Like all the other outdoor dates Arthur had seen take place, all the activity taking place that morning was centered around the foyer. Once he came downstairs after getting ready with Anna, the front of the palace was already packed, with camera people, guards, butlers and maids getting everything ready. To his right, he could see the three guards that had accompanied almost every other date standing to a corner – Officer Steillson, Kohler, and Oxenstierna – adjusting their uniforms and chatting lightly amongst themselves. They along with a camerawoman were handling a bevy of equipment, the sound of tripods being packed up and bags zipped faint against the commotion of footsteps and Jack Yao making the final preparations.

Now it was Friday, the usual cycle of studying about the lessons had faded for the time being, as the summer solstice was due to happen the following week. Even if Arthur hadn't lived in Diamonds unlike some of the others, and wasn't able to contextualise a lot of the trade deals between its alliances to do with their wealth, he'd managed in said lesson through his study. Emma wasn't very impressed when he'd asked her multiple times about questions he hadn't gotten right even over playing card games, so he reminded himself to put it to rest. Kiku wouldn't be very happy with him either when he arrived next week if Arthur was asking him about alliances and lessons.

Usually, Arthur would be kept distracted by the fact that his best friend was finally arriving to the palace for the summer solstice celebration, but even more so was the babble around the castle. He, Leon, Sakura and Emma had spent hours up until curfew speculating about what were he and Alfred to do. Arthur had talked a bit about the resume his holding facility had sent in, but there was nothing he could possibly quantify with a connection between a parrot, a shoulder and whatever nonsense he'd submitted – the holding facility candidates weren't allowed to extensively edit their final applications other than a few suggestions. There was nothing all four of them could garner from what Arthur and Kiku had worked on all those months ago, so they'd just put it aside after a while just to be excited. With him being the last one out of them to get a date, it felt like one last, long awaited hurrah.

Matthew and Alfred were in the middle of all the preparations, the twins conferring amongst each other – until the moment the prince caught sight of him, and left the Ace's side to come bouncing towards him. Arthur had a split second to nod in Matthew's direction before Alfred came to stand next to him.

"Good morning, Si-" he broke off to check if anyone was within recording distance, which they weren't, before continuing. "Artie! Doing okay? Got a good breakfast? Got some good sleep?"

"Thank you, I'm doing well, I hope you are as well." Arthur tried to keep himself composed, in the face of commanding Alfred's attention out of everyone else in the room. Not to mention the fact that he was wearing the Spades ceremonial uniform, which struck him as odd. On the other dates, he'd chosen to wear formalwear, but there must be a particular reason why he'd wanted to dress like the boy who'd come back from his military service, only more strikingly mature. Arthur's heart couldn't help but skip a beat at how dashing he looked, but he had to ask. "Is there a reason you're wearing such strict dress code?"

"Yeah, actually!" Alfred picked at his collar. "I mean, gosh, I don't really wear this much since my service ended, but…the place I was going to requested me to wear it. There's nothing to worry about," he said quickly as Arthur looked worriedly at his own clothes, "It's just me who should! Not bad, right?"

Arthur swallowed, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his pants as he took in the snug fit, the way the embellishments draped off him, from the golden braided cord to the small Spades pin on his chest. "Erm," he tried to divert his eyes from where they were lingering on the golden buttons, "You look, erm. Well. Quite well."

"Aw, really? Do you really mean it?"

"…it's nothing all that special to tell you something like that, prat," Arthur felt the heat from the room infect his cheeks as he couldn't bring himself to look at Alfred's expression. "Just…just accept the compliment, all right?"

"Pfft, if you say so." Giving a shrug with his shoulders, Alfred gave him a gloved thumbs up. "It's actually a lot better than the Meeting dance, to be honest. At least I don't have to wear my old hat. It's also a lot lighter, without the fancy ee-paul-ettes."

Arthur snickered, taking a moment to brush at the tip of Alfred's cowlick, causing it to bounce back up defiantly. "Epaulettes, and fair enough. Anyway, assuming we're doing a lot of walking, it'll be best for less things to weigh you down. Is it that heavy?"

Are you going to take it off anytime? Arthur thought hopefully before he stopped himself. No, he didn't think it at all. Not at all. There was no such bizarre, intrusive thought occurring in his mind.

"Naw, it's actually not that bad. I mean, they put you through that sorta military training for a reason. After carrying weaponry, equipment and your own fellow soldiers through it," Alfred grinned as if it were no big deal, "Having to wear a ceremonial outfit feels like putting on feathers."

"Regardless, well…I mean, you're the prince, yes?"

Alfred wasn't sure where he was going with this. "Uh, yeah, last time I checked. What about it?"

"It's quite hot still, isn't it? Well, the summer weather's relaxing its grip, at least according to the paper this morning, so it wouldn't be that bad, but still…" It wasn't as if Arthur was admiring how well Alfred fit in his dress uniform, not like that at all, but he was concerned it would be overly warm.

"Eh, don't worry about it," Alfred adjusted one of the coloured bands he was wearing in place of his military decorations, "It's gonna be windy where we're going, not to mention there's air conditioner in the place and stuff. And I have some change of clothes just in case. I think Miss Anna – your maid, right? Yep, I think she's helped pack an extra set of clothes for you today as well."

"Erm, I think she did she did mention something about it that morning." Since the start of the day had been so hectic already, for a change Arthur and Anna had eaten breakfast together in his room. Though they probably shouldn't have to preserve efficiency, they'd spent some time going over the answers Arthur had provided whilst chatting leisurely about the coming day, with them reading the paper as they ate.

"She's really capable, isn't she?" With a nod, Alfred continued to adjust at his boots, seemingly unshaken by the commotion in the foyer of the palace. "I'm glad she's your maid, or I'd be more worried whether you'd be up and running every morning!"

"I'm not that disorganised," Arthur huffed, folding his arms against the cerulean coat he was wearing. Coupled with the light, flexible cream pants he was wearing, it made him look a lot more handsome than he felt. It was made of lighter material and didn't feel suffocating, yet he couldn't help but fret a little about the conditions outside. "But well, I do concede – I'm relieved for that too. Regardless, er," he turned his head to the corridor where the other Chosen were coming down from breakfast, "Are we ready to depart?"

Alfred's gaze drifted to where Arthur's attention was resting. "You worried?" he asked, coming to stand next him. "I mean. The part where it's just us and stuff. They won't really let the others come in, because there's still a lot of you guys here, and it won't be a good thing to clog up the foyer."

"Well, I suppose the others wouldn't be very happy about having only me be able to go alone, but you announced the reason last night at dinner," Arthur said. He took a pause to wave at his friends before turning his attention back to Alfred. "While there's a bit of apprehension there, there's too many things to be grateful for to complain. Even if it is a touch complicated."

Tilting his head to one side, Alfred placed his hands in his pockets, mimicking Arthur's movements. "Gotta ask, though. Would you have wanted me to go alone with someone else?"

"No," he said, all too quickly. Tugging at the collar of his shirt, Alfred looked as if he had expected a more negative answer. Maybe something about not wanting to be upstaged by someone else, or finally having Alfred alone for himself – though the Chosen were only a handful left by now, the prince probably still felt as if there were not enough hours in the day to both do his work and see all of them.

But what came out of Arthur's mouth surprised him, and made the hustle and bustle of the room around them fade, even if it was just for a moment. "How do I put this without it being overly mortifying? Well, I'm…glad you had me in your thoughts. Though there's others that haven't gone out yet, you still chose me." When Alfred's head tilted lower to meet his gaze, he shied away, pinking. "It's…mortifying, for sure, but I thought you at least, erm," Arthur moved his head back upwards to meet his gaze, green to blue, "I thought you deserved to know."

A smile crept onto Alfred's handsome features as easily as if he were taking a breath. "Man, I, uh…" his nose and eyes crinkled as he smiled wider like he couldn't help himself, "Gosh, I don't know what else to say, but yeah. It's embarrassing for me to admit, heh, but I did choose you for a reason. Or a bunch of reasons, really." At that admission, he rubbed at the back of his neck, and Arthur could hear the sound of his bells and whistles jingling as he did so. "Don't tell anyone though! I don't want to make anyone upset, but. Thanks."

"Why are you thanking me? No need to worry about that, I'll keep your secret." It came out like a chuckle, as if he didn't believe it meant that much. "There's just one opportunity for this. And there's more than one Chosen compared to just me, so it should be me instead of the other way around."

"I mean," Alfred looked around, giving the clustered Chosen outside a wave before moving a little closer, "It's not exactly like that, Arthur, you're not…just."

Arthur stared at him, uncomprehending. "I'm not…just? Whatever does that mean?"

The prince looked like he was about to embellish on what he had meant to , but at the moment Matthew came up behind the two of them. "Are you guys okay? At least wait until later on the day to kiss, eh?"

"Matt! Sorry about leaving you back there." The two twins looked quite alike, with Matthew wearing a purple shirt and light pants compared to Alfred's elaborate dress uniform.

Arthur barely caught sight of Alfred's red cheeks before he bowed quickly to the Ace. "Ace Matthew, it's a pleasure."

"Not at all, Sir Arthur," he reciprocated the gesture. Unable to help it, Arthur searched his face for any sort of alarm that betrayed something had gone awry with their shared secret, but he could detect nothing in the slightly slouched way he was carrying himself and camera ready smile. "I hope you can take care of my brother today."

"Wait a sec-"

"Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble," Matthew gestured with a playful nudge to Alfred's side, "Or steal you away to somewhere that's not on the itinerary. Please, have fun today."

"I intend to," Arthur said, purposely ignoring Alfred's huff of protest. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"That wasn't fair," Alfred grumbled, pouting as his twin walked away. "Not thinking of getting the two of us into any trouble and stuff."

"To be fair, we have a penchant for getting into trouble."

"Huh? Whaddya mean by pen chant?"

"Penchant. It means that we have the tendency to get into trouble often."

"Oh. I guess, you have a point, but I mean, why not just say that? It's much easier."

"Say what? Penchant?"

"No, tendency! It's a much cooler word. Hey, what's with that unimpressed look – it's just a suggestion! I know how to say it, at least."

"Which cannot be said for many words in the common spoken and written language."

Alfred childishly puffed out his cheeks. "C'mon, that's mean! It's mostly cuz you're a stuffy old guy that you know how to say all those fancy words."

"Pardon?"

Before either of them could respond with another retort, however, the Jack approached the two of them and herded them outside to where the carriages were waiting, also reminding them to have fun before departing.

Most of the carriage ride was spent chatting about things in earnest – for some reason, when they were alone, it felt much easier to talk about menial things. For example, the way Leon's playing cards were new as he'd never really had anyone else to play them with, but within the space of three weeks the four of them had soaked through too many of them with their night time drinks. Said drinks were only water and Leon and Arthur's tea, but still. Emma offered to ask for another pack of cards from home when they were ruined beyond repair.

Or maybe Alfred's story about how he and Matthew had skated down the hallway in striped socks that Tuesday night when the twins had happened to come back to their rooms after a work day at the same time, along with the follow up that they had managed to persuade the Jack into their game. Alfred had said he'd won, but Arthur wasn't so sure by the way he kept on looking away and pinching the side of his neck.

Even so, in these small moments where it felt like Alfred felt more relaxed than usual, Arthur still let himself get swept up in the fantasy of sitting in the carriage to pretend to be someone he wouldn't. Becoming Alfred's bride, the winner of the Deciding, the Queen of Spades, a future where they'd sit together in a carriage together like this again. It was a foolish hope, but as the cheering of the crowd grew louder and louder the closer they got to their location, it planted itself in Arthur's chest.

"Hey, why don't we open the curtains?" Alfred's eyes were sparkling as he leaned forward in the carriage, finishing up the tangent he'd been going on about stable maintenance. "Y'know. If you wanna."

Arthur kept his hands folded in his lap, though he looked up to meet his gaze. "We're allowed to?"

"Yeah! I mean, we can't lean outside or anything for safety, but we can definitely open up the curtains or something. It'll be nice, don't you think?"

In response, Arthur leaned forward as well, using his slender fingers to peel back the velvet curtain, squinting into the sunlight. He was not prepared for the sight – instead of the medium sized crowd he'd been expecting, perhaps even a little larger for Alfred's presence – it seemed as if everyone from Spades had gathered to see them together. Without even thinking, he jerked back into the safety of the carriage, hoping none of them noticed his panic as the curtain slumped back into its resting position.

Perhaps they were sitting too close, or Fates forbid had grown so close to the point where Alfred could sense everything, but he noticed Arthur's panic almost immediately. From the way his chest started heaving to his hands being balled up into fists, it was obvious. Without much thought or hesitation, Alfred reached out for Arthur's clammy palm, cradling it in his white glove.

"Hey, Artie, you okay?" he said, his voice somehow incredibly steady. "Kinda a big crowd out there, right?"

"Yes, something like that." Arthur didn't meet Alfred's eye. A nagging fear, that looking at him would make everything much more real instead of being a comfort, stopped him from doing so.

Giving him an expectant look, Alfred was expecting Arthur to stubbornly continue to deny it, only to be met with a shuddering breath. "…All right. I'm not. I'll be frank – I did not expect that many people today, and I'm…daunted."

Alfred sighed, though it was with an easy grin as he got up from his seat opposing Arthur and settled in next to him, not letting go of his hand. "Nothing wrong with that," he said, his voice steady. "Happens to a lot of folks."

Arthur's gaze shifted from where it were studying all the multicoloured insignia sewed onto the right of Alfred's chest on his dress uniform. "Truly? I mean, pardon me, but I didn't see anyone else be so daunted at their outdoor excursions."

"Yeah. I mean," Alfred couldn't help but feel his face soften as Arthur's eyes met his. Throughout the past few weeks, Arthur had been performing so well in and out of Broadcasts, and had even taken the initiative in coming forward with the media attention. It was only fair he'd let himself have this. "Cameras aren't here, are they?" At his slow nod, Alfred continued, careful to keep his tone light. "See? The cameras aren't with us all the time, and I promise ya, there were a lot of people that were outwardly nervous before they started rolling. Though with the Broadcast and stuff, there's an audience there, and there's also the cameras around the palace, you haven't been outside it since the Deciding started. It's natural."

"It is?"

Alfred arranged his seating so their linked hands sat comfortably on his right thigh, bobbing a little in time with the carriage's movements. "Mhm! If I also gotta be honest – you know this probably, but in previous Decidings, we didn't have the outdoors dates, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Uh, it's kinda embarrassing," Maybe letting Arthur know that he wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable in this situation could help. "But I remember when I was a kid, my mother would joke about it."

"Really? As in, which aspect of it? Seeing as you didn't have the outdoors dates before, I'm not sure-" Arthur broke off, a figurative lightbulb going off in his mind from the way he snapped his fingers and his eyes lit up. "Oh. You mean the fact that the Chosen didn't get to go outside?"

"Yeah. It's kinda embarrassing – a little bit, right? I didn't even wanna tell Jack Yao, heh. I should have just asked you guys, but it would be weird to just go like 'so I was wondering if everyone is sick of being in the palace, wanna go outside?' Right? So-" In the middle of his babbling, Alfred stopped as he noticed Arthur shaking his head quietly, yet wearing a much more relaxed smile. "Hey! What's with that? With you teasing me all the time…"

"Nothing, Alfred, it's just that…" Arthur looked down at where their shoes were resting close to each other's, almost touching. "There's no need to feel self conscious about wanting to take care of your Chosen. Not to mention, well, it's sweet that you remember what your mother said, even after all these years, let alone take into account her words."

A lump suddenly made its presence known in Alfred's throat. "Oh, uh, yeah," he sniffled once, wiping at the bridge of his nose. "It's hard to forget Mom's jokes once she told them. At least for me." He tried to swallow said lump down at the sight of Arthur's concern.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

"No no, don't apologise, seriously! I'm…I'm okay," Alfred straightened his jacket, giving Arthur a nod. Perhaps it still came with the baked in composure that a royal had to have, but the lump soon disappeared, especially when his eyes latched onto the forest green in Arthur's eyes. The contrast between their shade and the pale colour of his coat was striking. "It's just, y'know. I brought it up, but I didn't think of it like that. It's not a bad memory."

"I'm aware that coordinating an outdoors operation is complicated for a Chosen member, never mind the future King of Spades. So, for you to go the extra distance for us," he gave Alfred's gloved hand a small squeeze, "I'm not teasing, merely…it might be presumptuous of me, but I'm proud of you."

"Oh," Alfred said, then it was his turn to be dumbstruck. "No, it's not pree-sumptious, it's…"

Arthur didn't even want to correct him on his pronunciation this time; by the way he watched Alfred move around he was content to let the moment pass. "I'm sure you don't get a lot of praise like this nowadays, with pressure mounting on you."

"No, that's not true, I have people – a lotta people! – I can trust, and that makes me really lucky. It's just…it's kinda embarrassing to be sharing stuff about my parents, and the people I miss. It's not a very kingly thing to do. I think."

"Says who?" Arthur raised a thick eyebrow. "Has the King of Hearts, or the King of Diamonds, or even the King of Clubs told you it's a very non kingly thing to do to think about and mourn the people that you love?"

Pressing his lips together, Alfred thought briefly about the night they'd lost his father. How Ludwig had practically begged his own grandfather, the Joker at the time, to order a carriage to bring him and Gilbert to visit the Spades twins. How he'd cried in Ludwig's arms, and how they'd forgone all sort of propriety to mourn together. How Francis and Jeanne came to visit too when Lili was still a toddler, with Roderich and Elizabeta unable to defy the orders of Ivan's uncle, only able to send a letter mourning the loss and their regrets that they couldn't go.

For all the differences between him and Ivan, there was one thing he understood about the current King of Clubs – the fear of being shipped off to the Easterns. Whilst Alfred had people to protect him against the advisorship back then, Ivan hadn't had anyone else look out for him when he was sent away. Having to part from his supposed siblings must have terrified even him.

With all that being said, there was only one answer, and when Arthur was close and willing to open up as well, he couldn't deny either of them the truth. "No," he said, stroking his thumb over Arthur's warm thumb and forefinger, "No, they didn't. They were with me – well, except King Ivan, obviously – when we lost Mom and Dad."

"There. Look at me," Arthur said, not with smug triumph but rather a quiet noise that reverberated around the carriage, drowning out the sound of hooves on cobblestone. Alfred had felt his fingers before, but never like this – tender and fragile, lifting his chin to meet his gaze. "You know there's no need to beat yourself up for nothing. It would be nice if you confided to other people, yet…" he looked at Alfred under his eyelashes, a pink tinge appearing on his cheeks, "At – at the same time, I'm happy when you confide in me. The act of being honest is difficult, and we both know that. I know that as a Chosen, I don't have much to offer you in terms of connections or prestige, but if I am someone you feel comfortable around, if I could even do something that simple, I'm glad."

"Arthur," Alfred breathed, then out of the blue his other hand had reached for Arthur's left one where it was lodged inbetween the plush seats and the window, cradling both hands to his chest. Of course, he couldn't see his own reflection but by the way Arthur looked at him, from the slightly widened eyes to the flush that had intensified, Alfred knew his face was mirroring what his heart was feeling. "Don't say that, please. I…it's hard to say it, but you mean more to me than I can tell you in words."

I can't overwhelm you with my feelings, at least not right now, he thought desperately as Arthur ducked his head, breaking their eye contact, I'm scared you'll want to run away. And what can I do if you run away? Overwhelming you is the last thing I wanna do. There's nothing in the Deciding guidebook or whatever that is to help me with that, and I can't ask Matt, Yao or anyone else, if you're the one to leave me. "Arthur?" he dared to whisper after another few seconds had passed with the other boy looking to the side.

"I'm sorry, I was just…" To Alfred's massive relief, Arthur was looking back at him without having to plead for it, and the warmth that was lingering in his green gaze spread down his body, through their linked hands, seeping into Alfred's chest past his dress uniform. "Am I allowed to say that makes me happy, as well?"

Alfred nodded enthusiastically, cowlick bobbing, dislodging his glasses as he moved forward in the carriage. Arthur's breath and his hands were caught in the middle of a hug, to which Alfred squeezed hard. Not to the point where it hurt, but to the point where the both of them could hear each other's heartbeats echo in the small compartment.

"I wanna keep making you happy, y'know?" he mumbled into Arthur's ear. "Really, really. If you'd let me."

Goosebumps cascaded down his neck at the bated breath that accompanied Arthur's answer. "Only…only if you'd allow me to continue making you happy as well."

Not like you need to try, Alfred wanted to say, but the hitch in his chest made him stop for a moment. He didn't feel like he needed to reply to something to make Arthur feel more at ease, or to behave better in front of the cameras – those feelings had been appearing less and less as time had passed, but he hadn't felt such comfort in their peaceful silence like this before.

Savouring the press of Arthur's chin on his shoulder on top of the buttons, the warmth of his arms enveloping his body, cupping the top of his torso, Alfred allowed himself to savour the sensation of, dare he say it, quietly falling.

It felt like a pile of slumbering golden leaves before the wind whipped them up, the soundless daze before one's eyes closed and sleep claimed them. In the midst of everything, there was just Alfred, just Arthur and his warmth, pushing past the noise of chatter outside and the world looking inside. In his arms, Alfred didn't feel like grabbing branches to stop his fall; he simply let it happen.

Now that the ride from the palace entrance to wherever mystery location their date had been scheduled to take place, Arthur was able to gather a few clues about their whereabouts from the moment they stepped out to raucous cheering – the call of seagulls, a strong smell of salt and brine mixing together with seafood, the blue sky unobscured by buildings.

"The sea," Arthur whispered to himself as Alfred was walking outside of the carriage, all the breathlessness in the compartment replaced with a strange excitement of the unknown. He'd only been to the seaside during summers with his family years ago as it was cheap enough, being only a bus ride from their home. Obviously, going on a date on the beach was something different, but Arthur still loved the sea. Swimming in it was another matter, but he severely doubted that even Alfred would be prepared to wade in wearing his dress uniform.

"Art – uh, Sir Arthur, are you all right in there?" Alfred's call shook him out of his line of thought, causing him to get up, clutching the frame of the door for stability. Though his defenses had been embarrassingly lowered during their journey here, the two of them had to act the part once more. Even so, at the mere mention of his name, the crowd seemed to grow even more excited.

"Yes, Your Highness," Arthur checked his neatly buttoned coat once more for any trace of dust, then took Alfred's hand, not scolding himself for it until his foot had stepped on the entrance of the carriage and he was faced with what felt like a billion smiling faces.

Arthur had taken Alfred's hand. In public. Never mind the cameras, everyone was surely staring. He wanted to bury his face in Alfred's stupid golden buttons and never come out for the rest of the date.

But it wasn't planned or anything, he thought as Alfred's eyebrows raised a little in what seemed like pleasant surprise. So I suppose, for now, it'll be acceptable.

"Thank you for helping me down," he managed to keep his gait light as he got onto the path where the stones became too large and smooth for a carriage to drive safely across. Behind them were the camera people and the guards, but for that moment he chose to focus solely on Alfred's gloved hand still supporting his, a touch too overwhelmed to take in the sights and the sounds of this new environment. "Well," he fought to keep his voice steady and not to linger on all the voices and the faces, "Shall we go?"

"Yeah! C'mon, we'll be there in no time."

At least, that was what the prince said, before he stopped not a metre into their walk to speak to an elderly couple and hold their miniature Spades flag for them, giving a small wave for the adoring cameras. He got another three steps before he bent down to speak to two children with pirate hats before they quickly moved on. Said quick movement was cancelled out by him scurrying to the other side of the walk way to chat with a group of girls that almost tripped over themselves in their excitement, leaving Arthur standing there, feeling like a fish out of water.

At the same time, though…it didn't have to be this way. Arthur had spent all these weeks learning to get used to the cameras; though he didn't have this luxury when it came to interacting with crowds, he'd have to manage. It was what a queen did, right? Not to mention, he didn't just want to do out of it obligation. It was a gentlemanly thing to do, let alone the sheer amount of time people must have been spending outside to catch a glimpse of someone who was nowhere near to becoming a queen meant that they more than deserved it.

Arthur didn't even catch Alfred's slightly worried glance as he came to stand by his side, but neither of them expected him to immediately kneel down, reaching out a hand to a little girl and her parents Alfred had just stopped by. The people around them crowded closer to where the two of them were standing outside the barrier, but still gave them enough space.

"Hello there," he started to say gingerly, before taking notice of her bouquet of blue roses. They poked against her pinafore, matching the violet ribbons tied into her brown pigtails. "Ah, you're fond of blue roses as well?"

After she stuck her hand out, enabling him to kiss it like a true gentleman, she blushed and drew back into herself, her parents looking fondly at her. "Well…just a bit. Maybe. My mama and papa say it's a good luck charm!"

"Oh?" He and Alfred exchanged a fond smile as the parents nodded in response. "How so?"

The girl looked around, presumably at the crowd and then the cameras behind Alfred and Arthur, before turning back to the two of them. "Um, since the prince and you are always around blue roses," her mother added, "It's a popular charm. Around here, at least! We run a flower shop, see, and orders for Spadian blue roses have sold out every single week since we started seeing you and His Highness in the palace gardens."

Arthur felt his cheeks heating up, but he had to press further. He could feel the warmth of Alfred standing closer to him, though the prince wasn't kneeling down as well to offer him more space. "A charm, I see. What's it a charm for?"

The little girl giggled, the corners of her eyes crinkling in mischief. "What else?" Tilting her chin upwards to smile at a flustered Alfred as well, she placed the bouquet in Arthur's arms, leaning on her tiptoes. Before he could stutter out a thank you, she spoke. "For a love story as perfect as you and the prince have! But my parents say I'm too young to think about that sort of stuff, so we agreed you should have it in the end."

Arthur opened his mouth to reply. Then closed it. Then opened it again. He felt like he was back in his short lived maths course again, taken aback at the fourth question that asked about watermelons and vendors and the Clubs prediction at how lucky the market would be on that day. Unlike last time though, he couldn't just drop it the next semester – she wanted a succinct answer to her gift, and he was certain the crowd and the cameras would like one, too. Not to mention Alfred behind him…

Propping himself up once more, Arthur clutched the bouquet to his chest, forcing himself not to take a long whiff of the lovely scent. "Thank you," he said softly, bowing once to her and then to her parents. "It's a most wonderful gift. And, well," he took a deep breath, "I hope your good luck charm brings us good fortune in the Deciding to come."

It was only when Arthur turned back to her that she leaned over the banister and whispered in his ear, just before her parents noticed. "Will you remember me when you become the Queen of Spades?"

"P-Pardon? Erm, that's not…" Arthur was certain his face was on fire now, "His Highness hasn't…he hasn't yet-"

Looking at her expectant smile, though, his reluctance crumbled away. Though it wasn't a certain thing and it never would be, he wouldn't be doing himself or his small pocket of supporters any favours if he were to give in to his self-doubt like this. The nine percent of the last poll flashed through his mind as he bent down to address her once again.

"I'll do my best to."

"You're doing super well with the crowds," Alfred commented under his breath as the two of them moved on inbetween interactions.

"Am I?" Arthur couldn't hold back his sarcasm, cradling the flowers to his chest – though it was quite cute how flustered Alfred still looked.

"Yeah. Wanna split up? As in, y'know, you take one side of the walkway and I take another."

A plan. Arthur could definitely work with that. "Fine by me," he said with a nod, striding to the left, Alfred taking the right. He shook hands with people of all heights and ages, paused to comment on clothes and mini flags and hats, and generally tried to sound like a person and not a talking robot. Thankfully, his efforts did not go in vain, as he was rewarded with a chatty crowd that were more than happy to respond to him.

"Thank you for coming all this way this morning," he tried to not keep his eyes in one spot for too long, but was careful to not dart them around as if he was trying to track a squirrel. "It's so early, and unfortunately Prince Alfred – His Highness can't speak with everyone."

The middle aged couple looked ecstatic. "No, not at all, Sir Arthur!" one of them exclaimed, "Promise not to tell His Highness, but we really came out to see you."

Overlapping sounds of enthusiasm around the couple belied Arthur's expression of disbelief. Had him coming to the public eye improved his reputation so much?

"It's not an issue if Prince Alfred knows!" another said encouragingly. "Everyone in Spades knows how popular you are, Sir Arthur."

"Yes, you're right." An elderly woman dressed up in what looked like her finest Sunday wear was next to interject. "Our prince has never been one for vanity, let alone for a Chosen with a soaring popularity."

Arthur couldn't believe his ears. "Pardon-"

"As much as we'd love to see His Highness, I came all the way over from Diamonds to visit early. For the summer solstice!"

"Me too! We arrived on the same train, I think – Sir Arthur, we're honestly such big fans-"

"I took a day off of work to come see you! My boss said she'd understand, but you're actually speaking with us, so even if something happens, it'll be worth it-"

"We're so lucky, I can't believe you're actually speaking to us, especially since with how shy you used to be."

"Oh, I, er, that hasn't gone away just yet," Arthur said quickly, being distracted momentarily by a large sign that had his name in carefully written blue letters. "But you all came out here for His Highness, and me as well, so I must thank you." The part where he talked about himself came out more like a question, but as he moved down the line, he heard a snippet of conversation from the other side of the line.

"Your Highness, young man, might I ask why you're not walking with Sir Arthur, eh?"

Alfred's voice sounded bashful as he was speaking loudly over the din. "Mister, you gotta understand – there's so many fans for Sir Arthur today, so I don't wanna interfere with him greeting them."

Arthur still couldn't hear him that clearly, so he couldn't help but take a step back after talking briefly with a family of three, who complimented him on how happy he'd looked today.

"Nonsense, nonsense. Don't worry too much about our entertainment. A prince shouldn't leave his precious one's side, no?"

"Yeah, but he's been working so hard to get himself out there to the public, I wanna give him time to take pride in what he's done," Alfred answered, tactfully sidestepping the comment, then he turned backwards as if to look at Arthur whilst he was doing his greetings. What he didn't know was that Arthur was doing the same, resulting in a long pause where their eyes met and their lips fell still for a moment. "Y-Yeah."

"Kiss him!" someone suddenly cried from within the crowd, garnering approving laughs and hoots. "We've yet to see you kiss him, Sir Arthur!"

"Please say you'll become Queen, Sir Arthur! My heart can't stand it otherwise."

"If you won't marry, then there's no need to believe in love anymore…"

"These past months, Deciding coverage is all we watch during dinner! You've been doing amazing, Sir Arthur!"

A young woman around their age stood up on the railings of the bannister, her dress swaying around her legs as she did so. "Prince Alfred, if you don't marry him, I just might!"

Sounds of amusement from the audience, and Arthur could barely hear the noise of the wind over his heartbeat and the sensation of Alfred's gloved hand tightening possessively around his waist. Or was it just his imagination?

Alfred's mouth was easy and soft, almost like an invitation as he watched Arthur. Yet for some reason, in Arthur's heart, he knew he was not ready to kiss him like this. The crowd's cheering was enthusiastic, yes, but it was not demanding, and it didn't feel like it was the right time, regardless.

Giving him an almost imperceptible shake of his head was enough for Alfred to understand immediately, but instead of continuing on as if nothing had happened, he swept Arthur to his left side with one arm, eliciting squeals and cheers from the crowds. "Sorry, folks, the time's just not right yet," he called over Arthur's breathless laughter as he struggled to keep ahold of his bouquet with his other arm as they moved around, "But maybe I'll be a lucky guy one day. Oh wait," he threw in a wink, "I already met him, what am I saying? I'm already really freaking lucky, don't you guys think?"

Predictably, the audience went absolutely berserk for this remark. A few months ago, Arthur would have been fixated on their hoots, the cameras capturing every footstep, fear in every call, but right now he was content to be wrapped up in the heady feeling of being adored.

"Playing to the audience, as always," Arthur sighed, yet he could feel his smirk soften into one of fondness as he kept the remark quiet so it was only heard by the two of them. Being swept around the cobblestones like this, with the heady emotion of euphoria, the unassuming tang of sea salt and blue skies bearing down on the two of them, it made him feel as if everything would go perfectly fine. Raising his voice, partly to meet Alfred's challenging grin, partly to please the people, partly also to calm his pounding heart, he spoke. "On the contrary, Your Highness, I am most fortunate of a man to meet you."

A wave of coos and languid sighs washed over the two of them as they continued to move, now working together as a unit rather than separately. Through all the kind words, the way the people were so eager to meet him, it was to Arthur as if the clouds above them were parting, showing him a path to getting through to Alfred's heart. From that alone, he resolved to tuck it into his resolve for the rest of the day.

Once they managed to make it out of the crowd at around ten thirty, Alfred already felt breathless from how successful it had been. If he and Arthur had gone outside three months ago, when he was still reluctant to appear on cameras, he might have skipped the process of having them meet the crowds all together for his sake, but it seemed as if their campaign to get Arthur to show himself to the people worked spectacularly. Even now, as he was handing off the bouquet he'd received to Emil and Berwald with a polite bow, Alfred could see how his shoulders had relaxed and with what ease he was conducting himself. He was beyond impressed.

"You okay? We were out there for a while," For once, Alfred willed his feet to stay still as Arthur jogged to his side. "If you want, we can sit down before continuing on."

"Don't worry about it, Your…" Arthur turned his head back to confirm they were still out of earshot before continuing to speak, "…Alfred. Apologies if that took too long." Despite his levelheaded words, he could see how giddy the other boy was by the way his hands couldn't stay still.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes," he released a long breath, pausing to watch Alfred's expression. "What is it?"

"Nothing in particular," he said in a singsong voice, "Naw, but, seriously. Jokes aside, you did amazing out there."

Arthur's response hitched in his throat. "Really? You thought so?"

"You saw how happy you made the crowd, right?"

"Are you certain it was not all your doing?"

"Naw, trust me, they were all here for you. Most of were, swear! Also, I do think that it would be a bit more different if you didn't put yourself out there, though-"

"Your Highness?" Alfred paused at Matthias's call – even after all these dates he'd helped out on, he couldn't get used to his best friend from his army days using his formal title. "Are we ready to depart?"

"Yeah, let's go! But yeah, you shone super bright."

That garnered him a dry snicker. "I believe that's language reserved for you."

"When we'll watch back the footage tomorrow, I promise you'll be proved wrong." Raising his chin higher as he walked, he couldn't help but observe Arthur's reaction from the corner of his eye.

Stroking his arm as he spoke, Arthur's next words came slowly. "Though, I must ask…you think the work we did in the gardens, with the cameras and such…helped? And many of them were – whoops," he side stepped a particularly large stone, "Pardon me. Back to what I was saying, erm, I believe some of them mentioned my popularity was soaring. Do you know anything about that?"

Alfred shook his head. "Sorry, but with summer solstice prep, including today's date prep, I haven't had much time to check out the stats. Maybe we could do that when we get back?"

"Sounds fair to me."

By now, Arthur's body was rapidly taking in all the unfamiliar sensations of one of Spades's most populated harbours. Now they had walked out of the roads leading to its entrance, the larger rocks of the streets were worn down by decades of footsteps and horses' hooves and heavy cargo, making an easier path. Thankfully, it seemed as if the hustle and bustle of the port hadn't been interrupted by their date, and the familiar tangled symphony of merchants selling fresh seafood and people promenading along the pavement reminded Alfred of his brief time in the Navy. After the Easterns incident, Yao had stuck his neck out and pulled a few strings to ensure that Alfred's regiment would spend their last months of service in that branch as to prevent it from happening again, meaning that he had nothing but fond memories of working close to the harbour. From the way Matthias stuck out his thumb and mouthed 'good memories' behind a cameraman, he felt the same.

Before Alfred could let himself reminisce about sunsets spent cleaning equipment with one foot dangling off the sea wall, Arthur seemed to spot something in the distance that left him flabbergasted.

"Alf-" he broke off one moment to dart his eyes back to the camera before his attention lingered on the restored pirate ship that had conveniently appeared in the harbour, one day only. "Alfred – Prince Alfred – Your Highness, that's…gnakhf," he sputtered, for once lost for words. "That's not what I think it is."

"I had to wear my dress uniform for a reason, y'know."

"No, that's not…" Arthur stood unmoving from his spot, openly gawking at the illustrious ship, "H-How did you…"

"May have pulled in a few favours from my old Navy friends," Alfred said coolly, giving Matthias a smirk behind his shoulder.

Arthur's gaze didn't waver as they moved closer. "What in the name of the Fates…I never said anything about taking an interest in this sort of ship, have I…?"

"Nope," it came out like a trill, barely disguising Alfred's glee, "But it was in your records, yeah? From the holding facility."

"My records? That's an actual…I can't imagine what the hull's lettering is made from, it looks brand new…and there's all those sails intact there, and you can see the finishing in the sun, it's…"

"Your holding facility didn't let you see your final records?" Alfred said quizzically.

"No, but-" Said records seemed the least of Arthur's concerns as he hugged his trench coat around him, walking briskly in the sea air, "But…what in the name of the Fates could have given it away?"

"There was a club you joined, right? Tactics club. I think the supervisor said you shone the best at naval battles, and liked to assume the role of a pirating fleet whilst you did so, so…" he trailed off. Alfred suspected Arthur would like it, but a doubtful part of himself that he hated couldn't rest without the other boy's confirmation. "I mean, it's kinda hard to talk about it out of the blue, right?"

"It wouldn't look particularly favourable to start discussing naval tactics in the middle of a date, I can imagine. Remember that time we talked about war?" At Alfred's snort, Arthur gestured with a tilt of his head. "Right, well, that's a reason why I didn't speak at length about it, lad. There's nothing to hide, really, but it would just be a strange topic matter. I had no idea that you were sifting through my records just to get a sense of what we could do."

"Ehh, well, it would be kinda weird if I just asked you what you wanted, so. I thought you might like this."

"I love it." The admission slipped off of Arthur's tongue, as quiet as a dewdrop sliding off a leaf, "I…I've only been able to see these in history books, I couldn't imagine ever possibly witnessing one in person. I – I don't know what to say, Alfred – Your Highness, I can't possibly fathom what I'm seeing now."

Taking an opportunity to dash right in front of Arthur, he extended out his hand to him. "Just seeing? How about we go inside?"

"No." Arthur said immediately, shaking his head, his eyebrows contorted in disbelief. "No, no, I would – you don't mean we'll be able to go inside?"

Alfred couldn't resist giving him a wink. "Mhm! Though it's just for today – woah!"

Before he could say another word, Arthur had thrown his arms around his neck, sending the both of them into a one two semi spin on the well worn path, the scent of his cologne overwhelming the cry of seagulls and the aroma of seafood. Their shoes danced around each other until they found their footing together after a few moments, the cameras capturing everything.

If Alfred smiled any wider, he knew his rosy cheeks would hurt.

"We're going…inside?" Arthur's voice was higher pitched than usual, vibrating like a violin string. "But it's restored – it must be terribly fragile. There's no way we'd have access."

"It's actually in decent shape, this one was originally in service in Diamonds for only about two years, up until the end of the Joker-Ace war. So unless," they backed off a little from each other so they could see the other's face, "You decide to run around and jump on all the wood, or use your magic, I don't think we'll have a problem?"

"Not at all. Oh, I can't fathom…she looks absolutely magnificent."

"Wait till you see the inside. Jack Yao may have also called in a few associates who could give us a tour. So keep your stomping to a minimum, yeah?"

"I don't have any plans to do that," Arthur said stoutly. "How could I possibly wreck such a beauty? What-" he broke off at Alfred's infectious grin, "What is it?"

Taking a quick side glance to the cameras, Alfred decided to spin Arthur around another ninety degrees so he could lay his forehead against his for a split second before they were caught. "Maybe if you looked so happy every time I spoil you, I should do it more."

He didn't know what effect he had in mind when he confessed to it, but whatever his hopes Arthur never failed to go above them as always. His thick eyebrows furrowed in embarrassment, and he untangled himself from Alfred, pursuing his lips against his fist. "It's…it's a unique feeling, being spoiled," he mumbled into his hand, voice suspiciously much quieter than before. Taking the opportunity, Alfred brushed against Arthur's knuckles with his gloved right hand, getting a squeeze back in return. "…I suppose I wouldn't hate it that much…"

Alfred's cheeks softened as he looked back down at his companion. "Good," he breathed, leading him towards the edge of the harbour, "Because I don't think I wanna stop anytime soon."