact that Arthur knew he could quickly stir up some sort of superiority if he told everyone else that he'd been kissed, but he preferred to keep the secret to himself. Savouring it in spare times when he was waiting for everyone to finish their meals, or during a few quiet moments – only allowing him to think about Alfred's sweet gestures when the time seemed appropriate.

Speaking of which...the gossip that was brewing around the dining hall room seemed as delicious as ever. Something about why exactly so many people were eliminated, and the fact that the ratio was skewed in favour of those not from the holding facilities made the group elimination even more unusual.

Of course, Arthur's mind wouldn't let him concentrate on any of that today. Alfred's mere existence at the head of the table made it impossible. It wasn't like he was sure he was fully in love with him or anything, but even so, his heart wouldn't let him fall completely in love with Alfred just yet. Said foolish organ was stubborn, yes, but it kept him from falling into irrational decisions…for now. But it left him in a position that made him run his thoughts over what Kiku had said – his best friend sometimes knew that aspect of himself better than he did. The shared fact that the two of them now had something else to fight for, not just for a better life for him and his family, kept him feeling as close to him as he'd always done.

Arthur frowned and ate a strawberry out of the corner of his mouth.

But by the Fates, unlike Kiku, his heart burst with the want to blurt out his secret. Not the one with Matthew and Gilbert, of course, but the one about Alfred! He really wanted to not make a fuss and say it very discreetly, because it was the Deciding, after all, but such news was practically impossible. He'd told Alfred to carefully consider his options before running with just one person, but it was difficult to resist when said one person felt like him, unless the crown prince was a very good liar.

To be honest, it was a good thing he seemed to be spending his time with other people, to broaden his choices. It showed that the crown prince was really taking the competition seriously instead of making a beeline for anyone. There were some people who weren't even romantically interested in Alfred, he assumed, and seemed to have formed an attachment to the crown and the power. After getting to know him more, he couldn't help but be concerned about what measures anyone would take to get their hands on the prince, or the crown. Or both. From all his education about the previous Decidings, there was practically no length as to someone's desperation. Would they get as far, though, with someone who wore their heart on their sleeve, and charmed so effortlessly?

"Do you think that we might be in trouble? With the whole incident of being rude to the holding facility candidates..." Sakura whispered near his ear, and Leon was quick to pick up on her question.

"Eh, I don't think so. We haven't, like, done anything wrong, have we?" Leon looked over to Arthur, noting how he was staring off into the void. "Psst. Have we?"

"Pardon?"

With a knowing smile like that, even if it did look like it had been stolen off the pages of a magazine, Arthur was suspicious. "Too busy thinking about the prince?"

A dark flush made itself known all over his cheeks. "N-Not at all."

"Uh huh, totally." Leon looked like he wanted to tease him further, yet paused when he saw Sakura's knitted eyebrows, remembering why they'd distracted him. "Anyway. You don't think we've done anything...wrong, right?"

Arthur stared at them like they'd grown two horns. "Erm. Why would I think such a thing?"

"The elimination was split in the non holding facility members' favour," Leon said. "Five to three. Did you, like, not notice?"

He hadn't. He'd been so caught up in his success, in his safety because Alfred had told him about it, which made him both a bit of an asshole and stand out. And as crass as he was, Arthur would prefer to be none of those things.

"Arthur? Are you all right?"

Make something up. "Yes, I'm all right, it's just...I didn't want to bring it up for fear of sounding...sounding rude," he said hastily. He daren't meet Sakura's eyes. "But yes, it is quite odd."

"If you ask me, it's a good thing that they're out. But you don't think we've, like, messed up, right?"

Arthur shook his head. "Not at all. The people who've been eliminated," he looked around, and with the exception of Marianne and Clare, none of the people who he and the holding facility members had rough run ins with were still there. "They've been attempting to stir things up. From my perspective at least, both of you are popular inside and outside of the palace, so not at all."

"I thought it was the rude comments, but I just wanted to ask," Sakura admitted, as she and Leon's shoulders relaxed and they let out sighs. "Though it is good that the atmosphere is so light today."

"I agree. Um, is it okay if you still have, like, some of those noodles?" Right, they were eating breakfast, and Arthur noticed that his plate was still suspiciously full compared to his usual eating pace. "Could I get some if that's okay? Yeah. Uh, Emma and I were talking about it last night in the Drawing Room when a bunch of them didn't come back early."

Arthur nodded, taking note of the increasingly louder chatter around the table to speak up. "It is much better without most of the tension now."

"I agree with Arthur."

The conversation died down once the three of them continued eating, until Sakura spoke up. "I wonder. With the competition becoming much tighter now...will things change? Between the prince and us?"

"No idea. Though I wish he'd start kissing some of us, y'know?" At the embarrassed looks that Arthur and Sakura gave him, Leon threw up his hands in mock surrender. "What? He's a nice guy, but still! He looks like he'd be a good kisser. And it's not like either of us have."

Arthur curled his toes. Keep quiet.

"But, um..." Sakura's ears were tinged pink behind her dark hair. "Have either of you been kissed recently?" At a lack of response from the boys, she continued. "Emma has not either, I do not think, and I spoke to Natalya, and she has not either. What if someone has, and they are keeping quiet?"

"That would be unwise, now we're almost at the three month mark, next week, people might want to show their positions at where they're at with the prince. And what if someone didn't mean it as a strategy? Some people are a lot less open than with others," Arthur countered, hoping that they wouldn't see through his smokescreen. He wasn't particularly a huge fan of lying, but it wasn't exactly a good move for his strategy of keeping quiet when they were in the room with every Chosen member.

"Good point. Fates forbid the first person to be kissed, or at least tell us about it. They'll get worried about our standings." Leon said, taking a sip of his juice. "Like we're not worried about it much."

"If they have the guts, then that'll be a great strategy," Arthur admitted, "Maybe it'll cause people to wish they'd thought of it themselves first. At the same time, lying about it won't be a good idea."

"I mean now it's stepped up and there's, like, only twelve of us left, so that's why we're all tense. I guess that's the reason we're all talking about the elimination, not only because it's a really weird one, but, like, eight people is a lot."

"I agree," Sakura said. "It is the worst when we fight or feel competitive with everyone else. The Meeting was a bit of a break for being on edge every time we compare what the prince has done with us."

Arthur went to take a sip of his tea, but almost spat it out once he'd noticed someone had topped it up and it was now piping hot. The three took a break from their intense discussion to laugh. "Sorry about that. But we really can't control what he does with us, I suppose?"

"Staying ourselves is totally important in this competition as well. I mean, people changing themselves to try to improve their odds of impressing Alfred? That's just worse than a lot of things. We really can't do anything except be ourselves."

With that, Arthur couldn't help but glance at Leon. There was something in his friend that had changed from the haze of confusion that had swam in every movement, but he couldn't quite understand what. What he did understand was the fact that Leon had found himself again, and he was grateful.

"In the end, it is what His Highness really likes that will get the person to be chosen. I would rather be sent home for being myself instead of being kept here for someone I'm not. I just hope that I'm enough." Sakura said, dipping her head. Both Leon and Arthur exchanged a glance, and she instantly shrunk. "A-Ah, I am sorry, that was a lot, was it not?"

"No, it was a totally great point, Sakura, I like hearing what you think." Leon gave her a small smile, his features lifting a little. "It's just...you didn't use to talk so much, but it's great you're feeling more comfortable."

Arthur followed his example, which made her perk up. "Thank you. It is good to be among friends. At least, the atmosphere is lively in here today as well."

"That's a good point. And I think-" Leon was about to speak, before he noticed Emma leaning across the table, as if she desperately wanted to join in their conversation. "-Hey, maybe we should, like, adjourn this for tonight? She looks like she wants to join in."

"Oh, that's right, she's not...sitting on the same row as us today," Arthur gave her a small wave before he realised it. "Tonight?"

"We could speak in my room before curfew," Sakura offered, waving shyly at her friend too, who reciprocated with great gusto.

"Sounds like a good idea to me."

"Matt?"

The younger twin was finishing up his review of the palace's monthly budget before his more obnoxious twin knocked. Knocked.

Alfred never, ever knocked, preferring to hurl into the room and dislodging poor Kuma from his sleep.

"That's me," he said, his bear tumbling over to his legs. "Shouldn't you be going to sleep?"

"Yeah, but…can we talk? For a bit? I sort of need another opinion on some stuff." Looking at his brother's stance, it had been a harder day than usual.

"Sure. Do you want to take a seat or stand there like a pineapple?"

Crossing the floor, Alfred settled into his chair, more subdued than he'd seen him for a long time. "Ha ha, very funny. I jam a lot better with apples, anyway. More proposals? They're asking to cut down funds on the Deciding, right?" he commented, casting his eyes over the papers.

"As usual. I guess they want it to end soon," Matthew sighed, "Dad's one took around three to four months. Didn't take him too long, eh?"

"Well, Dad definitely got it easy compared to me. He'd only had a few left by this point." For once, without him interfering, Alfred put down his paperwork. "So, uh. Are you and Yao going to…"

Too distracted by his brother not being childish for once, Matthew didn't get to see the anguish in his face. "Hm? What are we going to do?"

"Approve their request for cutting down the cash. I'm sure Yao spoke to you about it a bit, but he's the man, so if he thinks it's right, I'm not gonna challenge it."

"…You could have said that last summer, when we were asking you to not go off to Hearts for the week since we were doing your Deciding prep," he replied sharply, folding his arms. That extra workload really had been a pain in the ass. Unfortunately, it didn't look as if Alfred's maturity had gone all the way yet, because he just brushed it off.

"I'm serious, Matt. If you and Yao think this Deciding budget thingy is a problem as well, I-"

"How do you have-" Rolling his eyes, he decided that this sort of conversation was best saved for another day. "Never mind. No, of course we won't do that."

There was the sound of his brother's shoes and the chair scraping along the blue carpet that preceded his reply. "...Really?"

"Mm. Anyone without an agenda to slowly dismantle the Primary Suit from the inside knows it's a dumb idea to cut back on one of the best PR events of the century. Carlos voted against it, and I know that Yao would look at me funny in the morning if I suggested it."

"Oh. Right," Alfred said. "It's not just one of the best PR events of the century, though, it's also kinda-"

"Your love life, blah blah blah, I get it. Is that all, then?" Matthew folded his arms; he had work to do and a Broadcast presentation to work on.

"Yeah, mostly. It's just that..." the laugh died from Alfred's throat then, and he paused midway through getting up the chair. He was looking at the photos on Matthew's desk.

He didn't even pick up on it until he was stopping at the one with their parents and them when they were smaller. "You miss them?"

Alfred nodded. "I guess. I always miss Mom and Dad, but I miss the other royals. Even though the palace is a lot more lively with the Chosen and stuff, and the fact that our soldiers aren't deployed to the Easterns this year and we have Katya helping out, just having them around was a nice change, right?"

"Even Ivan?" There was no way he'd pass up an opportunity to tease him about it.

Snorting at his question, Matthew was surprised to see him nod with an awkward jerk of his head. "Yeah, even, ugh, Ivan."

"Starting to warm to him, eh?"

"No, what the hell, Matt!" Alfred cried, though the corners of his eyes crinkled in a laugh. "Fine. I guess he has some redeeming qualities, that just being that we can see Eliza again, and he and Yao get along, so Yao can get a break from being responsible for awhile. And Katya's his sister, so it must suck to be separated from your sibling for so long."

"Actually," Matthew said, flicking at his pen with his index finger, "I don't mind taking a month long retreat away once this is all over. I'll take Yao and Katya with me so you can be all lovey dovey gross with your new Queen."

"Hey! Though, you're so interested in bringing Katya..."

"Al, I will run you through...I'll run you through with this pen-" Two pink spots appeared on his cheeks, just below his round glasses, "If you won't stop bringing her up in that way!"

"What's wrong? Shipping you with her is seriously fun. I even got Ludwig into it. Wonder if Feli will?"

"Ha ha. Maybe I should write to your future queen about your, uh, friendship with Ludwig."

It was his turn to go pink in a shade that matched the sunset outside. "Shh! That's different, okay? Totally different. Anyway, it's okay if you wanna make the moves on her. I don't think any other kingdom needs her more than we do."

"Don't make me tempted to play golf on your head."

Alfred shot him a saucy wink, one that made him frown. "Ha ha, very funny."

"I'm serious. I could just put the golf ball right behind your cowlick," he leaned over his desk, pressing the knuckle of his hand into the small soft spot of Alfred's head, causing his brother to yelp, "And then it'll be done with a clean swing. The hole in one thing can be my trashcan. I'm sure there has to be a club around the castle. Maybe you could look in the stables next time you look after Scotch."

"Matt, where did you even learn to play golf?" Kuma happily pawed at Alfred's pant leg, and he gave the bear a pat on the head.

"It can't be that hard, surely," he deadpanned. Great, with all this conversation, he wouldn't be able to finish all his work before dinner, then again anything to take away the sting of not having people he trusted and Gilbert around anymore was softened only by someone who understood. "You just put a tiny ball on some grass, then you swing at it and not miss."

"But why not put it in grass? Isn't it a problem since I'm blond?"

"I don't mind asking Francis for help on that. It's a simple parlour trick to change someone's hair colour for a few hours."

"What," Alfred gave Kuma one last pat before releasing him, "Like you with your not so amazing magic output can do that."

"And whose fault is that?" Matthew folded his arms at Alfred's laughing, exaggerating his action once he saw him practically double over. "Some asshole stole all my magic juice when I was in the womb, and doesn't even use it!"

Said asshole merely shrugged his broad shoulders. "True, true. But who needs to use magic when I'm good with the sword? And sharpshooting? And-"

"Uh huh," Matthew replied dismissively, thumbing over his now messed paperwork, "Talk to me again when you're good at shutting up."

"That's so boring though! Wait, back to golf, that's why the Clubs national sport, not ours, heh. Wait," he waggled his eyebrows excessively, placing one hand on his arm, "Does that have to do with a certain-"

"I swear, you better not bring up our nonexistent romantic relationship, or I'll tell you who every single royal's rooting for you in your Deciding."

Alfred's face instantly fell. "Wait a sec, why do you look like that? Whaddya mean 'every single royal'? Everyone has a preference?!"

It was Matthew's turn to snort. "Yeah, why wouldn't they? I suspect even Yao does, though he's trying his best to be responsible unlike someone. Now if you're not up for helping me through some of my paperwork before dinner, I'll start listing them."

"Ugh, fine! You're so...anyway, what's the easiest that I can actually understand?"

"You could start with these," Matthew said. "They'd be part of your kingly workload soon." Taking advantage of when his brother was rifling through his papers, he opened his side drawer and placed the advisorship proposal inside. It could be brought to Yao's attention, but more important proposals that weren't hell bent on slowly dismantling the monarchy's reputation had priority.

As promised, they reconvened on Sakura's room after dinner. The room was obviously very clean, but had lighter touches that Arthur made a mental note about. She had carefully arranged a scent diffuser so a light scent of peony filled the room, and the curtains were pulled back slightly so that the finishing sunset was allowed to flood inside.

With a whoop, Emma clambered onto her bed along with her, whereas the boys settled for pulling the chairs closer. "It's really fun that we've been able to get together, all four of us! It would have been easier if a certain person wasn't holed up in his room reading all the time."

"Guilty as charged," Arthur shrugged his shoulders, causing the three of them to laugh. "Ha ha. I'll make an effort once we're starting our lessons."

"Those are really exciting," Sakura said, nodding once. "I agree, and the library is very interesting as well."

"Yeah, those sound fun, at least. Jack Yao's definitely gonna be, like, a better teacher than all my tutors combined. Anyway," Leon said, taking note of how awkwardly Arthur was shifting his weight from side to side, "Did you listen in on our convo at breakfast, Em?"

"A little. It sucks how we're being sorted into a separate line now, but with all those rude people gone, it's fine, " Emma admitted, adjusting her hairband. "The bit I don't get is how they were eliminated so suddenly after the big ball. You know, the fancy social event."

"With how they reacted to the holding facility member, it is even more surprising."

Arthur adjusted his pillow, keeping his hands in his lap. "I thought so as well. Everyone from the holding facilities aren't exposed to that sort of event, so I was assuming they'd do well."

"Though, like, with the prince talking about how it wasn't anything to do with dancing and-" Leon broke off when the four of them heard footsteps and hushed speaking pass the girls' corridor. Lowering his voice, he continued speaking. "-Forgot that even though it's just twelve of us left, there's eyes and ears all around."

"It's okay! Everyone usually hangs out at the Drawing Room anyway after dinner, so it's sort of weird."

"Maybe they do not feel comfortable there any more?" Sakura offered. The look she and Emma exchanged suggested they knew who was passing by, but they didn't seem to want to particularly address it.

"Maybe. Sorry, back to what I was saying. But didn't the prince say it wasn't, like, anything to do with the dancing?"

"Yes, I do think so."

"All right. So I wonder why. Perhaps it'll be revealed during the Broadcast during the end of the week? It mustn't be totally serious if we haven't heard much gossip about it, right?"

Arthur nodded. Tucking his feet underneath his sofa and taking a deep breath, he spoke. "Perhaps it was Alfred – er, His Highness's attempt to address the bullying issue? I can't imagine the altercation in the Drawing Room went unnoticed, there are cameras everywhere." He didn't want to mention the incident with him and Alfonso; his friends were nervous as they were already, even though they shouldn't be.

Emma snapped her fingers, getting up from her sitting position against one of Sakura's pillows. "Yeah. Wait, you're right! The cameras must've caught them doing something they shouldn't have been, and then Alfred must've had enough. Which is good, I think."

"I agree. His Highness taking action is a smart move," Sakura said. "I mean, we did not know what happened behind closed doors, so we can only hope that the prince chooses to say things that we might not understand later. It would not be fair to jump to conclusions."

Leon nodded once more, but there wasn't much positive conversation to be had except speculation. The downside was that it only served to make them even more nervous.

After a few moments, Emma smiled fondly at them. "C'mon, you guys, cheer up! We're okay, and there hasn't been a problem so far. Remember, aren't we in the most romantic competition ever?"

"The Deciding doesn't need to be the most romantic competition ever."

"Aw, don't furrow your thick eyebrows like me at that! It's true," she insisted, "At least, this one with Alfred. Seriously, all of us are in it for him, right? Even you, Arthur, with your ice heart, have to be just a bit charmed. Pfft, what's with that blushy face?"

As if right on cue, he looked away, to the smiles of everyone else. "It's...it's not that obvious, right?"

"I mean, like, you're still here, so you must be doing something right," Leon said, hugging a pillow. "He obviously likes you though. Yeah, well, he likes all of us, but there's that thing he does-"

"Right? You saw it as well? The little looks-"

"Ah, I have noticed a bit as well," Sakura joined in. "He gives Arthur a bit of a look whilst he thinks he is not looking, but then looks away right after."

"He was totally doing it during dinner tonight. What, Arthur, you don't have to look so pink!"

"W-Well, I'm sure he does other things with other people," he stammered, caught completely off guard. He knew Alfred was happy to be blatant about his affection, but this was... "Um, um, such as looking at others too, or..."

"No!" the three of them chorused, only serving to make him even more flustered. "Seriously, it's kinda cute – ah, wait, is that your door, Sakura?"

The sound of two sharp, short knocks seemed familiar. "Yes, one second – Miss Diane, is it you...! Oh my goodness, Your Highness," she quickly dipped into a curtsy, and the three who had just gotten up followed suit. "I apologise greatly, I did not know you were to come visit."

The scent of the room was heated by the warm air rushing in from outside. Alfred was there, because of course he was. He looked very put together, though not as put together as the military uniform had made him look, topped off with a fresh smile. Even looking at him for the split second that Arthur had made his heart skip a beat. Unable to help it, the sight of Alfred's hands holding his against the blue roses played in his mind.

"Hey, not at all, Lady Sakura! It's awesome to see all four of you hanging out," he said, giving them all a wave. "I'm sorry, though, I was meaning to speak to Sir Leon and Lady Emma tonight instead, if that's okay. I asked their maids where they were, and they directed me to your room."

Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur could see Emma and Leon's back instantly straighten, and he fought off a smile. At the same time though, they looked apprehensive, and he could understand why.

"Yes, of course, Your Highness."

"Is it for something serious?" Emma asked; her hands bunched into her skirts.

"No, not at all! It's a good thing! Promise. Can we step out for a bit?"

With the two of them gone, Arthur continued looking down at his shoes, completely missing how Alfred glanced at him briefly before shutting the door. Unfortunately for him, Sakura didn't, and teased him lightly for it.

"Did you not see? He was glancing at you for a bit," she said, and Arthur would have replied with a barb if she were anyone but herself. "Ah, I suppose we should not talk too much, because they are speaking outside."

"I-I have no idea what you mean, but we should." Thankfully, out of their quartet, Arthur and Sakura were the best at keeping a comfortable silence, so it went without a hitch. Words such as date and next week were thrown around, broken only by an occasional hoot (Leon) or a pleased sigh (Emma).

The prince knocked again for Sakura to let him in.

"My bad, its just custom."

"Not at all-"

Emma looked like she was about to burst with happiness, so the two of them asked her and Leon what was going on. "We're going outside next week! It'll be announced on the Broadcast."

"Oh, that is so wonderful," Sakura sighed, taking Emma's hand as she was standing closest to her. "Going outside is really fun, since His Highness knows how to handle the situation excellently."

"Congratulations," Arthur offered a thumbs up. Somehow, coupled with all the excitement, he didn't feel an ounce of jealousy.

"No need to worry! But yeah, I'll leave you guys for the night!" Alfred gave them a winning smile, the interaction over too soon. Suddenly, Arthur's green eyes fixed on him, desperately trying to gather one last look before he'd only have his memories to keep him company. He was perfectly distracted, speaking with everyone else and saying his goodbyes, right up to the moment he closed Sakura's door.

It was so perfect. If only Arthur hadn't been so run away with his glance, he would have gotten away with it. Alfred turned back for one last greeting, only for his last phrase to fade in his throat as he noticed him stare.

"Goodbye! Have a good...rest," he said, the last word landing in a whisper, just like the fireflies in the garden that night had. Arthur held his gaze, entranced, breaking it abruptly by looking at his blue tie. It had been straightened this time correctly, thank goodness. It wasn't until he heard the door's last creak before he watched Alfred again, the two of them making brief eye contact before it closed entirely.