"You know Al, if you keep this up, you're not going to have any skin left." Matthew said, examining Alfred's bruised knuckles. Alfred gave a sharp exhale of air as he rolled his eyes. He was beginning to regret coming to Matthew, who could never just patch him up without giving him a lecture.
"Sorry, got a little carried away in the gym." Now it was Matthew's turn to roll his eyes.
"You can't possibly still be upset. You barely knew the woman." Alfred glared at Matthew.
"I felt a connection, Mattie. And to think, she's with Captain Bushy Brows…" Alfred shook his head. Matthew sighed before opening his drawer and pulling out a first aid kit.
"You," Matthew began tightly, pulling out a roll of gauze, "are not going to get over her easily, are you? What happened to being her friend? And I mean truly being her friend, not just so you can lure her away from Arthur. That's shitty." Alfred fidgeted under Matthew's stern gaze.
"She's something special, Mattie. Never met a girl like her in the world." Alfred said softly while Matthew bandaged his knuckles.
"I don't disagree, but you can't keep pining over her like this. You're hurting yourself. We only have so many punching bags. And you only have so many hands."
"She's all I can think about." Matthew gave a sad smile as he finished bandaging Alfred's bruised left hand.
"I understand it's hard. She's also the first girl you've fell for since the war ended. But she's with someone else and you need to respect that. Besides, think how Arthur would feel. The man just lost his fiancée, for God's sake. You need to let her go." Matthew said. Alfred slumped back in his chair, feeling the weight of Matthew's words. As much as he disliked Arthur, it was always hard hearing when someone's relationship went south, especially while they were away at war.
"You're right." Matthew patted his hand and smiled.
"Cheer up, Al. We've got the officer dinner on Saturday to look forward to. Maybe you'll meet someone just as special."
Alfred took a long puff on his cigarette as he made his way down the narrow street. His hand and his heart were still hurting from earlier and he tried to ignore the dull ache of both. Of all the women in the world, he cursed as he flicked the ash on the sidewalk, I fall for the one who's going steady with Bushy-Brows.
Ever since that night he had avoided the club like the plague. He didn't want to chance running in to either of them. Arthur was easy to avoid, as he mainly kept to his ship that was docked at Yokosuka. His biggest fear was running into Kiku. He finished the last of his cigarette before dropping the butt and putting it out with the toe of his boot. He plunged his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out the carton of Lucky Strikes. Damn, he thought as he plucked the last cigarette from the now-empty carton, I'm out. Dejectedly, he crumpled the carton and tossed it over his shoulder. Alfred pulled out his trusty Zippo, lit the cigarette, and took a long drag—
"Alfred-san?"
-and nearly choked after hearing Kiku call his name. He coughed a bit before choking out Kiku's name. He turned around and saw Kiku standing in front of his crumpled cigarette carton, dressed in a pale yellow dress.
"Are you alright? I did not mean to scare you." Alfred gave a weak grin.
"I'm fine, Miss Kiku," Alfred said sheepishly, "just had smoke go down the wrong hole." Kiku cocked his head to the side and stared up at the other man.
"How have you been, Alfred-san? I haven't seen you around." Kiku asked and Alfred felt a small pang of guilt.
"I've been fine," he lied, "just been a bit busy with work. Been having a lot of late evenings in the office." Kiku nodded before moving closer towards Alfred. Alfred gave his trademark grin.
"How about you, Miss Kiku? What are you up to?"
"I have some shopping to do. If you're, ah, not busy, would you care to join me? We can get lunch." Kiku asked and Alfred felt his heart melting.
"I would consider it an honor." Alfred said, offering Kiku his arm in a gentlemanly fashion. Kiku giggled before taking his arm. They made their way down the street towards Mitsukoshi Department Store in silence; Kiku was focused on trying to keep up with the American's pace while Alfred was trying to get his nerves under control. He took another puff of his cigarette.
"Oh, Alfred-san, what happened to your hand?" Kiku asked, noticing the bandages.
"Oh, that. I got a little carried away with a punching bag yesterday." Alfred replied. Kiku frowned slightly before reaching for Alfred's hand for further examination while Alfred tried not to blush at the contact.
"You should be more careful, Alfred-san. I don't like seeing you hurt." Kiku said, running his fingers over the bandages. Alfred felt a small pang at his heart as he gave what he hoped was a sincere grin.
"Don't you worry Miss Kiku, I'll be careful." Alfred promised, the pang in his heart getting stronger at Kiku's grin. If only you knew…
"So where are you off to today?" Alfred asked as they continued down the street.
"I need to look for a new dress for next Saturday." Kiku mumbled, staring straight ahead. "Oh? Something special planned?" Kiku gave a small sigh. Alfred hoped it was simply to wear to the club and not to wear in front of Arthur.
"Asa-san has invited me to an officer's dinner." Shit, Alfred thought bitterly to himself. He had forgotten that the dinner was not only for US military, but also for all officers of the Allied forces that were currently stationed in Tokyo. Some kind of morale booster as many of them were sure bad news was coming in the future.
"Has he?" was all Alfred could muster out loud. Kiku frowned at Alfred, debating whether or not to tell the other man his feelings about the situation. Alfred was his friend, but he didn't want to make it sound like he didn't like going steady with Arthur.
"Yes. He is looking forward to introducing me to his friends." Kiku replied.
"Well, I can understand that. If you were my girl, I'd want to show you off too." Kiku blushed before giving Alfred a sweet smile.
"You're so sweet, Alfred-san."
"And you give me too much credit, Miss Kiku. Just telling the truth." And it was the truth, Alfred thought. He'd love nothing more than to have Kiku on his arm that night, introducing him to his superiors.
"I have never been to a dinner like this before. What are they like? Are they very formal?" Kiku asked, gently pulling Alfred so they could turn right.
"Yeah, kinda. There's food, obviously. A lot better stuff than what's served at mess, that's for sure. Drinking, too, but not like what goes on in the clubs. Too many high-ranking eyes. I believe we've been told it's going to be a sit-down dinner." Alfred said, trying to remember what the invitation had said.
"You will be there as well, Alfred-san?" asked Kiku with what Alfred thought was glimmer of hope.
"I will. It's for all Allied officers and their dates. I'll be going stag though." Kiku cocked his head to the side and looked at Alfred quizzically.
"Stag?"
"By myself, unless I can convince Mattie to wear a dress and be my date, heh. But it won't be too bad going to these things alone. The only time it really gets awkward is when they start the dancing." Kiku stopped suddenly in his tracks, nearly yanking his arm out of Alfred's.
"D-dancing?" Alfred furrowed his brow and looked down at Kiku, who was slowly turning red.
"Well, yeah. They'll get a band and there will be a good deal of dancing. I think they're trying to get Glenn Miller and his orchestra to come out. Miss Kiku, are you okay? You're not looking so good."
"I'm fine, Alfred-san. I'm just not much of a dancer, especially to Western music." Kiku said after taking a deep breath.
"Aw, dancin's not hard. It's really just following the lead, Miss Kiku." Alfred said, trying to reassure Kiku. Kiku vigorously shook his head.
"I don't want to embarrass Asa-san…"
"You'll be fine, Miss Kiku. Maybe Arthur can teach you before the dinner." Alfred suggested, to which Kiku widened his eyes and shook his head.
"No," Kiku said quickly, "I don't want him to know. Are you a good dancer, Alfred-san?" Alfred gulped. Back home, his parents had made him take dancing lessons and he was always the first one out on the floor at the USO clubs.
"Well, I can cut a pretty decent rug on the dance floor," Alfred said honestly.
"Would you be willing to teach me?" Alfred's heart nearly stopped beating. It was like fate was mocking him. He was of two minds: the rational part of his brain, which sound an awful lot like Matthew, telling him to decline and say he was too busy. Teaching another man's girl something as intimate as dancing was a big no-no. And yet, the not rational side of his brain, the side that had him holding on to Kiku's card in his wallet, the side that had him destroying punching bags was telling him to say yes.
"Oh, I don't know, Miss Kiku. I'm not a very good teacher." Alfred said weakly. Kiku suddenly clasped Alfred's un-bandaged hand and Alfred felt heartbeat quicken at the touch of Kiku's smooth hands around his.
"Please, Alfred-san," Kiku pleaded, while Alfred tried in vain not to be taken away by the beauty of Kiku's eyes, "I would really appreciate it." After a moment, Alfred nodded his head, hoping that Matthew and Arthur would forgive him for what he was about to do.
"Since you asked so nicely, I'll teach you Miss Kiku." And it was all worth it for the feeling of Kiku squeezing his arms around him, pressing his lithe body into Alfred's.
"Arigatou, Alfred-san!" Kiku exclaimed, burying his face into Alfred's chest. Alfred gave a contented sigh, enjoying the feeling of Kiku's warm body against his. If only I could be yours, Alfred thought to himself. Kiku brought his face up to Alfred's and smiled.
"Thank you, Alfred-san. I promise I will be a good student."
"I know you will, Miss Kiku." Kiku released him from the hug and Alfred felt the warmth leave him.
"We can practice at the base. I'll get you a pass and bring it to you tomorrow night." Alfred said and Kiku nodded vigorously.
"I must be at the club by 6, but I am free before then." Kiku said.
"I'll make sure I have everything finished by 4:30, so we have plenty of time to practice." Alfred promised. Kiku grinned and Alfred slowly found himself falling in love with his smile. He held out his arm and Kiku accepted, leading them down the street towards Mitsukoshi. As they continued on, Alfred offered up a silent prayer to give him strength as he taught the woman he so desperately wanted to be with how to dance for another man.
After a few more minutes, they finally arrived at the busy Ginza district that was bustling with both civilians and soldiers as both groups were intent on taking advantage of the warm October day to get the necessary shopping done. Alfred was always amazed at the mish-mash of people: Westerners in uniforms, men in suits, some women wearing traditional Japanese clothing while others had embraced the Western style of dress. Carefully, as not to bump into anyone, they made their way into Mitsukoshi towards the women's department on the second floor where they were greeted by a salesman clad in brown suit that was slightly too big for him and a tape measure dangling around his neck.
"Irashimase! Welcome! Is there anything I can help you find?" He greeted brightly at Kiku, before noticing Alfred. He smiled even brighter and bowed deeply at Alfred as he welcomed him in broken English.
"I'm looking for a dress to wear to a formal military event." Kiku said, causing the salesman to glance at Alfred, his smile getting even bigger. Alfred gave a nervous grin in return, unaware that the salesman was betting on making a hefty commission.
"Of course. Follow me." He said, leading them over to a rack of evening gowns. With a flourish, he pulled off the tape measure and deftly wrapped it around Kiku's chest, noting the measurements before moving towards his waist. He gave a small 'tsk' before pulling out a pale green gown and holding it towards Kiku. Kiku shook his head, knowing green only washed him out and made him look sickly. The salesman frowned before turning to Alfred.
"Uh, I don't think green is really her color. Do you have anything else?" The salesman nodded before putting the gown back on the rack. He motioned for them to follow him to a different rack.
"Just arrived in, sir." He said, smiling brightly. He pulled out a pale pink gown and held it up to Kiku. Kiku nodded and accepted the dress, allowing him to be led to the fitting room. Alfred gave a small wave and decided to poke around while Kiku tried on the gown, trying to not dwell too hard on the fact that Kiku was not picking this dress out for him. He was over by the hat rack, trying to figure out why sticking a bird on top of a hat was suddenly haute couture, when Kiku padded up to him.
"Alfred-san, what do you think." Alfred turned around and felt his jaw drop. It was an off-the-shoulder dress that perfectly highlighted the creamy skin of Kiku's shoulders while the full skirt stopped just below his knees. The delicate pink fabric made Kiku look positively ethereal, especially with the contrast of his jet-black hair. Alfred quickly picked his jaw from off the ground and grinned.
"You look positively angelic, Miss Kiku." Kiku blushed, the pink in his cheeks matching the pink on the dress.
"Do you really think so? Do you think Asa-san will like it?" Kiku asked timidly.
"He'd be a fool not to." Alfred said wincing at the mention of the Brit. Kiku gave a shy smile before giving a small bow.
"Thank you, Alfred-san. I will get this one." Alfred smiled, watching as Kiku turned back towards the dressing room, appreciating the view. Once Kiku was out of sight, he slumped over and sighed heavily. The salesman quickly came over and handed Alfred the matching wrap.
"Your girl is very pretty." He said, hoping the compliment would earn him a tip. Alfred gave the salesman a sad smile.
"She's not my girl, but thanks."
"Thank you for coming with me, Alfred-san." Kiku said as they left Mitsukoshi. If Alfred could have, he would have waved Kiku's words away, but the bags and boxes in his arms prevented him from doing so.
"It's no problem, Miss Kiku. It's always a pleasure to spend time with you."
"And thank you for carrying my bags, Alfred-san. That was very generous of you." Kiku said, leading them back towards his little apartment.
"No problem at all. My ma would be rolling over in her grave if she found out I didn't carry these bags for you." Alfred laughed. They continued on in comfortable silence, finally reaching the flat the siblings shared. Alfred carefully followed Kiku up the rickety steps and entered the unit. Kiku slid the door shut and quickly relieved Alfred of the packages. He draped the gown over the futon and set the packages down beside it. He straightened himself up and glanced over at the clock and saw that it was already 4:15.
"Gomen, Alfred-san. I don't think I will be able to do lunch today. I need to start getting ready…" Kiku apologized as Alfred put his hand up to shush him.
"You're perfectly fine, Miss Kiku. Trust me, I completely understand." Alfred said.
"Will you be at the club tonight?" Kiku asked, hopefully. Alfred looked uncomfortable. To be honest, he wasn't planning on going back, at least not until his feelings subsided.
"Oh, I don't know…" Alfred said and Kiku looked a bit crestfallen.
"I was thinking perhaps after I get off, we have a late dinner? There's a yakitori shop that is open late." Kiku said. Alfred sighed; knowing in his heart there was no way he could say no.
"I'll be there Miss Kiku. I may be a bit late, but I'll be there. Heck, I'll even bring you a pass for next week." Alfred said. Kiku clapped his hands and smiled.
"I look forward to it, Alfred-san!"