hey i'm gonna apologise for this chapter! for some reason ffnet hasn't been sending out update emails lately and that's really hit me hard. that, and i'm visiting my father for chinese new year so i was preoccupied. it's a little longer this week for this reason! ;u;

as always, i do not own the selection nor hetalia. these belong to kiera cass and himaruya hidekaz respectively.

"If this dress grows several extra pounds by the end of the day, when I get out of it I'm going to be a fumbling disaster," Arthur smiled politely, tugging at the end of his shirt. "But it was marvelous, Jack Yao. I couldn't ask for anything else."

"That's no problem, Sir Arthur," Jack Yao said, reciprocating the gesture. "However…we may use honourifics for now, but when you are crowned we should drop them. I would encourage you to see me as a colleague, of some sorts. It would be unwise for there to be invisible barriers before we collaborate on any work."

"Y-Yes, certainly," Arthur said, cursing inwardly as he stuttered a little on his words. "Would you just like to be called Mr Yao or-"

"Heavens, that makes me sound a good ten years older than I already am," Jack Yao flinched, and Arthur followed suit again. "No, just Yao, please. However, I must thank you for contacting Queen Kiku. Hopefully we can conclude this meeting at four thirty so that we won't have any clashes. Well first, is there anything you'd like to know?"

"How much different is the whole process from a usual wedding?" Arthur began, grateful for the heater as it slowly began to warm his freezing hands.

"Right, that's quite sensible," Yao said, shifting a little on his chair. "So…first of all, it's quite like a usual wedding really. However, with the sort of things happening recently, Matthew, Alfred and I decided to have you and Alfred's coronation first. Just in case…well. Most expect the wedding to happen first so in case of sabotage it will hopefully be unsuccessful."

Arthur swallowed audibly, hoping that that little action would not betray his nervousness. "Okay, I understand. So if it's OK, could you walk me through the coronation?"

"It's the usual fare," Jack Yao began slowly. "First, we'll begin the ceremony at the chapel we have downstairs. You'll be donning a special blue robe – it's rather plain compared to your gown, so don't worry. Matthew, Alfred and I will be up there to receive you, and help you ask for the Fates' blessing. That part's mostly just for aesthetic purposes, because by Alfred's formal proposal the Spades Deciding has been approved by the Fates. Do you follow so far?"

"I suppose so, yes." Arthur said, dipping his head a little. "I can't help but feel intimidated already."

"Good. And it's natural, yes, but for most monarchs that have gone through a Deciding have been reported to be more intimidated by the wedding than the coronation, so I suggest that there's nothing to be massively worried about for that." Jack Yao said, obviously in a kind fashion but it did next to nothing to calm Arthur's nerves.

"All right," Arthur said. "Um, will I get any time to change before the ceremony?"

"There's around half an hour between events for both guests and for us Primary Suit members," Yao continued. "Since there will be almost all the royals attending, it'll be somewhat of a grand effort to get everyone there in time, but there's going to be time for you to change, etc. I can ask for a time extension if necessary."

"I don't think that's a necessity," Arthur said slowly, "It took around twenty minutes for me to change when we were doing the fitting."

"Right, that's great," Yao said, writing quickly on a slim notepad he had on his desk. "I also had a small discussion with Alfred on venues previously, and he brought up the idea of the gardens. It's getting a little warmer on Wednesday, and we'll have the wedding on Friday, so it might be a suitable location? It would certainly be a change from the chapel, that is to say. And it would fit more guests in, if necessary."

"It sounds like a good idea," Arthur said, a smile worming its way onto his face. How typically sappy it was of Alfred…it was the place where they had spent so much time together. Where they had first met. Where they had their first kiss. What sort of hopeless romantics were the two of them to make such a cheesy, cliché decision? "We could put up tents to protect from potential rain or snow."

"Indeed," Yao said, noting it down. "Right, that's the venue. Would you like us to select your bridesmaids for you, or would you have a few names in mind?"

"Oh! Um, I haven't asked anyone personally, but I do know a few people," Arthur said, his mind automatically flashing to Leon in the kitchens. "Is…is it all right if I compile a list and send it to you soon? It being Saturday tomorrow, we still have four more days. I'll send the list to you by then."

"That works out fine for me as well," Yao replied. "All right. We'll have to do fittings and such soon, so it would be best if you could help them secure an appointment with me by then as well."

"Yes," Arthur said, but internally he was already worrying about how he was going to break the news about Leon still being in the castle to the Jack. He would assume that he was sympathetic to their case, but how would everyone else in Spades – no, Cards – react? He wouldn't want to forsake his friend and Emil's situation for such an event...

"Wonderful," Yao said, not looking up from his paper as he wrote it down. "So, would you like to be consulted on the wedding decorations, food, so on and so forth? I can supervise that personally but if-"

"No? I'm…I apologise if this is out of line, but isn't it supposed to be the couple's duty to plan weddings? At least, that's what I've heard," Arthur said, a little confused. Naturally, he couldn't describe the several romantic, sappy books he had read about them, but the concept of not planning that little section was odd, to say the least.

"Hm? Oh, if you and Alfred would like to, that's one weight off my shoulders I won't be unhappy to let you have," Yao chuckled, nodding once. "I appreciate it, Sir Arthur. I can give you a hand in purloining the needed assets, but I trust that you can give a word to the chefs before Friday, right? I would suggest you have a larger selection of small, no drip foods and then some larger pieces. The cake is up to your choosing, but nothing too overly large. Don't forget that it's probably going to be very extravagant seeing that this will be televised around Cards…"

"Yes, definitely," Arthur said, trying to tone down the excitement of his voice. "I'll do my best."

"Well, this is certainly a first I've heard of within this generation," Yao said warmly, clicking his pen shut. "Please make sure to rapport this news to Alfred by the end of today, yes? I'll see you at dinner tonight, Sir Arthur. Please remember to bring in Queen Kiku within ten minutes; the talk's been around twenty minutes so there is some time left. Farewell,"

"Goodbye, Jack Yao," Arthur said, dipping his head before walking out of the room with a renewed sense of importance. Perhaps earlier, he had been a little too paranoid about his worth in the palace. "I'll make sure to do so."

I hope you didn't mind my earlier ramble. I guess that's nice and everything, but I hope you're doing well, Kiku. Writing with one hand and a charming stump is quite difficult, but with the help of the nurses I'm managing. Can even walk around with a little help of what I call a cane. Hopefully by the time you make it home I can get up and hug you by myself.

There was a light drizzle last night. It was pretty nice to read to, and I fell asleep last night. Listening to it, I mean. Wonder how the first person felt when they heard it. Maybe they were annoyed? Or perhaps they pulled out some drums. Hm, imagine if it has some weird condition on your body that would make you tap your feet to the beat. I guess a lot of people would be annoyed in their morning commute if it was in a rainy climate…

Anyway. You sometimes point out that I ramble on heaps, so I guess I should stop now. I miss you a lot. Come home soon…

Heracles

"Isn't that sweet?" Arthur smiled, folding over the letter again. "Sorry for the short notice though. Our meeting ended a little earlier than we expected so…"

"No, you warned me earlier this morning," Kiku said, but he was clearly distracted as he tucked Heracles' letter in his breastpocket. "I do not have an issue. But I will not say that I'm not nervous…"

"It does sound rather intimidating, but I know you'll ace it like everything else," Arthur said lightly, patting him on the shoulder. "Right. It's almost time, but before you go in, can I ask you to do a favour for me?"

"But of course." Kiku said, tipping his head to one side.

"Jack Yao told me that I could choose my quote unquote 'bridesmaids or bridesmen' for the wedding ceremony," Arthur said, the same smile bursting onto his face like a splash of colour. "I want one of them to be you – well, I want you to be the man of honour really - if you're OK with a queen being one…"

The way Kiku's face melted into liquid happiness made Arthur's stomach rumble pleasantly as his friend enthusiastically held his hands and nodded, hair falling over his eyes as he hugged him in congratulations.

"Queen or no queen, I would be too honoured," he said, pushing back the stray lock of black hair. "I'm very happy for you, Arthur. However, I must ask something of you – would it be feasible to have Heracles come out to the ceremony? I know that it has been a while since the two of you have talked, and I also want you to be the man of honour if, or when I marry, if you do not mind."

"You say it like it isn't an honour," Arthur grinned, "But yes, definitely. Just let Jack Yao know that he's fit for travel then I'm sure he'll be allowed."

"I'm very happy," Kiku returned the gesture. "Fates, though…who would have guessed? That things would have happened the way they did."

"Certainly not me," came the reply. "But I'm thankful that we're both happy. I would feel bad if you didn't receive the same happy outcome that I have."

"I feel the same way," Kiku echoed, wringing his hands in nervousness as they (re)approached Yao's study. "Ahh, when it is your turn to have a internship, I wouldn't mind if you took the easy route to Hearts."

"Isn't it the opportunity for me to show that 'm willing to be worldly? And I don't want to fuel that maid with lots of gossip, there's enough swirling around me for now," Arthur said, rocking back on his heels teasingly. "I want to keep all the attention on you."

"Oh, no thanks," Kiku sputtered, and the friendly banter helped to reduce some of the intimidation he had later on in that day.

"So if that's fine, we can arrange your month in around August or September? Of course, I can arrange further discussions with the Primary Suit if you'd like, but ultimately it is which kingdom you personally decide, Queen Kiku."

"No, I am enthusiastic about the idea," Kiku said quickly, nodding once. "Although, I am curious – was there an idea of Sir Arthur's internship floating around? I do not want to impact him negatively in that case."

"Ah, I can understand your concern, but it is a little early for Sir Arthur to be thinking about it," Yao said, not unkindly. "Seeing as there are no heirs for the Spadian throne presently unlike Jack Feliciano and King Ludwig's child, Prince Alfred and Arthur might want to consider heirs before anything else – at least, that is the expectation of them. I daresay that you will be able to complete your month's internship before talks occur."

"Right, I understand," Kiku said. "So, for the timing, I was thinking…"

Alfred's gaze was practically glued to the television when Arthur met him in his room for their planned night rendezvous. He was reclining on the deep blue couch resembling the night sky in all its splendour, but his expression was one that betrayed both inquisitive and paranoia in one fell swoop as Arthur opened the door.

"Alfred? Hey, it's not like you to be so glued to something, let alone a television set," Arthur murmured as soon as he was at the door, and Alfred's head dithered in reply, his glasses askew as he waved at Arthur – that alone was enough for Arthur to raise his thick eyebrows in surprise. "Alfred?"

"…I'm sorry, I'm just kinda distracted. They're doing this television segment about me and there's a lotta stuff that I guess is important…" Alfred said, his voice distant as his attention was pinned on the television. "Give me a mo, Art…"

"I already have several 'mo's," Arthur sighed, but sat down on the sofa nonetheless, resting against his back. Alfred's arm naturally came to rest around his waist, pulling him close as Arthur tried to figure out whatever it was exactly that was plaguing his mind…

"So tonight's special report is more of speculation for the future than the usual things, but there's definitely been a shake up within the Spadian monarchy for now. We hope that you viewers tuned in for the hour long special after the terribly romantic, grand conclusion of the Deciding – and now we'll offer a commentary on the future of the Spadian monarchy in the past, present and future!"

"What sort of things have you been watching in your free time?" Arthur asked, tilting his head. "This is really some talk show drivel."

"I guessed as a monarch the opinion of our people is kinda important," Alfred admitted, his head dipping to Arthur's direction. "I just wanted…to get a feel of what they think about the Primary Suit…along with the whole shake up of the advisorship and everything else."

"Fair enough, but watch it only for a little while, yes?" Arthur chided gently. "There's no doubt that some things people say will be harsh."

"Maybe it's time for me to hear something a little harsh for once," Alfred said sagely, twisting his index finger between a fist. "I know that there are a lot of things I have to improve on."

Arthur bit his lip and simply didn't say anything; if Alfred wanted to gauge responses from the people and he was trying to better himself, who was he to interfere? Alfred noticed Arthur's tense expression and simply held him a little closer, no words needing to be shared between the two.

"As you can see on a visual we collected a week before that oh so romantic Broadcast, support for Sir Arthur to be crowned winner had maintained a steady growth ever since the New Year and his impromptu trip which was a surprise for several Deciding fans, no matter who they were pulling for. Public opinion hasn't gone down since their official engagement, so it's a win for the monarchy. We can say here that it's progressive for both the prince and the Primary Suit to have a male as queen, which is uncommon despite the Fates recently choosing Queen Kiku as the last piece of the Primary Suit in Hearts." the announcer said, two brightly coloured graphs to his left – one with Arthur, Alfonso and Emma's name on it and one labeled with the criteria of 'Yes' and 'No'.

"See, they love you," Alfred beamed, pecking Arthur on the cheek, and Arthur fought back a small, smug smile. "Almost as much as I do."

"Sap," Arthur said sheepishly, lightly shoving him although there was no real force behind the move. "I would be nothing short of horrified if the whole nation tried to propose to me three times."

Alfred hummed happily at the back of his throat and nuzzled Arthur's buttery blond hair, but his attention was diverted again when the announcer continued to speak.

"Of course, with the whole controversy and debacle about the advisorship, public opinion has been largely in favour of the Primary Suit as a whole, but especially with our dear crown prince, soon to become a king in his own right," the announcer gushed. "Obviously, we've been given almost nine months to prepare, but that doesn't mean that people have been disappointed that Prince Alfred is now very firmly taken."

"I suppose I shall arrange for a public apology for being engaged to who was once Cards' most eligible bachelor," Arthur said teasingly, his tongue darting out in mischievousness. "To everyone out there, I'm sorry that my fiancé is an absolute dream and-"

"For you massive Prince Alfred fans out there, here are just a few of our favourite moments from previous interviews and magazine spreads!" the announcer squealed, and the two boys sat upright, Arthur with intrigue and Alfred with nervousness.

"Thank you so very much for coming to today's interview, I know you're busy, Your Highness," an anchorwoman said, a slightly younger Alfred sitting opposite her in obviously older footage – the date printed in neat text at the top right suggested it was around a year old. "So as we all know, you had a rather riveting magazine spread that'll be published on Tuesday. Should we give the audience a little preview?"

"I mean, yeah, go ahead," the younger Alfred said, leaning a little forward, hands clasped between his spread apart legs.

"No, don't go ahead," present day Alfred groaned, burying his face in Arthur's shoulder. "Forget my eighteen year old self ever existed, please…"

Alfred was posed sitting on top of a throne in a two page spread, a cocky expression on his face as he winked at the camera, arm dangling over one knee as his right bare foot was perched on an arm of the throne. He was wearing dark blue pants and his bomber jacket, but he didn't have a shirt on and his jacket was dangling at an disheveled angle, exposing a shoulder. His other hand was tilting up his glasses and he was smirking, pearly teeth exposed in something so devastatingly attractive that Arthur couldn't keep his shocked eyes off the picture.

"Ahh, isn't that charming?" the woman cooed, to agreements of the audience, and even now Arthur could see the younger Alfred's ears turn pink. "My, you've developed quite an affinity for the camera."

"Nah, I wouldn't say so," Alfred replied. "My brother Ace Matthew got one as well, but it was a while back, and I think you guys did a report on it? But yep, it was pretty fun."

"You must surely know of your own popularity with girls and boys around Cards, yes?" the woman said. "You yourself mentioned earlier that you act rather loosely for a royal – hence the nickname 'golden boy' and 'the people's prince'. What would you say makes you act like this?"

"Aw shucks, I guess those titles are pretty important, huh," Alfred said, ducking his head a little. "But I dunno. Kind of what happened after my parents passed away…I felt that it wasn't right for me to be all sad and downtrodden, so I tried to channel that effort to get the kingdom through that tough time. It helped me as well, and like my mom I've never been the largest fan of formalities, so yeah."

"Ever so responsible for the goodwill of his people," she said, taking a small sip out of her porcelain cup before turning back to the camera. "I'd love to continue this conversation, but we're almost off air! Please come together with me to applaud our crown prince Alfred, thank you so much for coming to our studio tonight…the magazine spread featured tonight will be…"

The footage crossfaded into a much younger Alfred with Matthew and two adults, and after a surprised moment Arthur realized that the man and woman were in fact Alfred and Matthew's parents.

Even from the rather old footage, the audience and Arthur could clearly pick out the inherited traits – Matthew resembled their father whereas Alfred resembled their mother.

"So before the break, we were talking about what a fortune it was to have the two of them born in the way that they did, Queen Piper," the (strangely familiar) host said, the two buns that were secured neatly at the side of her head. "Seeing your frustration, I think it would be right to keep on talking about it?"

"I told you, Chun Yan, that even if we're doing some fancy show, you're sitting down with us," Queen Piper said, and the lightheartedness in his tone reminded him starkly of Alfred's optimism. "But yes, that's right. Since there's always pressure having children no matter the country or kingdom, it was a relief that Fitz and I wouldn't have to go through conceiving again,"

Arthur watched the screen, seeing how alive she was even in old footage, how her face was animated, how she stood out not just on appearance alone – although that brown hair was definitely different from the family of blonds. Her younger expression no doubt reminded him of Erin…

"Alfred, she…!" Arthur turned to speak to Alfred, but the way that Alfred was reacting made him fumble with the sleek…black plastic thing and press the red button, which thank the Fates turned it off.

He was crying, flat out. His hands were cupped around his mouth and he was breathing through his nose, glasses sliding off the bridge of his nose as he cried, tears trailing down his face as he hunched in on himself. His knees knocked against each other, and his fingers trembled as he peered through them at the television, but he gave a jolt as soon as Arthur approached him.

"N-no, I'm fine, princess," he mumbled, but Arthur shook his head, wrapping his arms around the ball of his heat that was his engaged. "It's nothing, I-I just d-didn't, sniff, imagine…"

"In their defense, they probably didn't expect you to be tuning in, but it's all right to cry," Arthur said gently as if he were caring for a babe, patting his hair. "Don't be ashamed. Take some time for your emotions, I'm here."

"I just miss her so much, and that reminded me of her a lot," Alfred whispered into Arthur's shoulder. "Her and Dad. When I look at them I'm reminded about how much I've got to look up to."

"I feel the same about my parents and yours," Arthur said. "We should do our best for the four of them."

"It sucks that I never got to see them," Alfred said mournfully, wiping tears from his tan face – something else that he had inherited from his mother. "You should tell me more about them, you know."

"If you'd like," Arthur said, and Alfred curled against him, his head in Arthur's lap and his feet, adorned with colourful socks on the other side of the sofa.

Perhaps he'd ask Alfred about that delicious photo later…

"What would you like to know?"

"I'm afraid that you're going to have to leave for the evening, Your Highness," the nurse said, dipping his head a little. "Jack Yao specifically asked me to make sure that you go to bed at a sensible hour."

"Oh…of course, yes," Matthew said, snatching one more glance at Gilbert's resting form before getting up. "No, I'll do it myself," he said quickly as the nurse rushed forward to get his chair. "Please send my thanks along to Jack Yao."

"Yes, Your Highness," the nurse said, and he was gone, leaving the estranged lovers alone.

"They're saying that Katya's going to Diamonds by the end of next week, but don't worry about it," he murmured, hand reaching down to caress Gilbert's skin, the paleness of it stark against his own. "You always have a place here. I'll…I'll see you tomorrow, lover boy."

The same stretched agony that he had almost been accustomed to these few weeks burned in his chest as he kissed Gilbert goodnight, and left him for the warmth of his office, already thinking about the trip he'd make back to his side at the beginning of the wee hours of the morning…

"…Mat...thew…"

Then the sound had died, as quickly as it had come, evaporating in the silence of the infirmary ward as the Joker was quickly seduced back into sleep again.

its so cold here augh. last night it was too cold to shower and i was shivering as i cranked up that hot water lmao

replies

mi chan kizanami - i guess this is the most honeymoon phase i've written before the actual honeymoon, haha. arthur is so pretty in that dress. i wish i could see him in it...and thanks for the comment abt the imagery (and design, haha)! i got an OK grade for my english descriptive exam (A, lol) so i'm relieved it translated over here!

CFAA - woo, hugs away! domestic alfred and arthur is something that i'm not used to, but i'm glad you enjoyed it.

vivadragnire - F as in finance? pfft. christ if arthur was kidnapped the latter half of the story would literally be princess bride tho. arthur probably would fling those heels at a mirror or something, he'd probably wear smart leather shoes and walk fiercely down the aisle or something. the hills are alive indeed - i heard they created a new civilization - and a quick update for prucan for you sister! :D

russia says hello - the adults in my family constantly talk about uni for us and seeing that i'm next, it was not fun, i assure you haha. black panther was INSANE. literally where i watched it no one moved after it ended and they only left after that post credit, which was insane because only now have i realised how hard marvel has played us all. and ahh, i'm flattered that this story's worth staying on for! and arthur likes his masculinity but he's nervous against traditional stereotypes tbh but i agree wholeheartedly!

n kukuri chan - whoa your chinese is better than mine by tenfold and i'm asian smh. and don't worry! your super long reviews are always mindblowing for me to read. and please bear with me, i know only how to swim for survival, haha. alfred is probably the epitome of the lenny face meme and arthur is half 'alfred please stop amen' and 'alfred, please...touch me...' so it's probably a good thing that arthur is such a wishy washy boi, lmao. and i SWEAR you have someone wiretapping my word docs because i was finishing up and i read this review and paused...and yes, they have come a long way ;v;

lmao yes, yao is the spanish inquisition of this fic. yao probably doesn't want to know the details so he tactfully skipped over it, lmao. alfred is an angsty teen so he'd be pretty emotional, honestly. the zipper detail tho omg, i didn't even think about it but by the way you latched onto it, oh my ;) elli's dirty side coming out at last from its dark hiding place! thank you for all your support (and your reviews, tbh they're a story on their own in my opinion.) and don't worry, your reviews are the sort to make me bolt upwards and frantically read, winkwonk. love!

reviews, favourites and follows are what will keep me writing, so please go ahead and leave them!